Season in Review: 2022

After the surprising success of the 2021 season, there was reason for optimism in 2022.  Chris Sale was supposed to be healthy and the team was bringing back a lot of players from the 2021 season, but with a few new players meant to improve the defense.  Unfortunately, the team got off to a slow start with their offense.  They started rolling in May, then a series of key injuries decimated the team.  They ended up finishing in last place, with a record of 78-84.

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS

XANDER BOGAERTS

Bogaerts was Boston's WAR leader in 2022.  Despite reduced power numbers, he still hit .307/.377/.456.  He led the team in average, on-base percentage, runs (84) and hits (171).  He hit 38 doubles, 15 home runs and drove in 73 runs while stealing eight bases.  Bogaerts was named to the All Star team and won his fifth Silver Slugger Award.  He finished ninth in the MVP voting and was a finalist for the Gold Glove.  Unfortunately, it was his last season in Boston.

RAFAEL DEVERS

Devers was once again Boston's biggest power threat.  The third-baseman led the team in home runs (27), RBIs (88), slugging percentage (.521) and OPS (.879).  He also tied Bogaerts for the lead in runs scored (84).  Devers improved his defense at third and hit .295/.358/.521.  He was second on the team in doubles (42) and third in hits (164).  His numbers would have been even better had he been healthy all season.  He was still an All Star and finished 14th in the MVP voting.

ALEX VERDUGO

Verdugo struggled with some injuries early on and tried to do too much at the start of the season.  When he changed his approach, his numbers improved dramatically and he had a huge second half of the season.  He ended up hitting .280/.328/.405 with eleven home runs and was second on the team with 74 RBIs.  He was also second on the team with 166 hits.  He contributed 39 doubles and 75 runs scored.  Verdugo is a breakout candidate going into 2023.

NATHAN EOVALDI

Boston's top starting pitcher from 2021 had some injury issues in 2022 that limited him to 20 starts.  That has long been an issue for Eovaldi.  Despite this, and some truly horrific home run numbers, Eovaldi still had a 6-3 record with a 3.87 ERA.  In 109.1 innings pitched, he struck out 103 batters, while walking just 20.  Eovaldi tied for the league lead in shutouts (one) and led the team in complete games (two).  It was also his final season in Boston.

CHRISTIAN VAZQUEZ

He played in just 84 games because the Red Sox traded him at the deadline, but he was still one of my favorite players.  Vazquez was having a pretty decent year when he was traded.  The catcher had become a pretty reliable contact hitter who did not strike out a lot.  He was hitting .282/.327/.432 with eight home runs, 20 doubles and 42 RBIs.  He was traded to the Astros at the deadline for a couple of prospects.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

GARRETT WHITLOCK

Whitlock was another player who struggled with some injuries in 2022.  The team also could not really figure out what his best role should be, trying him out as a starter and then moving him back to the bullpen.  Despite all of that, he had a record of 4-2 with a 3.45 ERA in 78.1 innings pitched.  He started nine games, but also notched six saves.  He struck out 82 batters and walked just 15.  Whitlock is one of the most talented pitchers on the team, they just need to figure out how best to use him.

TANNER HOUCK

Everything I said about Whitlock's role above, also applies to Houck.  Houck was given a bit more of an extended look at closer and tied for the team lead with eight saves.  He also started four games.  Houck pitched 60 innings over 32 games and had a 5-4 record with a 3.15 ERA.  He struck out 56 batters and walked 22.  Like Whitlock, his role is also unclear, though he appears to work better as a multi-inning reliever.  He will not be the closer though as Boston signed one for the 2023 season.

NICK PIVETTA

Pivetta looked like the ace of the team for awhile.  Early on in the season, he was essentially carrying the team on his back.  He led the league in games started (33), and there is a lot to say about a pitcher able to stay healthy and make every game.  He struggled at times and that led to a record of 10-12 with a 4.56 ERA, but he led the staff in innings pitched (179.2) and strikeouts (175).  He will be counted on to be a dependable starter again in 2023.

FAVORITE ACQUISITIONS

TREVOR STORY

Certainly the biggest name acquisition, if not the best acquisition, Story had an injury-plagued year.  He was limited to just 94 games due to a series of nagging injuries.  He struggled early on too, due to illness.  When he was on though, Story left little doubt why he was acquired.  Switching to second base, Story was an elite defensive player and a dynamic offensive player.  He hit .238/.303/.434 with 22 doubles, 16 home runs, 66 RBIs and led the team with 13 stolen bases.

MICHAEL WACHA

Boston's best pick-up for the 2022 season though was Wacha.  Wacha solidified the rotation when he was healthy.  He made 23 starts and led the team's starters in a number of pitching categories, including wins and winning percentage (11-2), ERA (3.32), WHIP (1.115) and tied Eovaldi for the league lead in shutouts (one).  Wacha threw 127.1 innings and struck out 104 batters while walking just 31.  He made an impression in 2022, but will not be back in 2023 as he has signed on with the Padres.

