One of These Things is Not Like the Others

Can you guess who?

This was a small trade that I made some time ago.  I am going to gradually catch up on my cards.  I have not been collecting as much lately, primarily because I have been so busy, but also because it's become so hard to find cards where I live.  Once in awhile I come across some stuff on the shelves, but if I don't buy right away, it's gone the next time I am there.  So, it's become frustrating.  Anyway, here are some pitchers.

1.  Roger Clemens.  Clemens won three Cy Young Awards with the Red Sox and probably should have won at least one more, if not two.  In 1990 he lost out to Bob Welch because Welch won 27 games for a juggernaut A's team despite the fact that Clemens was better than him in literally every other single category.  Clemens was the best pitcher in 1990, not Welch.  In 1992, Clemens placed third behind Dennis Eckersley, who saved 51 games and had a 1.91 ERA, and Jack McDowell, who won 20 games and had more innings pitched.  Clemens led the league in ERA (2.41) and shutouts (five) and had a record of 18-11 with 208 strikeouts.  So again, Clemens was arguably the best pitcher in the league.

2.  Dustin May.  May was acquired at the deadline in 2025.  There was a lot of smoke around Boston acquiring a starting pitcher and allegedly CBO Craig Breslow tried really hard to pry Joe Ryan away from the Twins after the Twins traded away virtually every other player they could.  But when it became obvious that the Twins were holding out to Ryan, he had to pivot quickly and apparently made a bit of a panic move, sending James Tibbs III and Zach Ehrhard to the Dodgers for May.  It was a bad move.  Tibbs had just been acquired in the Rafael Devers trade and Ehrhard was a well-regarded outfield prospect.  Tibbs has been playing well in the Dodgers system this year.  May was...not good with the Red Sox.  He pitched in just six games, starting five and had an ERA of 5.40 and a record of 1-4.  In 28.1 innings, he struck out 26, but walked 13.  He was then allowed to leave as a free agent and signed on with the Cardinals where he has been inconsistent.

3.  Garrett Crochet.  Crochet was acquired in a trade with the White Sox for four prospects, similar to the Chris Sale trade prior to 2017.  Crochet was great in his first season with the Red Sox and finished second in the Cy Young vote to Tarik Skubal.  Crochet led the league in innings pitched (205.1), shutouts (one) and strikeouts (255).  He had a record of 18-5 and a 2.59 ERA.  Skubal had a 2.21 ERA.  I do kind of think Crochet should have won it.  I am not upset about it, like I am with the 1990 vote, but Crochet pitched more and had more strikeouts and a better record.  

Red Sox With No Cards: 2023

For the second year in a row, the Red Sox finished in last place and missed the postseason.  Once again, there was a lot of player movement.  Among the more random players to get cards made and avoiding this list were: Pablo Reyes, Luis Urias, Caleb Hamilton, Nick Robertson and Joe Jacques.  Then there are the guys below.

JORGE ALFARO

Alfaro was once a top prospect.  He was so highly regarded that he was the primary return the Phillies received from the Rangers in the Cole Hamels deal and was later a big part of the return sent to the Marlins in the J.T. Realmuto deal.  He had a nice season in 2019, but largely disappointed afterwards, later appearing with the Padres.  The Red Sox picked him up as a potential catching option prior to the 2023 season and he was a Spring Training sensation.  Unfortunately for him, Connor Wong developed and became the primary catcher with Reese McGuire as the backup, and there was no room for Alfaro on the roster.  He was released, played a few games with the Rockies, then was released from them and brought back to Boston where he finally made it into some games.  He played in just eight games with the Red Sox, hitting .118/.250/.118 with just two singles and a couple walks in 20 plate appearances.  He was terrible defensively too and was released again.  Alfaro has bounced around a lot and made a cameo for a few games with the Nationals in 2025.  He's just 32, so there is a possibility he could make it to the Majors again.    

KYLE BARRACLOUGH

Once a valuable relief pitcher with the Marlins, Barraclough had fallen on some hard times for a few years before finding himself in Boston.  His first three seasons with the Marlins saw him have an ERA at 3.00 or lower each year.  In 2016, he had a 2.85 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 72.2 innings.  After 2017 he began to struggle and bounced around, appearing in games for the Nationals, Giants, Twins and Angels.  The Red Sox picked him up as a free agent in June of 2023 and he appeared in three games in Boston, pitching 7.2 innings to an ERA of 12.91.  He gave up 14 hits and six walks while striking out four.  He had a 1-1 record.  He had some decent numbers in Worcester, but has not appeared in the Majors since.  

BRENNAN BERNARDINO

Bernardino is a fascinating story and an annoying player to have on this list because of it.  Originally drafted by the Reds in the 2014 draft, he couldn't make the Majors for years.  He drifted to the Indians system and then played in the Mexican League for a couple of seasons, even delivering food for awhile to make ends meet.  He finally made it to the Majors with the Mariners in 2022 for two games at the age of 30.  The Red Sox brought him in as pitching depth during the season and he excelled.  In 55 games, he had a 2-1 record with a 3.20 ERA.  He was often used as an opener, making six starts.  He pitched 50.2 innings, striking out 58 batters and walking 18.  Bernardino will be seen in these posts again, and he has yet to appear on any card with a Major League team.

