This right-handed batter more than pulled his weight against left-handed pitching.
2024 In One Sentence
Late bloomer Rob Refsnyder had a career year, considered retirement, then had his option picked up by the Red Sox.
The Positives
Just as he did in 2023, Rob Refsnyder did everything the Red Sox asked of him…but in 2024 he did it even better and he did it a whole lot more. He came into his own last season.
His season was the culmination of an entire career of head-down hard work, which coincided with more opportunities to shine because of the dearth of right-handed batters in the Red Sox lineup. What did Refsnyder accomplish in 2024? Only a hell of a lot of career highs, like:
- Games (93). His previous career-high was 51
- At-bats (272)
- Hits (77)
- Runs (32)
- Doubles (16)
- Home runs (11)
- RBIs (40)
- Runs Created (44.7)
- wRC+ (130)
- BABIP (.359)
He achieved all of this in his age-33 season (he’ll turn 34 in March).
The Negatives
The negatives are minor, in my eyes.
He committed four errors in 2024, up from zero in 2023. That’s a large increase but a small sample size. And he certainly didn’t stick out—not on this team! (You already know that errors were my constant bugaboo all season long.)
He bookended the season with stints on the IL: a toe fracture in April and a sore right forearm/wrist in September.
He had one more career high that is hardly worth mentioning, but because there were so few negatives to Refsnyder’s game in 2024, I feel compelled to share my research: he had more strikeouts in 2024 than ever before. But this came with more plate appearances. He slightly increased his strikeout rate, but it wasn’t anything to worry about, neither a huge increase over the year before, nor the highest rate of his career. (See what I mean? That was nothing.)
Can I call it a negative that we couldn’t use him even more than we did? That’s tongue in cheek, of course, but it also highlights our need for an everyday right-handed bat.
I’m scraping here.
Can I call it a negative that Refsnyder announced in August that he was thinking about retiring? It feels heartless of me to say so, and even his reasoning should be considered a positive: because he wanted to spend more time with his family. But I’d consider it a negative for Red Sox fans and for the team (at least as it’s currently constructed, since we still need a right-handed batter).
Besides family reasons, he was content to pack it in because “I really don’t care about individual stats. I wanted to make a postseason run in Boston and experience that.” I like to translate his return as a sort of promissory note, from Rob to us, for 2025.
Best Moment
Refsnyder’s best moment was an entire game full of best moments, on September 9. He went 4-4 with a two-run home run, a solo home run, a double, a two-RBI single, and a total of 5 RBI during a lopsided 12-3 win over the Orioles. As if that weren’t enough, he and Tyler O’Neill hit back-to-back home runs in this game—twice! Not to take anything away from Refsnyder there, I simply happen to think it’s notable and really cool. What a game for Refsnyder, and for the Sox.
The Big Question
Will Refsnyder regret his decision to come back for another season? I sure hope not. Can we get him that postseason run he was aiming for last year? Craig Breslow, do it for Rob!
2025 And Beyond
Unless Craig Breslow pulls off something to relieve the logjam in the outfield, potentially changing our off-the-bench options, we’ll see Refsnyder utilized in the same ways as 2024: coming off the bench to face left-handed pitching. Given that retirement talk, though, it’s likely that 2025 will be his last with the Red Sox, and possibly his last in Major League Baseball. Beyond that, he’s indicated he wants to “make a big impact” and work with young players. Though he’s said that he doesn’t feel that needs to happen on the field, he’ll get his wish in 2025 with some heavily touted younger players coming up, and Garrett Crochet in the fold too.
With his attendance at Story Camp, we know he’s doing all the right things to prepare himself for another big push in 2025. While it doesn’t seem possible that he could surpass what he did in 2024, I’m not prepared to count him out, either.