FAVORITE MID-SEASON ACQUISITION

TOMMY PHAM

Pham did not have the best numbers of the mid-season acquisitions Boston brought in at the deadline, but Reese McGuire does not have any cards yet.  Pham was pretty decent though.  In 53 games, he hit .234/.298/.374 with six home runs, 12 doubles and 24 RBIs.  He seemed to play hard and had some big hits down the stretch.  

FAVORITE ROOKIE

BRAYAN BELLO

Boston tried out a number of rookie pitchers, but only Bello showed enough to believe he could be a legitimate starting pitcher in the Majors.  Bello struggled early on, as he was clearly rushed to the Majors, but as the year went on, he settled into the role.  In 13 games (eleven starts), Bello had a record of 2-8 with a 4.71 ERA.  He threw 57.1 innings striking out 55 and walking 27.  

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS

J.D. MARTINEZ

Martinez suffered a significant power outage in 2022.  The designated hitter was still named to the All Star team and still hit 43 doubles to lead the team, but he managed to hit just 16 home runs and drive in 62 runs in 139 games.  There were long stretches of time between home runs.  Martinez hit .274/.341/.448 with 76 runs scored and 146 hits.  It was not a typical season for the slugger.

CHRIS SALE

Sale continued to struggle with injuries.  He missed the first couple months of the season, then finally made his season debut with a strong start in July.  Unfortunately, in his next start he suffered a broken finger after being hit in the hand with a line drive.  Then, while rehabbing, he suffered another setback that shut him down for the season.  He was 0-1 with a 3.18 ERA, five strikeouts and a walk in 5.2 innings pitched.

The Worst Red Sox Team of All Time Pt. 17: Jud McLaughlin

Failure is often even more fascinating than success. I am definitely intrigued by the 1932 Boston Red Sox, the worst Red Sox team of all time. The team finished with a record of 43-111, for a winning percentage of .279 and very little went right.

Well after we had a long-time legitimate Major Leaguer in the last post, it is only fair to return to a much more obscure player this time around.  Justin "Jud" McLaughlin's Major League career spanned three seasons, but only 16 games.  All of those games were in relief.  

McLaughlin signed with the Red Sox right out of high school and made his big league debut in 1931 at the age of 19.  He appeared in nine games that season, pitching 12 innings while giving up 16 earned runs.  His ERA was 12.00.  He struck out three and walked eight.  

In 1932, McLaughlin appeared in just one game.  He pitched three innings, giving up five runs and four walks without striking anyone out.  He made his first plate appearance and struck out.  He spent the rest of the season in the minors.

1933 saw him appear in six more games, throwing 8.2 innings.  He had an ERA of 6.23, a marked improvement.  He walked five and struck out one.  He spent most of the season in the minors.  He was in the minors in 1934 as well, but never made another Major League appearance.

McLaughlin spent his career with the Red Sox, but had a record of 0-0 in 16 relief appearances.  In 23.2 innings pitched, he had an ERA of 10.27.  He struck out just four batters while walking 17.  

The Jason Varitek Quest for 1,000: #981 and 982

We have a two-fer today.

Up first is Jason Varitek card #981, which also happens to be card #402 for Dustin Pedroia and card #610 for Manny Ramirez.

This is the 2022 Topps Triple Threads Autograph Relic Trio Amethyst.  It is serial-numbered to 27 and contains autographs and jersey pieces for the three players I mentioned.  Ramirez, Varitek and Pedroia played together from late 2006 to mid 2008 and were starting position players on the 2007 World Championship team.

1.  Manny Ramirez.  This is my second Ramirez autograph card, I believe.  Ramirez hit .250 in the 2007 World Series.  He had a double and two RBIs.

2.  Jason Varitek.  I have no idea how many Varitek autograph cards I have.  A lot.  Varitek hit .333 in the World Series with two runs, a double and five RBI.  

3.  Dustin Pedroia.  This is my third Pedroia autograph.  He homered in his first at-bat in the World Series, which was also the Red Sox first at-bat.  He hit .278 with two runs, a double, a home run and four RBIs.

And here is card #982:

I mentioned I could get a lot of parallels from this set to add more Varitek cards.  This is the prism refractor that came four to a mega box.  This is my fourth parallel of Varitek from the set.

Your 1981 Red Sox Pt. 23: Jim Rice

In this series, I will look at each player who played in 1981, the year I was born. Because, why not? 

I have covered Jim Rice at length in several other posts, so I do not really feel the need to go over his entire career again in this post.  I think it is enough to say that he was an incredible player, a terrific power hitter, and of course, a Hall of Famer.  

Rice was drafted by the Red Sox in the first round of the 1971 draft, 15th overall.  He made it to the Majors in 1974 and had his official rookie season in 1975.  That year he teamed up with Fred Lynn to form a fantastic rookie tandem for the Red Sox to help make it to the World Series.  Rice finished second to Lynn in the Rookie of the Year vote and third in the MVP voting.  Unfortunately he missed the postseason due to an injury.  

After an adjustment in 1976, Rice became the feared slugger he was reputed to be starting in 1977.  That year, he led the league in home runs and total bases for the first time.  He won the A.L. MVP in 1978 when he led the league in a number of offensive categories, including home runs, hits, RBIs and slugging percentage.  His numbers declined a bit the next two seasons.