YU CHANG

Making his second appearance in this series, Chang was a minor league free agent after 2022 but ended up returning to the Red Sox.  He played a bit more often in the Majors in 2023 than he did in 2022, appearing in 39 games, primarily at shortstop, but also appearing at every position in the infield and DH.  As stated in a previous post, Chang looked to be getting a regular job in Cleveland earlier in his career, but by 2023 he was exclusively a depth option.  He hit .162/.200/.352, but showed some pop with six home runs.  He also had two doubles, 18 RBIs and four stolen bases.  Chang has not been in the Majors since, but has played in the World Baseball Classic and in the Chinese league.

MATT DERMODY

Iowa native Dermody was drafted several times before finally signing with the Blue Jays, though he was never drafted higher than the 23rd round and was picked in the 28th when he signed.  Despite that, he made it to the Majors in 2016 at the age of 25 with Toronto.  He pitched in 23 games in 2017 and had a 2-0 record and a 4.43 ERA.  He didn't make it back to the Majors until the COVID season in 2020 with the Cubs for a game.  He made a similar cameo with the Cubs in 2022.  Boston signed him as depth and he proved to be somewhat controversial due to some statements he made on social media.  He was brought up to start a game when the team was desperate for pitching help.  He threw four innings, gave up two home runs among four hits and three runs.  He walked one and struck out one.  He took the loss in a 10-3 final against Cleveland.  He was released shortly afterwards.  Dermody has been pitching in the Mexican League since.

JAKE FARIA

Faria had been a starting pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays for a few years and was pretty decent in his rookie season of 2017.  He started 14 games with a record of 5-4 and an ERA of 3.43, striking out 84 and walking 31 in 86.2 innings.  His numbers declined a bit the following season and he started to move around a bit, appearing with the Brewers and Diamondbacks before the Red Sox picked him up as depth prior to the 2023 season.  He spent most of the season in the minors, but appeared in one game with Boston, throwing two very ugly innings.  He gave up five earned runs, four hits and four walks while striking out three.  His ERA was an unsightly 22.50.  Faria has also been in the Mexican League without a Major League appearance since.  He does have a minor league card in the Red Sox organization.

JUSTIN GARZA

Garza had been a major piece of the Team USA pitching rotation in the 2014 Olympics and was drafted by Cleveland in 2015.  It took him awhile to make it to the Majors, finally making his debut in 2021.  He pitched in 21 games with Cleveland, going 2-1 with a 4.71 ERA and striking out 29 while walking 18 in 28.2 innings.  He started the 2023 season in the Angels system, but did not pitch in the Majors.  Boston picked him up off of waivers and he made it into 17 games, starting one.  He threw 18.1 innings and notched 17 strikeouts while walking 12.  His ERA was 7.36.  He was released after the year, then made it to the Mets staff for a few games in 2025.  He has not appeared anywhere in 2026.

ZACK KELLY

Like Chang, Kelly is in his second appearance in this series.  Kelly will return several more times unless he receives a card soon.  2023 was his least-deserving season for a cardboard appearance as his Major League service time consisted of just eight games and 9.1 innings.  He walked eight batters while striking out six and had a 3.86 ERA.  Injuries were a big factor in 2023 as he appeared in just seven games at four levels in the minors.  As I said, Kelly will appear several more times.  He does have cards in the minor league system.

DINELSON LAMET

Lamet always seemed like a guy that was on the cusp of hitting it big in the Majors.  In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he went 3-1 with a 2.09 ERA, striking out 93 and walking 20 in 69 innings.  I personally thought he would take the next step in 2021, but he struggled.  He never really returned to his 2020 form.  He pitched for the Rockies from 2022 into 2023, but his numbers continued to decline.  He was signed by the Red Sox as a free agent in August of 2023 after Pedro Martinez made a push for the Red Sox to take a flyer.  He rehabbed for a bit then, like Dermody and Faria, appeared in just one game at the Major League level with Boston.  He pitched two innings in relief, giving up four hits and three runs, walking one and striking out one.  He had a 13.50 ERA.  He was released shortly thereafter.  He appeared in three games with the Dodgers in 2024 and has been in several foreign leagues since.

ZACK LITTELL

It is possible Boston gave up on Littell too quickly.  After pitching well as a reliever for a few years with the Twins and Giants, Boston picked him up from the Rangers system early in 2023.  In 2019, Littell had a 2.68 ERA in 29 games with the Twins and then had a 2.92 ERA in 68 appearances for the Giants in 2021.  Littell pitched in two games for the Red Sox, throwing three innings, walking three, striking out two with a 9.00 ERA.  He was then placed on waivers and picked up by the Rays, who turned him into a more-than-serviceable arm for a few years.  He had a 3.68 ERA over parts of three seasons in Tampa Bay.  He is pitching for the Nationals in 2026.  

MAURICIO LLOVERA

The Red Sox did not do much leading in to the trading deadline.  The team had a winning record but did not address many needs.  One of the things they did do was acquiring Llovera a few days before the deadline from the Giants for Marques Johnson.  Johnson had appeared with the Phillies and Giants in the prior seasons, but was not a major relief arm.  He pitched in 25 games down the stretch with a 1-3 record and a 5.46 ERA.  In 29.2 innings, he struck out 24 while walking 13.  And that was the last time he has appeared in the Majors.  He pitched in the Mariners system in 2024, but that's it.

KALEB ORT

Ort is in his third appearance in this series.  The former Rule 5 pick selected from the Yankees had a rough season in 2023.  He pitched in 21 games, starting two as an opener and accumulated 23 innings with an unsightly 6.26 ERA.  He struck out 24 batters while walking nine.  But this is the last time Ort will appear as he was placed on waivers after the season and the Mariners grabbed him.  Then he went to Marlins, the Phillies, the Orioles and then the Astros before the 2024 season.  He had a very good season with the Astros in 2024, pitching to a 2.55 ERA in 22 games, but struggled in 2025.  He is in the Angels system now.  Ort does have minor league cards in the Red Sox system.

