I'm going to do something a little different with the One-Year Wonder posts. I have decided to go position-by-position and see if I can determine who the best player at each position would be who only spent one year with the Red Sox. This requires a lot of time and research. I am not naming every single player who spent just one season with the Red Sox at each position, but just the better-known players. At the end of the post, I will pick the single best player for each position.
RIGHT-HAND RELIEF PITCHER
Obviously, this is not the Bill James that has been a major voice in the analytics movement. James was a pitcher for eight years during the Deadball Era and played for AL teams Cleveland, St. Louis, Detroit, Boston and Chicago. His best season was 1917 with the Tigers when he went 13-10 with a 2.09 ERA and one save in 198 innings, mostly as a starter. He played for three teams in 1919, with his short stint with the Red Sox in the middle, bookended by tenures with the Tigers and White Sox. He pitched in 13 games, starting seven and finishing four, and was 3-5 with a 4.14 ERA. He pitched 71.2 innings, striking out 12 and walking 39. His time in Boston lasted just three months and he was cut loose. James was part of the 1919 "Black" Sox team, but he was not one of the conspirators, though his career ended afterwards.
McGraw was notable for leading the league in games finished in 1928 and 1929 while with the Phillies, though those were his last years in the Majors. Far from being a relief ace however, his ERA was over 5.00 each year. McGraw started his career with the Yankees and was traded to the Red Sox along with Allen Russell in the Carl Mays deal. He pitched in just ten games for the Red Sox, starting one and finishing five. His ERA was 6.75 and he had a 0-2 record, striking out eleven and walking 20 in 27 innings. After the season, he was back in New York, then spent a few years in the minors before re-emerging in the National League with the Dodgers, Cardinals and Phillies.
Weaver was brought to the Red Sox in order to help stabilize the rotation in 1939, but it really did not work out that way. Weaver was once a promising starter with the Washington Senators and won 20 games in his first full season. That year, 1932, he was 22-10, but with a 4.08 ERA, throwing 234 innings, walking 112 and striking out 83. Weaver remained with the Senators through 1938, but never came close to the same record. The Red Sox purchased him from the Senators for the 1939 season after he was 7-6 with a 5.24 ERA. He pitched in just nine games for Boston, starting one and finishing two. He had a 1-0 record and a 6.64 ERA in 20.1 innings. He struck out six and walked 13. He stayed in the Red Sox system the next season, but did not pitch in the Majors again.
Johnny "Fireman" or "Grandma" Murphy was a longtime Yankees relief ace, spending 12 years primarily in their bullpen. Murphy was a three-time All Star and led the league in saves four times, obviously retroactively. He had his best season in 1941 when he was 8-3 with a 1.98 ERA and a Major League-leading 15 saves. That was not one of his All Star seasons for some reason. Murphy had one last great season in 1943 when he was 12-4 with a 2.51 ERA and eight saves, even receiving some MVP consideration. Murphy then spent two years in military service for WWII and returned to the Yankees in 1946. Boston, needing a decent arm in their bullpen, brought him on as a free agent along with former Yankees manager Joe McCarthy. Murphy pitched well in 32 games, finishing 16. He notched three saves with a 0-0 record and a 2.80 ERA, striking out nine and walking 28 in 54.2 innings. It was Murphy's last season in the Majors.
From 1956 to 1962, Clevenger was one of the better relievers in the game, primarily with the Senators. He also pitched for the Angels and Yankees during that time. Clevenger led the league in games pitched in 1958 and was 9-9 with a 4.35 ERA. Clevenger started his career with the Red Sox in 1954 as a 21-year-old rookie. That year, he pitched in 23 games, starting eight and finishing six. He was 2-4 with a 4.79 ERA, throwing 67.2 innings. He notched 43 strikeouts and 29 walks. Clevenger spent the 1955 season in the minors and was reasonably impressive. Clevenger was sent to the Senators as part of a large transaction including Dick Brodowski and Karl Olson for Bob Porterfield, Johnny Schmitz, Tom Umphlett and Mickey Vernon. Clevenger's career was established from there.
Byerly had a lengthy career, though he spent some significant time in the middle of his career in the minors. When he was used often, he was a reliable bullpen arm. That did not happen often enough. His career ERA was 3.70. His best season came in 1956 while he was with the Washington Senators when he was 2-4 with a 2.96 ERA and four saves. Byerly was traded to the Red Sox in 1958 for Jack Spring, who turned out to be injured and was returned to Boston. The Red Sox then sent Joe Albanese to complete the trade. Byerly pitched in 18 games for the Red Sox, finishing ten of them, though not notching any saves. He threw 30.1 innings, striking out 16 and walking seven and had a sparkling 1.78 ERA. After the season, Byerly was traded to San Francisco for Billy Muffett where he pitched two more seasons.
