Season in Review: 1998

Boston returned to the playoffs in 1998 after winning the Wild Card at 92-70.  Unfortunately they were knocked out in the ALDS by the Cleveland Indians i four games.  The big change was the acquisition of 1997 NL Cy Young winner Pedro Martinez.

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS
Nomar Garciaparra
Coming off a fantastic rookie season, Nomar was even better in 1998.  He moved down into more of a run production spot in the order and responded with another great season.  He finished second in the AL MVP race and probably should have won it.  He hit .323/.362/.584 with 35 home runs and 122 RBIs.  His stolen bases dipped to 12 and hits to 195, but otherwise he had better numbers than his rookie season.

Mo Vaughn
The Hit Dog had his last great season of his career in 1998.  It was also his final season in Boston, which was fairly heartbreaking.  Vaughn crushed 40 home runs and drove in 115.  He also finished second in the AL batting race to Bernie Williams, ending with a season line of .337/.402/.591.  He also had a strong performance in the ALDS.

Tom Gordon
Flash's first full season as closer was a resounding success.  He accumulated a team season record of 46 saves and set a Major League record in consecutive save opportunities converted.  He also made the All Star team and won the Rolaids Relief Award winner in a no-brainer.  He also had a 7-4 record, 2.72 ERA, and 78 strikeouts.

Tim Wakefield
The knuckleballer had a very good season in 1998, finishing second on the team with 17 wins which would be a career high.  His overall numbers were 17-8, 4.02 ERA, and 146 strikeouts in 216 innings.  He was once again a workhorse for the Red Sox.

John Valentin
Valentin had a tough season in 1998, but he did finish with some decent numbers.  Unfortunately it would be his last good season with Boston as injuries would start to take their toll.  Valentin hit .247/.340/.442 with 23 home runs and 73 RBIs.  He was also very good defensively in 1998 at third base.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Bret Saberhagen
Saberhagen won the Comeback Player of the Year in 1998 as he finished with a very successful season.  He had a record of 15-8 with a 3.96 ERA and 100 strikeouts versus just 29 walks in 175 innings.

Troy O'Leary
The only outfielder with a decent season, O'Leary developed into a fairly potent middle of the order bat with his first 20 home run season.  O'Leary hit .270/.314/.468 with 23 home runs and 83 RBIs.  It was his first season in left field.

Reggie Jefferson
Dealing with injuries most of the season lead to Jefferson playing in only 62 games in 1998.  He hit well in those games, as he typically did.  Jefferson finished with a line of .306/.374/.520 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs.

FAVORITE ACQUISITIONS
Pedro Martinez
There is no doubt that Pedro Martinez was the best pickup of the year for the Red Sox in 1998.  The right-hander solidified the rotation and gave Boston the ace it had been lacking since Roger Clemens.  Martinez finished second in the Cy Young race after finishing second to Clemens in the three main pitching categories. He went 19-7 with a 2.89 ERA and 251 strikeouts in 233.2 innings.

Dennis Eckersley
It was Eck's final season of his Hall of Fame career.  He was brought in to serve as a mentor for Gordon in his conversion from starter to closer, which was something Eckersley himself did.  Eck went 4-1 with a 4.76 ERA and one save.  He was dominating, but he got the job done.

Darren Lewis
Lewis was brought in to infuse some speed into Boston's lineup and defense into the outfield.  He succeeded on both fronts stealing 29 bases and playing well in the outfield.  He also had a decent year at the plate, hitting .268/.352/.362 with eight home runs and 63 RBIs out of the leadoff spot.

Damon Buford
Acquired in a trade with Texas, Buford performed very well as a backup outfielder.  He hit .282/.349/.523 with ten home runs, 42 RBIs, and five stolen bases.  It was his best season in the Major Leagues.

FAVORITE MIDSEASON ACQUISITION
Mike Stanley
Stanley made his second stint with the team after being traded in 1997 to the Yankees.  This time he was acquired in a deadline deal with the Blue Jays for Peter Munro and Jay Yennaco, neither of whom did anything for the Jays.  Stanley helped after the injuries to Jefferson hitting .288/.388/.500 with seven home runs and 32 RBIs in 47 games.

FAVORITE ROOKIE
Jason Varitek
It was the second consecutive year that Boston had an impressive rookie catcher.  Varitek essentially took the starting role from Scott Hatteberg by the end of the season after hitting .253/.309/.407 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs.


BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS
Donnie Sadler
Sadler was supposed to be the next great middle infielder Boston developed after Garciaparra.  He was billed as being a good contact hitter with blazing speed.  Sadler started on Opening Day but proved he was not ready yet after hitting just .226/.276/.395.

Jim Leyritz
I really liked the acquisition of Leyritz, even though it cost Aaron Sele who had a great year for Texas in 1998.  Leyritz even hit well for his time in Boston with a line of .287/.385/.519 with eight home runs and 24 RBIs.  But Leyritz was not happy with his role.  He was brought in to platoon at first base, catcher, and designated hitter.  But Varitek developed into a good player, squeezing Leyritz out of one position.  He complained and was eventually traded to San Diego.

Mark Lemke
This was more of a personal disappointment for me as I always liked Lemke when he played for the Braves. He was brought in as depth if Sadler disappointed.  He did, and Lemke took over until he went down with a concussion.  His career was over.

PLAYOFF HERO
Nomar Garciaparra
Garciaparra hit .333/.333/1.000 in the ALDS with three home runs and 11 RBIs.

PLAYOFF GOAT
Tom Gordon
Gordon had some difficulties with nerves in the postseason and it showed.  He blew a save and took the loss in the final game of the series.