JOELY RODRIGUEZ

A journeyman southpaw reliever, Rodriguez was 31 years old when he was acquired by the Red Sox and had already played for the Phillies, Rangers, Yankees and Mets.  He was part of the deal that sent Joey Gallo to the Yankees at the deadline in 2021, which most Yankees fans wish never happened.  Rodriguez was pretty good for them down the stretch as he had a 2.84 ERA in 21 games.  Rodriguez appeared in just 11 games for the Red Sox in 2023 with a 6.55 ERA.  He struck out 14 and walked six in eleven innings pitched.  This will not be his last appearance in this series, so I will discuss him more later.

TAYLER SCOTT

One thing Scott has going for him is that he is one of just two players, and the only one to play for the Red Sox, from South Africa.  Scott was drafted in the fifth round by the Cubs in 2011 and made it to the Majors in 2019 for the first time.  He appeared in games with the Mariners, Orioles, Padres and Dodgers before making it to Boston.  He was purchased from the Dodgers in June and made it into four games with the Red Sox.  In 3.2 innings, he struck out two and walked four and had an ERA of 4.91.  He was placed on waivers less than a month after his arrival and then went to his third team of the year, the Athletics.  He had a very good year in 2024 with the Astros and had a 2.23 ERA in 62 games.  He appeared with the Astros and Diamondbacks in 2025 and is in the Braves system this year.

RYAN SHERRIFF

Southpaws will always have the ability to find work and Sherriff is an example of that.  He was drafted by the Cardinals in the 2011 draft and worked his way up to the Majors in 2017.  He bounced between the minors and Majors a lot, never appearing in more than 16 games at the highest level.  Not even the Rays were able to make much of him.  After not appearing in the Majors in 2022, the Red Sox signed him as a free agent.  He spent most of the season in the minors, but did appear in five games for the Red Sox.  He was pretty good though with a 2.70 ERA in 6.2 innings, striking out five and walking two.  He was released in July and picked up by the Dodgers, but he has not appeared in the Majors since. Sherriff does have minor league cards in the Red Sox organization.

RAIMEL TAPIA

One of the more successful players to appear in this post, Tapia was a a regular player for several seasons with the Rockies and Blue Jays before signing with the Red Sox to be a fourth outfielder.  Tapia had been a top prospect in the Rockies system, but never really broke through.  His best season was his first season with Toronto when he hit .265/.292/.380 with seven homers and 52 RBIs.  One of those home runs is well-known to Red Sox fans as he hit an inside-the-park grand slam that Jarren Duran completely lost in the lights.  Tapia played quite a bit in Boston in the early going, appearing in 39 games and hitting .264/.333/.368 with a home run, ten RBIs and six stolen bases.  Unfortunately, there was a roster crunch in the outfield with Duran, Alex Verdugo, Masataka Yoshida, Adam Duvall and Rob Refsnyder.  Someone had to go, and that was Tapia.  He was released in June and hooked on with the Brewers and then the Rays.  He has not played in the Majors since.

ZACK WEISS

Weiss was a sixth round pick in the 2013 draft by the Reds and made his Major League debut 2018, pitching in one game.  He did not make it back to the Majors until 2022 after moving between the Twins and Mariners system before landing with the Angels.  He had a decent season in short work with the Angels in 2022, then had a rough start in 2023.  The Red Sox snagged him off waivers in late August and he pitched in six games with a 2.08 ERA.  In 8.2 innings, he struck out eight and walked four.  Since then he has pitched in the Twins and Cardinals organizations, but has not made it back to the Majors. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

A lot of these guys played in just a handful of games, so most these make sense, though I still do not like it.  I would have loved a card of Jorge Alfaro with the Red Sox because he looks like a character out of Game of Thrones, but I understand it because he only played in eight games.  Some of these guys are players that I really liked at one point in their Major League career and wanted to see them with the Red Sox (Alfaro, Dinelson Lamet, Raimel Tapia).  There are a few guys here who played in quite a few games, and those are the guys that I really am disappointed to not have in my collection.  Of them, Brennan Bernardino is probably the name I would pick if I could pick just one.  He had a cool story of continuing to work toward his dream and he was very successful as well as appearing in the most games.  It's pretty sad that a guy who pitched in a third of the games did not appear on a card. 

2001 Fleer Red Sox 100th Pt. 20: Bill Monbouquette

NAME:  Bill Monbouquette

POSITION:  Starting Pitcher

WHY IS HE HERE?  At this time, Monbouquette is one of those guys you have to be a big fan of the team to have heard of him.  He was the team's best starting pitcher in the early 1960's, a time period in which the team was simply not that good.  Ted Williams was retired and Yaz hadn't become a big star yet.  But Monbouquette was a 20 game winner in 1963 and was an All Star four times.  He had a 96-91 record with a 3.69 ERA for Boston. 

WOULD I PUT HIM IN IN 2001?:  Yes.

ANY BETTER CHOICES IN 2001?:  Any of the better choices is already here.  

WOULD I PUT HIM IN NOW?:  Yes.

ANY BETTER CHOICES NOW?:  Of course there are other pitchers that should be in, but Monbouquette was a big part of the team at a certain point.  In order to tell a full history of the team, he has to be in.