Somehow, despite being new to the team and being in the same rotation as stalwarts Frank Sullivan Tom Brewer and Bill Monbouquette, Sturdivant was the Opening Day starter for Boston in 1960. Sturdivant looked like an up-and-coming star when he won 16 games in his second and third seasons in the Majors while with the Yankees. He led the league in winning percentage in 1957 and had a 2.54 ERA. But after a disappointing 1958 and a rough start in 1959, he was traded to Kansas City A's. After the season he was traded to the Red Sox for backup catcher Pete Daley. Sturdivant only started three games out of the 40 games total he pitched, including that Opening Day start. He finished 14 games. Sturdivant had a record of 3-3 with a 4.97 ERA, throwing 101.1 innings and picked up a save. He struck out 67 and walked 45. After the season, Sturdivant was selected by the new Washington franchise in the expansion draft. He pitched for several teams over the next four seasons, appearing for Washington, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Kansas City again and the Mets. He finished his career with a 59-51 record and a 3.74 ERA.
I probably should have included Turley in my post on right-handed starters, but since he did some relief work as well, I decided to get him in here. Turley was the 1958 Cy Young Award winner with the Yankees when he was 21-7 with a 2.97 ERA, striking out 168 and walking 128 in 245.1 innings. He was an All Star in 1954 with the Orioles and 1955 and 1958 with the Yankees. He also finished second in the MVP race that season. That was by far his best season though and he never came close to those types of numbers again. Turley started the 1963 season with the Angels, but was released early on and caught on with Boston. He pitched in eleven games, starting seven and finishing two. He had a 1-4 record and an ugly 6.10 ERA. In 41.1 innings, he struck out 35 and walked 28. Boston released him after the season and he did not appear in the Majors again.
Duliba did not have a lengthy career, but he was an important part of the Red Sox bullpen in 1965. Duliba pitched seven seasons in the Major Leagues and spent time with the Cardinals, Angels, Red Sox and Royals. He had a big year in 1962 with the Cardinals when he had a 2.06 ERA in 28 games and then pitched the most games of his career in 1964 with the Angels when he appeared in 58 games. The Red Sox acquired him in a deal with the Angels for Hal Kolstad. Duliba appeared in 39 games for Boston, pitching 64.1 innings, striking out 27 and walking 22 with a 3.78 ERA. He saved one game, while finishing 17 and had a 4-2 record. During the 1966 season, which he spent in the minors, Duliba was packaged to the Royals in a deal for Syd O'Brien. Duliba appeared in one more season in the Majors with Kansas City.
Krausse pitched 12 seasons in the Major Leagues, primarily with the Athletics (both in Kansas City and Oakland). He had his best season for the A's in their last season in Kansas City, 1966. That year, he was 14-9 with a 2.99 ERA primarily as a starting pitcher. After his time with the A's, Krausse spent two seasons with the Brewers, still primarily as a starting pitcher. He was dealt to the Red Sox before the 1972 season in the rather large deal in which he accompanied Marty Pattin and Tommy Harper to Boston in exchange for Ken Brett, Billy Conigliaro, George Scott and Jim Lonborg. Krausse pitched in 24 games for Boston, starting seven and finishing eight. He was 1-3 with a 6.38 ERA, 35 strikeouts and 28 walks in 60.2 innings pitched. He picked up one save. Late in the season, Boston released him and he pitched two more seasons for the Cardinals and Braves.
Once a successful closer, Lockwood was in his final season of a 12-year career when he pitched for Boston in 1980. Lockwood's rookie season was with the one-year Seattle Pilots, appearing in six games. He moved along with the team to Milwaukee where he established himself as a decent starting pitcher. It was when he joined the Mets though that he showed aptitude in the bullpen, becoming the team's closer in 1976 and saving 65 games over five seasons, including a career year in 1976 when he was 10-7 with a 2.67 ERA and 19 saves, ringing up 108 batters while walking 34 in just 94.1 innings. After having a 1.49 ERA in 1979, Lockwood signed a free agent contract with the Red Sox, but did not have much left. He appeared in 24 games, starting one and finishing 16 and notched the last two saves of his career. But he was 3-1 with a 5.32 ERA, striking out just 11 and walking 17 in 45.2 innings. He was released the next year and did not appear again.
