Underrated Season: Scott Fletcher 1993

A lot of people are saying "what the hell?" right now.  It's true though when you look at WAR numbers, Scott Fletcher had a surprisingly good season in 1993.  His WAR was 4.6 that season.  About half of that is due to his defensive value which was probably his biggest asset at that point in his career.  He was the second most valuable position player on the team in 1993 when looking at WAR.  Only John Valentin was more valuable.  Fletcher was in the top five that year in fielding percentage, total zone runs, and range factor.

Beyond his defense, Fletcher was a decent offensive second-baseman.  He hit .285/.341/.402 with five home runs, 45 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases.  Decent numbers, especially for a middle infielder at the time.  He also scored 81 runs, was caught stealing only three times and struck out only 35 times, compared to 37 walks.

Fletcher was not a big-name player.  He was a complementary part, but he was a particularly valuable one for the Red Sox in 1993.

Underrated Season: Tom Gordon 1998

Seeing that Mariano Rivera saved his 600th game last night made me think about Red Sox closers. Boston has had some good ones over the years, and Jonathan Papelbon is likely the best closer in Boston history. But there is one season that kind of goes by unnoticed now. It was big at the time, but few people really remember it now.

In 1998, former starter Tom "Flash" Gordon turned in his first full season as a closer. And what a season it was. Gordon lead the league in saves and games finished that year. He blew only one save all season and set a record for consecutive saves that was eventually broken in 2003 by future Red Sox Eric Gagne.

In the meantime, Gordon had a WHIP of 1.008 with 78 strikeouts versus 55 hits and 25 walks allowed in 79.1 innings. He went 7-4 with a 2.72 ERA that year. Gordon's out pitch was a devastating 12-6 curveball. When that pitch was working, Gordon was unhittable and it was definitely working all year in 1998.

Gordon made it to his first All Star Game that year and even garnered some MVP consideration based on his saves record. He finished 13th, but it was still higher than any Red Sox closer has in years.

Unfortunately, Gordon's saves record did not last long and he was lit up in the postseason. Gordon also never had another season like it. He was injured and ineffective in 1999 and missed the entire 2000 season. He did eventually make it back as a pretty decent setup man with the Yankees and then closed for another season with the Phillies, although his postseason troubles did continue. Those are the likely reasons Gordon's 1998 is not considered among great closer seasons.

Underrated Seasons: Nick Esasky 1989

Nick Esasky only played one year for the Red Sox, but it was a great year. It was the best year Esasky ever had, or would ever have, and that may have been why it went largely unnoticed.

Esasky was acquired by the Red Sox along with Rob Murphy for Todd Benzinger, Jeff Sellers, and Luis Vasquez, none of whom made any significant impact on the Reds. Murphy was a decent pickup for the 1989 season, but struggled in 1990. Esasky though, was a huge pickup for Boston in 1989.

Esasky played 154 games, the most in his career. He achieved career highs in nearly every category, including hitting 30 home runs and driving in 108 runs. His slash line was .277/.355/.500/.855, and he was a decent first baseman. He was worth 3.4 WAR. And for all of that, Esasky finished 18th in the MVP voting, garnering 19 total points.

Esasky left Boston as a free agent after the year and signed with the Braves, but he only played in nine games for the Braves on a three year contract and was forced to retire due to vertigo.

Underrated Seasons: Trot Nixon 2003

Trot Nixon put up some big years, which were not really noticed. I think a lot of this had to do with the fact that he was often replaced in the lineup due to having some problems with left-handed pitching. Nevertheless, he really had some great years and 2003 was the best of them.

In 2003, Nixon put up a slash line of .306/.396/.578/.975, all of which were career highs, by a significant margin. Nixon also 28 home runs, a career high, and drove in 87 runs. He also walked 65 times. Nixon's OPS+ was 149 and his WAR was 3.7, those are big-time numbers. Yet, Nixon was neither an All Star, nor a Silver Slugger, and he did not garner a single MVP vote, despite playing for a playoff-bound Red Sox team.

Defensively, Nixon struggled a bit in 2003, despite being otherwise a great defensive player. Still, Nixon had a big year at the plate and was not really noticed much for it.

Underrated Seasons: Dennis Eckersley 1979

What was the most valuable season by Dennis Eckersley? Would you believe that it was 1979?