Season in Review: 1996

Kevin Kennedy's second and final season as the Red Sox was a letdown after their AL East Championship season of 1995.  There was again a lot of roster turnover and Boston consulted with an individual more known for rotisserie (fantasy) baseball which lead to some slightly unusual personnel decisions.  The team got off to a dreadful 6-19 start which they never really recovered from, despite the fact that they were one of the top teams during the summer.  This was a year when they traded off a lot of players.  Unfortunately, most of the players they acquired did very little.  They finished the season at 85-77, in third place

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS
Mo Vaughn
After his MVP season of 1995, Vaughn was under some pressure to repeat his performance.  If anything, he was better.  Vaughn was the sole All Star for the Red Sox in 1996 as he hit .326/.420/.583.  He lead the league in plate appearances and finished in the top ten in just about every major offensive category.  He hit 44 home runs with 143 RBIs.  It was a monster season for the Hit Dog.

John Valentin
Unlike Vaughn, Valentin was not able to continue his success from the previous season.  He was still decent though, if a little bit more average in 1996.  Valentin ended the season at .296/.374/.436 with 13 home runs and 59 RBIs.  He also stole nine bases while being caught ten times.  His numbers across the board were down.  With the impending emergence of Nomar Garciaparra, Valentin's name started getting bandied about in trade rumors.

Roger Clemens
Despite a losing record, The Rocket was back in fine form.  He finished the season with a 10-13 record, but lead the league with 257 strikeouts and had a 3.63 ERA.  Clemens also replicated his record 20 strikeout game late in the season, this time against the Tigers.  Unfortunately this was the final season for Clemens in Boston.

Jose Canseco
Canseco was on his way to one of his best seasons until missing a month and a half with an injury.  He ended up only playing in 96 games, but finished with a batting line of .289/.400/.589 with 28 home runs and 82 RBIs.  Had he played the full season, he would have likely ended up with 40 home runs and 100 RBIs.

Tim Wakefield
The knuckleballer was nowhere near as impressive in 1996 as he had been the previous season.  He still won 14 games, but lost 13 and finished with an ERA of 5.14.  But he was a workhorse, pitching 211.2 innings and striking out 140.  Such is the plight of the knuckleball pitcher.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Tim Naehring
The longtime prospect continued to improve.  He looked like a good bet to become a star after hitting .288/.363/.444 with 17 home runs and 65 RBIs.  He did only get 16 doubles, which is kind of an odd thing for someone with that many home runs.

Mike Greenwell
It was Gator's final season in Boston.  1996 ended up being his final season in the Major Leagues despite an attempt with the Reds.  He ended up only appearing in 77 games, but had a high point when he had a nine RBI game, accounting for all of Boston's runs, a record.  His season line was .295/.336/.441 with seven home runs.

Reggie Jefferson
Jefferson had bounced from team to team for years before finally breaking through in 1996.  He was able to play in over 100 games for the first time due to injuries to Canseco and Greenwell.  He responded with a terrific season, hitting .347/.388/.593 with 19 home runs and 74 RBIs.

FAVORITE ACQUISITIONS
Mike Stanley
One of the rare players to come to the Red Sox directly from the Yankees and actually do well.  Stanley was 33 years old but a terrific hitter.  He was not quite the same behind the plate though and 1996 would be his last season as a full-time catcher.  He ended up hitting .270/.383/.506 with 24 home runs and 69 RBIs.  He also walked more than he struck out, unusual for a catcher.  It was the best offensive season by a Red Sox catcher since Carlton Fisk.

Tom Gordon
The diminutive right-hander was brought to Boston to be a number two starter, but he did not end up having a terribly good year.  His record was 12-9 which was a little deceptive because his ERA ended up being 5.59.  He did strike out 171 hitters in 215.1 innings though.

Heathcliff Slocumb
Since Rick Aguilera left as a free agent, Boston swung a trade with the Phillies to acquire closer Slocumb.  He got off to a horrific start but calmed down to become one of the most reliable closers in the league.  He ended up with 31 saves for the Red Sox and 88 strikeouts in 83.1 innings.

FAVORITE MIDSEASON ACQUISITIONS
Darren Bragg
As I mentioned earlier, Boston traded off a number of players in 1996, including Mike Stanton, Jamie Moyer, Kevin Mitchell, and Jeff Manto.  Bragg was acquired in the Moyer trade and ended up having the longest tenure in Boston of any of the new players.  He hit .252/.357/.365 with Boston and became the team's starting center fielder.  He was always a hard-nosed player which endeared him to the fans.

FAVORITE ROOKIE
Mark Brandenburg
This is the closest I could find to a decent rookie in 1996.  The side-arming Brandenburg was acquired in the Stanton trade and ended up with a 4-2 record, 3.81 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 28.1 innings.  Not bad.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS
Kevin Mitchell
After playing in Japan in 1995, Mitchell returned to the Major Leagues with the Red Sox and was one of the more unusual acquisitions by the team.  He was expected to add some extra pop to the lineup but ended up playing only 27 games.  He hit reasonably well with a line of .304/.385/.413 but only hit two home runs and drove in 13.  He was later dealt to the Reds for two players who never made the Red Sox big league team.

Wil Cordero
Cordero was yet another player acquired because of his offensive ability, despite the fact that he was something less than a wizard in the field.  He was more a disappointment due to getting hurt early on and only playing in 59 games.  He did hit .288/.330/.404 with three home runs and 37 RBIs.  Boston ended up getting Jeff Frye to make up for losing Cordero for most of the season.

Alex Cole
This one is more personal.  I am not sure anyone really expected much out of Alex Cole, but I always liked him.  He was fast and he wore goggles.  It was endearing.  He ended up only playing in 24 games with the Red Sox with a terrible .222/.296/.319 line.  He did steal five bases, but he was caught three times.  Not impressive at all.  He was only brought in, along with Milt Cuyler, in case Dwayne Hosey was a fluke, which he was, but neither Cole nor Cuyler were any good either, so Boston did the sensible thing and brought Lee Tinsley back and then acquired Bragg.  It worked out, sort of.

My Top 15 Red Sox Starting Lineup Figures

I was pretty late to the Starting Lineup craze.  I think the first time I picked one up was in 1997, just a few short years before they were discontinued.  And of course by that time they were releasing fewer and fewer figures.  When I discovered Ebay though I was able to go back and get a bunch of figures that I never was able to get before.

