Aaron Judge, overlooked? Some early judgments on the 2025 baseball season after two months.

Boston Globe

2 days ago

He leads the majors in bWAR, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and has a 1.339 OPS with runners in scoring position.
Judge also is the clubhouse leader of a team that shrugged off the
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Best pitcher:
It's a healthy debate between
Max Fried
of the Yankees and Tigers ace
Tarik Skubal
. The choice is Fried based on the consistency. He hadn't allowed more than two earned runs in a start until Friday against the Dodgers, and the Yankees are 10-2 when he pitches.
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Skubal has struck out 92 against only seven walks, but was knocked around a bit by the Dodgers
Top team:
The Dodgers don't have the best record, but their season feels like a series of dress rehearsals until they put the exact team they want on the field in September.
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To that point, they just traded for deposed Reds closer
Alexis Díaz
. The 28-year-old has lost velocity and seen his strikeout rate plummet, but Díaz has options and the Dodgers can stash him at their complex in Arizona and work on fixing those issues.
If it works, maybe he's getting big outs in the eighth inning in the playoffs. If it doesn't, they're out $6.2 million counting luxury tax overages. For the Dodgers, it's all about the end game.
Rough start:
Roki Sasaki
had a 4.72 ERA in eight starts before landing on the injured list with what the Dodgers said was a shoulder impingement.
The 23-year-old righthander from Japan was
Sasaki averaged 96 miles per hour with his four-seam fastball, well off the triple digits that were expected. Sasaki also gave the Dodgers only 34⅓ innings in those eight starts. Maturity, physical and otherwise, is an issue.
Life beyond Boston:
That
Nate Eovaldi
has a 3.33 ERA in 66 starts for Texas isn't a good look for the Red Sox considering
The Padres also seem to have unlocked something in
There's some batted-ball luck involved and Petco Park is better for him than Fenway, but Pivetta also has benefited from increasing the use of his curveball and cutting back on the sweeper.
Trade value:
Sandy Alcantara's
8.47 ERA through 11 starts isn't helping the Marlins trade him, but that could be attributed to his missing last season after Tommy John surgery. Teams will still be after him.
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The same may not be true for White Sox outfielder
Luis Robert Jr.
, who has a .632 OPS going back to last season.
Kansas City's pitching:
Lefty
Kris Bubic
, a first-round pick in 2018, has emerged as an ace with a 1.45 ERA through 11 starts. Another lefty,
Noah Cameron
, allowed three earned runs over 25⅔ innings in his first four starts.
The issue for Kansas City is scoring. They're a team that could be active in the trade market to balance the roster.
Washington monument:
James Wood
was one of the four players
His .964 OPS was fifth in the National League going into the weekend.
Another product of that trade, center fielder
Robert Hassell III
, made his debut May 22.
The Soto shuffle:
Soto seems to be following the
A .755 OPS is well above the league average, but Soto arrived in Queens with a career .953 OPS. His bat speed is down a bit but Soto is only 26, so it's not some physical decline.
It's easy to suggest Soto will be fine and that probably will be the case, but he's now the focal point of a prominent team, not just one of the guys. He had buffers with the Nationals, Padres, and Yankees. Not any more.
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Brennan Bernardino (above) and Greg Weissert each appeared in 25 of Boston's first 58 games, one more than Aroldis Chapman and Justin Slaten.
Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Everyday Bernie
Bernardino always
on call for Sox
Brennan Bernardino
made 112 appearances for the Red Sox from 2023-24 and pitched in 25 of the first 58 games this season.
The 33-year-old lefthander recently appeared seven times in a span of 10 games and allowed one run on two hits over 6 innings while throwing 59 of 93 pitches for strikes.
How does a pitcher do that?
'For me, it's not wasting pitches,' Bernardino said. 'I try to save my bullets, even when I'm just playing catch because those throws add up over time.'
Bernardino also has condensed his warm-up routine to six or seven pitches at times.
'I prefer to throw more than that, but I can be ready after maybe six,' he said. 'A few heaters and a breaking ball and I'm ready to go.'
Bernardino averages a modest 91 miles per hour with his two-seam fastball, and his 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings are the lowest of his career. But opposing hitters are 8 for 58 (.138) against his curveball, changeup, and cutter.
'Mix pitches, keep the hitter off-balance, and play the game of baseball,' Bernardino said. 'I don't try to complicate it too much.'
Bernardino has learned a few tips from watching
'One of the hardest workers I have ever seen,' he said. 'To be 37 and throwing as hard as he does and as well as he does, it's amazing. He's strong and flexible. He's very routine-oriented.'
A few other observations on the Red Sox:
⋅ Current Red Sox ownership has yet to fire a manager during the season.
Bobby Valentine
all but burned the place down in 2012 and the Sox waited until the day after the season
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They
Ceddanne Rafaela's defense is outstanding, but his approach at the plate is anything but.
Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
⋅ Maybe the Sox should start waiting more than a few games before giving prospects long-term contracts.
Ceddanne Rafaela
is an excellent defensive outfielder, but he has a .650 OPS since he agreed to
His idea of a good pitch to swing at is one that doesn't bounce.
Craig Breslow
called Rafaela a 'cornerstone' at the time. He might be a bench player once
Roman Anthony
takes over an outfield spot.
Related
:
Kristian Campbell
hadn't even played his first series in the majors before the Sox gave him
Campbell had a terrific April, then was
Brayan Bello
didn't get
Until proved otherwise, he's no better than a No. 4 starter on a contending team.