By the time the 1981 season came around, Rice was deep into his prime offensive seasons.  He was in the middle of the period in which he was the most feared slugger in the game.  He had a bit of a down year, but still managed to hit .284/.333/.441 with 17 home runs and 62 RBIs.  He led the league in at-bats with 451 and accumulated 128 hits, 51 runs scored and 18 doubles.  He was second on the team in home runs and RBIs to Dwight Evans.  Rice spent most of the season as the left-fielder.

Rice continued to put up big numbers through the 1986 season, leading the league in home runs and RBIs in 1983 once more.  After the 1986 season, he declined dramatically, eventually retiring after the 1989 season.  Rice spent his entire Major League career with the Red Sox and later became a hitting coach and then a broadcaster with the team.  He is a deserving Hall of Famer.

More Devers Plus a Bowman Chrome Break

Well, I have a bunch of Devers cards to show off once again.  Up first is a lot of 15 that I bought off of Ebay.  I had five of them previously, so there are just ten new ones.

A couple of the highlights here are the purple and red holofoil Diamond King cards from 2021 Donruss.  I also finally got the 2022 Donruss Diamond King card.  There are also a couple of Topps cards using old designs, and a couple of Panini cards.  I actually really like the picture from the 2022 Donruss card.  There are not any mind-blowing cards in this lot, but the lot does fill in a lot of holes.

Up next is my break of a 2022 Bowman Chrome Mega Box.  These things are unreasonably expensive for what they are.  There were just 30 cards in it and no autograph or relic.  That is not enough to make up for the price.

Devers is the only Red Sox card I pulled in the box, so I felt comfortable combining the break with the Devers lot.  And the next card:

This is the Home Field Advantage insert from 2022 Topps and this card looks much better in person.  These cards are very popular and somewhat pricey.  They were a surprise insert set that was not included on the checklist that released online.  I had to snag this one.

So that's 12 new Devers cards, bringing my current total up to 225.  75 to go.

The Worst Red Sox Team of All Time Pt. 16: Danny MacFayden

Failure is often even more fascinating than success. I am definitely intrigued by the 1932 Boston Red Sox, the worst Red Sox team of all time. The team finished with a record of 43-111, for a winning percentage of .279 and very little went right.

What's this?  A legitimate Major League pitcher who had a long career?  MacFayden was never really a great pitcher, but he was certainly a good one and he pitched from 1926 through 1943.  

MacFayden started his career with the Red Sox during the ridiculously awful decade that was the 1920's.  He pitched just three games in 1926 at the age of 21, but did not do much.  He then had a few years of losing records and ERAs typically above 4.00.  He had his first really good season in 1929.  Despite a record of 10-18, which can be attributed more to how bad the team was than MacFayden, he had an ERA of 3.62 and led the league with four shutouts.  

The next season, he was back to an ERA north of 4.00.  Then, in 1931 he had his first winning record.  MacFayden went 16-12 with a 4.02 ERA in 230.2 innings pitched.  He then started the 1932 season opener as the best pitcher on the team.  Unfortunately, MacFayden struggled greatly in 1932.  In 12 games, he was just 1-10 with an ugly 5.10 ERA.  In 77.2 innings pitched, he struck out 29 and walked 33.  MacFayden was then traded in June for Ivy Andrews (who was covered earlier) and Henry Johnson.  

MacFayden struggled with the Yankees for a couple of seasons, but then went on to some successful seasons with the Boston Braves later in his career.  With the Red Sox, MacFayden's record was an 52-78, but he had an ERA of 4.23 in 1,167 innings pitched.  He struck out 344 and walked 430.  

Trio of Bambinos

This was another one of those barely serious Ebay bids.  I saw a lot of Babe Ruth Panini cards, including a few Yankees cards, and threw a low bid on it.  And I won.  Here we have the holo-purple, serial-numbered red, and the base card (which is itself a variation of the regular base card, which is a Yankees card).  

I have a reasonable number of Babe Ruth cards in my Red Sox collection.  These three cards puts me at 68 Babe Ruth cards.  Honestly, it is still kind of a special thrill to find Babe Ruth Red Sox cards.  He is just so widely tied to his time with the Yankees, and even though the fact that he is infamous for having been sold to the Yankees by the Red Sox, I feel like his time with Boston is largely underrated.

I have talked at length about his accomplishments in Boston.  He was one of the greatest left-handed pitchers in the game at the time.  He set a scoreless World Series innings record that lasted until Whitey Ford broke it (29.2 innings).  He became more of a position player in 1919 and broke the home run record (which he immediately obliterated in his first year with the Yankees).  Ruth was a two-way star long before Shohei Ohtani and there was no one else quite like him.  Until Ohtani.

As a hitter in Boston, Ruth hit .308/.413/.568 with 49 home runs and 224 RBIs.  Bear in mind, this was the Deadball Era, which ended the year Ruth went to the Yankees.  He twice led the league in home runs (one of those as primarily a pitcher), once in runs and once in RBIs.  In 1929, his only full season as a regular position player (left fielder and still occasionally pitching), he hit .322/.456/.657 with 29 home runs, 103 runs and 113 RBIs.