I liked the figures themselves, but it's the fact that they included cards that really sold them for me.  I could add a card to my collection and display a figure.

So without further ado, these are my Top 15 Red Sox Starting Lineup figures.

15.  PEDRO MARTINEZ (1999)

This was one of my most anticipated pieces.  It was the first one of Pedro with the Red Sox.  There is not much to the pose, but it was Pedro.  And he was quickly becoming the greatest pitcher in the game.  I have three pieces of Pedro.  Always on the lookout for more.

14.  MO VAUGHN (1998)

It is kind of a neat pose and it was a nice piece of one of my favorite players.  But that is about all I really have to say about it.

13.  NOMAR GARCIAPARRA (2000)

It is really the pose that makes this one interesting.  I am pretty sure there are others out there like it, but this is the only Red Sox one like it.  It definitely stands out in my collection.

12.  CARL YASTRZEMSKI (1998 COOPERSTOWN COLLECTION)

This one made it this high because it was my first special edition SLU.  The pose is kind of boring unfortunately but it is the only Yaz I have.  He does have some other pieces in other special edition sets, but I have not gotten around to getting any of those.

11.  JOHN VALENTIN (1996)

This one has a couple of things going for it, helping it to place so high.  For one, this is the only John Valentin figure released by Kenner.  Secondly, and most importantly, this was my very first SLU.  The pose is not anything to write home about, but it was my first.  I remember seeing it on the wall of a local card shop with a low price tag, and I decided to take the plunge.

10.  SCOTT COOPER (1995)

Again, the pose is not all that interesting, but this was the only Scott Cooper figure issued.  I remember hearing about its existence from a Beckett magazine, but I never actually saw it until I got on Ebay.  What makes this one particularly interesting is that Cooper is not actually pictured on the card, instead it is Damon Berryhill.

9.  MIKE GREENWELL (1989)

Much of the reason for this placement is the pose.  I prefer the fielding poses personally over the hitting poses.  There just is not all that much you can really do with the hitting poses.  This is the only Greenwell figure I have, but I am aware of a few other figures in existence.

8.  NICK ESASKY (1990)

Again, I love the pose on this one.  Esasky stretching to make the catch from another infielder.  This is the only Esasky SLU showing him in a Red Sox uniform, obviously since he only spent one year with the team.  The only downside to this one is that one of the cards shows Esasky with the Reds.  I would almost consider picking up the Todd Benzinger SLU just to switch the rookie year cards.  Benzinger has the same pose.

7.  WADE BOGGS (1990)

I have a couple of Boggs SLUs, he was my first favorite player after all.  But this one is my favorite because of the fielding pose.  The others all show him hitting.  I also love the two cards along with it.  This is one that I searched for for a long time.  I almost bought it at the store when I bought the Valentin, but someone else grabbed it when I set it down for a moment.  It was years before I saw it again.

6.  CY YOUNG (2000 ALL CENTURY TEAM)

I do not have a lot of the special edition figures, but this Cy Young was one I had to add.  I love the vintage uniform and the old-style glove and pitching pose.  Plus, it's Cy Freaking Young.  There actually are a couple of other Cy Young figures out there, but this is the only one I have managed to get.

5.  TED WILLIAMS (1999 COOPERSTOWN COLLECTION)

One of the other few special editions I have.  I had to add one of the best hitter in Red Sox history.  I do like this hitting pose and the uniform and card both look great here.  Williams has another piece and one day I might pick it up.  It has been awhile since I bought one.

4.  ELLIS BURKS (1990)

Ellis Burks has some nice SLUs, but none of them come close to matching the awesomeness of this one.  This is the only Red Sox SLU I have seen where the player is on the basepaths.  That added to the fact that there are two cards included and you have a great piece.

3.  BABE RUTH (1994 COOPERSTOWN COLLECTION)

How could I possibly pass up The Babe in a Red Sox uniform?  There just is no possible way to do it.  Plus the great pose that I have never seen on another piece and of course the card.  It's Babe Ruth, come on.

2.  NOMAR GARCIAPARRA (1998)

It is a great pose and also Nomar's very first SLU piece.  This was a little expensive when it first came out, but my grandparents bought it for me for my birthday when I turned 17.  It was a great gift.

1.  LEE SMITH (1989)

I really do not know what it is about this one.  The pose is not terribly exciting.  Maybe it's the fact that it's Lee Smith, and maybe it's because there are no other Red Sox closers who had SLUs.  I am a big fan of Smith's even though I never actually got to see him pitch for the Red Sox since I started watching the team the year after he was gone.  He is one of those players I just try to pick up as much Red Sox stuff as possible.  And this was definitely a goal.

I have just a couple of disappointments from these.  One, they stopped making them.  Two, Boston never got a catcher.  There was a large team piece that had Rick Cerone, but no individual pieces.  And I don't think the team piece had any cards.  If it had gone longer, we might have gotten a Carlton Fisk Cooperstown collection or a Jason Varitek.  It would have been nice if Tony Pena had gotten a piece, but no.  So no catchers, and that is a shame.  It also would have been nice if the Bruce Hurst figure had been released.  Prototypes exist but are hard to find.  That was the only southpaw SLU made for the Red Sox.

Season in Review: 1995

1995 was another abbreviated season as the strike continued to early in the year.  Replacement players reported to Spring Training, some of whom would eventually make it back to the Majors later.  There was no free agency between the seasons so all of the new players were acquired in trades.  Boston was very active on that front as there was a massive overhaul of the team.  It was successful as they won the AL East with an 86-58 record under Kevin Kennedy for the first time.

Boston played the juggernaut Indians in the ALDS and were swept in three games.

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS
Mo Vaughn
The 1995 AL MVP won the award mostly due to the fact that he was not a complete asshole like Albert Belle who actually had vastly superior numbers.  Vaughn was probably elected the MVP due to his intangibles more than his numbers, though he certainly had good numbers.  Vaughn hit .300/.388/.575 with 39 home runs and tied for the league lead for RBIs with 126.  He also shockingly stole 11 bases in 1995.