Gale spent a few seasons as a mid-rotation starter for the Kansas City Royals in the late 1970's, when the team was frequently in the thick of a pennant race. He finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year vote in 1978 and even received some down-ballot MVP votes. That season, he was 14-8 with a 3.09 ERA in 192.1 innings. Gale was signed by the Red Sox as a free agent prior to the 1984 season, with the hopes of resurrecting his career. It did not work out that way. Gale appeared in just 13 games, starting four and finishing four. He had a 2-3 record and a 5.56 ERA, striking out 28 and walking 18 in 43.2 innings. It was his last season in the Majors. Later, Gale was the Red Sox pitching coach for a few seasons, primarily under Butch Hobson as manager.
Kison was a longtime member of the Pirates rotation and had a very good season for the 1979 "We are Family" World Championship team. That year, he was 13-7 with a 3.19 ERA, striking out 105 and walking 45 in 172.1 innings. He was also a member of the 1971 World Champs during his rookie season. He was 5-1 with a 1.98 ERA in ten games in the postseason with the Pirates and the Angels. After his time in Pittsburgh, Kison spent a few seasons in California, transitioning into more of a bullpen arm. The Red Sox acquired him as a free agent prior to the 1985 season and he spent his final season in Boston, appearing in 22 games, starting nine and finishing five, notching one save. He threw 92 innings with a 5-3 record and a 4.11 ERA, striking out 56 and walking 32.
I am not going to mention Stewart's post-playing career life. Needless to say, it is something. Stewart spent the majority of his career with the Baltimore Orioles and was fairly successful, pitching primarily out of the bullpen. In the strike-shortened 1981 season, he pitched enough as a reliever to qualify to win the AL ERA title with a 2.32 mark. He saved a career-high 13 games in 1984 and saved 45 games in his career. Stewart was acquired by the Red Sox in a trade with Baltimore in exchange for the less-than-stellar Jackie Gutierrez. Stewart appeared in 27 games with Boston, all in relief, and finished five games. He threw 63.2 innings, striking out 47 and walking 48 with a 4-1 record and a 4.38 ERA. He did not notch a save for the AL Champs and did not appear in the postseason either. Stewart spent the 1987 season with the Indians for his last year in the Majors.
For several seasons in the late 1980's, Reed was a big part of the Mariners bullpen. He had his best season in 1989 for Seattle when he was 7-7 with a 3.19 ERA in 52 games. He threw 101.2 innings that season, striking out 50 and walking 43. Reed started the 1990 season a little rough and was released by the Mariners early in the season. The Red Sox picked him up as a free agent to help solidify the bullpen. Reed appeared in 29 games for Boston, throwing 45 innings and finishing 15 games, though he did not pick up a save. Reed had a 2-1 record, 17 strikeouts and 16 walks with a 4.80 ERA. He was released in August, shortly before the team acquired the next player on this list. 1990 was Reed's last season in the Majors
Boston acquired Andersen in one of the most infamous and lopsided trades in team history, but it was not as if the team was acquiring a bad player. Andersen was actually a highly-accomplished reliever who pitched for 17 seasons. He was primarily a middle reliever during his career and had some big seasons with the Mariners, Phillies and Astros leading up to the 1990 season. He was in the midst of a terrific season in 1990 with the Astros when he was traded to the Red Sox. He had a 1.95 ERA and 68 strikeouts versus 24 walks in 73.2 innings. Boston gave up then-third base prospect Jeff Bagwell in a deal for Andersen. Bagwell of course, is now in the Hall of Fame after spending his entire career in Houston. Andersen was very good in his 15 game stint with Boston though as he pitched in 22 innings, striking out 25 and walking just three. He saved a game and had a 1.23 ERA. Part of the reason Andersen had been acquired was due to the belief that he would not be named a free agent after the season as a result of the collusion settlement. That turned out to be wrong and Andersen joined the Padres as a free agent and pitched four more seasons with San Diego and then Philadelphia. This is a bad trade in hindsight, but Andersen was very impressive in his short stint with Boston.
