I already talked at length about Brayan Bello recently, so there is not much else to add. I grabbed this card for fairly cheap. It is a Panini Draft Picks blue parallel. I have not added a lot of Bello cards yet, but I suspect that will change in 2023 as he starts to appear in almost every Topps set. Triston Casas is my pick for this year's rookie that will appear in every set, taking the throne from Jarren Duran in 2022, Bobby Dalbec in 2021, Michael Chavis in 2020, etc. Bello though, will be close behind.
Monday, March 27, 2023
Sunday, March 26, 2023
2022 Topps Heritage High Numbers Blaster
With still no sign of 2023 Topps Series One in stores around me, I decided one night to try out another blaster of Heritage High Numbers. There were still a few base cards I needed, plus some other stuff. So, I took a shot.
I will start by saying that there were actually five Red Sox in this break, including three in the same pack, but two of those were Kevin Plawecki and Chris Sale, who I already had. This was probably my most successful break since that Diamond Kings blaster that resulted in the Alex Verdugo relic.
1. Xander Bogaerts/Rafael Devers. This is an insert card. It is kind of sad that Devers and Bogaerts are no longer on the same team. They seemed to have a close, almost brotherly friendship. Still, this gets me to 226 Devers cards. 74 to go. He does not gain on Bogaerts though.
2. Connor Seabold. This is a short print, the only one from Heritage High Numbers for the Red Sox. Seabold has been traded to the Rockies after an extremely rough stint in the Majors that saw him go winless in five starts with an ERA north of 11. I am not sure how Topps chooses which players to be short-printed, but this would not have been my pick.
3. Trevor Story. I expect Story to start to skyrocket in my collection. This card puts me at 10. He signed late, so he did not appear in a lot of sets in 2022. I am disappointed it will be another year before we have a chance to see a fully healthy Story in Boston. Hopefully he will come back strong later this season.
Saturday, March 25, 2023
Cardbarrel Order
I heard about Cardbarrel recently and decided to take a shot at it. I will say I found it a bit difficult to navigate. I had to know exactly what I was looking for. I wanted to track down some older wantlist stuff and had to navigate by year and set. Most of the older stuff is not designated by team, so I could not simply search for "Red Sox". I likely would have gotten more stuff, but it took a long time to find the stuff I did.
Anyway, enough of that, here is what I did find:
1. Rob Woodward. Woodward was a 3rd round draft pick by the Red Sox in the 1981 draft. He spent parts of four seasons in the Majors with the Red Sox, never appearing in more than nine games. He had a 4-4 record with a 5.04 ERA in 100 innings, starting 14 out of his 24 games. He struck out 45 and walked 36. After the 1989 season, he went to the Orioles system for a couple years.
2. Jim Rice. This card completed the 1986 Sportflics team set for me. Rice had his last great season in 1986 when he hit .324/.384/.490 with 20 home runs and 110 RBIs. He had 200 hits and 39 doubles and scored 98 runs. He was an All Star and finished third in the MVP vote.
3. Dwight Evans. This card completes the 1990 Score Superstars insert (?) set. Evans was in his final season with the Red Sox in 1990. Primarily the DH, he hit .249/.349/.391 with 13 home runs and 63 RBIs.
4. Luis Rivera. 1992 Bowman has eluded me for the most part. I have still not finished the set. Rivera was one player I needed. Rivera is probably the player I liked the least when I started watching baseball in 1991. I realize now that that was kind of irrational. He had his best season in Boston in 1991 when he hit .258/.318/.384 with eight home runs and 40 RBIs.
5. Scott Taylor. Taylor was a 28th round pick in the 1988 draft. He spent parts of two seasons with the Red Sox in 1992 and 1993. In 20 games, he had a record of 1-2 with a 6.31 ERA. The southpaw pitched in 25.2 innings and struck out 15 while walking 16.
6. Jeff McNeely. This card completed the 1992 Donruss Rookies team set. McNeely was a second round pick in the 1989 draft. I was pretty excited about him early on, thinking he would be a decent hitter with a lot of speed. He ended up playing in just 21 games with the Red Sox in 1993, but he hit .297/.409/.378 with six stolen bases. He was eventually traded to the Cardinals in the deal for Luis Alicea. His 21 games were his only Major League experience.
7. Babe Ruth. I got several of the Conlon Babe Ruth Collection Red Sox cards. There are a small handful of them left. This card looks at his World Series pitching experience.