The Worst Red Sox Team of All Time Pt. 37: Rabbit Warstler

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.

Rabbit Maranville is a Hall of Famer, based primarily on his defense.  Rabbit Warstler is not Rabbit Maranville.

Warstler came up with the Red Sox, making his Major League debut in 1930 at the age of 25 and spent four seasons with the Red Sox.  By 1932 he became the team's regular shortstop.  To say that he was not a good hitter is like saying water is wet.  He had a career OPS+ of 59, meaning he is 41% WORSE than the average hitter.  In 1932 he was even worse than that with a 42 OPS+.  

In 1930, Warstler made it into 54 games, hitting just .185/.275/.253, but he did hit his first home run, and one of just two he would hit in the entire four seasons in Boston.  In 1931, he split his time between second base and shortstop and hit a reasonably okay .243/.308/.304, which was his best offensive season with the Red Sox.  

That brings us to 1932.  Warstler played in 115 games, all of them at shortstop.  He hit just .211/.259/.276 with 82 hits, 26 runs scored, 15 doubles, five triples, 34 RBIs and nine stolen bases.  He failed to record a home run.  Defensively, he was passable if still a work in progress.  He was fourth in the league in putouts, fifth in assists and fourth in double plays turned as a shortstop.  He was first in range factor.  It was not all decent numbers though as his 41 errors were third in the league.  

1933 saw Warstler improve slightly as a hitter, but he played in just 92 games.  In his four seasons with the Red Sox, he hit .215/.285/.276 with two home runs, 106 runs scored, 226 hits, 35 doubles, 74 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.

After the season he was sent packing along with Bob Kline to the Philadelphia A's.  Somehow that trade landed Boston Max Bishop, Rube Walberg and Lefty Freaking Grove.  The Red Sox also sent $125,000.00 to Philadelphia, which was probably the primary impetus of the trade.  Warstler would later play with the Boston Bees (Braves) and the Chicago Cubs.  

Underrated Player of the Year: 2025

In this series, I look at one player per year from 1991-the present who came out of nowhere or had a great year that no one really noticed or expected.

I wrestled with this choice for a little while.  I was originally going to pick Carlos Narvaez, but I did discuss his year a little bit in the Season in Review post.  Ultimately, what clinched this for Romy was the fact that he had been placed on release waivers by the White Sox the previous year.  The WHITE SOX.  The team that finished 61-101 in 2023 and would go on to go 41-121 in 2024 after releasing Gonzalez.  That team thought he was not good enough to stay on their team.

Gonzalez had a nice 2024 season with the Red Sox, but he was really good in 2025.  The utility man split most of his time between first and second base, but also played some third and DH as well.  He made it into 96 games with 341 plate appearances and had the highest batting average on the team.  That still means something to me.  He hit .305/.343/.483, scoring 47 runs and knocking 23 doubles, three triples and nine home runs.  He also had 53 RBIs and stole six bases.  

When the Red Sox had to face left-handed pitching, they had a big advantage by plugging Gonzalez and Rob Refsnyder into the lineup.  Gonzalez hit .331/.378/.600 with seven of his home runs against southpaws.  

Gonzalez is exactly the kind of player it is very helpful to have as a role player.  He can play a variety of positions and he is great against left-handed pitching.  He is a proven contact hitter and even has good speed.  He's not going to blow you away, but he does a lot of little things that help win ball games.

Season in Review: 2025

2025 saw the Red Sox make it back to the postseason for the first time since 2021.  They did not last long as they were bounced by the hated Yankees two games to one in the AL Wild Card Series.  The team finished third in the AL East with a record of 89-73, but it was a year marked with turmoil.  The biggest issue was the trade of star Rafael Devers.  Despite that, the team came together and had a big second half to capture one of the Wild Card spots.

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS

Ceddanne Rafaela

Rafaela became my favorite player in 2025, primarily as a result of the trade of Rafael Devers.  2025 saw him settle in as the center fielder after splitting the 2024 season between center field and shortstop.  He did play second base for chunk of the season, but won the Gold Glove for his play in center.  A late season slump tempered his numbers somewhat, but he hit .249/.295/.414 with 34 doubles, four triples, 16 home runs, 63 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.  He showed a flair for dramatic hits with a couple walkoff homers and a walkoff triple that sent the team into the postseason.

Wilyer Abreu

Abreu won his second Gold Glove Award in 2025 and solidified his status as the best defensive right fielder in the league.  He also had a very good season at the plate, building on his strong rookie season in 2024.  He was second on the team with 22 home runs and hit .247/.317/.469 with 17 doubles, 69 RBIs and six stolen bases.  He played in only 115 games due to injury, but showed he is a dynamic player when healthy.

Trevor Story

Finally fully healthy for a full season for the first time since signing a lucrative free agent contract with the Red Sox, Story turned into a team leader.  He led the team with 25 home runs, 96 RBIs, 91 runs scored, 161 hits and 31 stolen bases while hitting .263/.308/.433.  He played great defense at shortstop until the last few weeks of the season when he seemingly developed a minor form of the yips resulting in a bunch of throwing errors.  Story continued his hot hitting into the postseason as well.  This was the player the Red Sox thought they were getting when he was signed prior to the 2022 season.

Brayan Bello

Bello had a very good season in 2025, finally looking like the pitcher that he was hoped to be when the Red Sox rewarded him with a big extension prior to the 2024 season.  He finished with an 11-9 record and a nifty 3.35 ERA over 166.2 innings.  He is not a big strikeout pitcher, instead inducing a lot of weak contact.  He notched 124 strikeouts with 59 walks.  

