Season in Review: 2017

The Red Sox repeated as AL East champs in 2017 with a record of 93-69.  Unfortunately, for the second season in a row, they failed to advance past the ALDS, this time losing to the Houston Astros three games to one.  Manager John Farrell was fired after the season and replaced by Astros bench coach Alex Cora, a member of the 2007 World Champions.

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS

Mookie Betts

In some respects, Betts's season was a disappointment.  His average tumbled significantly and he just never seemed to get going offensively.  But his power numbers were still there and he still picked up another Gold Glove Award.  Betts finished the year at .264/.344/.459 with 24 home runs, 102 RBIs, and 26 stolen bases.  Decent numbers, but not quite like his 2016.

Craig Kimbrel

In Kimbrel's second season with Boston, he returned to being one of the best closers in the game, with an absolutely insane 13.0 k/9 rate.  He was virtually untouchable most of the time with a 5-0 record and a 1.43 ERA while saving 35 games.  Kimbrel struck out 126 in 69 innings while walking just 14.

Drew Pomeranz

In his first full season with the Red Sox, Pomeranz reached career highs in wins (17) and innings (170.2).  Pomeranz emerged as the #2 starter on the staff, behind only new acquisition Chris Sale.  Pomeranz also had a 3.32 ERA and struck out 174 while walking 69 in 173.2 innings.  He helped solidify the staff.

Dustin Pedroia

It was a decent season for Pedroia, though injuries still limited him to just 105 games.  He was mostly productive when he was on the field however, hitting .293/.369/.392 with seven home runs and 62 RBIs.  He continued to play impressive defense from second base however.

Christian Vazquez

Somehow, Vazquez emerged as the primary catcher for the Red Sox when Sandy Leon predictably struggled.  Vazquez played in 99 games and surprised with the bat, hitting .290/.330/.404 with five home runs and 32 RBIs.  A couple of his home runs were huge in clutch situations.  Vazquez also had a 42% caught-stealing percentage.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Joe Kelly

The Red Sox bullpen was surprisingly effective in 2017 with Kelly leading the charge as the primary setup man, pitching to a 2.79 ERA and a 4-1 record.  He struck out 52 in 58 innings over 54 games.  Kelly had a reasonably impressive 1.19 WHIP.

Matt Barnes

Barnes was another impressive bullpen arm with a 7-3 record and a 3.88 ERA while striking out 83 in 69.2 innings.  Barnes struggled with his command at times, but he appeared in the most games among Red Sox pitchers, with 70.

Eduardo Rodriguez

E-Rod continued to make some improvements while still not quite taking the next step toward reaching his full potential.  The 24-year old southpaw finished the season with a 6-7 record and a 4.19 ERA but he amassed 150 strikeouts in 137.1 innings while talking 50. 

FAVORITE ACQUISITION

Chris Sale

No one comes close.  One season after David Price, himself a new acquisition in 2016, broke Jon Lester's team record for strikeouts by a southpaw, Sale blew the number away while nearly catching up to Pedro Martinez's team record of 313 strikeouts.  Sale ended up with 308 and finished the season 17-8 with a 2.90 ERA and was the runner-up for the Cy Young Award.  Only a late-season slump kept him from winning the award.

FAVORITE MID-SEASON ACQUISITION

Eduardo Nunez

Nunez was acquired from the Giants in late July to shore up the Red Sox positional depth.  He was an immediate impact player, and hit .321/.353/.539 with eight home runs and 27 RBIs, while stealing six bases in 38 games for Boston.  Nunez was a versatile player, appearing in games at second, third, and designated hitter.

FAVORITE ROOKIES

Andrew Benintendi

Yep, he appears here for the second time in as many years.  Benintendi was officially a rookie in 2017, finishing second in the ROY race to the amazing season Aaron Judge had.  Benintendi was pretty good in his own right though, having a 20/20 season and hitting .271/.352/.424 and driving in 90 runs.

Rafael Devers

He was just too good for the minors and made it to Boston quite a bit ahead of schedule.  Devers made GM Dave Dombrowski look very smart for holding onto him and hit eight home runs in his first 20 games.  He finished the season at .284/.338/.482 with 10 home runs and 30 RBIs in 58 games.  

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS

Xander Bogaerts

A number of Boston's best hitters struggled in 2017, most notably Bogaerts, who hit just .273/.343/.403 while his home run total was cut in half.  His RBIs also dropped to just 62.  It was not a terrible season, but after winning the Silver Slugger Awards each of the previous two seasons, it was a big step backwards.

Jackie Bradley Jr.

Another young star that struggled, JBJ continued to wow with his defense, but hit just .245/.323/.402.  He did manage 17 home runs and 63 RBIs, but he was greatly disappointing at the plate.

Hanley Ramirez

And yet another big hitting star in 2016 crashed in 2017.  Ramirez had a decent season in the power department, hitting 23 home runs, but his line was just .242/.320/.429 and his RBI total dropped to just 62.  

POSTSEASON HERO

Rafael Devers

Devers was the only player to truly perform well in another lost postseason for the Red Sox.  He played in all four games, hitting .364/.429/.909 with two home runs and five RBIs.  One of his home runs was an inside-the-park job late in the final game of the series.