8. Babe Ruth. This one looked at his 1916 season when he led the league in ERA.
9. Babe Ruth. This one looks at his pitching duels against Walter Johnson. Ruth came out on top more often than not.
10. Babe Ruth. This card looks at his nine shutouts in 1916.
11. Babe Ruth. This card looks at his record in World Series play.
12. Babe Ruth. This card reviews Ruth's first Major League victory in 1914.
13. Babe Ruth. And this is a trivia card.
14. Nate Minchey. Minchey was the subject of several trades in his career. He started out with the Expos and was traded to the Braves before making the Majors in the deal that sent Zane Smith to the Expos. He was notably the primary return the Red Sox got when they sent Jeff Reardon to the Braves. He made his Major League debut with the Red Sox in 1993 and pitched in 13 games with the Red Sox over three seasons. He had a 3-7 record with a 6.53 ERA. He was traded to the Cardinals before the 1995 season in the same Alicea deal along with McNeely, but returned to Boston in 1996.
15. Frank Rodriguez. Rodriguez was one of the biggest prospects I remember from my earliest days of collecting. He was a two-way player and there was some question whether he would play shortstop or pitch. He eventually settled on pitching and made his way up to Boston in 1995. It was a big deal when he made his debut. Unfortunately, he did not do much in Boston, winding up with a 0-2 record and a 10.57 ERA in 15.1 innings. He was traded to the Twins at the deadline for closer Rick Aguilera, a trade that worked out for Boston. Rodriguez never became the ace he was expected to be.
16. Scott Cooper. Cooper had his first All Star season in 1993 when he took over third base from Wade Boggs. Cooper hit .279/.355/.397 with nine home runs, 29 doubles and 63 RBIs. Probably not the most deserving of All Stars.
17. Mike Greenwell. Greenwell hit .315/.379/.480 in 1993, it was his final season hitting over .300. He did finish his career with a .303 career batting average. Greenwell had 170 hits, 38 doubles, 13 home runs and 72 RBIs. Greenwell walked more than he struck out, walking 54 times versus 46 strikeouts.
18. Jose Malave. Malave was a power-hitting outfield prospect that could not make the transition to the Majors. My hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska has an independent league baseball team called the Saltdogs. I went to a game in the early 2000's I think and Malave was playing for the other team.
19. Sad Sam Jones. Jones was an underrated pitcher in the Deadball Era. He represented the primary return the Red Sox received in the trade of Tris Speaker to the Indians. In 1918, Jones led the league in winning percentage when he had a record of 16-5. He had a 2.25 ERA that season. Jones would be a 23-game winner in 1921 before he was traded to the Yankees like so many of Boston's best players in those days.
20. Bobby Doerr. With this card of the HOF second-baseman, I completed this Conlon set. I was thinking about this the other day. I wish there were sets like this still, that had a focus on baseball from prior to World War II. I would especially like to see some more stuff from the Deadball Era and the 1920's.
21. Tony Pena. Pena was an early favorite player due to his unique catching stance and his Gold Glove Award in 1991. That seemed like a very big deal to me at the beginning of my fandom. It didn't hurt that that was the last Gold Glove a Red Sox player would win until 2005. Sort of insane when you think about it.
22. Gar Finnvold. Finnvold was a 6th-round draft pick by the Red Sox in 1990. Despite poor records in the minor leagues, he had decent ERA numbers and made his ML debut in 1994. He pitched in eight games, but had a record of 0-4 and a 5.94 ERA in 36.1 innings pitched. He struck out 17 and walked 15. He had injury issues the next two seasons, and that was it for his career.
23. Ryan McGuire. McGuire was a 3rd-round pick by the Red Sox in the 1993 draft. He had decent numbers in the minors but was traded to the Expos prior to the 1996 season. He was part of the package Boston sent in exchange for Wil Cordero. McGuire did make it to the Majors, playing for six seasons with the Expos, Mets, Marlins and Orioles. He hit .211/.306/.311 with seven home runs and 55 RBIs in his career.
24. Aaron Sele. I remember Sele coming to the Majors in 1993. He finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting that season, behind Tim Salmon and Jason Bere. Sele was 7-2 with a 2.74 ERA in 111.2 innings pitched over 18 games. Injuries slowed his development, particularly in 1995.