Jarren Duran

He was not quite as good as he had been in 2024 when Duran was one of the best players in the league, but he still turned in a productive season.  He led the league with 13 triples and the team with 41 doubles while hitting .256/.332/.442.  He was second on the team with 24 stolen bases, 86 runs scored and 84 RBIs while contributing 16 home runs.  

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Garrett Whitlock

Whitlock continued to be a force in the back end of the Red Sox bullpen.  He turned in a phenomenal season, going 7-3 with a 2.25 ERA in 62 games, pitching 72 innings.  He struck out 91 batters while walking 24 and picked up a save.  Whitlock did a terrific job of bridging the gap to the team's excellent closer.

Lucas Giolito

Officially, Giolito will go down as a One-Year Wonder, this despite actually signing with the Red Sox prior to the 2024 season, but he was injured all year that year.  Giolito came back strong though with a record of 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA in 145 innings pitched.  He struck out 121 and walked 56 in 26 games pitched.  

Rob Refsnyder

Designated lefty masher Refsnyder had another productive season as a role player in 2025.  He played in 70 games, hitting .269/.354/.484 with nine home runs and 30 RBIs.  He played impressive defense in the outfield and hit .302/.399/.560 with seven home runs against lefties.  Unfortunately, 2025 was his last season in Boston.  

FAVORITE ACQUISITIONS

Garrett Crochet

The Red Sox gave up a haul to get emerging southpaw starter Crochet from the White Sox, but it was worth it.  Crochet finished second in the Cy Young vote and eighth in the MVP race while starting the All Star Game.  He led the league in shutouts, innings pitched (205.1) and strikeouts (255), as well as strikeouts per nine innings (11.2).  He had a 2.59 ERA and a record of 18-5.  It was very reminiscent of another trade with the White Sox to acquire a lefty starter in Chris Sale.

Alex Bregman

Signing Bregman as a free agent was such an obvious fit that it was amazing it took so long for it to occur, but it also led to a lot of issues with incumbent third-baseman Rafael Devers.  Bregman had some injury issues, but was very good when he was healthy.  He hit .273/.360/.462 with 28 doubles, 18 home runs and 62 RBIs.  He was named to the All Star team.  Unfortunately, it would be Bregman's only season with the Red Sox.

Aroldis Chapman

Like Crochet and Bregman, Chapman was also an All Star in his first season with the Red Sox.  The likely future Hall of Famer had one of the greatest seasons of his career in 2025, finishing with a 5-3 record with a mind-blowing 1.17 ERA and 85 strikeouts versus just 15 walks in 61.1 innings pitched.  He notched 31 saves.  Chapman continues in a line of potential future Hall of Fame closers acquired by the Red Sox over the last ten years, joining Craig Kimbrel and Kenley Jansen.

FAVORITE MIDSEASON ACQUISITIONS

Steven Matz

There's not much to choose from here and it is annoying that there are no Red Sox cards of most of the midseason acquisitions (and I am definitely not going to use Dustin May).  Matz cost the Red Sox slugging prospect Blaze Jordan, but gave the team 21 games as a lefty reliever with a 2.08 ERA.  He struck out 12 and walked just two in 21.2 innings pitched and even picked up a save.

Nathaniel Lowe

Earlier in the season, habitually wrong pundit Jim Bowden predicted Lowe would be traded to the Red Sox in exchange for prized prospect Payton Tolle.  Thank goodness that didn't happen.  Lowe was actually picked up off of waivers and had a nice run in Boston.  He hit .280/.370/.420 with a couple homers and 16 RBIs in 34 games.  

FAVORITE ROOKIES

Roman Anthony

A lot is expected of Anthony, but he had a phenomenal start to his career in 2025, finishing third in the AL Rookie of the Year vote despite playing in just 71 games before being shut down due to injury.  Anthony hit .292/.396/.463 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs, also contributing 18 doubles and four stolen bases while playing steady defense.  

Carlos Narvaez

Narvaez's contributions were kind of overshadowed by Anthony, but he had a very impressive rookie season of his own.  He was acquired in a trade with the Yankees prior to the season and became the primary catcher, playing great defense and hitting .241/.306/.419 with 27 doubles, 15 homers and 50 RBIs.  He finished eighth in the Rookie of the Year vote.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS

Connor Wong

After a surprisingly good 2024 season at the plate, Wong took a major step backwards in 2025.  It was revealed after the season that he had a nagging hand injury, but he had an atrocious year at the plate.  He hit just .190/.262/.238 with eight doubles, zero home runs, seven RBIs and two stolen bases.  It looked for a time that his time in Boston was over.  

Kristian Campbell

Campbell was one of Boston's top three prospects entering the 2025 season and shockingly made the team out of Spring Training.  He started off hot too, but cooled down quickly and could not get going again.  He finished with a line of .223/.319/.345 with six homers and 21 RBIs.  His defense was shaky and he was out of the Majors by June and has yet to make it back.

Walker Buehler

Not all of the Red Sox offseason moves worked out.  Buehler was brutally bad for Boston.  He appeared in 23 games, pitching 112.1 innings to an ERA of 5.45 and a record of 7-7.  He struck out 84 and walked 55 and had a WHIP of 1.558.  It was a shockingly bad performance for a pitcher who had helped the Dodgers beat the Yankees in the World Series a few months prior.  Boston cut bait and he ended up in Philadelphia.