John Valentin
As good as Vaughn was, Valentin was probably better, certainly because he played a tougher position.  Valentin hit .298/.399/.533 with 27 home runs and 102 RBIs.  He also stole 20 bases becoming the first Red Sox 20/20 man since Ellis Burks.  He was also very good defensively.  He lead the Majors in WAR in 1995, which was not really a thing at that time.  It was a terrific season that has mostly gone unnoticed.  He did win the Silver Slugger and finished ninth in the MVP race.  Had it happened around this time, he may have won it.

Roger Clemens
Clemens did not have a great year in 1995.  He was injured the first part of the year and he did finish the year with a 10-5 record.  He also struck out 132 batters in 140 innings pitched, but his ERA was a decidedly unimpressive 4.18.  It was a good thing that Boston had other pitchers to pick up the slack.

Tim Naehring
After years of being so close to cracking the starting lineup, Naehring finally got a chance to prove himself in 1995.  He became the full-time third-baseman after the trade of Scott Cooper to the Cardinals and instantly responded.  Naehring hit .307/.415/.448 with ten home runs and 57 RBIs, all the while playing good defense.  Naehring looked to be a rising star in 1995.

Mike Greenwell
Greenwell managed to put together a fairly successful season as well.  He hit .297/.349/.402 with 15 home runs and 76 RBIs.  It was a fairly typical year for the Gator.

HONORABLE MENTION
Lee Tinsley
Tinsley became the starting center fielder after Otis Nixon was traded away, though he had a couple of threats to his job in the acquisition of Willie McGee and the rise of Dwayne Hosey.  His numbers were not bad, but Boston never seemed to totally trust him.  He ended the season with a .284/.359/.402 line and seven home runs, not bad numbers for a leadoff hitter.  He also stole 18 bases.

FAVORITE ACQUISITIONS
Jose Canseco
My young mind was blown when Boston traded for Jose Canseco, one of the biggest stars I was aware of when I started watching baseball.  And he was not that far removed from those days.  Canseco struggled through some injuries but put up some big numbers when he was healthy.  He ended the year with a .306/.378/.556 line with 24 home runs and 81 RBIs.

Tim Wakefield
Wakefield had been a success for the Pirates in 1992 but struggled the next couple of years.  He was a low-risk, high-reward reclamation project.  It definitely paid off in 1995 as Wakefield finished third in the Cy Young race and 13th in the MVP race.  He struggled a bit down the stretch, otherwise he would have won the Cy Young.  He finished the season 16-8 with a 2.95 ERA and 119 strikeouts, a great season for the knuckleballer.

Erik Hanson
Hanson started out the season as the most reliable Red Sox starter and quietly put together a very good season.  He was named to the All Star team for the first time, though he never pitched in the game.  He finished the year 15-5 with a 4.24 ERA and 139 strikeouts.

Troy O'Leary
Another low-risk, high-reward signing, O'Leary was waived by the Brewers and picked up when Mark Whiten was struggling.  O'Leary ended up hitting .308/.355/.491 with ten home runs and 49 RBIs.  They were not great numbers, but for his first real crack at a Major League job, they were nothing to sneeze at.

FAVORITE MIDSEASON ACQUISITION
Rick Aguilera
1995 was the first year I was really aware of the trading deadline.  I realized that Jeff Reardon was traded away and Rob Deer was acquired at the deadlines, but this was the year I really learned about it.  Boston was contending but Ken Ryan was failing as a closer, so they sent top prospect Frank Rodriguez to the Twins for Aguilera who ended up compiling 20 saves for the Red Sox and really helped them make the playoffs.  Of course he returned to the Twins after the season.

FAVORITE ROOKIE
Vaughn Eshelman
Eshelman had a very good start to his career, winning his first three Major League games, not bad for a Rule V pick.  He ended the season with a 6-3 record and a 4.85 ERA.  Not bad, but certainly not great numbers for the rookie southpaw.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS
Mark Whiten
I had high hopes for Mark Whiten.  Two years before, he hit 25 home runs for the Cardinals.  He was picked up in the trade for Scott Cooper.  Both Cooper and Whiten disappointed for their new teams.  Whiten was hurt a lot and ended up hitting only .185/.239/.241 with just one home run in 32 games.  He was eventually traded for Dave Hollins who played just five games for Boston.

Aaron Sele
Sele pitched on Opening Day and was expected to bust loose for the Red Sox after two decent seasons to start his career.  Unfortunately he was shut down with a season-ending injury early on and only ended up pitching in six games for the Red Sox in 1995.

PLAYOFF HERO
Luis Alicea
Alicea had a decent year all the way around in 1995 but he really shined in the ALDS.  He had six hits in only ten at-bats and also had two walks, ending up with a line of .600/.667/1.000.  He also had a home run, a double, and an RBI.  Boston had a miserable ALDS, but it was not Alicea's fault.

PLAYOFF GOAT
Mo Vaughn
Vaughn was quite frankly, terrible in the 1995 ALDS.  He did not have a single hit and struck out seven times in 14 at-bats.  Miserable numbers that did not help the team at all.

Season in Review: 1994

1994 was the year of the strike.  There was no postseason and no World Series.  As a young fan this was devastating.  I was only 13 years old at the time.  I did not really understand what was going on and I kept hoping they would come back and finish the season.  But they did not.  Boston was fairly underwhelming that year, going 54-61 under Butch Hobson.  It was Hobson's last season as manager.

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS:
Mo Vaughn
Vaughn was on the verge of an even better year than his 1993 season.  At the time of the strike he was hitting .310/.408/.576 with 26 home runs and 82 RBIs.  He could have easily broken his career marks with a full season.  He was becoming an offensive force for the Red Sox by this point.  And the best was yet to come.

John Valentin
By this point, Valentin was one of the most underrated players in baseball.  Valentin was hitting .316/.400/.505 with nine home runs and 49 RBIs.  His biggest moment of the 1994 season was turning an unassisted triple play.