25. Mike Greenwell. In 1994, Greenwell had one of his worst seasons. That year he hit .269/.348/.453 with 11 home runs, 25 doubles and 45 RBIs. He still walked more than he struck out. Greenwell had a very underrated career.
26. Greg Blosser. Blosser seemed to be an eternal prospect in the early years of my fandom. Every year there would be cards promising a great career. He was the 16th overall pick in the 1989 draft and had some huge power in the minors. He played in just 22 games in the Majors though with a .077 average and no home runs.
27. Billy Hatcher. I remember Hatcher being acquired in the 1992 season for Tom Bolton. Hatcher provided an immediate spark, stealing home in one game. He was one of my favorite, underrated players in 1993 when he hit .287/.336/.400 with nine home runs and 14 stolen bases. Hatcher was eventually traded to the Phillies in a deal for Wes Chamberlain.
28. Otis Nixon. Nixon was a huge deal to me when he was acquired. The Red Sox are not typically known for having players who steal a lot of bases. Nixon's 42 stolen bases in 1994 was the most by a Red Sox player since Tommy Harper set the then-team record of 54 in 1973. And it would be the last time a Red Sox player stole 40 until Jacoby Ellsbury's rookie season of 2008. Nixon could have broken the team record had the season not ended due to the strike, and then he was traded to the Rangers for Jose Canseco.
29. Rich Rowland. I love this Sportflics card, it has a really cool action shot that is not clear in this scan. Rowland was acquired in a deal that sent John Flaherty to the Tigers. He had a decent rookie season in 1994, hitting .229/.295/.483 with nine home runs and 20 RBIs in 46 games as the backup to Damon Berryhill.
30. Aaron Sele. And I will close out the package with another Sele card. Sele would eventually be traded to the Rangers in a deal that brought Jim Leyritz and Damon Buford to the Red Sox.
I do anticipate using Cardbarrel in the future, but I would need some significant time to find stuff.
Friday, March 24, 2023
Hiro Auto
I grabbed my first Hirokazu Sawamura auto because I like his signature and because I was kind of a fan of his during his short stint with the Red Sox. This is from 2021 Panini Mosaic Scripts. It was Sawamura's rookie season in the Majors.
Sawamura was signed as an international free agent to solidify the bullpen prior to the 2021 season. He had previously pitched primarily for the Yomiuri Giants in the Japanese League. Sawamura was already 33 years of age when he was brought to the Majors. Sawamura pitched in 53 innings over 55 games, all in relief. He had a record of 5-1 with a 3.06 ERA. His splitter was lethal when it was on. Sawamura struck out 61 batters, while walking 32. He pitched in three games against the Astros in the postseason with a 4.50 ERA.
In 2022, he pitched in 49 games, throwing 50.2 innings. His record was 1-1 and his ERA climbed to 3.73. His strikeout numbers dipped to 40 and he walked 27 batters. Due to the decline in his numbers and some really rough outings, the Red Sox released him in September. Sawamura returned to Japan for the 2023 season with the Chiba Lotte Marines, a team he played for late in 2020, before he signed with Boston.
His final numbers in Boston were a record of 6-2 with a 3.39 ERA in 103.2 innings pitched. He struck out 101 and walked 59.
Thursday, March 23, 2023
Red Sox in Cooperstown Pt. 42: Dick Williams
Williams would go on to manage through the 1988 season. He served stints with the Athletics, Angels, Expos, Padres and Mariners. He won the World Series with the Athletics in both 1972 and 1973. He also led the Padres to the World Series, but lost to the Tigers, in 1984.
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Your 1981 Red Sox Pt. 25: Dave Schmidt
In this series, I will look at each player who played in 1981, the year I was born. Because, why not?
Dave Schmidt has exactly one card made of him, and he shares that card with Bruce Hurst and Julio Valdez. There are two Dave Schmidts to play in the Majors Leagues, this one is the catcher. The other one was a reliever who managed to be a Diamond King in 1989 Donruss.
Schmidt was drafted in the second round of the 1975 draft by the Red Sox. Their first round pick that season, Otis Foster, never played in the Majors. The draft also produced Ed Jurak, Dave Stapleton, Mike O'Berry and Mike Paxton. Not the most impressive draft output. Schmidt produced reasonably well in the minors and had some decent power. His best season was in 1979 when he hit .332/.453/.571 with 19 home runs, 73 RBIs and ten stolen bases in Double-A. Unfortunately, it was downhill from there.