As a pitcher, Ruth went 89-46 with a 2.19 ERA, striking out 483 batters and walking 425 in 1,190.1 innings pitched.  His best season was 1916 when he went 23-12 with a 1.75 ERA that led the league.  He tossed nine shutouts, which also led the league.  He struck out 170 while walking 118 in 323.1 innings pitched.

1919 was his best two-way season.  I discussed his hitting stats above, but that season he pitched in 17 games, starting 15.  He went 9-5 with a 2.97 ERA in 133.1 innings pitched.  Not exceptional numbers for Ruth the pitcher, but decent nonetheless, and terrific when added to his hitting stats.

Your 1981 Red Sox Pt. 22: Jerry Remy

In this series, I will look at each player who played in 1981, the year I was born. Because, why not?

One would be forgiven for assuming that Jerry Remy spent his entire baseball career in the Red Sox organization.  Certainly he is well-known for his ties to the Red Sox, particularly his broadcast career.  Even his playing career seems to be mostly remembered for his time with the Red Sox.  But no, Remy was drafted by the Angels and spent his first three seasons there.

Prior to the 1978 season, the second-baseman was traded to the Red Sox for Don Aase.  He had his only All Star season in 1978 when he hit .278/.321/.350.  He had a career-high 24 doubles and stole 30 bases while hitting two home runs and driving in 44.  He scored 87 runs and hit the only two home runs of his Red Sox career.  The next two seasons were injury-plagued and he played just 143 games between the two seasons, but his hitting stats remained.  In 1980 he batted .313, his highest single-season batting average.

Remy was finally healthy again in 1981, playing in 88 games during the shortened season.  He hit .307/.368/.338 with 31 RBIs and stole nine bases.  He was fully healthy the next two seasons as well.  Remy played through the 1983 season, but once again struggled with injuries.  During his seven years in Boston, Remy hit .286/.334/.334 with 90 doubles, two home runs, 385 runs scored, 211 RBIs and stole 98 bases. 

A Boston Red Sox icon, Remy parlayed his playing career into an enormously successful and memorable broadcast career.  Some day, he deserves to be granted the Ford C. Frick Award.  It is just so unfortunate that it would be a posthumous recognition.

More 2021 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary

I picked up a few more base cards from the gigantic 2021 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary set.  I still have a few more to go.

1.  Mark Loretta.  Loretta is one of the more off-the-wall choices in this set.  Particularly shown with the Red Sox.  Loretta spent just one year in Boston after being acquired prior to the 2006 season from the Padres for Doug Mirabelli.  Loretta was an All Star, selected by the fans, in his only season in Boston.  He hit .285/.345/.361 with five home runs, 33 doubles and 59 RBIs. 

2.  Shea Hillenbrand.  Here is another odd one.  Hillenbrand came up with Boston and was an All Star himself in 2002.  He spent parts of three seasons with the Red Sox before being traded to the Diamondbacks for Byung-Hyun Kim.  Hillenbrand hit .284/.317/.432 with 33 home runs and 170 RBIs during his time with Boston.  He also had 80 doubles.

3.  Jonathan Arauz.  Selected in the Rule V Draft prior to the 2020 season, Arauz spent parts of three seasons with the Red Sox.  Arauz was still with the team in 2021.  He played second, third and shortstop, and even pitched a little.  He hit .204/.280/.320 with four home runs and 18 RBIs before being placed on waivers and being selected by the Orioles.

4.  David Ortiz.  What more is there to say about Ortiz?  He is the 15th player to wear a Red Sox cap on his Hall of Fame plaque.  

5.  Wade Boggs.  And Boggs is among those players as well.  

The Worst Red Sox Team of All Time Pt. 15: Johnny Lucas

Failure is often even more fascinating than success. I am definitely intrigued by the 1932 Boston Red Sox, the worst Red Sox team of all time. The team finished with a record of 43-111, for a winning percentage of .279 and very little went right.

Johnny Lucas is another ultra obscure player who does not even have a card made of him.  Though, to be fair, there were not a ton of cards made in that time period.

Apparently, Lucas was discovered by Red Sox scouts playing in McCook in my home state of Nebraska, though he was originally from Illinois.  Lucas was 28 at the time that he made his Major League debut in 1931.  He played in three games that season, playing one in left field and one in center field.  He had two at-bats and was hitless, striking out in one at-bat.  

In 1932, Lucas spent most of the season in the minor leagues, playing in 140 games and hitting .266 with four home runs, 19 doubles and eleven triples.  He played in just one Major League game early in the season, getting one at-bat in a blowout loss to the Yankees.  He was hitless in that at-bat as well.  

And that was pretty much it for Lucas's baseball career.