It's often forgotten just how good of a starting pitcher Dennis Eckersley was prior to becoming one of the greatest closers of all time. Eckersley was once one of the best starting pitchers in the American League and even performed reasonably well with the Chicago Cubs. Eckersley won 20 games with the Red Sox in 1978 and was fourth in the Cy Young voting.

However, in 1979 Eckersley was even better. He won only 17 games, losing 10, but his ERA was the same at 2.99, and his WHIP was lower at 1.18. He lead the league in adjusted ERA+ and pitched 17 complete games. More to the point though, Eck's WAR that year was 6.8, which was the highest in the Major Leagues that year. And for all that, Eck finished seventh in the Cy Young voting, gaining just one vote.

It's often forgotten that Eck was once a great starter. He may not have been good enough to make the Hall of Fame, but he was certainly a talented pitcher.

Underrated Seasons: Danny Darwin 1993

I remember this season very well. It was one of the first seasons I was really paying attention. I had been collecting cards for a couple of years, but I did not start watching games frequently until about 1993. Even at the young age of 12, and all of the naivety that goes along with it, I could tell that Danny Darwin was having a great year, and I was perplexed as to why no one was talking about it.

The Red Sox had high hopes for 1993, they had completely overhauled their roster, bringing in new players at second base, right field,and designated hitter, and turning first base, shortstop, and third base over to younger players. The pitching rotation was the team's one strength in 1992, with Roger Clemens and Frank Viola taking up the first two spots. However, in 1993 Clemens slumped and Viola was injured a lot. So, the Red Sox rotation turned to two somewhat surprising players, rookie Aaron Sele and veteran Danny Darwin.

Darwin had been around for years and won the NL ERA title in 1990. He did not exactly come out of nowhere, but in 1993 he was 37 years old and had been a long man and spot starter for Boston in 1992 and was injured much of 1991. Certainly there were not a lot of expectations for him, which is what makes his 1993 season so remarkable.

Darwin lead the team in wins in 1993, with 15. He also lost 11 games, but Boston was not a good team that year. Darwin's ERA was 3.26 and his WHIP was 1.068 to lead the league. In 229.1 innings, he gave up only 196 hits and 49 walks, he simply did not allow very many baserunners. He struck out 130. Darwin's WAR that year was 5.1 to lead the team.

I remember a game he pitched against the White Sox that season that was on ESPN. I think it may have been the first game I watched in completion. Darwin was unhittable. He did not give up a hit until the seventh or eighth inning when he allowed a triple to Dan Pasqua that bounced off the center field wall. Even that ball would have been caught if Billy Hatcher had been just a couple of inches taller. He did not give up another hit the rest of the night.

Yet, Darwin was not an All Star that year, and he really did not get much recognition at all. In 1994 he was hurt again and only pitched in 13 games. He left as a free agent after the season.

Underrated Seasons: John Valentin 1995

In 1995, a Boston Red Sox player won the MVP. That is the way it should have been, but the wrong player was the winner.

Controversial theory: John Valentin should have been the 1995 AL MVP. Instead, he finished ninth.

I have seen arguments for Albert Belle and Edgar Martinez over Vaughn, but I have not often seen an argument for Valentin, who is a better candidate than all three of them.

My evidence: John Valentin's Major League-leading 8.5 WAR (Wins Above Replacement). He didn't just lead the league that year, he had a higher WAR than any National Leaguer, including NL leader Barry Bonds. That's crazy.

Valentin was a highly effective hitter in 1995 and a great all-around player. He scored 108 times, with 27 home runs, 103 runs batted in, 20 stolen bases, a .298 batting average, .399 on base percentage, and a .533 slugging percentage, for an on base plus slugging of .931. On top of that, he played a sterling shortstop. He did commit more errors than other shortstops, but that was more of a function of his range and having the hopeless Mo Vaughn at first base to take throws. Valentin was also one of the few Red Sox who did much of anything in the postseason, hitting one home run and one double against Cleveland.

The most amazing thing is that you do not hear much about this season when talks turn to great seasons by shortstops. That's because Valentin's season came just before Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra, and Derek Jeter started having historic seasons at shortstop. It's a shame, because Valentin really was incredible in 1995. He did win the Silver Slugger, but he deserved so much more.