Despite less-than-impressive output in the next two seasons, Schmidt was able to make the Majors in 1981. He played in 15 games with 49 plate appearances. He hit .238/.347/.405 with ten runs scored, a double, two home runs and three RBIs. But that was it for his Major League career. He spent the next season in the minors, but did not hit and was done.
Tuesday, March 21, 2023
One Year Wonder Pt. 30: Travis Lakins
Lakins made his Major League debut in a doubleheader against the Tigers. He pitched 2.2 innings, giving up a run and striking out two while walking none. Lakins came up a couple of times throughout the season. He started three games as an opener, which Boston experimented with heavily in 2019 and 2020. Lakins made it into 16 games in 2019, throwing 23.1 innings. He had a record of 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA. He struck out 18, while walking 10. He looked like a potential bullpen piece going forward.
Lakins was traded to the Cubs in January of 2020 for Jhonny Pereda, mostly in order to open up a roster spot. He never pitched for the Cubs as he was placed on waivers ten days later. The Orioles snatched him up and were able to keep him on their roster. He had a very good season in 2020, pitching to a 2.81 ERA in 22 games. Boston definitely could have used him that year as their bullpen was in shambles. Unfortunately, he has not been able to replicate that success in the next two seasons. He pitched in just six games in 2022 and has yet to catch on with a new team.
His one season in Boston was decent, but it was definitely not enough to unseat All-Time One-Year Wonder Right-Handed Reliever Takashi Saito.
Monday, March 20, 2023
2022 Donruss Optic Jumbo Pack
The week the new Topps Series One came out, my local retail stores did not get it in. I had already bought into a group break anyway, so I was not sure I really wanted to buy any, but I wanted to get something. So, I picked up a jumbo pack of Donruss Optic. 16 total cards, so not great odds of pulling any Red Sox. Nevertheless, I got one.
1. Jarren Duran. Like I said yesterday, I cannot escape Duran. This is a nice The Rookies insert, so better than just a base card, though with just 16 cards, I would have been perfectly happy with a base card as long as I pulled something. I recently looked into the top five current Red Sox players in my collection and Duran is currently in fifth place, behind Rafael Devers, Chris Sale, Alex Verdugo and Bobby Dalbec. That's how many Duran cards there have been flooding the marketplace.
Sunday, March 19, 2023
The Red Sox in Order
I made a recent trade with Tom over at Angels in Order. All of the cards he sent were off of my wantlist. Here are the cards he sent my way:
1. Doug Mirabelli. I am still not convinced this isn't Jason Varitek in the picture. It just does not look like Mirabelli. I note that he is wearing Mirabelli's chest protector, but that doesn't mean everything. I am just not sure. Mirabelli was a favorite of mine too, just not on the same level, obviously. Mirabelli provided Boston an excellent backup catcher for several seasons. He hit .281 with nine home runs in 2004 when Varitek hit .296 with 18 home runs. That is excellent production from the catching platoon.
2. Mike Lowell. During Lowell's five-year stint with the Red Sox, he hit .290/.346/.468 with 80 home runs and 374 RBIs. He was an All Star in 2007 and won the World Series MVP. That year he finished fifth in the A.L. MVP vote. Lowell was something of an afterthought when Boston acquired him along with Josh Beckett, but he was a great player during his time in Boston.
3. Kevin Youkilis. For a two-year span, Youkilis was one of the best hitters in the game. From 2008 to 2009, he hit .309/.401/.559 with 56 home runs, 79 doubles, 190 runs scored, 318 hits and 209 RBIs. He was an All Star both seasons (three total), and finished third and sixth in the MVP voting. He also won the Hank Aaron Award in 2008.
4. Pedro Martinez. This is a World Series Heroes insert from 2005 Upper Deck. Martinez was of course coming off of the 2004 World Series victory over the Cardinals. Martinez pitched Game 3 of the World Series and pitched seven innings of three-hit, scoreless ball. He struck out six and walked two. It was not his most dominant performance, but it was exceptional. He won the game of course. He would pitch two more World Series games, both with the Phillies against the Yankees, but he was nowhere near as good as his first World Series game with the Red Sox.
5. Roger Clemens. There were four Clemens cards in this trade. I am missing a lot of Clemens cards from the mid 1990's when I was not as excited about him. That's why I put my full wantlist together, to get some of those cards. Clemens is tied with Cy Young for career victories with the Red Sox at 192.