Topps Now: January 11, 2023

The first Topps Now card of 2023 is technically a 2022-2023 Offseason card.  On January 11, 2023, it was officially announced that star third-baseman Rafael Devers signed an 11-year contract extension with the Red Sox.  The deal contained no opt-out clauses.  It was the largest deal in Red Sox history.  It was an absolutely necessary move as the fans had still been reeling from losing Xander Bogaerts just two years after losing Mookie Betts. 

Devers will be 26 throughout the regular season in 2023.  He will likely still be an impact bat by the time this contract is over, though he may not still be a third-baseman.  In Devers's young career so far, he has hit .283/.342/.512 with 139 home runs, 187 doubles and 455 RBIs.  He has improved defensively and has already hit eight home runs in the postseason.

Devers is absolutely the kind of player a team builds around and Boston will keep him locked up for a long time.  

Your 1981 Red Sox Pt. 21: Chuck Rainey

In this series, I will look at each player who played in 1981, the year I was born. Because, why not?

Chuck Rainey was Boston's first round draft pick in the January 1974 draft.  He was picked 19th overall.  Rainey moved steadily through the minors at first, but seemed to get stuck in Pawtucket for a couple of years.  He finally made his Major League debut in 1979.  That year, he made it into 20 games, starting 16 of them and having a record of 8-5 with a 3.82 ERA.  He struck out 41 and walked 41 in 103.2 innings.  He cemented his spot on the pitching staff for the next season.  His record improved (8-3), but his ERA (4.86) rose more than a run.  Nevertheless, Rainey was solid.

In 1981, Rainey pitched sparingly due to an injury he suffered in 1980.  He also returned to the minors for a short stint to get back on track as the combination of the injury and the strike that year caused some difficulties for Rainey.

When he was healthy though, he was pretty decent.  Rainey pitched in just eleven games, starting just two of them, but had a record of 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA.  He pitched 40 innings, striking out 20 and walking 13.  Rainey was never a big strikeout pitcher.  His career high was just 84 with the Cubs in 191 innings pitched.  

The next season, he was back in the rotation for 25 of his 27 games and had a record of 7-5, but his ERA ballooned to 5.02.  In 129 innings pitched, he struck out 57 while walking 63.  After the season, he was traded to the Cubs for Doug Bird.  It was with the Cubs that he had his biggest season from an innings standpoint and had a 14-13 record.  Rainey also pitched for the Athletics.  

A Trade With Swing and a Pop Up

I recently made my first blog trade in a very long time with Bert from Swing and a Pop Up, a fellow Red Sox fan.  Almost all of the cards I received were off of my wantlist, with a few exceptions.  A lot of them were oddball cards, though there were some other base cards as well.

And here we go:

1.  Dennis Eckersley.  This card finished off the 1998 Stadium Club team set for me.  Oddly, I had the magenta printing plate of this card.   Not sure why I did not have this one.  Eckersley spent the final season of his career with the Red Sox and recorded the final save of his career with the Red Sox.  He also threw more than twice as many innings with the Red Sox than any other team for whom he pitched.

2.  Jose Malave.  Malave looked like a promising prospect when he hit .299/.369/.563 with 24 home runs and 92 RBIs for the Red Sox Double-A team in 1994.  Unfortunately in parts of two seasons with Boston, he hit just .226/.248/.368 with four home runs and 17 RBIs in 45 games.

3.  Roger Clemens.  This completed the 1995 Bazooka set for me.  Clemens seems to be the last card standing in a lot of sets in the mid 1990's.  I have no explanation for that, other than maybe fatigue.  I do tend to not focus as much on players that I already have a lot of cards of (with the obvious exception of Jason Varitek).  Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez have also been players that happened with.

4.  Cory Bailey.  This finished off 1994 Pinnacle.  Bailey came up as a reliever prospect, but pitched in just 16 games over two years with Boston, throwing 20 innings, striking out 15 and walking 15.  He had an ERA of 5.40 and was 0-2.  He was traded to the Cardinals along with Scott Cooper for Mark Whiten and Rheal Cormier.  He had some decent seasons with the Cardinals and Royals.

5.  Babe Ruth.  Coming from the Ruth Conlon set, there are still a handful of Red Sox cards out there I still need.  This card discusses Ruth winning 17 of his last 21 decisions in 1915, his first full season in the Majors.

6.  Babe Ruth.  And this card discusses Ruth breaking the single-season home run record in 1919 when he hit 29 home runs as a member of the Red Sox.  The previous record of 25 belonged to former Red Sox Buck Freeman, who hit that number as a member of the Washington Senators of the National League.

7.  Carl Yastrzemski.  I love this shot of Yaz with the camera crew.  

8.  Jim Rice.  This seems more like a standard shot of Rice.

9.  Mike Torrez.  Torrez pitched the ill-fated one-game playoff in 1978 and gave up Bucky Dent's home run.  In five years with Boston, Torrez had a record of 60-54 with a 4.51 ERA.  He struck out 480 and walked 420 in 1,012.2 innings pitched.  His best season was 1981 when he went 10-3 with a 3.68 ERA.

Up next is a bunch of singles from the 1982 Brigham's/Coca-Cola set, which is one I am still trying to complete.

