The Boston Red Sox have given plenty of opportunities for one of their former top prospects to become the high-powered slugger many believed he could become.
Unfortunately, after years of lackluster production, the Red Sox reportedly are finally willing to move on.
“Two National League execs said yesterday the Red Sox are actively marketing Bobby Dalbec,” Longtime Red Sox pundit Peter Gammons tweeted Sunday.
“That’s being fair to Dalbec where his career and the club are now, but both execs believe Dalbec can harness his enormous power and fill an everyday third base role. All-time good guy.”
Dalbec has all of the physical tools to be an elite slugger but failed to improve any of the key flaws in his game.
The big right-hander has a career 35.1% strikeout rate at the Major League level and appears to be incapable of dropping that tally. He’s currently sporting a 38.4% strikeout rate for Triple-A Worcester this season.
There has been this longstanding idea that someone should bank on his upside but he’s a couple of months away from turning 28 years old. He should be well into his prime by now.
Dalbec was easy to root for, to the point where he had “Bobby” chants echoing through Fenway Park anytime he came up to the plate in a big spot — despite never having the production to warrant the fanfare.
If the Red Sox do find a trade partner, they likely will get very little in return. The Tampa Bay Rays were a rumored trade destination in the offseason, it would be interesting to see if they have some analytical data to turn him around.
That seems unlikely since you cannot do much to improve bat-to-ball skills using data. Dalbec will be easy to root for wherever he ends up but a trade has been long overdue.
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