C Jason Varitek – Varitek has had a tough season this year, particularly over the last month and a half. He has a .220 average, has hit 7 home runs, and has driven in 27 runs. His OBP (On Base Percentage) is barely above .300 at .303 and his OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging) is a miserable .664. ‘Tek has made only 2 errors this year, but has thrown out only 18.6% of runners this year. After hitting only .122 in June, Varitek has had a couple of hits in the last couple games and is hopefully getting back on track after a brutal first half of the year.
Versus Expectations: C, Versus Players: D

1B Kevin Youkilis – Youkilis has had another great year, boasting a .308 average with 13 homers and 53 RBI. He has a .375 OBP, a .908 OPS, and is second on the Red Sox with 93 hits. Youk set the MLB record for most consecutive games at first base without making an error, beginning last year and ending this year when he made his first and only error of the season. Youkilis could easily be the starting first baseman for the AL All Star team.
Versus Expectations: A-, Versus Players: A-

2B Dustin Pedroia – Pedroia’s second year has been even better than his rookie season. The Sox second baseman struggled at the beginning of last year, but that was not the case this year. He leads the Sox with a .314 batting average and has also hit 9 homers and driven in 39 runs. He has a team-leading 114 hits and 60 runs. He has even stolen 9 bases without being caught and has made just five errors this year. A candidate to start at second base for the AL All Star team, Pedroia has had a fantastic season.
Versus Expectations: A-, Versus Players: A-

SS Julio Lug0 – Lugo has had a bad year, though not nearly as awful as last year. He has a .263 average, but has only hit one home run and has only 19 RBI. His .352 OBP isn’t terrible, but his .329 slugging percentage is miserable.  50 of Lugo’s 64 hits have been singles and he has stolen only 11 bases after getting those singles. The big problem for Lugo has been defensively where he has committed a team-leading 16 errors and is being replaced late in games by Alex Cora for defensive reasons.
Verus Expectations: B-, Versus Players: C

3B Mike Lowell – It is a contract year for Lowell and he is playing like it. His average is just a point under .300 at .299 and Lowell has hit 13 home runs while also accumulating 53 RBI. He is fourth on the Sox with an .882 OPS and has made only 5 errors this year. Lowell is also a candidate to make the All Star game, though A-Rod has the starting position locked up.
Versus Expectations: B+, Versus Players: B+

LF Manny Ramirez – Manny has had a mediocre year this season. He has only a .279 batting average, after starting July 2 for 15. Ramirez has hit 16 homers, has driven in 53 runs, and is second on the team with a .377 OBP. Those are all good stats, but for a superstar like Manny, they are sub-par. He has made just one error this year and even stole a base. Manny will almost certainly start for the American League in the 2008 All Star game and has had a good year, but I expect even more from Manny.
Versus Expectations: B, Versus Players: A-

CF Jacoby Ellsbury – Ellsbury has had a so-so rookie season, hitting well for times and struggling at other times. He has batted .272 with 5 homers and 26 RBI this year, but has stolen a league leading 35 bases. His .346 OBP is not very good, especially for a leadoff hitter, but Ellsbury is still a rookie and has time to improve as the year continues. He has not committed an error this year and even has 2 assists.
Versus Expectations: B, Versus Players: B+

RF J.D. Drew – After a tough first year in Boston, Drew has had a fantastic season this year. He is tied for the lead on the Sox with  16 home runs and has 51 RBI. He is batting a point above .300 at  .301, but most importantly, Drew leads the team with a .411 OBP, the only player above .400. He also leads the Sox with a .572 slugging percent and a .982 OPS. Drew has made just 2 errors in right field this year and should definitely be on the AL All Star team, though it looks like he will not be a starter.
Versus Expectations: A, Versus Players: A-

SP Josh Beckett – Beckett has had a rollar-coaster year which so far has led to a good performance overall, no where near his incredible season last year though. His 3.70 ERA and 1.11 WHIP are both excellent, but Beckett has given up 12 home runs in his 16 starts. His 105 strikeouts  in 107 innings is extremely good. His 8-5 record is mediocre, but that is just because he has not gotten great run support from his team.
Versus Expectations: B+, Versus Players: B+

SP Daisuke Matsuzaka – Dice K has also had an up-and-down year, but like Beckett, it has turned out to be a good performance overall. He started the year phenomenally, but after going to the DL, he has not come back quite as strong. Either way, his ERA is still just 3.12 and he still possess a 9-1 record. He has walked a ton of guys (49 in 75 innings), which leads to his high WHIP (1.39). As he continues to work his way back from the DL, Dice K should return to the form he was at earlier this year.
Versus Expectations: A-, Versus Players: B+

SP Tim Wakefield –  Wakefield isn’t an overpowering pitcher, but he has continued to be a consistent pitcher the entire year. He has a 3.72 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. Though he is under .500 with a 5-6 record, that is also because of run support. He has also walked a lot of guys with 45 walks in 109 innings, but even so, he has been solid the entire year.
Versus Expectations: A-, Versus Players: B+

SP Jon Lester – Lester has been the ace of the staff of the year with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. He has just an 8-5 record, but is deserving of better. His no-hitter is the highlight of the year for the Sox and he has been the stopper when the Sox are in a slide. He has walked a lot of batters (41 walks in 117 2/3 innings), but has worked out of some james.
Versus Expectations: A, Versus Players: A-

With the first half of the year complete, it is time to grade the Sox players and evaluate them based on expectations. Each player gets two grades, one grade for how they did compared to expectations and another for how they did compared to other players.