Rafael Devers

Devers is not here because he played poorly.  On the contrary, after a brutal start to the season, he was having one of his greatest seasons, but his attitude, particularly sulking after being unseated at third base and asked to move first to DH and then to first base, led to the Red Sox making a rushed trade to get out from under his contract.  He was hitting .272/.401/.504 with 15 homers and 58 RBIs at the time of the trade.  

POSTSEASON HERO

Garrett Crochet

There are not too many options here as the offense fell completely flat and Brayan Bello was terrible in the postseason.  Crochet though, built upon his huge regular season and struck out 11 Yankees in 7.2 innings while giving up just one run in his Game 1 victory.  Boston was handicapped by a number of major injuries to key players though and were not able to build on it.

What the Hell is Happening?

As of the time I am writing this, the Red Sox had a rather eventful day. After a horrific four-game losing streak, the bats came to life in a 17-1 drubbing of the Orioles that included a ten-run ninth inning featuring a grand slam from Andruw Monasterio and home runs by Willson Contreras and Caleb Durbin, the major offensive additions from the offseason. But the team didn't have time to relax as manager Alex Cora and coaches Pete Fatse, Ramon Vazquez, Kyle Hudson, Dillon Lawson and Joe Cronin (not that one) were fired. Jason Varitek was also reassigned. That's a significant amount of the coaching staff. The team has gotten off to a dreadful start with almost everyone underperforming expectations, so, quite frankly, a change was needed. I have not been pleased with the hitting in particular the last few seasons, so I was not surprised to see Fatse go. Cora was a surprise.

The problem is that the major issue is the construction of the roster in the first place, in particular the offense. I wrote a long piece last year about the trade of Rafael Devers and discussing the outfield situation. Both of those issues are still problematic.

My major issue with the trade of Devers was the unimpressive return. Boston received Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks, James Tibbs III, and Jose Bello. Of those four, only Bello is still in the system and he's 20 and in A-ball, so he is still a ways away. Tibbs was traded for Dustin May last trading deadline and May left as a free agent after the season. Hicks was traded to the White Sox for minor league pitcher Gage Ziehl. Harrison was part of the package sent to Milwaukee for Durbin and Monasterio, as well as Anthony Seigler. So, that is not particularly encouraging. Maybe some of these players still have a chance to make an impact.

The other issue was the outfield situation. The Red Sox had a well-known logjam in the outfield with Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony and Masataka Yoshida, as well as Kristian Campbell in the minors. They HAD to trade someone to ease the logjam. They didn't. Now, they have a problem because someone has to sit in every game. Duran seemed like the ideal candidate for a trade and that didn't happen. The problem with this is that each of these guys should be a starter and players play best when they have a defined role. Having to sit one of these guys every game most likely has an impact on their mental readiness to play. It is likely part of the reason they are almost all struggling.

Red Sox CBO Craig Breslow is generally quite good at building the pitching side of the roster, he has brought in Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suarez, Aroldis Chapman and helped produce a pitching development program that has had some big impact with the emergence of Connelly Early and possible future contributors Payton Tolle, Eduardo Rivera, Kyson Witherspoon, Juan Valera and others. But he does not have a clear plan for the offense. That has become painfully obvious over the last year: trading Devers and not getting anything in return, losing Alex Bregman as a free agent, and not pursuing Pete Alonso, Bo Bichette or Eugenio Suarez. Conteras is a nice addition, but Durbin is not really moving the needle at this time. And that led to Anthony being anointed the team's savior, way too much pressure for a 22-year-old coming off an injury.

The team has also struggled in developing hitters. Campbell arrived to big fanfare last season then struggled badly and hasn't been in the Majors since last summer. Marcelo Mayer has struggled to catch up to big-league pitching. Even Anthony has not been the same hitter this year. Those three were supposed to be the cornerstones of the team's offense and none of them are performing to expectations. One has to wonder what exactly is going wrong here. This is one of the reasons I am not at all surprised to see Fatse get the axe.

It will be interesting to see where the team goes from here. One thing I can say is that I do not believe the changes are done. I expect some player personnel moves. If the team doesn't right the ship, most of the veterans will be out the door. Former WooSox manager Chad Tracy will be given the reins. I appreciate everything Cora did for the Red Sox, but it seemed like he did not have it this year and it was probably time for a change.

Huge Catch-Up Post

I am way behind.  Maybe I will throw everything together at once.  Let's do something a bit different and do a count for how many of each player are in this huge post.  It probably will not be a surprise who wins.

1.  Brayan Bello.  Card #1.  Bello imploded in his postseason start last year and was the subject of trade rumors all winter.  He had a good year last year and remains a break-out candidate, but it is becoming increasingly likely that this is just who he is.

2.  Nick Pivetta.  Card #1.  Pivetta had a nice season for San Diego last year.  I always thought he was capable of that.

3.  Marcelo Mayer.  Card #1.  Mayer could win either the second base or third base spot with a strong spring.

4.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #1 (of likely many).  I went through a brief phase recently of trying to get each of the animal patterns for 2023 Leaf Exotic.  This is the clown fish pattern.  You know, Nemo.

5.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #2.  This was a quick one-for-one trade on the TCDB forum.

6.  Xander Bogaerts.  Card #1.  Bogaerts looks like one of the worst contracts going right now.  He still has an outside shot at building to a Hall of Fame career though.  He should have never been allowed to leave Boston.

7.  Dustin Pedroia.  Card #1.  Speaking of outside shots at the Hall of Fame.  I was pleasantly surprised by Pedroia's gains this year.  It's going to take awhile, but he could get in some day.