Petry was an important part of the Detroit Tigers' rotation in the early 1980's. He won a career high 19 games in 1983, leading the league in games started (38) and notching a 3.92 ERA. During the World Championship season of 1984, Petry was 18-8 with a 3.24 ERA and 144 strikeouts and 66 walks in 233.1 innings. He pitched in two games in the World Series that season, but was 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA. Petry was an All Star in 1985 when he was 15-13 with a 3.36 ERA. After that season, his career took a downward turn. Petry started the 1991 season with Detroit then was traded to the Braves in June. The Braves then traded him to the Red Sox in August for Mickey Pina. Petry pitched in 13 games for Boston, with no starts and finished seven games. He notched the only save of his career and struck out 12 while walking 12 in 22.1 innings. He had a 0-0 record and a 4.43 ERA. It was Petry's last appearance in the Majors.
Frohwirth was an extreme side-arming righty who had some great seasons in the early 1990's with the Baltimore Orioles. He came up with the Phillies in the late 1980's and started to make an impact in 1989. It was not until his first season with the O's in 1991 that he really made a name for himself. That season he appeared in 51 games, notching three saves with a 7-3 record and a 1.87 ERA in 96.1 innings pitched. He had less impressive, but still decent seasons in each of the next two seasons still with the Orioles. He was released before the 1994 season and Boston picked him up, but his success did not come with him. He appeared in 22 games for Boston, but had a 0-3 record and a horrendous 10.80 ERA. He did pick up the last save of his career, but walked 17 while walking 13 in 26.2 innings. Frohwirth did not make it back to the Majors until 1996 and had a short stint for the Angels. It was his last appearance in the Majors.
Rodriguez was the top draft pick by the Red Sox in the 1990 draft and quickly became the team's top prospect. He was drafted as a two-way player who could either play shortstop or pitch. He eventually settled on becoming a pitcher and moved fairly quickly through the Red Sox system. He started the 1995 season in Pawtucket and eventually made his Major League debut that season. He pitched in nine games with the Red Sox, starting two and finishing one. In 15.1 innings, he struck out 14 and walked ten. He had a 0-2 record and a 10.57 ERA. In July he was sent to the Twins in exchange for closer Rick Aguilera. Rodriguez was given plenty of time, but he never harnessed the potential he showed in the minors. He had his best season in 1996 when he was 13-14 with a 5.05 ERA, striking out 110 in 206.2 innings and even saved a couple of games.
Pena had a 15-year career in the Majors. He started out with the Dodgers and had a few very impressive seasons as a starting pitcher. In 1984, he led the National League in ERA with a 2.48 mark and in shutouts with four. That season he was 12-6 and struck out 135 while walking 46 in 199.1 innings. He was later converted into a reliever, having another strong season for the World Champion Dodgers in 1988 when he had a 1.91 ERA and saved 12 games. By 1995, he was on the downswing of his career and Boston signed him as a free agent. He appeared in 17 games for Boston, going 1-1 with a 7.40 ERA. He finished five games, striking out 25 and walking 12 in 24.1 innings. He was released in June and caught on with the Marlins. 1996 was his last season, spent with the Marlins.
Reyes had an eight-year career in the Majors, beginning in 1994. He spent the first several seasons with the Athletics, who alternated him between starting and relieving, with mixed results. Reyes started the 1998 season with the Padres and had some success, pitching in 22 games with a 3.58 ERA. Late in the season he was traded along with Dario Veras and Mandy Romero to the Red Sox in exchange for Jim Leyritz. Reyes continued to have reasonable success with the Red Sox, appearing in 24 games, finishing ten of them, with a 3.52 ERA and a 1-1 record, striking out 23 and walking 14 in 38.1 innings. After the season, he returned to San Diego and had another strong season. He bounced around some after that, never able to regain the same success he had with the Padres and Red Sox.
Hermansen bounced around quite a bit throughout his career, after being drafted third overall by the Padres in the 1994 draft. He made it to the Majors the next season. He had the best season of the early part of his career in 1998 for the Expos when he was 14-11 with a 3.13 ERA and 154 strikeouts versus 56 walks in 187 innings. After a couple more seasons with Montreal and one with the Cardinals, he was traded to the Red Sox in 2002 for a couple minor leaguers. Injuries ruined his season though and he appeared in just 12 games for the Red Sox, starting one and finishing with a 1-1 record and a 7.77 ERA in 22 innings, striking out 13 and walking seven. He bounced around some after that and eventually resurrected his career as a closer for the World Champion White Sox in 2005 when he had a 2.04 ERA and 34 saves. 2006 was his last year in the Majors.