Roger Clemens
He did not have a great record, but for the most part Clemens was back to his usual form.  He only finished 9-7 but Boston was not terribly good that year.  He did finish second in the league with a 2.85 ERA and 168 strikeouts.  So for the most part it was back to being a dominant pitcher for Clemens.

Scott Cooper
Cooper had his second straight All Star selection in 1994 and his numbers for the most part were better.  He was hitting .282/.333/.453 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs.  He also hit for the cycle against the Royals.  I remember listening to that game on the radio, I lived close enough to Kansas City to hear the games on the radio.

Andre Dawson
Dawson was definitely on his last legs as a Major Leaguer by this point, but I still enjoyed watching him because I knew he would be in the Hall of Fame some day.  His batting line was a less than impressive .240/.271/.466, but he did hit 16 home runs.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Aaron Sele
Following up his successful rookie season, Sele emerged as a decent number two starter for Boston.  His record was only 8-7 but he did pitch to a 3.83 ERA and 105 strikeouts.

Tom Brunansky
Bruno was re-acquired in a trade with the Brewers early in the season for Dave Valle after right-fielder Billy Hatcher was traded to the Phillies.  Bruno helped to add some offense, something that was lacking for the team that season.  He finished the season hitting .237/.319/.475 with ten home runs.  He was done as a Major Leaguer after 1994.

Mike Greenwell
Greenwell was hurt often in 1994, playing only 95 games.  His numbers were down to .269/.348/.453 but he did hit 11 home runs.

FAVORITE ACQUISITION
Otis Nixon
I had been watching the Red Sox for only four years as of 1994, and the most stolen bases in one season I had seen was Scott Fletcher's 16 in 1993.  So I was excited to see Otis Nixon acquired by the Red Sox.  Finally they had someone who could steal a lot of bases.  Nixon hit .274/.360/.317 in 1994.  His OBP and average were actually better than his career numbers, so it was a successful season for him.  He stole 42 bases and would have easily broken the team record if not for the strike.

FAVORITE ROOKIE
Rich Rowland
Acquired in a trade prior to the season for catcher John Flaherty.  Rowland had played in September in each of the prior four seasons and finally got a chance to play in 1994.  He became the backup to Damon Berryhill but showed some impressive power, hitting nine home runs with a .483 slugging percentage in 46 games.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS
Dave Valle
Valle was acquired as part of a complete catcher overall in 1994.  Gone were Tony Pena, Bob Melvin, and John Flaherty.  Valle, Berryhill, and Rowland were all new to the organization.  Valle was expected to be the starter, but only hit .158/.256/.250 and was shipped to the Brewers for Brunansky.

Greg Harris
One year after a great season out of the bullpen, Harris's ERA ballooned to 8.28.  The amount of work the season prior must have taken a toll on the 38 year old.

Season in Review: 1993

1993 was quite a bit different than 1992.   There was a lot of player turnover and a lot of my favorite players (Boggs, Burks, and Reardon in particular) were gone.  Unfortunately a season that was once very promising took a bad turn and Boston finished 80-82.  Most of the problem was due to inconsistent pitching as Roger Clemens had a bad year.

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS
Mo Vaughn
Vaughn really came into his own as a force to be reckoned with in 1993.  It was his first full season with the Red Sox and he became one of the most productive first basemen in the league.  He hit .297/.390/.525 with 29 home runs and 101 runs batted in.  He also started to show some impressive leadership qualities.  One of my favorite moments was him clotheslining a charging George Bell after being hit by an Aaron Sele pitch.

Scott Cooper
No he was not a great player, or even a particularly good player, but the third-baseman had a strong arm and was the team's lone All Star.  Although he did not really deserve it.  Cooper hit .279/.355/.397 with nine home runs and 63 RBIs.

Danny Darwin
Darwin was Boston's top starting pitcher in 1993, leading the team in wins (15), innings pitched (229.1), and WHIP (1.068).  He also struck out 130 batters and had a 3.26 ERA.  He came close to pitching a perfect game, allowing only a Dan Pasqua triple that would have been caught if Billy Hatcher were just a couple inches taller.

John Valentin
Valentin, like Vaughn, started to come into his own in 1993 as a player.  He hit .278/.346/.447 with 11 home runs and 66 RBIs.  He also proved to be a very good defensive shortstop.  This was Valentin's first full season with the Red Sox as well, though he did not start on Opening Day.

Mike Greenwell
Greenwell came back from a rough 1992 season to lead the team in batting average in 1993.  Greenwell hit .315/.379/.480 with 13 home runs and 72 RBIs, both second only to Vaughn.  This was another solid season for the outfielder who built a career on solid, but not terrific seasons.  Greenwell also lead the team with 170 hits that year.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Greg Harris
Harris was one of the most productive middle relievers in 1993 pitching in 80 games which was a team record and lead the league.  He pitched to a 6-7 record with a 3.77 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 112.1 innings pitched.  He also wound up with 8 saves.

Frank Viola
One of two supposed aces coming into the season, Viola actually had a decent season for the Red Sox in 1993, but was injured for a chunk of the season.  He ended up with a record of 11-8 with a 3.14 ERA (which lead the team among pitchers who qualified) and 91 strikeouts.  His overpowering days were over but he proved to be a somewhat crafty southpaw.

Scott Fletcher
Fletcher was a terrific defensive second baseman who actually had a pretty decent season with the bat.  He hit .285/.341/.402 with five home runs and 45 RBIs and lead the team with 16 stolen bases.  Not bad numbers for a middle infielder at that time, particularly a second baseman.

FAVORITE ACQUISITION
Andre Dawson
Boston replaced the departed future Hall of Famer Wade Boggs with another future Hall of Famer.  Of course Dawson was well-past his prime by the time he came to Boston and his knees forced him into playing all but 20 of his games as the team's designated hitter.  He hit .273/.313/.425 with 13 home runs and 67 RBIs.

