Positivity!"d Sox NewsYahoo Red Sox Team PageYahoo Red Sox ReportYahoo Red Sox Depth ChartYahoo Red Sox TransactionsYahoo Red Sox PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub few things that have gone right during this disappointing stretchNew http://www.angelsfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-cozart-jersey ,35commentsPositivity!EDTShareTweetShareShareA few things that have gone right during this disappointing stretchBrian Fluharty-USA TODAY SportsSo, the start of the season hasn’t exactly gone the way anyone expected it to. Outside of the ring ceremony and seeing Gronk throwing out a first pitch, it seems as if nothing has gone right for this Red Sox team. We need to bring the mood up a bit or else we’ll all go mad. That’s why I’m here: to point out a few positives in the midst of a tough stretch. 1) Mitch MorelandGood ol’ Mitchy two-bags has been raking to start the season, and it’s scary to think about where this team would be without his bat. His slash line currently sits at .257/.350/.686, and his hard hit-rate is up almost 12 percentage points from last year’s mark in the very early going. His fly-ball rate is also up 7% from last year and his launch angle has increased significantly, but do keep in mind we’re dealing with a very small sample size and this could be mere randomness. Nonetheless, Mitch has still been mashing, and he’s been almost directly responsible for the only three Red Sox wins we’ve seen. 2) J.D. MartinezI’d go through changes in JD’s fly-ball rate, or launch angle, or hard-hit rate, but there aren’t any; he’s just crushing the ball like he usually does. In 47 PA, his wRC+ is 152 and his OPS sits at .936. Not too shabby, and exactly what we expect from him every year. One thing of note is that he currently holds a strikeout rate of 11.8 percent, much lower than his career average of 24% and almost half of where it was in 2018. I would definitely say this has to do with a small sample size, but perhaps he has changed his approach a bit. At the very least it’s something to watch moving forward. He’s swinging at pitches in the strike zone at a career-high rate, in addition to swinging at pitches outside of the strike zone at a rate four percentage points lower than 2018. It remains to be seen if this approach lasts long-term, but it’s good to see Martinez off to the races after a slow start last year.3) Blake SwihartSwihart has seen just 19 plate appearances in 2019 thus far Huston Street Jersey , but he’s made the most of them. He’s reached safely seven times, and out of 12 batted balls, 2 of them have been ‘barrels’. Also, there’s been worry about his defense dating back to 2015, but so far seems to be holding his own thus far. With Sandy Le贸n in the minors, the Sox have no choice but to continue to play Swihart, which should reap benefits for them, particularly if he can continue to show growth with more and more consistent playing time.Well, that’s about it. Mookie has been solid, but not great. The bullpen has looked fine as well, although that’s partly by default because most of the games have been out of hand by the time the starter has walked off the mound. However, I fully believe the upcoming four-game series with Baltimore has the potential to be a sweep and serve as a step in the right direction in this young season. We’re here for positivity, right? BLOODLINES"The Royals hold the second-overall pick for this June’s draft, and will make their earliest selection since they took Mike Moustakas second in the 2007 draft. The pick has a chance to greatly improve a farm system devoid of much high-upside talent. There is much amateur baseball to be played between now and June, so draft positions can change greatly (Brady Singer was considered to be the top selection at this time last year), but Baseball America has already released its first 2019 Mock Draft. With the first selection, they have the Orioles taking Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman. The switch-hitting junior hit .408/.505/.628 with nine home runs in 67 games for the Beavers last year. With the second overall pick http://www.angelsfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-cozart-jersey , they have the Royals taking Texas high school infielder Bobby Witt, Jr. So let’s learn more about the young prep star.The name should be familiar to some long-time baseball fans. His dad, Bobby Witt, Sr., was the third overall pick by the Rangers in 1985 out of the University of Oklahoma, and went on to win 142 games in a 16-year career with the Rangers, Athletics, Marlins, Cardinals, Devil Rays, Indians, and Diamondbacks. The younger Witt is a shortstop, described by Baseball America as a five-tool talent with plus skills both offensively and defensively.MLB Pipeline also ranks Witt as the second-best prospect in the draft, although they also note the same concern about his whiffs. But Witt is young, and could make improvement, and they write he “shows good barrel control and some willingness to use the entire field, so he could hit for average if he modifies his aggressive approach.” Even if he never becomes a high-average hitter Nolan Ryan Jersey , his power is very impressive for an infielder at the high school level. He won the High School Home Run Derby at Nationals Park last July during All-Star week. He does not have a huge frame, standing at just over six-feet tall, but has a nice fluid swing and barrels up well, reminding me a bit of Carlos Correa. He has topped over 100 mph in his exit velocity and the ball does seem to jump off his bat. He does seem to drift onto his front foot a bit, but has the strength to make that work, hitting a home run one-handed at the home run derby in Washington.MLB Pipeline has his speed as 60 grade and suggests he could be a 20 home run/20 stolen base threat as a big leaguer. He ran a 60-yard dash in 6.4 seconds in St. Petersburg last year, one of the fastest players at the workout.His defense is described by 2080 Baseball as being “fundamentally sound” with solid arm strength. In fact, he has been clocked with a fastball in the low 90s on the mound. Witt has grown up around the game of baseball, an experience that seemed to help the maturation of the young star across the parking lot. He is described as a good student with good make up and mental toughness.Witt will turn 19 just after the draft, so he is not particularly young for his class and he is committed to Oklahoma. The Orioles recenlty hired his uncle, Doug Witt, as a scout.Baseball America has talked to scouts who think the overall depth of the 2019 draft is not looking great so far. But Rutschman and Witt seem to stand heads and tails above the class, at least initially. Luckily, the Royals will have a chance to grab one of them.