10.  John Tudor.  Tudor spent the first five seasons of his career with the Red Sox, going 39-32 with a 3.96 ERA.  Boston then traded him to the Pirates for Mike Easler.  Tudor had the best season of his career in 1985 when he went 21-8 with a 1.93 ERA and led the league in shutouts.  It would have been nice if Boston had held on to him.

11.  Dave Stapleton.  Stapleton was a very impressive defensive player, but did not hit much.  At least most of his career.  He was great in his rookie season in 1980 when he hit .321/.338/.463 with 33 doubles, seven home runs and 45 RBIs.  He finished second in the Rookie of the Year vote to Joe Charboneau.  He was primarily a second-baseman that season.

12.  Bob Ojeda.  Another pitcher Boston would have been smart to hold on to, Ojeda spent his first six seasons in Boston, going 44-39 with a 4.21 ERA.  He was traded to the Mets prior to 1986 for Calvin Schiraldi and Wes Gardner.  Ojeda went 18-5 with a 2.57 ERA for the Mets that season and was 1-0 against his old team in the World Series.

13.  Carney Lansford.  Lansford, along with Mark Clear, was the major return in the trade of Rick Burleson and Butch Hobson to the Angels.  Lansford won the batting title in his first season with the Red Sox, hitting .336 and winning his only Silver Slugger Award.  He was later traded to the A's in the deal that brought Tony Armas to the Red Sox.

14.  Glenn Hoffman.  Trevor's much older brother, Hoffman was supplanted as the third-baseman by the acquisition of Lansford and moved over to shortstop.  His best season was his rookie year in 1980 when he hit .285/.326/.397.  Like Stapleton, he declined quickly.

15.  Rich Gedman.  Gedman was second in the Rookie of the Year vote in 1981 when he hit .288/.317/.434 with five home runs and 26 RBIs.  Gedman was a two-time All Star in 1985 and 1986.  He hit .259/.310/.412 with 83 home runs in eleven seasons with the Red Sox.

And now for the primary reason this trade got started, the 1991 Swell Baseball Greats remaining cards for the team set.

16.  Tris Speaker.  Boston never should have traded Speaker.  Yes, unfortunately this has been a problem with this franchise for a very long time.  Speaker was Boston's best player.  In nine seasons, he hit .337/.414/.482 with 39 home runs (it was the Deadball Era) and 542 RBIs.  He also stole 267 bases.  Speaker was traded for Sad Sam Jones, Fred Thomas and cash.  Jones was at least decent.

17.  Carl Yastrzemski.  Yaz is one player Boston kept for his entire career, and his was the longest career in team history, spanning 23 seasons and 3,308 games.  Thus, he holds a number of career records for the Red Sox, most notably his 3,419 hits.  He is the only Red Sox player to have 3,000 hits with the team.

18.  Rico Petrocelli.  Petrocelli at one point held the single-season record for home runs by a shortstop.  He hit 40 home runs in 1968.  He spent his entire 13-season career with the Red Sox and hit .251/.332/.420 with 210 home runs and 773 RBIs.

19.  Jim Lonborg.  The third member of the Impossible Dream season in a row.  Lonborg won the first Cy Young Award in Red Sox history.  It was also the first year that the award was given to a pitcher in each league.  Lonborg was 22-9 with a 3.16 ERA and struck out 246 while walking 83 in 273.1 innings.  He led the league in wins and strikeouts.

20.  Rick Ferrell.  Ferrell, like Speaker and Yaz, is a Hall of Famer.  Ferrell was elected by the Veterans Committee in 1984.  Ferrell is largely considered one of the worst Hall of Famers, but he was a very good contact hitter for a catcher.  He hit .302/.394/.410 for his five years in Boston.  Ferrell was caught for Boston at the same time his brother Wes was a pitcher.  They were traded to the Senators together in a deal for Ben Chapman and Bobo Newsom.

21.  Don Baylor.  Baylor was acquired in a rare deal with the Yankees in 1986.  Rarer still, the deal actually seemed to help both teams.  A novel idea.  Baylor hit .238/.344/.439 with 31 home runs and 94 RBIs for the pennant-winning Red Sox.  The next season he broke the record for being hit by pitches.  Baylor was traded to the Twins late in 1987 season.  Later, he became the first manager for the Colorado Rockies.

Thanks for the trade Bert!

Gypsy Queen City Connect Variations Pt. 3

It is probably fitting given my lone collecting goal in 2023 that the next of the Gypsy Queen City Connect variations is Rafael Devers.  There are four more of these out there for me to track down.  Devers was probably the biggest one to get though, so there is that.  I almost bought one of these jerseys at one point, but it was a Bogaerts jersey and I was not sure he would be coming back.  Had it been a Devers jersey, I definitely would have grabbed it.

Archives Blaster and Prizm Jumbo Pack

I have been picking up more packs and stuff recently, as might be obvious from the posts.  One day I grabbed an Archives blaster and a couple of Prizm jumbo packs.  The results were okay, but not particularly great.