Gomes had several seasons as a reliever with the Phillies in the late 90's and early 2000's. He had his best season in 1999 when he had a 5-5 record, 4.26 ERA and saved 19 games. He struck out 58 and walked 56 in 74 innings. In 2001, he started the season in Philadelphia before being traded to the Giants. The next season, he signed with the Red Sox just prior to the season starting and spent the entire year in the Red Sox organization. He appeared in 20 games for Boston, finishing eight of them and had a 1-2 record and a 4.64 ERA. He struck out 15 and walked 12 in 21.1 innings and saved the last game of his career. Gomes bounced around the minors for a couple more organizations over the next couple of years, but never made it back to the Majors.
The 2000 AL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year award winner had stumbled a bit by the time he joined the Red Sox. Jones had some success out of the bullpen the first few years of his career with the Astros but took the next step upon joining the Tigers. He was an All Star in 2000 and tied Red Sox closer Derek Lowe for the lead in saves with 42. He struck out 67 and walked 25 in 64 innings and had a 3.52 ERA. He stumbled the next season and bounced around somewhat before joining the Red Sox bullpen in July of 2003. That season, he was 2-1 with a 5.52 ERA in 26 games, finishing seven. He struck out 31 and walked 13 in 29.1 innings. He was able to resurrect his career as a closer in 2005 with the Marlins and had three more reasonably successful seasons back with the Tigers as their closer. For his career, he had 319 saves.
Once highly-regarded enough to be traded straight-up for John Olerud, Person was never really able to harness his talent. He bounced from the Mets to the Blue Jays to the Phillies before he was able to have the best season of his career in 2001. That season he was 15-7 with a 4.19 ERA, striking out 183 and walking 80 in 208.1 innings. He had an injury-plagued season the next year and was granted free agency. Boston signed him as a low-cost, high-reward pitcher. Unfortunately, injuries continued to plague him and he appeared in just seven games for the Red Sox, not making a single start and finishing three games. He had a 0-0 record and a 7.71 ERA in 11.2 innings, striking out ten and walking eight while notching a save. That was it for Person's career.
Adams had an eleven-year career, primarily in the National League. He pitched the first several seasons of his career with the Cubs, exclusively as a reliever, though he was rarely a closer. He saved a career-high 18 games in 1997, but had a 2-9 record and a 4.62 ERA. In his second season with the Dodgers, he was converted to the rotation and had a 12-8 record and a 4.33 ERA. He was converted back into the bullpen and started the 2004 season in the Blue Jays bullpen. He was 4-4 with a 3.98 ERA when he was traded to the Red Sox for John Hattig. Adams appeared in 19 games for Boston, finishing one. He threw 27 innings, striking out 21 while walking just six, but had a 6.00 ERA. He did not make the postseason roster and pitched just one more season in the Majors.
The enduring legacy of Leskanic's tenure in Boston has to be his extra-inning work in Game 4 of the ALCS against the Yankees. He got the win in the turning point game by pitching 1.1 innings of scoreless relief. It was the last time he appeared on a Major League mound. Prior to that, Leskanic was notable for being an original Colorado Rockies reliever. He had a great season in 1995 when he led the Majors in games pitched (76) and was 6-3 with a 3.40 ERA and ten saves, striking out 107 in 98 innings. Leskanic also pitched for the Brewers and Royals before joining the Red Sox in midseason of 2004. Leskanic stabilized the middle relief in Boston by pitching 27.2 innings over 32 games, finishing half of them. He struck out 22 and walked 16 while notching a 3-2 record and a 3.58 ERA.
The "Ice Man" was once a highly-successful closer with the Marlins and Diamondbacks. He had his career year in 1999 spending time with both teams, and going collectively 1-3 with a 2.76 ERA and 32 saves. He struck out 99 while walking 44 in 65.1 innings. Mantei started the season with the Marlins before being traded to the Diamondbacks for a package including future Red Sox Brad Penny. Mantei's career was somewhat inconsistent afterwards. After a rough 2004 season, the Red Sox took a chance on him to solidify their bullpen in 2005. He appeared in 34 games with the Red Sox, finishing five of them, but had a rough 6.49 ERA. He struck out 22 and walked 24 in 26.1 innings. That was his last appearance in the Majors.
Like Frohwirth above, Bradford was a sidearm-pitching right-hander. He had some impressive seasons with the White Sox and Athletics before joining the Red Sox in 2005. His best season was 2001 when he was 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA, striking out 34 and walking six in 36.2 innings. He started the 2005 season in Oakland's system, but due to injuries, did not appear at the Major League level before he was traded in June to Boston for outfielder Jay Payton. Bradford pitched in 31 games for Boston, striking out ten and walking four in 23.1 innings. He had a 2-1 record and a 3.86 ERA. After the season, he bounced around some more, but was always a decent reliever. He had a 3.26 ERA for his career and also pitched for the Mets, Rays and Orioles.
