Will the Boston Red Sox ownership stop looking for scapegoats?

Can Hanley go back to the infield?

Will the Sea Dogs be any better next year?

It’s been quite a week for the Red Sox organization.

Let’s review.

Red Sox ownership can be caught in clumsy situations, like when it tried to say that former general manager Ben Cherington was in on conversations about hiring Dave Dombrowski (he wasn’t).

And now they’re letting popular television play-by-play announcer Don Orsillo go at the end of the season, and offering no valid reason why.

The Red Sox own 80 percent of NESN so, ultimately, they call the shots – especially co-owner and TV guru Tom Werner. NESN reportedly was not going to announce Orsillo’s departure until after the season, but word leaked out Tuesday. NESN rushed out a release, announcing Dave O’Brien as the new play-play guy, starting in 2016.

And, by the way, Orsillo is going.

Why?

The speculation is that NESN wanted a change because ratings were down and Orsillo’s boss was not a big fan of his style the past two to three years.

So far, no word from Werner (although the owner did try to articulate the importance of pitch framing during an answer about analytics during the Dombrowski press conference; another clumsy moment).

This is not a knock on O’Brien, an obvious talent who travels the country for ESPN when he’s not doing radio for the Red Sox.

But Orsillo is also talented. He meshed well with color man Jerry Remy – and with Remy’s many temporary replacements through the years.

And, if you can’t tell by the reaction from so many media, Orsillo is a great guy to be around. On the air, he was a comfortable presence for Red Sox fans.

Talented. Professional. Popular. Why would the Red Sox and NESN want to hold on to someone like that?

THE OTHER big to-do on Tuesday was a quick, 15-minute teaching moment at first base, hours before the Red Sox game in Chicago.

Infield coach Brian Butterfield was going over the particulars of playing first base, with Hanley Ramirez – with David Ortiz lending his advice.

Ramirez always played either shortstop or third base before this year, when Boston moved him to left field. Maybe you’ve heard, but Ramirez in left is not working out. And the insistence by Cherington that Ramirez would handle it may have been one reason for his downfall.

Dombrowski takes over the Red Sox and one of the first conversations is about moving Ramirez to first. Thus the initial instruction may eventually lead to Ramirez back in the infield.

Ramirez has to be better at first than in left, but the bulked-up Ramirez (6-foot-2, 225 pounds) is no longer nimble (he was the second-worst fielding shortstop in the majors in 2014). And there is hardly a guarantee that he will ease into playing first.

It will be interesting how long it takes Ramirez to learn the position. Too bad he could not adjust like Brock Holt did last year. Holt had never played the position when Manager John Farrell told him the morning of a game that he was at first base. Holt met with Butterfield, took some grounders and was in the lineup that afternoon.

THE 2015 Sea Dogs are on their way to the worst record in franchise history, “surpassing” the 2011 team’s 59-83 record. They were 49-83 after Friday’s win over New Britain.

While minor league teams go in cycles – the 2014 Dogs were a franchise-best 88-54 – there is reason to believe that next year’s team at Hadlock Field won’t be much better.

Boston’s advanced Class A affiliate in Salem, Virginia, has not be tearing up the Carolina League (60-70 overall, 22-38 in the second half).

Salem’s two best players, Sam Travis and Manuel Margot, were promoted to Portland in June.

Salem might be sending some arms to Portland next year, led by starting pitcher Ty Buttrey (9-8, 3.72).

There is talent on the way in the Red Sox pipeline. One level below Salem, the Class A Greenville Drive was named by Baseball American as the minor league team with the most prospects. Among the group is second baseman Yoan Moncada (.294/.860 OPS), third baseman Rafael Devers (.275/.752), shortstop Javier Guerra (.280/.785) and recently promoted center fielder Andrew Benintendi (.333/.954 in nine games), the 2015 first-round draft pick.

Cherington amassed a group of gifted players in Greenville – they just couldn’t get to Boston fast enough.

 

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