FAVORITE ROOKIE
Aaron Sele
Sele was the team's first selection in 1991 and made an immediate impact.  He finished the season with a 7-2 record and a 2.74 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 111.2 innings.  He finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year vote behind Tim Salmon and Jason Bere.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS
Roger Clemens
After a terrific 1992 season, a lot was expected of Roger Clemens in 1993.  Unfortunately this was probably his worst season in his career.  Clemens finished with a losing record for the first time, going only 11-14 with a 4.46 ERA and only 160 strikeouts in 191.2 innings, all his worst numbers since 1985, before he became the dominant pitcher he was.

Ivan Calderon
One of many new, talented players picked up by the Red Sox prior to the 1993 season, acquired in a trade with the Expos for Mike Gardiner and Terry Powers.  Calderon was acquired to man right field in case Carlos Quintana and Bob Zupcic were not up to the task.  However, Calderon was hurt and ineffective, playing only 73 games before being replaced by Rob Deer and hitting just .221/.291/.291 with one home run and 19 RBIs.

Season in Review: 1992

I have no idea what happened between 1991 and 1992.  The offense struggled quite a bit, and that was probably most of it.  Maybe it was the new manager as Butch Hobson took over for the popular Joe Morgan.  Boston finished in last place in 1992.

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS:
Wade Boggs:
Boggs had the worst season of his career in 1992, finishing with a career low .259/.353/.358 slash line.  He was still voted onto the All Star team, but his numbers across the board were down.  It may have been the stress of having his contract up after the season.  He left Boston after the season to join the hated Yankees.

Tom Brunansky:
Brunansky had his best season as a member of the Red Sox in 1992, even though it was still a far cry from his earlier work with the Twins and Cardinals.  He did have the only above-average season by a starting Red Sox position player as he hit .266/.354/.445 and lead the Red Sox in home runs (15), doubles (31), and RBIs (74).

Ellis Burks:
Burks was plagued by injuries in 1992, but generally played well when he was in the lineup.  Burks hit .255/.327/.417 with eight home runs and 30 RBIs and five stolen bases in just 66 games.  When he was out of the lineup, Boston had to scramble to find a replacement.

Roger Clemens:
Clemens is one of the few players that really had a good year in 1992.  Clemens finished third in the Cy Young race that year and 14th in the MVP race.  He also was named an All Star.  He finished the season at 18-11 with a league-leading 2.41 ERA and 208 strikeouts.  He also lead the league in shutouts and WHIP.

Mo Vaughn:
Vaughn started to reach his potential in 1992 after a difficult rookie season in 1991.  He was not quite the hitter he was expected to be yet, but he did finish second on the team in home runs (13) and RBIs (57).  He put together a slash line of .234/.326/.400, not great numbers, but he was starting to show some improvement.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Billy Hatcher:
Hatcher was acquired by the Red Sox from the Reds in July for Tom Bolton.  He immediately brought an infusion of speed to the Red Sox and even pulled off a steal of home in 1992.  He hit .238/.282/.311 in 75 games for the Red Sox.

Jeff Reardon:
Reardon broke the career saves record in 1992, one of the first big individual accomplishments I remember as a fan of the Red Sox.  Reardon did not have a great season in 1992, but he did save 27 games.  He was traded to the Braves at the August trading deadline.

Jody Reed:
Reed was another hitter who declined in 1992, but he still lead the team in a number of categories, such as hits (136), runs (64), and stolen bases (7), while continuing to play steady defense.  Reed hit .247/.321/.316 in 1992, with only 27 doubles after three straight seasons of more than 40.

FAVORITE ACQUISITION:
Frank Viola:
Viola came to the Red Sox as a free agent in 1992 from the Mets.  He was a 20 game winner in 1990 but his numbers dipped a bit in 1991.  Left-handers have not historically done well in Fenway, but Viola managed to go 13-12 with a 3.44 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 238 innings to make an effective number two starter to Roger Clemens.

FAVORITE ROOKIE:
Scott Cooper:
Cooper had been a highly-touted infielder for awhile and he made it to the big leagues full-time in 1993.  He split his time between first base and third base and hit .276/.346/.383 with five home runs and 33 RBIs.  He also showed a very strong throwing arm.  He would make a lot of errors but that had more to do with Vaughn's erratic defense than Cooper's.

Baseball Card Spotlight: Donruss Diamond Kings

One of my favorite subsets as a kid just getting into baseball cards was the Donruss Diamond Kings. I started collecting in 1991 which was the last year that the cards were a part of the main set. In 1992 they became inserts. The way the Diamond Kings worked was this: each team would have one player who had a good year the year before. Donruss apparently had some rule though that individual players should not be Diamond Kings too often or consecutively, which lead to some really bizarre picks sometimes. Boston was relatively lucky with this though and only had a couple of headscratchers.

Here's the complete list and brief analysis of Donruss Diamond Kings for the Red Sox, through 1996, when they became significantly more complicated.

1982 Dwight Evans. Evans had basically become the best player on the team by this point and lead the league in walks and total bases and tied for the league lead in home runs the year before. He was also an All Star, Silver Slugger, and won the Gold Glove.

1983 Carl Yastrzemski. This was more of a tribute to an aging superstar. Yaz was still pretty decent in 1982, even appearing in the All Star Game, but I believe this was more meant to pay tribute to the player. Not really a headscratcher when you consider that reason.

1984 Wade Boggs. In 1983, Boggs won the first of five batting titles and had the first of seven straight 200 hit seasons. He was certainly worthy.

1985 Jim Rice. Rice did not have a great season in 1984, but the star slugger still hit 28 home runs, drove in 122, and had a .280 batting average. Tony Armas probably should have gotten this one.

1986 Tony Armas. The first headscratcher. Yes, Armas should have been the 1985 Diamond King when he lead the league in home runs and runs batted in in 1984. But in 1985, Armas only played in 103 games with 23 home runs. I remember not knowing for a long time who was the 1986 Diamond King and trying to guess. My guesses were Rich Gedman, who had a great 1985 and Oil Can Boyd who won 15 games the year before. Either one would have been a better choice than Armas.

