Kennedy: Red Sox have 'underperformed' given talent level
Boston Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy believes the club is better than their performance suggests through the first 57 games of the season.
"It's sort of been a tale of two seasons – really positive in many ways, and then really negative in others. So, I don't think so," Kennedy said on "The Greg Hill Show" when asked if the Red Sox have overachieved.
"I think it's a talented group, incredibly athletic, young. We've seen sort of the glimpse of how we're going to get back to the postseason with athletic play and young, homegrown guys that have come through our system and performances from a pitching staff that has just been sort of otherworldly."
The Red Sox enter Friday with a 28-29 record and are tied for third place in the AL East. If the playoffs began today, Boston would miss the postseason by 3 1/2 games.
Injuries to key players have contributed to the losing record, with Triston Casas, Trevor Story, and Tyler O'Neill missing time. Other factors have had a bigger impact, according to Kennedy, who praised the pitching staff but wants to see more from an offense whose "bats have gone quiet at the wrong time" and a defense that "has not been where it needs to be."
"We need to continue to pitch the way we have and start getting guys on base and scoring more runs," the executive said.
"But I don't think we've overperformed. I think, if anything, we've underperformed just given the talent and the competitiveness in that clubhouse."