6. Roger Clemens.
7. Roger Clemens.
8. Roger Clemens.
9. Kevin Youkilis.
10. Andy Yount. Yount was Boston's first round pick in the 1995 draft, 15th overall. Unfortunately, he suffered a bizarre injury and never made it close to the Majors. Roy Halladay was selected two picks later.
11. David Ortiz. I have no idea what more there is to say about David Ortiz. I am working on a post (or series) in which I look at every player I have more than 100 cards of. Ortiz is the third-biggest player in my collection, behind only Nomar Garciaparra and Jason Varitek.
12. David Eckstein. I have covered Eckstein several times on this blog. He never actually played with Boston, even though he was drafted by them. He looked like a possible Major Leaguer, but Boston needed a third-baseman right away and re-acquired Lou Merloni. In order to make room on the roster, they DFA'd Eckstein and he was claimed on waivers by the Angels. They probably should have just kept Eckstein.
13. Jarren Duran. The newest card in the package is this Duran card. I can't escape Duran.
14. Josh Beckett. I remember Beckett as maddeningly inconsistent from year to year in Boston. He was second in the Cy Young race in 2007 and ninth in 2011. He was an All Star three times. He had a record of 89-58 with a 4.17 ERA with 1,108 strikeouts and 338 walks in 1,240 innings pitched. He was the ALCS MVP in 2007. If he is not yet in the team Hall of Fame, he should be.
Thanks Tom!
Saturday, March 18, 2023
2001 Fleer Red Sox 100th Pt. 1: Carl Yastrzemski
NAME: Carl Yastrzemski
POSITION: LF, primarily. Also played first base, designated hitter and the other outfield positions
WHY IS HE HERE?: He's a Hall of Famer and holder of a number of team hitting records, including hits (3,419). He had the longest tenure in Red Sox history (1961-1983), spending his entire career in Boston. He had one of the greatest individual seasons in team history in 1967 when he won the Triple Crown and was the A.L. MVP. He was an 18-time All Star and won seven Gold Gloves. In short, he was one of the greatest players in team history, certainly the longest lasting.
WOULD I PUT HIM IN IN 2001?: Uh, yeah.
ANY BETTER CHOICES IN 2001?: The only better choice is already in the set.
WOULD I PUT HIM IN NOW?: Absolutely. Yaz's spot has not been taken.
ANY BETTER CHOICES NOW?: Again, the only better choice than Yaz is coming up.
Friday, March 17, 2023
2001 Fleer Red Sox 100th Introduction
I am going to do something different with my next series. This is an introduction post to the series.
In 2001, Fleer released a 100th Anniversary set dedicated to the Red Sox. It was not a large set, made up of just 100 base cards. There were a couple of insert sets, as well as a game-used bat set, a game-worn jersey set and an autograph set. I, of course, loved this set. I think it should have been bigger though.
This series is going to look at one card for each post in the series. I do not think I will go so far as to do the autograph and relic sets, particularly since I do not have all of them, but I will decide that later. I will discuss the player on each card, whether that player was a good choice at the time, and whether that player would still be a good choice if this set came out today. Finally, who might have been a better choice at both time periods.
I considered doing this as a separate blog, the way Night Owl is currently doing the 1993 Upper Deck set, but I figured it would work just as well in this format. It just may take a very long time to get through it. So, buckle up.
Thursday, March 16, 2023
The Worst Red Sox Team of All Time Pt. 18: Marty McManus
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.
I was a little surprised when I looked into Marty McManus's stats. He was a pretty good player for quite a long time. I had been aware of him for awhile, since I pulled a card of him out of a Conlon box early on. McManus spent most of the 1932 season as player/manager for the Red Sox.
McManus came up with the Browns in 1920 and spent the next seven years in St. Louis. He played primarily second base and became a very good contact hitter. He batted over .300 three times with the Browns and led the league in doubles in 1925. After the 1926 season, he was traded to the Tigers and had a few more strong seasons, including leading the league in stolen bases in 1930 while hitting .320 and driving in 89 runs.
Late in the 1931 season, McManus was traded to the Red Sox for catcher Muddy Ruel. In 17 games the rest of that season, he hit .290/.371/.403 with four doubles, a home run, nine RBIs and a stolen base. He split that time between second base and third base.