⋅
Garrett Crochet
has allowed two home runs on the first pitch he has thrown in a game this season. One was
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Crochet starts every game with a fastball and has been ambushed twice. The Sox lost both of those games by one run.
'First pitch of the game, I'm going to throw a fastball. Everybody knows that. I'm never not going to do that,' Crochet said. 'The guy next game could clip me on another first-pitch heater, and I'd be OK with that.'
Everybody knows that and you'll keep doing it? And you're OK if you give up more leadoff home runs?
Ronald Acuña Jr.
,
Oneil Cruz
,
Shohei Ohtani
, and
Fernando Tatis Jr.
are among the leadoff hitters Crochet could face this season. The matchup with Acuña could come on Sunday.
Just a thought: Grooving hitters like that a fastball might not be the best plan.
⋅ The Red Sox were a .500 team with
Alex Bregman
playing at an All-Star level. It could get ugly without him for what is expected to be
It won't help this season, but perhaps there is a long-term upside.
Bregman can opt out of his contract for next season and become a free agent, or he could stay with the Red Sox for $40 million.
If Bregman only plays 100 or so games, staying might be a better play than going back into free agency coming off a major injury and entering his age-32 season.
⋅ Per Baseball Reference,
Marcelo Mayer
was the
It's amazing that every big leaguer in history wouldn't come close to filling Fenway Park.
⋅ The Sox went into the weekend 381-386 in the regular season since they traded
Mookie Betts
and have played 11 postseason games. The Dodgers are 493-272 and have played 53.
Sometimes, you do get what you deserve.
ETC.
Maine man for
baseball memories
Jon Perry
coaches the baseball team at Hampden (Maine) Academy. He also played at the University of Maine under
John Winkin
and was a member of the 1981 team that played in the College World Series.
(Everybody remembers the famous pitchers' duel between St. John's
Frank Viola
and Yale's
Ron Darling
in the NCAA Northeast Regional at Yale Field in '81, but Maine advanced to Omaha.)
Carlton Willey pitched three seasons for the Mets, making 28 starts in 1963 before two more years largely as a reliever to finish an eight-year MLB career.
Photo courtesy Maine Baseball Exhibit
In his spare time, Perry collects baseball memorabilia related to Maine and operates a small museum at the old Hampden Academy building.
Perry has uniforms dating to 1910 and other items related to major league players from Maine, along with memorable college and high school teams and players.
One of his prized acquisitions is a 1965 Mets uniform worn by the late
Carlton Willey
, a righthander from Cherryfield, Maine, who played in the majors from 1958-65.
The museum also has bats made in Maine by
Willard
'Grasshopper'
Mains
, who played in the majors from 1888-1896.
Go to
Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, Calif., hasn't been a hit with players or fans in the first year of an expected three-year residency by the Athletics.
Scott Marshall/Associated Press
Extra bases
At 37,
Craig Kimbrel
has appeared in 16 minor league games with the Braves and allowed two earned runs over 16 innings while striking out 20. Kimbrel is on a minor league contract with a clause that forces the Braves to call him up or release him if another team offers him a major league contract … Portland native and Cubs bench coach
Ryan Flaherty
is a candidate to manage the Orioles once they decide to make a permanent hire. Flaherty played for the Orioles from 2012-17 … Tampa Bay is 18-19 at Steinbrenner Field and averaging 9,893 fans at the 10,046-seat park. All things considered, they've made the best of a bad situation after being
Luis Severino
has
Chandler Simpson
to Triple A on Friday. The incredibly fast rookie outfielder hit .285 and had 19 steals in 35 games after being called up. Tampa Bay had
Jake Mangum
coming off the injured list and value his being a switch hitter … As the Red Sox endlessly ponder when to bring up
Roman Anthony
, heed the cautionary tale of
Jordan Lawlar
. The shortstop made his debut with the Diamondbacks in 2023 and appeared in 14 games late in the season, going 4 for 31. He was on the roster for the postseason, but had only two plate appearances. Lawlar played only 23 minor league games last season because of injuries. He didn't return to the majors until May 13 this season and was 0 for 19 before being optioned. Lawlar, who turns 23 in July, was taken two picks after
Marcelo Mayer
in 2021 …
Chris Sale
became
Zack Wheeler
at Citizens Bank Park. Sale hit 2,500 in 2,026 innings. The old record of 2,107⅔ innings was held by
Randy Johnson
. Sale has done a lot to improve his Hall of Fame résumé since landing with the Braves … How bad are the Rockies? They have yet to win a series, which is amazingly bad. They did manage to win two games in a row, beating Atlanta at home on April 30 then winning at San Francisco on May 1, but that was preceded and followed by eight-game losing streaks. The Rockies come to Fenway Park for three games July 7-9 … The Red Sox acquired righthanded relievers
Ryan Zeferjahn
is one of the set-up men for closer
Kenley Jansen
. He has appeared in 35 games over the last two seasons with a 3.16 ERA and a healthy 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings. Outfielder
Matthew Lugo
made his major league debut on May 9 and had an .814 OPS in his first 15 games. Lugo was a second-round pick in 2019 who was initially a shortstop before a move to the outfield … Congratulations to the Endicott College Gulls, who advanced to the NCAA Division 3 championship round in Eastlake, Ohio, this weekend. Through the regionals, they were 43-4 under coach
Bryan Haley
… Happy birthday to
Derek Lowe
, who is 52. The righthander played for seven teams during his 17-year major league career, but is best remembered for his eight years with the Red Sox from 1997-2004. Lowe and
Jason Varitek
were obtained from Seattle at the '97 trade deadline for
Heathcliff Slocumb
in one of the all-time steals. Lowe was initially a reliever who recorded 85 saves from 1998-2001. The sinkerballer was then 52-27 with a 4.07 ERA in 98 starts through 2004. Lowe
Peter Abraham can be reached at