Season in Review: 2000

Boston finished in second place in the AL East in 2000 with an 85-77 record.  They missed the postseason for the first time since 1997.  Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez each had terrific seasons but the team lacked other star players.

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS
Nomar Garciaparra
Nomar had another great year in 2000, winning his second batting title with a .372 mark.  He flirted with the .400 mark until well into the summer.  In addition he hit 21 home runs and drove in 96 runs.  It was a remarkable season for the shortstop.

Pedro Martinez
As good as Pedro was in 1999, he might have been better in 2000.  Martinez went 18-6 with a Major League leading 1.74 ERA and 284 strikeouts in 217 innings.  He was once again a unanimous pick for the AL Cy Young Award.  Martinez was at the height of his career at this point.

Derek Lowe
Lowe was named to his first All Star game in 2000.  He was a closer at the time and went 4-4 with a 2.56 ERA and tied for the league lead with 42 saves.  He had 79 strikeouts against just 22 walks in 91 innings.

Tim Wakefield
The knuckleballer was very versatile in 2000.  He appeared in 51 games, starting 17 and finishing 13.  He went 6-10 with a 5.48 ERA.

Jason Varitek
Jason Varitek slumped a bit in 2000, only hitting .248/.342/.388 with just ten home runs and 65 RBIs.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Trot Nixon
Nixon was decent in 2000, hitting .276/.368/.461 with 12 home runs and 60 RBIs.

Brian Daubach
Daubach settled into the starting first base job in 2000.  His overall numbers took a little bit of a slide but he was still one of the better power hitters on the team.  He hit .248/.315/.448 with 21 home runs and 76 RBIs.

Jose Offerman
Offerman was yet another player whose numbers dipped a little in 2000.  He hit only .255/.354/.359 with nine home runs and 41 RBIs.  For some reason he did not steal a single base in 2000 and was caught eight times.

FAVORITE ACQUISITION
Carl Everett
Jurassic Carl was one of the few hitters to have a good year in 2000.  He appeared in the Home Run Derby and the All Star game.  Everett was acquired in a trade with the Astros for Adam Everett and a pitching prospect.  He hit .300/.373/.587 and lead the team with 34 home runs, 108 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases.  Of course his year was notorious later on for the incident he had with an umpire which resulted in a ten game suspension.

FAVORITE MIDSEASON ACQUISITIONS
Rolando Arrojo
The Red Sox sent Mike Stanley, Jeff Frye, Brian Rose, John Wasdin, and a minor leaguer to the Rockies for Arrojo, Mike Lansing, and Rich Croushore.  Arrojo was the main part of the trade.  He went 5-2 with a 5.05 ERA down the stretch.

Dante Bichette
The former Rockies slugger was acquired from the Reds prior to the August deadline and provided some much-needed punch to the lineup.  He hit .289/.336/.518 with seven home runs in 30 games.

FAVORITE ROOKIE
Tomo Ohka
Ohka was a rare Japanese pitcher who started his professional career in the United States.  He pitched in a few games in 1999 and came back in 2000 to pitch in an additional 13 games.  Ohka was impressive in those games though, going 3-6 with a 3.12 ERA in 69.1 innings.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
Wilton Veras
Third base was a big problem for the Red Sox in 2000.  John Valentin was hurt most of the year.  Ed Sprague was acquired to help but provided virtually nothing.  Manny Alexander and Lou Merloni were not meant to be full-time players.  Finally Wilton Veras was rushed to the Majors.  He was one of the team's top prospects but only hit .244/.278/.299 in 49 games.

Jeff Fassero
Another problem for Boston was their lack of a decent number two starter.  Fassero was once a good starter with the Mariners.  Unfortunately he was 37 and often injured by the time he joined Boston.  Fassero went 8-8 with a 4.78 ERA and 97 strikeouts and 50 walks in 130.1 innings.