C Jason Varitek – After a disappointing season last year, Varitek has bounced back to hit 8 home runs, drive in 36 runs, and hit a steady .279. He has not thrown out many runners, but he has called great games behind the plate and is partially the reason why the Sox have had such great pitching. Versus Expectations: A-, Versus Players: B

1B Kevin Youkilis – A good season last year has lead to a fantastic season this year. His .328 average leads the Red Sox and his 9 home runs and 44 RBI made him an all star candidate. Though he was left off the team, there is not much that Youkilis hasn’t done for the Sox this year. Versus Expectations: B+, Versus Players: B+

2B Dustin Pedroia – After struggling mightily at the plate early in the season, Pedroia has been scorching the ball for the rest of it. He has raised his average more than a hundred points to get to .318, second on the Sox. His defense has been consistently good and he has been the perfect “on base hitter”. Versus Expectations: A-. Versus Players: B+

SS Julio Lugo – Ugh. Lugo has had one of the worst first half of the seasons in the league. He has struggled from the start and it has only gotten worse. His June average of .089 (7-79) was the worse in Major League Baseball for a starting player in over 10 years. His defense has been bad and the only thing that has gone right for Lugo is stolen bases. Versus Expectations: F, Versus Players: F

3B Mike Lowell – After a good year, Lowell has had an awesome year this year and made his 4th All Star. He is tied for the lead on the Sox with 14 home runs, leads them with 63 RBIs, and supports a nice .301 batting average. He has struggled defensively, something unusual for Lowell, but he has made up with it and more with the bat. Versus Expectations: A, Versus Players: A-

LF Manny Ramirez – Manny started the year and ended the first half pretty badly. Somehow Manny was selected by Tigers manager Jim Leyland for the All Star Game even though his stats don’t justify it. His 11 home runs, 45 RBI, and .284 batting average are extremely low for the normally consistent Ramirez. In every big situation so far, Ramirez seems to fall flat on his face, sometimes looking like an overpowered rookie. Versus Expectations: D, Versus Players: B-

CF Coco Crisp – Crisp struggled at the plate for most of the first part of the season, but has caught fire the last month to end with a .265 batting average. He has 5 home runs, 28 RBI, and more impressively, 16 stolen bases. He has played stellar defense the entire year, making no errors and getting balls that no one thought he could get to. Versus Expectations: B, Versus Players: B

RF J.D. Drew – Drew also struggled for most of the season, but like Coco, he has turned it around lately. Drew’s .258 batting average is bad, but is .368 on base percentage is excellent compared to the batting average. Unfortunately, his 6 home runs and 33 RBI are bad, especially for the number 5 hitter who has the opportunity to drive in a lot of runs. Versus Expectations: C. Versus Players: C+

DH David Ortiz – Papi has had a poor first half this year, and his stats reflect it. With only 14 home runs and 52 RBI, Ortiz is on pace for less than 30 home runs and 100 RBI. Those are not the stats Sox fans expect from one of the best hitters in baseball. Instead of being excited when he comes up in a clutch situation, Red Sox fans are nervous, because he has struggled in such situations this year. Versus Expectations: C-, Versus Players: B

SP Josh Beckett – Beckett has been dominate this year in nearly every outing. He is one of the top Cy Young candidates, and is coming off two scoreless innings in the All Star game. He has been the ace the Sox thought he was when they traded for him. After a disappointing year last year, Beckett has done everything right in the first half of 2007. Versus Expectations: A+, Versus Players: A+

SP Daisuke Matsuzaka – With the amount of money the Sox paid to get Dice K, big things were expected from him. He had control problems at the beginning of the year, but has gotten used to the major leagues in the last two months, lowering his ERA to 3.58. His high strikeout total and great defense are also valuable. Versus Expectations: B-, Versus Players: A-

SP Curt Schilling – Though injured for the last month, Schilling has had an up and down season. He has said that he has never felt right all season and his stats show it. With a 4.20 ERA, Schilling has not been the ace that he has been for the Sox. Injury or not. Schilling has pitched some very poor games this year. Versus Expectations: C-, Versus Players: C+

SP Tim Wakefield – Wakefield started out the season on fire, but has resorted back to form recently. His 4.38 is not very good, but as a number 4 starter in the American League, it is not that bad. He has kept the Sox in most of his games, and has been a good “inning eater”. Versus Expectations: B, Versus Players: B

SP Julian Tavarez – Tavarez has pitched very well for a number five guy. Even though his ERA is nearly five (4.97), he has pitched better than that. The last month he has pitched on the same day as Roger Clemens and has out pitched Rocket in nearly every start. The quirky attitude of Tavarez always provides a humorous moment during games as well. Versus Expectations: B+, Versus Players: B

RP Hideki Okajima – Okajima has been phenomenal this season. No one knew his name going into the season, but his All Star season has made him a household name across the country now. His tiny 0.83 ERA has provided a perfect setup man for Papelbon. Versus Expectations: A+, Versus Players: A+

CL Jonathan Papelbon – Papelebon has been dominant again this season, though his stats are a bit worse. He has an excellent 1.93 ERA and 20 saves to go along with it. Like always, Papelbon has been one of the best closers in the league and extremely deserving of his All Star selection. Versus Expectations: B+, Versus Players: A