Which brings us to 1932. McManus spent time primarily between second and third, with more time at second. He did play the other infield positions as well. After the first 55 games in which Boston went 11-44, manager Shano Collins was dismissed and McManus became player/manager. Under him, the team had a record of 32-67. He took a bit of a back seat in playing time, but still played in 93 games, hitting .235/.317/.374 with five home runs and 24 RBIs.
He seemed to figure out how to balance the two roles in 1933. The team was still not great, but improved. The Red Sox had a record of 63-86. His numbers improved as well, as he hit .284/.369/.413 with 30 doubles, three home runs, 36 RBIs and three stolen bases. It would be McManus's last year with the Red Sox, but not in Boston, though there was a short stint in time that he was in the Dodgers organization. McManus finished his Major League career with the Braves in 1934.
For his career, McManus hit .289/.357/.430 with 1,926 hits, 401 doubles, 120 home runs, 992 RBIs and 126 stolen bases. Much better numbers than I expected. McManus was near the end of his career when he went to the Red Sox, but he still put up a line of .264/.348/.396 with 53 doubles, nine home runs and 69 RBIs in 216 games over two-plus seasons.
Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Red Sox With No Cards: 2019
Tuesday, March 14, 2023
Red Sox in Cooperstown Pt. 41: Billy Herman
Monday, March 13, 2023
Your 1981 Red Sox Pt. 24: Joe Rudi
In this series, I will look at each player who played in 1981, the year I was born. Because, why not?
It is fairly common knowledge, and I have certainly mentioned it before, but it bears repeating, Boston acquired Joe Rudi before 1981. Back in 1976, the Red Sox purchased the contracts of both Rudi and Rollie Fingers from the Oakland A's. The deals were finalized and the players came to Boston. There are pictures of them in Red Sox uniforms. But three days later, both purchases were voided by commissioner Bowie Kuhn as "not in the best interests of baseball". It's a shame, because Boston could have used them.
By the time Joe Rudi was acquired once again by the Red Sox in 1981, he was basically washed up. Rudi was part of the return Boston received from the Angels in exchange for Fred Lynn and Steve Renko. Frank Tanana and Jim Dorsey were the others. Rudi had been declining the previous couple of seasons, but he still hit 16 home runs in 1980.
In 1981 though, Rudi was a disaster. Limited to designated hitter and pinch-hitting duties, he played in just 49 games. He hit .180/.239/.352 with six home runs, three doubles and 24 RBIs. His OPS+ was 65. At just 34 years of age, he was basically done. After the season he was granted free agency and returned to Oakland for his final Major League season.
Sunday, March 12, 2023
One Year Wonder Pt. 29: Andrew Cashner
I chose to do an Andrew Cashner post as part of the One Year Wonder series since he was not close to taking down Hideo Nomo as the All Time One Year Wonder Right Handed Starter or Takashi Saito as the All Time One Year Wonder Right Handed Reliever. I will get to all of that.
Andrew Cashner had been a quality starting pitcher for a lot of bad teams during his career. He previously played for the Cubs, Padres, Marlins, Rangers and Orioles before joining the Red Sox. He came up with the Cubs and was traded to the Padres in the deal that brought former Red Sox prospect Anthony Rizzo to the North Side. Cashner was a dependable starter for the Padres, but I am guessing they would like a do-over on that trade. After a few seasons, he was traded to the Marlins in a deadline deal that did not go well for the Marlins.
Cashner had a decent season with the Rangers the next year, which he parlayed into a multi-year deal with the Orioles. He was 9-3 with a 3.83 ERA when the Orioles traded him to the Red Sox in a mid-July deal when Boston needed pitching help to contend. Boston sent two minor leaguers to the O's who have yet to make any significant noise. Again, Cashner struggled greatly. He ended up struggling so much that he was removed from the rotation altogether. He ended up pitching better in the bullpen.
In 25 games with the Red Sox, Cashner made six starts and pitched 53.2 innings. He had a record of 2-5 and notched 42 strikeouts and 29 walks. His ERA was an unsightly 6.20. One thing that Cashner did do in Boston that he had never done before was to pick up his first Major League save. After the season, Cashner filed for free agency, but was unable to sign a contract prior to the COVID season of 2020. He has not pitched in the Majors since.
Cashner probably qualified more as a reliever than a starter for the purposes of determining if he could unseat the All Time One Year Wonder. It really doesn't matter because his numbers were not close to qualifying at either position.