Pineiro was a reasonably successful starting pitcher for the first several seasons of his career. He made an impression in his rookie season in 2001 when he had a 2.07 ERA. The next season he had a 14-7 record and a 3.24 ERA, then followed it up with a 16-11 record, 3.78 ERA and tied for the league lead in shutouts. He struggled for a few seasons afterwards and signed a free agent contract with the Red Sox for the 2007 season. Boston planned to transition him into a closer with the idea that Jonathan Papelbon would move into the rotation. But Papelbon decided to go back to the closer role and Pineiro moved into a setup role. He appeared in 31 games, finishing 15 and struck out 20 versus 14 walks in 34 innings. He had a 1-1 record and a 5.03 ERA. Boston traded him to the Cardinals at the trading deadline for a minor leaguer. He returned to being a starter and had 15-12 record with a 3.49 ERA in 2009. He then pitched a couple of seasons for the Angels before hanging it up. His only major period in the bullpen was with the Red Sox in his sole season there.
A former replacement player during the 1995 strike, it took Donnelly until he was 30 years old before he finally made the Major Leagues. He made an immediate impact on the Angels with a 2.17 ERA in 46 games, striking out 54 in 49.2 innings as the team's primary setup man. He pitched in five games in the World Series, throwing 7.2 innings of scoreless relief in helping the team to the World Championship. Donnelly was an All Star in 2003 when he had a 1.58 ERA in 63 games. He continued to have success as a setup man through 2006, after which he was traded to Boston for Phil Seibel. 2007 was hampered by injuries, but he still appeared in 27 games, pitching 20.2 innings, striking out 15 and walking just five. He had a 2-1 record, a 3.05 ERA and finished four games. He did not pitch after June due to injuries and missed the postseason. He was non-tendered after the season and moved onto pitch for the Indians, Marlins and Pirates. He had a very good season with the Marlins in 2009 when he had a 1.78 ERA, despite only pitching in 30 games.
The Red Sox had Aardsma one year too soon (just like with Carlos Pena). Aardsma appeared in seasons with the Giants, Cubs and White Sox, never quite catching on. The White Sox traded him to Boston in exchange for a couple of minor leaguers, one of whom, Miguel Socolovich, had some minor success several years and organizations later. Aardsma spent most of the season in Boston, but was not used in many high-pressure situations. He did appear the most games of his career to that point (47) encompassing 48.2 innings. He had a 4-2 record, a 5.55 ERA with 49 strikeouts and 35 walks. He finished seven games. After the season he was traded to the Mariners for a minor leaguer. The Mariners got a steal as Aardsma became their closer for the next two seasons, saving 69 games in that span. He was injured most of the 2011 season and never got back on track again.
Saito had a lengthy career in Japan before coming over to the U.S. at the age of 36. He joined the Dodgers originally and was an important part of their bullpen for three seasons, primarily as the team's closer. He was an All Star in his second season when he had a 2-1 record, a 1.40 ERA, 39 saves and 78 strikeouts versus 13 walks in 64.1 innings. Boston signed him as a free agent prior to the 2009 season to take on a role as setup man to closer Jonathan Papelbon. Saito was one of four Japanese pitchers to suit up for Boston that season (Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideki Okajima and Junichi Tazawa were the others). Saito pitched in 56 games with 55.2 innings, a 3-3 record, 2.43 ERA, 30 games finished and two saves. He struck out 52 batters and walked 25. Saito did appear in one game in the postseason for Boston, pitching a scoreless inning in the ALDS loss to the Angels. He spent three more seasons in the U.S., pitching for the Braves, Brewers and Diamondbacks. After a less than good season with Arizona, he retired.
Wheeler pitched for 13 seasons in the Major Leagues, appearing for the Devil Rays, Mets, Astros and Indians. He was primarily a setup man, spending seven seasons in Tampa Bay, though he had his best seasons with the Astros. His best year was 2005 when he pitched in 71 games with a 2.21 ERA, three saves and 69 strikeouts for the NL Champs. He signed as a free agent with Boston before the 2011 season to be the secondary setup man for Papelbon behind Daniel Bard. Wheeler appeared in 47 games with the Red Sox, striking out 39 and walking just eight in 49.1 innings. He finished 22 games, but did not notch a save. His ERA was a less-than-impressive 4.38. Wheeler moved on to the Indians the next season, but did not pitch well in 12 games and was out of the Major Leagues.
