Red Sox with No Cards: 2014

2014 was quite the hangover for the Red Sox.  One year after winning the World Series, the Red Sox were back to where they were in 2012: last place in the East.  A lot of the standout players from 2013 suffered down seasons, particularly in the pitching staff.  Most of the new players did not reach expectations, and the rookies mostly failed to impress.  There would be hope for the future though as one rookie did meet expectations: Mookie Betts.  There were not a ton of players that failed to appear on cardboard with the team, though there were a couple of big ones.  Somehow, Carlos Rivero, Dan Butler, Alex Hassan, Jonathan Herrera, and Edwin Escobar managed to see cards released.

BURKE BADENHOP

70 games.  70.2 innings.  2.29 ERA.  How is it exactly that Burke Badenhop's performance did not merit a card?  The 31-year-old reliever was acquired in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers in November of 2013 and was one of the bright spots in the Boston bullpen.  He had several years of success with the Marlins, Rays, and Brewers and continued with Boston.  He was second on the team in appearances among pitchers and had a terrific 2.29 ERA, eventually becoming the team's primary setup man, bridging the gap to closer Koji Uehara.  His record was a deceiving 0-3 and he did notch one save.  Badenhop struck out 40 and walked 19 in his 70.2 innings.  After the season, he signed a contract with the Reds, making him a fairly impressive one-year wonder.  Despite a decent season, Badenhop never played in the Majors again after the 2015 season.

COREY BROWN

A former supplemental first-round draft pick, Corey Brown was one of those players who never came close to reaching his potential.  He was a terrific hitter in college, but never did much with the bat in the minors.  He was drafted in 2007 by the Athletics, who then traded him to the Nationals before the 2011 season for Josh Willingham, a player who was basically what Brown was supposed to be.  He spent parts of three seasons with the Nats, never playing more than 19 games and never hitting higher than .200.  He signed as a free agent with the Red Sox prior to the 2014 season and spent most of the season in the minors, hitting 17 home runs, but with a .225 average.  He made it into three games with Boston, but struck out in his only at-bat.  Brown never made it back to the Majors, but bounced around to several organizations over the years.  Brown does appear in a Red Sox minor league set.

CHRIS CAPUANO

Capuano had a 12-year career in the Major Leagues and turned in some impressive seasons as a southpaw starter for the Brewers, Mets, and Dodgers prior to joining the Red Sox.  He twice led the league in games started and won 18 games for the Brewers in 2005.  He was an All Star in 2006.  Capuano signed a low-risk, high-reward free agent contract with Boston just prior to Spring Training and was converted into a reliever.  He made it into 28 games with the Red Sox, compiling a 1-1 record with a 4.55 ERA over 31.2 innings.  He picked up 29 strikeouts and walked 15.  The Red Sox released Capuano in June and he was picked up by the Yankees who put him back in the rotation (and of course he got a card with the Yankees).  He was not terribly impressive there either and struggled even more the following season.  He returned to the Brewers in 2016.

TOMMY LAYNE

Here is another reliever who spent multiple seasons with the Red Sox but never appeared on cardboard with the team.  Layne was a southpaw who made it to the Major Leagues late, not making his Major League debut until he was 27.  But he was typically fairly impressive.  Layne made it into 30 games with the Red Sox after being acquired from the Padres.  He was primarily a LOOGY, throwing just 19 innings over those 30 games, but he had a sparkling 0.95 ERA and a 2-1 record.  He struck out 14 and walked eight and had a 1.158 WHIP.  Layne was given a chance after Andrew Miller was traded and stayed with Boston into the 2016 season.  He will be discussed again.  Layne does appear in a Red Sox minor league set.

ANDREW MILLER

It is year number four for Andrew Miller in these posts.  After an injury-shortened 2013 season, Miller was breaking out in 2014.  Boston used him mostly as a LOOGY, but he was highly effective, pitching 42.1 innings over 50 games with a solid 2.34 ERA and a 3-5 record.  He racked up 69 strikeouts and walked just 13.  Miller was a highly coveted asset by the trading deadline and was the subject of a lot of trade rumors.  He was eventually dealt to the Orioles where he continued his mastery, ending up with 103 strikeouts on the season.  Boston attempted to re-sign him as a free agent after the season, but he ended up going to the Dark Side, joining the Yankees to be their closer.  He was since traded to the Indians and is still an impressive southpaw bullpen weapon.  Boston did okay in their trade though, acquiring starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez from the Orioles.

RYAN ROBERTS

A fine utility player, Roberts appeared at every position except catcher, pitcher, and center field during his career.  He played exclusively third base with the Red Sox though.  Roberts had a very impressive 2011 season with the Diamondbacks as the team's primary third-baseman, hitting 19 home runs with a slash line of .249/.341/.427.  He even stole 18 bases.  He was never quite as impressive again.  The Red Sox picked him up prior to the 2014 season as infield depth and he spent most of the season in the minors.  He played in Boston early in the season, making it into eight games, but he picked up just two hits in 19 at-bats, ending up with a .105/.227/.105 slash line.  Those were his final games in the Majors.  He played the next season in Oakland's system.  Roberts does appear in a Red Sox minor league set.

JEMILE WEEKS

Jemile is the younger brother of Rickie Weeks, though he never came close to matching his brother's success.  He had an impressive rookie season in 2011, hitting .303 and stealing 22 bases for Oakland, but that was the high-water mark for his career.  By the time 2014 came around, he was spending most of his time in the minors.  The Red Sox acquired him near the August trading deadline from the Orioles along with frequent flyer Ivan DeJesus for Michael Almanzar and Kelly Johnson (who did get a card amazingly).  Weeks made it into 14 games for Boston down the stretch, playing at second and short.  He performed fairly well, hitting .308/.406/.423 and stole a couple of bases.  Weeks would be back in Boston in 2015.  Weeks also appears in a Red Sox minor league set.

There were a few players here that made it into at least 25 games, all of them relievers.  Chris Capuano, Tommy Layne, and Andrew Miller were all used mostly as left-handed specialists, though Miller was having a breakout season before he was traded.  I have named Miller as my biggest disappointment once before, so I am going to give the title this time to Burke Badenhop.  Badenhop was one of the team's primary setup men and really should have gotten a card somewhere.