Saturday, March 11, 2023
Season in Review: 2022
Friday, March 10, 2023
The Worst Red Sox Team of All Time Pt. 17: Jud McLaughlin
Failure is often even more fascinating than success. I am definitely intrigued by the 1932 Boston Red Sox, the worst Red Sox team of all time. The team finished with a record of 43-111, for a winning percentage of .279 and very little went right.
Well after we had a long-time legitimate Major Leaguer in the last post, it is only fair to return to a much more obscure player this time around. Justin "Jud" McLaughlin's Major League career spanned three seasons, but only 16 games. All of those games were in relief.
McLaughlin signed with the Red Sox right out of high school and made his big league debut in 1931 at the age of 19. He appeared in nine games that season, pitching 12 innings while giving up 16 earned runs. His ERA was 12.00. He struck out three and walked eight.
In 1932, McLaughlin appeared in just one game. He pitched three innings, giving up five runs and four walks without striking anyone out. He made his first plate appearance and struck out. He spent the rest of the season in the minors.
1933 saw him appear in six more games, throwing 8.2 innings. He had an ERA of 6.23, a marked improvement. He walked five and struck out one. He spent most of the season in the minors. He was in the minors in 1934 as well, but never made another Major League appearance.
McLaughlin spent his career with the Red Sox, but had a record of 0-0 in 16 relief appearances. In 23.2 innings pitched, he had an ERA of 10.27. He struck out just four batters while walking 17.
Thursday, March 9, 2023
The Jason Varitek Quest for 1,000: #981 and 982
We have a two-fer today.
Up first is Jason Varitek card #981, which also happens to be card #402 for Dustin Pedroia and card #610 for Manny Ramirez.
This is the 2022 Topps Triple Threads Autograph Relic Trio Amethyst. It is serial-numbered to 27 and contains autographs and jersey pieces for the three players I mentioned. Ramirez, Varitek and Pedroia played together from late 2006 to mid 2008 and were starting position players on the 2007 World Championship team.
1. Manny Ramirez. This is my second Ramirez autograph card, I believe. Ramirez hit .250 in the 2007 World Series. He had a double and two RBIs.
2. Jason Varitek. I have no idea how many Varitek autograph cards I have. A lot. Varitek hit .333 in the World Series with two runs, a double and five RBI.
3. Dustin Pedroia. This is my third Pedroia autograph. He homered in his first at-bat in the World Series, which was also the Red Sox first at-bat. He hit .278 with two runs, a double, a home run and four RBIs.
And here is card #982:
I mentioned I could get a lot of parallels from this set to add more Varitek cards. This is the prism refractor that came four to a mega box. This is my fourth parallel of Varitek from the set.
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Your 1981 Red Sox Pt. 23: Jim Rice
In this series, I will look at each player who played in 1981, the year I was born. Because, why not?
I have covered Jim Rice at length in several other posts, so I do not really feel the need to go over his entire career again in this post. I think it is enough to say that he was an incredible player, a terrific power hitter, and of course, a Hall of Famer.
Rice was drafted by the Red Sox in the first round of the 1971 draft, 15th overall. He made it to the Majors in 1974 and had his official rookie season in 1975. That year he teamed up with Fred Lynn to form a fantastic rookie tandem for the Red Sox to help make it to the World Series. Rice finished second to Lynn in the Rookie of the Year vote and third in the MVP voting. Unfortunately he missed the postseason due to an injury.
After an adjustment in 1976, Rice became the feared slugger he was reputed to be starting in 1977. That year, he led the league in home runs and total bases for the first time. He won the A.L. MVP in 1978 when he led the league in a number of offensive categories, including home runs, hits, RBIs and slugging percentage. His numbers declined a bit the next two seasons.
By the time the 1981 season came around, Rice was deep into his prime offensive seasons. He was in the middle of the period in which he was the most feared slugger in the game. He had a bit of a down year, but still managed to hit .284/.333/.441 with 17 home runs and 62 RBIs. He led the league in at-bats with 451 and accumulated 128 hits, 51 runs scored and 18 doubles. He was second on the team in home runs and RBIs to Dwight Evans. Rice spent most of the season as the left-fielder.
Rice continued to put up big numbers through the 1986 season, leading the league in home runs and RBIs in 1983 once more. After the 1986 season, he declined dramatically, eventually retiring after the 1989 season. Rice spent his entire Major League career with the Red Sox and later became a hitting coach and then a broadcaster with the team. He is a deserving Hall of Famer.