1987 Roger Clemens. Clearly deserving. Won the Cy Young Award and MVP the previous year.

1988 Dwight Evans. Apparently Donruss ran out of ideas, so they decided to repeat a player. Still, Evans was fantastic in 1987, one of his best seasons ever, as he hit .305 with 34 home runs, and 123 runs batted in, and lead the league in walks.

1989 Mike Greenwell. Seems odd now, but Greenwell was the runner-up in the AL MVP vote in 1988. He hit .325 with 22 home runs, and drove in 119. He also stole 16 bases and looked like a young superstar. Greenwell turned out to be a good, but seldom great player over the rest of his career.

1990 Ellis Burks. This is an odd one. Not that Burks never deserved to be a Diamond King, but he did not deserve it in 1990 for his 1989 season. He only played in 97 games with 12 home runs. But he did steal 21 bases and possibly could have had another 20/20 season if he stayed healthy. He also had a .303 batting average. He was good for the time that he played, but he did not play often enough. By Donruss's parameters of hardly repeating players, I would have picked Nick Esasky, who hit 30 home runs and drove in 108.

1991 Roger Clemens. Again, clearly deserving. He won 21 games, struck out 209 and lead the league in ERA with 1.93. He should have won the Cy Young, but voters were blinded by Bob Welch's 27 wins, even though his other stats were not nearly as impressive as Clemens's.

1992 Wade Boggs. The first year the Diamond Kings were an insert. Boggs had a very good season in 1991, right in line with his previous years. He was starting to look like a lock for the Hall of Fame. He did not do anything extraordinary, but it was not a great year for Red Sox players.

1993 Roger Clemens. Since the cards were inserts now, Donruss abandoned its preference for not repeating winners, although they still preferred not to make them consecutive. Clemens was basically the only player to have a good enough year for the Red Sox, leading the league in ERA and shutouts, while winning 18 games for a terrible Boston team. This is the first Diamond King card I do not own.

1994 Mo Vaughn. The young slugger had a breakout year in 1993, leading the team in home runs and RBI while posting a good batting average and ability to take a walk. He was clearly the best player on the team.

1995 Scott Cooper. Headscratcher #3. Cooper had mostly pedestrian numbers, .282 batting average, 13 home runs, 53 RBI, and only 30 walks. Sure it was a strike-shortened season, and Cooper had been an All Star each of the previous two years, but he was hardly a good player. He was an All Star by default and not really deserving of the honor. It should have gone to John Valentin, Mo Vaughn, or Roger Clemens.

1996 Mo Vaughn. Won the AL MVP in 1995 while leading the league in home runs. Justified.

So there you have it. Three headscratchers, three borderline calls, and the rest are fine. Even among the headscratchers, Armas and Burks deserved the honor in other years, just not the year chosen. Cooper is the only outright surprise. If I was making the decisions, here is what my list would have looked like, following Donruss's perceived parameters:

1982 Dwight Evans
1983 Dennis Eckersley
1984 Wade Boggs
1985 Tony Armas
1986 Rich Gedman
1987 Roger Clemens
1988 Dwight Evans
1989 Mike Greenwell
1990 Nick Esasky
1991 Ellis Burks
1992 Jack Clark
1993 Roger Clemens
1994 Mo Vaughn
1995 John Valentin
1996 Mo Vaughn

Still, the Red Sox have had better luck than other teams. The following is a list of players who were Diamond Kings for inexplicable reasons:

Len Barker
Mike Norris
Roy Smalley
Richie Zisk
Floyd Bannister
Britt Burns
John Castino
Jim Clancy
Matt Young
Charlie Lea
Rich Dotson
Rick Mahler
Chris Brown
Greg Walker
Keith Moreland
Rick Rhoden
Glenn Hubbard
Scott Fletcher
Shane Rawley
Dave Schmidt
Gerald Perry
Jeff Robinson
Bryn Smith
Chris Bosio
Dan Gladden
Ed Whitson
Jim DeShaies
Mike Bielecki
Pete O'Brien
Kurt Stillwell
Scott Sanderson
Greg Swindell

The Evolution of My Favorite Players

I became a fan of the Red Sox when I was about ten years old. Since that time, I have had five favorite players. My favorite player changes when the player leaves the team. Unfortunately, in baseball today there is not a lot of loyalty. That does not mean that it was always the player's fault in leaving, sour relationships with management have often lead to them leaving. That's one of the frustrating things about baseball sometimes. It is a business, and the Red Sox are run like a business.

WADE BOGGS (1991-1992)
My first favorite player was the Red Sox third-baseman. I am not exactly sure what made me decide Boggs was mu favorite player. He was a phenomenal hitter, but he was mostly a singles hitter. Boggs was often criticized for caring too much about his own statistics and not enough about the team. I am not sure that is true, I recall vividly seeing video of him crying in the dugout after the Red Sox lost the 1986 World Series. Nevertheless, Boggs did not have much power, but was one of the best contact hitters in the game and was extremely adept at taking a walk, leading to astronomical on-base percentages. He did not have much power, but was decent in the field after some conditioning. Boggs suffered through a miserable 1992 and was stolen away from the Red Sox by the Yankees (one of my early memories of despising the Yankees). It did not seem Red Sox management was terribly interested in bringing him back though, he was never very popular in Boston, and they handed the job off to Scott Cooper, who was an All Star the next two years, albeit undeservedly.

ROGER CLEMENS (1992-1996)
Roger Clemens inherited the favorite player position after Boggs left for pretty obvious reasons. He was the longest tenured player and biggest name on the team. Even before Boggs left, Clemens was the star of the team. One of the best pitchers in the game, not only in his generation, but all-time. Clemens was a three-time Cy Young Award winner and could have won a couple more by that point. He already looked well on his way to Cooperstown. Of course, Clemens had a couple of subpar years, suffering through injuries and ineffectiveness. By the end of 1996, he looked to be back to his old self and even capped the season off with a 20 strikeout game, tying his own record set ten years earlier. Of course, Boston's GM refused to meet Clemens on his contract demands and stated that he was in the twilight of his career. Clemens signed with Toronto as a free agent for the 1997 and promptly won the Cy Young Award each of the next two years.