1.  Xander Bogaerts.  Wait, so the 1987 design was used in both the insert set in flagship AND one of the designs from Archives?  That's definitely overkill.  But, to talk about something a little more positive, Bogaerts made big strides defensively in 2022.  He was a finalist for the Gold Glove and recorded career-best marks in UZR and DRS.  

2.  Alex Verdugo.  Nice view of the chains Verdugo wears around his neck.  I engaged in a Twitter discussion about favorite current Red Sox other than Devers.  I decided that I believe Verdugo is probably my second-favorite player on the current team.  

3.  Nathan Eovaldi.  The best card of the break is this Red, White & Blue parallel of Eovaldi.  It is the only non-base Red Sox card I got as one of the retail-only special parallels.  

Ebay Lot of Inserts, Parallels, Etc.

I bought a lot on Ebay to fill in a few holes from 2021 and 2022, which have been years somewhat underrepresented so far due to not being involved in trading.  I am going to get that fixed soon, but I might have another trial next month, which could change things.

1.  Pedro Martinez.  The 1987 design is a little overdone I think, but it is one of the more iconic designs during my lifetime.  Always fun to get Pedro Martinez cards though.  The trade for Martinez is still one of the best trades during my fandom.  Boston gave up Carl Pavano and Tony Armas, Jr.  Both pitchers pitched for awhile, but nowhere near as well as Pedro.

2.  Nathan Eovaldi.  The trade for Eovaldi cost Boston Jalen Beeks, who has been a solid reliever when healthy.  Worth it.

3.  Rafael Devers.  Part of the reason I bought this lot was the addition of a couple more Devers cards.  

4.  Bobby Dalbec.  Dalbec had a pretty decent year in 2021, hitting .240/.298/.494 with 25 home runs and 78 RBIs.  But his 156 strikeouts were glaring and he took such a huge step backwards in 2022 that it appears likely he will officially lose his hold on first base.

5.  Carlton Fisk.  I love this insert set.  I need to track down all of them.  Just a good-looking set.

6.  Nathan Eovaldi.

7.  Alex Verdugo.  I am looking forward to seeing Verdugo this year.  With the shift being banned and his improvement in the second half of last season, I think he is going to have a really good year.

8.  Jarren Duran.  This lot contained several Duran cards.  This Inception card has an interesting design, but is a little thick for my tastes.  Base cards should be able to fit easily in a page.

9.  Jarren Duran.

10.  Jarren Duran.  Yep, several Duran cards.

11.  Kutter Crawford.  Crawford was one of the most impressive of the rookie pitchers Boston used in 2022 (next to Brayan Bello).  He is also likely to be a part of the pitching staff in 2023 as he could emerge as a multi-inning reliever in the vein of what Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock have done.

12.  Trevor Story.  I really thought Story could have a 20/20 type season last year.  And he probably would have had he stayed healthy.  He hit 16 home runs and almost assuredly would have hit four more.  He stole 13 bases and has stolen 20 or more three times.  It likely won't happen this season either.

13.  Rafael Devers.  That's two Devers cards.  

14.  Jarren Duran.  And four Duran cards.  

15.  Christian Vazquez.  This is probably my favorite card of the lot, celebrating Vazquez's walkoff home run in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Rays.  What a great moment that was.  I really wish Vazquez was still with the team, especially since I am not sold on the current catching platoon going forward.  I hope I am wrong.

16.  Connor Seabold.  Seabold was the least impressive of the rookie pitchers Boston used in 2022.  I am not sure what happened to him, he looked like a decent prospect when Boston acquired him in 2020.  Luckily that trade also included Nick Pivetta.

Topps Chrome Update Group Break

I tried out another group break on Ebay, this time a multi-box break of Topps Chrome Update.  Here are the results:

1.  Rich Hill.  This is the purple refractor.  I think I have mentioned before that Hill used to be one of the kings of the Red Sox With No Cards.  I think that honor goes to either Andrew Miller or Scott Atchison now.  Hill will be 43 in 2023, yet still pitches like someone ten years younger.

2.  David Ortiz.  This is one of the Diamond Greats cards.  I really liked this insert set in the base set, but the Chrome version is not quite as cool because it is not die-cut.  

3.  Xander Bogaerts.  This is from the All Star insert set, hence the weird charcoal-colored uniform.  I don't like these All Star uniforms, I always thought it was cool to see all of the team uniforms in the All Star Game.  Bogaerts was a four-time All Star with the Red Sox.

4.  Jarren Duran.  Here is another purple refractor of the over-exposed outfielder.  I wonder if Topps will make many cards of him in 2023.

5.  Jarren Duran.  Oddly, this is the only base card I received in this break.  I have no explanation for that.

6.  Rafael Devers.  One card closer to 300.  This is the Generation Now insert.  I could have gotten a couple of other Devers cards, but at least I got an insert.  

7.  Wade Boggs.  Another Diamond Greats card, this one of my first favorite player.

8.  Rob Refsnyder.  And another purple refractor.  This makes four Refsnyder cards, currently tied for second among the new acquisitions in 2022.  Not bad for a guy that was a minor league free agent.