8.  Pedro Martinez.  Card #1.  Pedro is of course, already in.

9.  Tris Speaker.  Card #1.  So is Speaker.

10.  Triston Casas.  Card #1.  I have no idea what Boston is going to do with Casas this year.  They never traded an outfielder, so they still have Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Roman Anthony and Ceddanne Rafaela in the outfield and DH, plus Masataka Yoshida.  And now Willson Contreras at first base.

11.  Walker Buehler.  Card #1.  Man, what a disaster Buehler was in Boston.  That was just frustrating.  I like the guy, but he did very little in Boston.  A 5.45 ERA is just not getting it done.

12.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #3.  Still the only guy with multiple cards.  So far.

13.  John Schreiber.  Card #1.  I was disappointed when Boston traded Schreiber.  At least he finally has a card with the Red Sox.

14.  Dom DiMaggio.  Card #1.  At one point, there was some talk about him getting elected to the Hall via the Veterans Committee.  Unfortunately, they never seemed to have the right mix of voting members to do so, not like the all the Giants players elected in the 60's and 70's.

15.  Jose Peraza.  Card #1.  Like Buehler, Peraza was a one-year wonder for a reason, he was very bad in Boston.  He had a 64 OPS+.  That is simply awful.

16.  Connor Wong.  Card #1.  I still get Wong cards on occasion, but his year was so bad last year that I have lost a lot of enthusiasm for it.  It came out that he was dealing with injuries all year long, so let's see if he rebounds this year before I decide whether to move on entirely, not that I would ever get rid of my cards of him.

17.  Mookie Betts.  Card #1.  These cards came from a Topps Update blaster.  Mookie is, to date, the last Red Sox player to win MVP.  He had a phenomenal 2018 season in which he won the batting title and became Boston's second 30/30 man.

18.  Kristian Campbell.  Card #1.  Another player seemingly left out in the cold.  He was so good early last season that he was rewarded with a big contract, then he struggled and was sent back to the minors.  I have no idea where he starts this season.

19.  Walker Buehler.  Card #2.  Finally, a player besides Ceddanne Rafaela gets a second card.

20.  Marcelo Mayer.  Card #2.  

21.  Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer.  Card #2 for Campbell, Card #3 for Mayer.  Mayer has tied Rafaela.  For now.

22.  Kristian Campbell.  Card #3.  And now there is a three-man race.  For now.

23.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #4.  Just when there was a bit of a race, it looks like here is where Rafaela pulls way ahead.  I considered focusing on Prizm parallels for a bit too.

24.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #5.

25.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #6.  This is the Zebra Prizm card.  I love this one.

26.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #7.

27.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #8.  I love the red, white and blue of this card.

28.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #9.

29.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #10.  I squeezed the A&G mini in here.

30.  Kristian Campbell.  Card #4.  He's not giving in yet.

31.  Franklin Arias.  Card #1.  Arias is really high on some top prospect lists.  Keith Law has him at #12.  He's still pretty low in the minors for me to get that excited about him yet, but he looks pretty good.

32.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #11.  Another Prizm parallel.

33.  David Price.  Card #1.  I still think he should have been the World Series MVP in 2018.

34.  J.D. Martinez.  Card #1.  This trade was great because it contained four of these cards that were only available in National Trading Card Day packs at Fenway.  I like in Nebraska so I couldn't exactly run over and get them.

35.  Willy Mota.  Card #1.  It also included this card which was only available in special complete sets from Topps along with four other rookie cards.  Mota never made the Majors.

36.  Steve Pearce.  Card #1.  I don't mean to disparage what Pearce did in the World Series when I say Price should have won it, Pearce was awesome.  

37.  David Price.  Card #2.

38.  Chris Sale.  Card #1.  Man, that Chris Sale trade looks awful.  Boston never got anything out of Vaughn Grissom and then traded him to the Angels for a prospect over the winter.  

39.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #12.  Will anyone even come close?

40.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #13.

41.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #14.

42.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #15.

43.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #16.

44.  Danny Janzen.  Card #1.  Yet another card celebrating his unique achievement of playing in the same game with both teams.

45.  Kutter Crawford.  Card #1.  Crawford is another player seemingly left behind.  He was decent in 2024, but missed all of 2025 with injuries, and now has to find playing time.

46.  Tris Speaker.  Card #2.

47.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #17.  He's running away with it.

48.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #18.

49.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #19.

50.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #20.

51.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #21.

52.  Masataka Yoshida.  Card #1.  I like Yoshida.  I hope he finds a way to get some playing time.  When he was finally healthy last season, he hit really well.  

53.  Caleb Hamilton.  Card #1.  Hamilton played four games with Boston, without a hit.

54.  Bobby Doerr.  Card #1.  A Hall of Famer who got in via the Veterans Committee for the Red Sox.

55.  Chris Sale.  Card #2.

56.  Trevor Story.  Card #1.  Story had a weird issue on defense late in the season that took him out of the running for Gold Glove.  It seemed more mental than anything, almost like the yips.

57.  Brayan Bello.  Card #2.

58.  Marcus Wilson.  Card #1.  Wilson never played for the Red Sox.  He was the return they got when Blake Swihart was traded to Arizona.  He appeared in a handful of games for the Mariners.

59.  Alex Verdugo.  Card #1.

60.  Alex Verdugo.  Card #2.

61.  Alex Verdugo.  Card #3.  Verdugo is making a push..

62.  Jeter Downs.  Card #1.  I think this trader was making fun of me sending Verdugo and Downs.  I just needed Connor Wong to complete the trifecta of the Mookie Betts trade.