Like Wheeler, Jenks was also acquired by the Red Sox with the plan to stabilize their bullpen behind Papelbon and Bard. Jenks spent the first six seasons of his career with the White Sox and had been an All Star twice, in 2006 and 2007. Jenks was the closer for the White Sox, saving 173 games in his six seasons there, with a high of 41 in 2006. That season he struck out a career high 80 batters in 69.1 innings, but had a 4.00 ERA. Jenks's 2011 season was hampered by injuries and he was ineffective when he was on the mound. He pitched in just 19 games, throwing 15.2 innings with a record of 2-2 and a 6.32 ERA. He struck out 17 and walked 13. He did not notch any saves, despite finishing four games. His injuries and off-field problems ended his career.
Acquiring Melancon in a deal with the Astros was one of a number of bad deals the Red Sox made for relief pitching in which they gave up a young player who would go on to much more success than the reliever acquired. In Melancon's case, the Red Sox gave up Jed Lowrie who would have some big years with Oakland later on. Melancon looked like a future closer in 2011 with Houston, with an 8-4 record, a 2.78 ERA and 20 saves. Melancon appeared in 41 games for Boston, finishing 17 and spent some time in the minors. He had a 6.20 ERA and struck out 41 batters versus 12 walks in 45 innings. He did pick up one save. After the season, he was traded to the Pirates as part of a package for Joel Hanrahan and Brock Holt. That one also did not work out well for Boston as Melancon went to be an All Star for the Pirates in 2013, 2015 and 2016. He led the Majors in saves in 2015 with 51. Melancon is still active and is currently with the Braves.
Padilla was kind of a scary dude and quite outspoken who also occasionally utilized the eephus pitch. Padilla was part of the package the Diamondbacks sent to the Phillies in exchange for Curt Schilling. He was an All Star in 2002 with the Phillies when he was 14-11 with a 3.28 ERA and 128 strikeouts in 206 innings. He spent several more seasons as a starter with the Phillies, Rangers and Dodgers. 2011 was an injury-plagued season and his first extended stint in the bullpen. Boston signed him to be a reliever and he ended up appearing in 56 games for Boston, finishing ten. Padilla had a 4-1 record, a 4.50 ERA, one save, 51 strikeouts and 15 walks in 50 innings pitched. 2012 was the last season of Padilla's Major League career, though he went on to pitch in Japan.
Badenhop spent eight seasons in the Majors with the Marlins, Rays, Brewers, Red Sox and Reds. During his career, he was primarily used as a middle reliever or setup man, only starting ten games and saving four. After being a reliable reliever for several seasons, the Red Sox acquired him in a deal for minor leaguer Luis Ortega from the Brewers for the 2014 season. It would end up being the best season of his career. Badenhop appeared in a career high 70 games, throwing 70.2 innings, striking out 40 batters and walking 19. He finished eleven games, had a 0-3 record, but with an impressive 2.29 ERA, which was also a career best. Badenhop also picked up one of his four career saves. After the season, Badenhop signed a free agent contract with the Reds where he had another successful season. Despite his success, he was unable to make it back to the Majors in 2016.
Ogando had somewhat of an odd career leading into his acquisition by the Red Sox. In his rookie season of 2010, he was a reliever, appearing in 44 games with a 4-1 record and a 1.30 ERA. The next season, he was converted into a starter and made the All Star team when he had a 13-8 record, 3.51 ERA and 126 strikeouts in 169 innings. He was back to the bullpen in 2012 for 58 games. Then back to the rotation in 2013 and then the bullpen again in 2014. Not sure what the Rangers were doing with Ogando. Boston acquired him as a free agent and utilized him entirely as a reliever for 2015. Ogando appeared in 64 games with Boston with a 3-1 record and a 3.99 ERA. He finished 16 games, but did not save any. He struck out 53 and walked 28 in 65.1 innings. He had a similar season in 2016 with the Braves, but was done as an effective Major League pitcher after 2016.