MO VAUGHN (1996-1998)
Mo Vaughn became the big name player on the team after Clemens left. A larger-than-life figure, Vaughn was a beast of a player with tremendous power, great contact hitting ability, and the ability to take a walk. Vaughn had lead the team in home runs and runs batted in each of the seasons since 1992. He won the American League MVP in 1995, although he did not really deserve it. As big as his bat was, Vaughn's heart was even bigger. He was the emotional core of the team and he engaged in a lot of charity work in the offseasons. The big burly first baseman himself looked to be headed to Cooperstown, but he did not age well after leaving Boston. He left after then GM Dan Duquette insulted him with a low offer. Vaughn went off to play for the Angels.

NOMAR GARCIAPARRA (1998-2004)
Vaughn's replacement was also already on the roster. Garciaparra came on strong with a magnificent rookie season and then followed that up with an even better year in 1998. Garciaparra had good power, better ability to hit for contact and was one of the better all-around players the Red Sox had ever produced. The shortstop was not great defensively, but had a knack for making spectacular plays on occasion. His throwing arm was one of the best at the position. Garciaparra also had decent speed. He would go on to win the batting title in 1999 and 2000, even flirting with the magic .400 number late into summer in 2000. However, in 2001, injuries started taking their toll. He never again hit for the ridiculously high batting averages of 1999 and 2000, but his power did come back. Garciaparra also began sulking in 2004 after he was part of a rumored trade to Chicago for Magglio Ordonez, if the Red Sox managed to trade Manny Ramirez to Texas for Alex Rodriguez. He did not play much in 2004, citing ankle injuries and was traded to the Cubs at midseason in a four-team deal that brought Doug Mientkiewicz from the Twins and Orlando Cabrera from the Expos to the Red Sox.

JASON VARITEK (2004-present)
Jason Varitek quickly became my new favorite player. Although not the dynamic offensive player that some of his peers were, Varitek still had very good power and was a fine defensive catcher. I always liked catchers and it was good to see the Red Sox finally had a good one long-term. Varitek had already been an All Star in 2003 and finally looked to be living up to his expectations after having some injury problems early on. 2003-2005 were great years for the catcher, as he was named the starter on the 2005 All Star team, and won a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger. He was brought back to Boston as a free agent after the 2004 season and was named the team captain, wearing a "C" on his jersey from that point on. Varitek's leadership skills and work with the pitching staff remains top-notch even as his offensive abilities have diminished. Varitek even took to being relegated to backup duty this past year graciously, continuing to show the characteristics of strong leadership and a team-first attitude that he has become synonymous with. Varitek is a free agent this year. I am worried that he may not be back next year, if that does occur, I am not sure who will take his place as my favorite player.

My Second Red Sox Game

This was my second Red Sox game. On May 10, 1998, my parents, my friend and I went to Kansas City once again to see the Red Sox take on the Royals. This one went much better as the Red Sox won 3-1.

Tim Wakefield started the game and was great. He had a no-hitter going for a few innings and ended up pitching almost the entire game. Tom Gordon got the save for getting one out at the end. Wakefield struck out five and gave up only two hits.

This game is notable as Jason Varitek hit his first ever major league home run in the game, a two run shot in the fifth inning. Also, this was the major league debut of Boston fan favorite Lou Merloni, who came in to fill in for the injured Nomar Garciaparra. Mike Benjamin drove in the other run on a sacrifice. Damon Buford hit a triple in the game and scored a run. Mo Vaughn and Darren Lewis each had a single in the game.

On the downside, the only Royals run scored in the ninth and helped chase Wakefield. John Valentin had an error and Lewis was caught stealing. Valentin, Merloni, Troy O'Leary, and Jim Leyritz all went without a hit.

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.

Unknown Heroes

I have a feeling there may not be a ton of posts on here until next season starts. This post is just a preview. When I became a fan of the Red Sox, I tended to root for the lesser-known players. Don't get me wrong, my favorite players were usually superstars. Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens, Mo Vaughn, and Nomar Garciaparra have all been favorite players, but after Nomar was traded, my favorite player became Jason Varitek and he remains my favorite today. Mixed with the stars though, I have been big fans of less well-known players, not players in the second tier like Mike Greenwell, Ellis Burks, John Valentin, and others, but players even below that. I will have a series that I will start which will introduce some of these players that I came to really enjoy watching, for sometimes inexplicable reasons.

My First Red Sox Game

I went to my first Red Sox game in Kansas City in 1997 on August 2nd. Unfortunately, the team was not particularly good in 1997.

Aaron Sele started the game and he was going through a ridiculously uneven year. You never knew which Aaron Sele you were going to get on any given day. Unfortunately, the bad Aaron Sele showed up at this game and he lasted less than three innings. He was relieved by Mark Brandenburg, Butch Henry, Kerry Lacy, and Ron Mahay, none of whom were terribly impressive or lasted long with the Red Sox.

Looking back at this box score, one thing really strikes me. I had no idea Shane Mack stayed with the Red Sox as long as he did. He was in this game, although he didn't do much. Nomar Garciaparra, Darren Bragg, and Mike Benjamin all had multi-hit games. Benjamin and Reggie Jefferson each hit doubles, and the runs were all driven in by Jefferson and Mike Stanley, towards the end of his tenure with the Sox. Mike Benjamin committed two errors.

ADDITIONAL NOTES
I remember seeing Tom Gordon playing long toss before the game, and it was not long before he was converted into a reliever.

Wil Cordero took some abuse from the crowd as this was soon after he was arrested for domestic abuse.

Walt McKeel, Jesus Tavarez, Troy O'Leary, and Jeff Frye all saw some action as well.