63.  Luis Tiant.  Card #1.  A player that should be elected to the Hall of Fame.

64.  Nomar Garciaparra.  Card #1.  I am curious to see how he would do if he was on an Eras Committee ballot.

65.  J.D. Martinez.  Card #2.

66.  Connor Seabold.  Card #1.  Wrong Connor.

67.  Masataka Yoshida.  Card #2.

68.  Bobby Doerr.  Card #2.

69.  Bobby Doerr.  Card #3.  I have no idea what these cards are, they are kind of ugly.

70.  Cy Young.  Card #1.

71.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #22.  At this point, the interesting race is for second place.

72.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #23.

73.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #24.

74.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #25.

75.  Ted Williams.  Card #1.  Williams was an advocate for Dom DiMaggio getting in to the Hall, but he never had the right votes to do so.

76.  David Ortiz.  Card #1.  This is seriously the first Big Papi in this post?

77.  Wade Boggs.  Card #1.

78.  Jarren Duran.  Card #1.  A lot of weird players appearing for the first time finally.

79.  Masataka Yoshida.  Card #3.  Puts him in a big tie for third.

80.  Alex Bregman.  Card #1.  I have a lot of thoughts about what happened with Bregman, most of them not good.  I might get into that at some point in the future.  Boston screwed up, but I was never a huge fan of Bregman in the first place.

81.  Tanner Houck.  Card #1.  He was just an All Star in 2024, now his future looks really murky.

82.  Marcelo Mayer.  Card #4.  Moving into a tie for second with Kristian Campbell.

83.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #26.  A rare appearance in a trade.

84.  Garrett Crochet.  Card #1.  Crochet is kind of weirdly underrepresented in my collection right now.  I expect that to change very soon.

85.  Dwight Evans.  Card #1.  Another guy I would like to see get in to the Hall of Fame, and he should be in.

86.  Nomar Garciaparra.  Card #2.

87.  Kristian Campbell.  Card #5.  He moves back into sole possession of second place.

88.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #27.  I kept trying to trade for this card and finally gave up and bought it.

89.  Alex Bregman.  Card #2.

90.  Marcelo Mayer.  Card #5.  Moving back into a tie for second place.

91.  Mickey Gasper.  Card #1.  My first Gasper card, he played in a handful of games without a hit for Boston in 2024, played a bit more with the Twins last year, was released and is back in the Red Sox organization this year.

92.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card #28.

93.  Chase Shugart.  Card #1.  Also, my first Shugart card.  He had a 4.15 ERA in six games for Boston in 2024 and had a nice year for the Pirates last year.

94.  Hirokazu Sawamura.  Card #1.  I always like Sawamura.  I wish he had stuck around longer.

95.  Alex Verdugo.  Card #4.  Still hanging in the race.

96.  Ted Williams.  Card #2.

97.  Trevor Story.  Card #2.

98.  J.D. Martinez.  Card #3.  Little surprised he's not higher given how often he appears in my trade packages.

99.  Chris Sale.  Card #3.  Same here.

100.  Luis Guerrero.  Card #1.  He was traded to Tampa Bay this offseason for a utility player.  Watch him become their closer.

101.  Kristian Campbell.  Card #6.  Back in sole possession of second place.

102.  Masataka Yoshida.  Card #4.  Don't sleep on him yet.

103.  Blake Loubier.  Card #1.  I don't even know who this is.

104.  Bobby Dalbec.  Card #1.

105.  Pedro Martinez.  Card #2.  

106.  Brandon Walter.  Card #1.

107.  Rafael Devers.  Card #1.  Weird that this is his first appearance, but I definitely started limiting his cards after he was traded away.  I hate that trade more and more now.  I will get into that later.

108.  Nick Pivetta.  Card #2.

109.  Bobby Dalbec.  Card #2.

110.  Rafael Devers.  Card #2.  Making a late push.

111.  Rafael Devers.  Card #3.

112.   Masataka Yoshida.  Card #5.

113.  Rafael Devers/Wade Boggs.  Card #4 for Devers, #2 for Boggs.  Yes, Boggs is on the back.

114.  Triston Casas.  Card #2.

115.  Masataka Yoshida.  Card #6.  Tied with Campbell for second place.

116.  J.D. Martinez.  Card #4.

117.  Jose Iglesias.  Card #2.

118.  Enrique Hernandez.  Card #1.  One of the heroes of the 2021 season.

119.  Ryan Weber.  Card #1.  I'm going to have to remember Weber for the Immaculate Grid.  Braves, Mariners, Rays, Red Sox, Brewers and Yankees.

120.  Alex Verdugo.  Card #5.

121.  Masataka Yoshida.  Card #7.  Taking the lead.  This is a blaster of 2026 Topps, my first.

122.  Garrett Crochet.  Card #2.

123.  David Ortiz.  Card #2.  Pulled an insert.  I love the 1991 design because those were my first packs.

124.  Kristian Campbell.  Card #7.  Tied again.

125.  Lucas Giolito.  Card #1.  

And that's it.

So, in first place was obviously Ceddanne Rafaela, who didn't appear in the last five scans, but had such a commanding lead no one was coming close.  He finished at 28.  Masataka Yoshida and Kristian Campbell tied for second place with seven, and neither of them is assured a spot on the roster coming into the season.  Marcelo Mayer and Alex Verdugo, of all people, tied for third at five cards each.  That was not as exciting as I had hoped it would be.  

But at least I am now caught up.