Random Jack Lopez Buy

 

I threw in a random bid on this Ebay item figuring I was not likely to add too many Jack Lopez cards to my collection.  Lopez was kind of an interesting story in 2021.  The career minor leaguer was drafted by the Royals back in 2011 and spent several seasons in their system.  He then signed with the Braves organization in 2019.  He didn't play due to the COVID situation in 2020, then signed on with the Red Sox.  He was never even on the Red Sox 40 man roster, but due to the COVID outbreak among the Red Sox late in 2021, Lopez was brought to the Majors.  

Lopez ended up playing in seven games in the Majors.  He recorded just two hits, but both were doubles.  He played every game at second base, and made just one error.  Lopez hit .285 in the minors and managed to sign on with the Tigers organization after the season, but did not appear again in the Majors.  Time will tell if 2021 was Lopez's only shot.  

2022 Topps Holiday Group Break

I threw in a barely serious Ebay bid on a break of some Topps Holiday boxes.  I never bought any of them myself this year.  Honestly, Topps releases far too many variations of their flagship set.  There's Chrome, Holiday, Chrome Sapphire, Chrome Ben Baller, Topps UK and Topps Mini.  There's no reason for this.  We really need more than one company to have a license.  

Anyway, here is the break:

1.  Jarren Duran.  The key cards out of this set are the short-printed image variations that come in a couple of tiers.  This is one of those variations, though it is the most common tier.  Duran's right forearm sleeve is altered to look like candy striping.  This was the only non-base card I received.

2.  Eric Hosmer.  This card made me happy though.  Hosmer was destined to not have many cards with the Red Sox since he only played 14 games.  I am guessing every single one will have this picture though.  

3.  Xander Bogaerts.  I wonder if there will be Bogaerts cards with the Red Sox in 2023.  I am guessing there will be some, but he did sign somewhat early with the Padres.  

4.  Trevor Story.  Story will miss the first couple of months of the season which is not what Boston needed.  It could result in some interesting player personnel decisions.  They acquired Adalberto Mondesi, but they could end up calling upon players like Enmanuel Valdez or Niko Goodrum to play early on.

5.  Jarren Duran.  This is the normal card, note the completely white right forearm sleeve.

6.  Rafael Devers.  Nice to add another Devers card.  One card closer to 300.  

Hope for the Future

One of the biggest criticisms of the Red Sox system for many years has been their inability to develop their own starting pitching.  This has been a problem for a very long time.  Boston does have a few promising pitching prospects in their minor league system right now, but they have had prospects before that did not work out.

That brings me to Brayan Bello, who made his Major League debut last season at the age of 23.  His final numbers were not great (2-8, 4.71 ERA, 55 strikeouts to 27 walks in 57.1 innings pitched), but he improved dramatically over the course of the year.  He maybe was not ready when he was called up when Boston needed pitching, but he settled in and his curveball is the real deal.  He may not start the 2023 season in the rotation, but it should not be long before he is a mainstay of the rotation.  Just a quick note, there is also Tanner Houck and he could very well end up a starter, but for right now his role is in flux.  There is no doubt he is a Major League pitcher though.

Bello made eleven starts in 2022.  He could quickly become the first homegrown pitcher to make more than 25 starts in several years.  Let's look at the homegrown pitchers and how many starts they have had over the last, oh, ten years.  I am defining "homegrown" as drafted by or signed as an amateur free agent by the team.  Players acquired in trade (i.e. Eduardo Rodriguez and Josh Winckowski), or brought over from another professional league (Hector Velazquez) do not count.  Also, players who were once homegrown, then traded but returned do not count (Justin Masterson).

2022:

Kutter Crawford: 12

Brayan Bello: 11

Tanner Houck: 4

2021:

Tanner Houck: 13

Kutter Crawford: 1

2020:

Tanner Houck: 3

Kyle Hart: 3

2019:

Brian Johnson: 7

Travis Lakins: 3

Darwinzon Hernandez: 1

Bobby Poyner: 1

2018:

Brian Johnson: 13

William Cuevas: 1

Jalen Beeks: 1

2017:

Brian Johnson: 5

2016:

Henry Owens: 5

2015:

Clay Buchholz: 18

Henry Owens: 11

Matt Barnes: 2

Brian Johnson: 1

2014:

Clay Buchholz: 28 (we had to go back all the way to 2014 to find a pitcher with 20 starts)

Jon Lester: 21 (traded at the deadline)

Brandon Workman: 15

Felix Doubront: 10 (traded at the deadline)

Anthony Ranaudo: 7

2013: 

Jon Lester: 33

Felix Doubront: 27

Clay Buchholz: 16

Brandon Workman: 3

Yeah, that's pretty rough.  You have to go all the way back to 2014 to get a homegrown starter that started more than 20 games.  Clay Buchholz was the last remaining homegrown starter who had a lengthy career with Boston.  Jon Lester was the last homegrown star that Boston had.  In the time that passed, there have been several top pitching prospects that have not been able to carry their success over, such as Henry Owens, Anthony Ranaudo and Brian Johnson.  A few others have moved to the bullpen where they have had success, such as Matt Barnes and Brandon Workman.  Hopefully Bello or Houck can break this string.