The rules in baseball changed this year, of course. Better pace. More balls in play. More baserunning and athleticism.

So why can’t the Red Sox play defense?

In case you missed it – and many of you undoubtedly did – the Red Sox bumbled their way to a 4-3 defeat against the Colorado Rockies last night in yet another game that featured the kind of defense that is, well, downright offensive. Of the four Colorado runs, two were the result of errors and another came on a bases loaded walk, though none of that should be a surprise given what the Sox have looked like all year.

Overall this year, Boston has committed the most errors in the American League (47) while ranking near the bottom of all of baseball in advanced metrics like defensive runs saved (DRS) and defensive and defensive runs above average (DEF), the latter of which grades the team’s performance at every position relative to other clubs.

How bad has it been? Here’s a look:

CATCHER

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – SEPTEMBER 14: Gleyber Torres #25 of the New York Yankees scores a run off of a throwing error by Connor Wong #74 of the Boston Red Sox after hitting an RBI single for Aaron Hicks #31 to score during the fifth inning at Fenway Park on September 14, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The Red Sox have shown some inconsistency at this position, but the final numbers are what they are. Connor Wong and Reese McGuire have been average in runs saved (16th) but rank just 21st in defensive runs above average. Ands with McGuire behind the plate, opponents have succeeded on a whopping 22-of-24 stolen base attempts, a stunning 91.6 percent success rate. The Sox have certainly made good adjustments after a horrible start overall against base stealers, but we still can’t suggest their overall catching has been good.

FIRST BASE

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 04: Triston Casas #36 of the Boston Red Sox catches a ball for an out in the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park on June 04, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images)

The Sox and Rockies were tied at 2 in the 10th inning last night when this happened: with two outs and the ghost runner aboard, Nick Pivetta walked three straight batters to force in a run. A bumbling Triston Casas then botched a Nolan Jones bouncer to bring home another run, Casas ending up on his belly in a muddy infield to boot. The second run proved to be the game winner. At first base, the Sox rank 27th in baseball in DRS and 22nd in DEF. Meanwhile, offensively, they rank 26th in OPS. Yuck.

SECOND BASE

BOSTON, MA – JUNE 1: Second baseman Enmanuel Valdez #47 of the Boston Red Sox can’t get to a fly ball by Kevin Newman #28 of the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at Fenway Park on June 1, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

Remember that old adage that you build a good base team from the middle out? Bwahahahahahahahaha. For all the concern about shortstop, the Red Sox ranked 30th (that would be last in baseball) in DRS at second base and 27th in DEF. Before you put that all on Enmanuel Valdez, remember that among all major league 33 second basemen who have played at least 200 innings this year, Christian Arroyo ranks 22nd in DRS and 21st in DEF.

The point? With the elimination of the shift, second base became an athletic position again this year. The Red Sox simply did not account for it.

SHORTSTOP

BOSTON, MA – JUNE 3: Shortstop Enrique Hernandez #5 of the Boston Red Sox flips his glove after committing a throwing error against the Tampa Bay Rays during the fifth inning at Fenway Park on June 3, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

OK, we’re going a little out of order here, but let’s stay in the middle for the moment. The Red Sox have injuries to both Trevor Story and Adalberto Mondesi, but it’s tough to give Chaim Bloom a pass when both players had injury questions when they came to Boston. The Sox elected to plug the gap with Enrique Hernandez, who has long been a favorite of manager Alex Cora. Wherever the blame, the Red Sox’ defense up the middle is probably the worst in baseball. Hernandez has committed a whopping 14 errors – including another that cost the team a run last night – and the Sox rank 24th in DRS and 27th in DEF at the position. Overall, simply put, their middle-infield defense is minor league.

THIRD BASE

ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – AUGUST 30: Mike Zunino #10 of the Tampa Bay Rays advances to third base after a fielding error by Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox in the sixth inning at Tropicana Field on August 30, 2021 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

Let’s remember something here: Rafael Devers’ value as a $30 million player comes in his ability to play third base as well as to hit. This year, he’s really done neither. Devers ranks slightly above average at the position in OPS while the Sox are below average at third base in DRS (21st) and DEF (24th), which is a bad combination. Devers’ seven errors are tied for second-most in baseball at the position. Tough to blame this one on Bloom or Cora. Cha-ching.

LEFT FIELD

BOSTON, MA – JUNE 1: Masataka Yoshida #7 of the Boston Red Sox reacts to flying out to left field during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park on June 1, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

When the Red Sox signed Masataka Yoshida to a five-year, $90 million contract, many were surprised at the magnitude of the contract. Nonetheless, we knew Yoshida was signed for his bat, which has proven to be worth the investment. That said, left field at Fenway Park is one of the easiest outfields to play in baseball – and the Sox rank 22nd in DRS and 13th in DEF at the position. Is it horrible? No. But if the SOx reach a point where Devers can’t play third, Yoshida can’t play left and Casas, can’t play first … well … how many designated hitters can one team have?

CENTER FIELD

BOSTON, MA – JUNE 1: Jarren Duran #16 of the Boston Red Sox goes one way as the ball bounces out the other way during the third inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park on June 1, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

Before you start going on about the early-season injury to Adam Duvall, don’t kid yourself. He’s not exactly an ideal center fielder for a contending major league team. And while Jarren Duran has clearly improved, the Sox still rank 19th in DRS and 24th in DEF. So just to recap. At catcher, second base, shortstop and center field, the Sox rank 21st, 27th, 27th, and 24th in DEF, which might be the worst up-the-middle defense in the game And remember: we knew going in that the rules would likely require better defensive play this season. The Sox got worse. (Much worse.)

RIGHT FIELD

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – MAY 11: Alex Verdugo #99 of the Boston Red Sox dives and catches this ball hit by Dansby Swanson #7 of the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park on May 11, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! Of the eight defensive position that surround the pitcher, only right fielder Alex Verdugo has backboned the Sox an above-average rankings at his position this season. The Red Sox currently rank fourth among all major league teams in DRS and third in DEF, which is a noteworthy feat considering the challenge of playing right field at Fenway Park. Is Verdugo what we would categorize as an elite defender? Probably not. But he is certainly capable, which makes him look like Ichiro Suzuki given what else the Sox have put on the field this year.