Machi did not have a very long career, spending just five seasons in the Majors. But he was very impressive for a couple of seasons while he was with the Giants. Machi came up in 2012 and established himself as a reliable middle reliever in the 2013 and 2014 seasons. In 2013, he was 3-1 with a 2.38 ERA and in 2014 he was 7-1 with a 2.58 ERA. He started the 2015 season with the Giants, but struggled. He was waived by the Giants and picked up by the Red Sox. For Boston, he pitched in 26 games, throwing 23 innings, and finishing nine games. Machi actually picked up a career high four saves. He struck out 20 and walked eight and had a 5.09 ERA. He bounced around quite a bit after the season, but only appeared in five more games in the Majors with the Mariners in 2017.
Cook had been a very effective reliever for the Oakland Athletics for a few seasons before his injury-plagued 2015 season. Originally coming up with the Diamondbacks, Cook was traded to the A's before the 2012 season as part of a deal involving Jarrod Parker for Trevor Cahill. Cook was an All Star in his first season in Oakland when he was 6-2 with a 2.09 ERA, 14 saves and 80 strikeouts in 73.1 innings. Cook continued to be a reliable reliever for the next two seasons. 2015 was hampered by injuries though and he was traded to the Red Sox at the trading deadline. Unfortunately injuries continued to be an issue and Cook appeared in just five games for Boston, throwing 4.1 innings, striking out three and walking four. He had a 27.00 ERA. He was cut loose by Boston and did not make it back to the Majors until 2018 when he had a 19 game stint with the Mariners.
Like Frohwirth and Bradford above, Ziegler was a sidearm pitcher. Ziegler pitched eleven seasons in the Majors, mostly with the Athletics and Diamondbacks, but also appearing with the Marlins and Red Sox. He twice led the league in games pitched, in 2013 with Arizona and in 2018 splitting time between Miami and Arizona. Ziegler had a terrific rookie season with the Athletics when he was 3-0 with a 1.06 ERA in 47 games with eleven saves. He was eighth in the Rookie of the Year vote. He became Arizona's closer in 2015 and saved 30 games. He started the next season as the Diamondbacks closer, but was traded to the Red Sox early in July for a couple of minor leaguers. With Boston, he was more of a middle reliever, appearing in 33 games, finishing 12 of them and picking up four saves. He pitched 29.2 innings, striking out 31 and walking just eleven. He had a record of 2-4 and a 1.52 ERA. He appeared in the postseason for Boston, pitching 0.2 innings of scoreless ball against the Indians in the ALDS. He had a couple more effective seasons before retiring after 2018.
Reed came up with the White Sox in 2011 and was the team's closer the next season. He saved a career high 40 games for Chicago in 2013 before being traded to the Diamondbacks. He bounced around some after that, but actually had better numbers as a setup man. He was terrific in that role for the Mets in 2016 when he was 4-2 with a 1.97 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 77.2 innings. He started the 2017 season with the Mets as their closer and pitched well enough to be a coveted reliever at the trading deadline. He was traded to the Red Sox for three minor league pitchers. Reed appeared in 29 games, throwing 27 innings with 28 strikeouts and nine walks. He had a 1-1 record and a 3.33 ERA, finishing one game without any saves. Reed appeared in three games in the postseason, but gave up two runs in 2.1 innings in the Red Sox loss to the Astros. He signed a free agent contract with the Twins for the 2018 season but struggled and was injured in 2019. He is currently still on the market and is only 30 years old, so he may still play this year.
Boy, this one took awhile. So, this is definitely one of the largest collections of players in this series and there are not really a lot of big names here. I took out players who were closers for Boston, that will be its own post, though significantly smaller than this one. There are no Hall of Famers, though there is a former Cy Young Award winner. There are a lot of players who were closers at one point in their career and some former All Stars. Determining the best of the lot was somewhat complicated. There were no All Star seasons here and there were a lot of similar seasons. Ultimately, I ended up looking for the WAR leaders to get down to a few players with similar seasons. The top five were Johnny Murphy, Takashi Saito, Burke Badenhop, Larry Andersen and Bruce Kison. From there I eliminated Kison due to his pedestrian conventional numbers. I took Murphy and Andersen out, because they pitched quite a bit less than the other two, although I seriously considered naming Andersen. Like Billy Wagner from the lefty post, he had the most dominant numbers (but he did cost them Jeff Bagwell). Ultimately I took Saito over Badenhop due to his past success and the fact that he actually has some cards with the Red Sox. Saito had a better strikeout rate than Badenhop (and more strikeouts) and the ERAs were close, though Badenhop pitched in more games. Saito also had the slightly higher WAR. So, though it was extremely close, I gave the edge to Saito.
I always like these posts..Lockwoods rookie yr was actually 65. Came up with A’s as a third basemen
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