2022 Topps Factory Set

I try to pick up the factory team set each year.  I have missed a few years though.  Here is the one from 2022 which uncharacteristically features a number of players that did not play for Boston in 2022.  That is likely due to the lockout which froze player movement for a couple months.

1.  Xander Bogaerts.  Bogaerts was Boston's best player in 2022, not their best hitter, but their best player.  Bogaerts hit .307/.377/.456 with 15 home runs and 73 RBIs.  He was an All Star and a finalist for the Gold Glove.  He did win the Silver Slugger, his fifth.  Unfortunately, he will be with San Diego in 2023.

2.  Christian Vazquez.  Vazquez was the most devastating loss to me since Mookie.  He had been having a solid season, hitting .282/.327/.432 with eight home runs and 42 RBIs, when he was traded to the Astros at the trading deadline.  Boston got a solid return on the deal, which was helpful.  Vazquez will be playing for the Twins in 2023.

3.  Jose Iglesias.  After being acquired from the Angels for the stretch run in 2021 and playing well, Iglesias signed a free agent contract with the Rockies for 2022.  He is one of the players that left the team before the 2022 season.

4.  Alex Verdugo.  Verdugo struggled for much of the first half of the season, but came on strong in the second half.  He hit .280/.328/.405 with eleven home runs, 74 RBIs and 39 doubles.  He will be with Boston in 2023, barring an unforeseen trade.

5.  Nathan Eovaldi.  After a career year in 2021, Eovaldi had trouble staying healthy in 2022.  He ended up pitching just 109.1 innings, but had a 6-3 record and a 3.87 ERA.  He struck out 103 batters while walking just 20.  Eovaldi will pitch for the Rangers in 2023.

6.  Christian Arroyo.  Arroyo was groomed as a super-utility man in 2022, but also had trouble staying on the field.  He ended up playing in 87 games, hitting .286/.322/.414 with six home runs and 36 RBIs.  He also stole five bases.  Arroyo is still with Boston.

7.  Bobby Dalbec.  Dalbec took a step backward in 2022 after a nice rookie season in 2021.  Dalbec hit .215/.283/.369 with 12 home runs and 39 RBIs.  Dalbec is still with the team, but he has been passed by Triston Casas at first base.

8.  J.D. Martinez.  Martinez was an All Star, his fourth time in Boston.  Unfortunately a power outage led to a line of just .274/.341/.448 with 16 home runs and 62 RBIs.  Martinez re-joined Mookie Betts with the Dodgers for the 2023 season.

9.  Jackie Bradley Jr.  The only new acquisition for Boston in this set, JBJ is really a player returning to his first team.  He did not hit well, with a line of .210/.257/.321 with three home runs and 29 RBIs.  He was released late in the season and caught on with the Blue Jays, for whom he actually performed worse.  He is still a free agent as of this moment.  After two straight horrible seasons, it would be surprising if he signed a Major League deal.

10.  Kyle Schwarber.  Schwarber is another player who left Boston before the 2022 season.  He was a great trade deadline pickup in 2021, but was allowed to leave as a free agent to the Phillies.  He led the NL in home runs in 2022.

11.  Garrett Whitlock.  Whitlock pitched 31 games, starting nine and finishing ten.  He had a record of 4-2 with a 3.45 ERA in 78.1 innings pitched.  Whitlock struck out 82 and walked just 15.  He saved six games.  Whitlock is still with Boston and is the team's best Rule V pick of all time.

12.  Chris Sale.  Sale pitched just two games in 2022 due to a number of injuries.  He had a 0-1 record with a 3.18 ERA and struck out five in 5.2 innings pitched with one walk.  Sale is still with the Red Sox but has not had a successful full season since 2018.

13.  Enrique Hernandez.  Hernandez struggled in 2022 after a good season in 2021.  He played in just 93 games, hitting .222/.291/.338 with six home runs and 45 RBIs.  Boston extended him for the 2023 season.

14.  Travis Shaw.  Another in-season acquisition during the 2021 season, Shaw returned to Boston in 2022, but his stint was short-lived.  He played in just seven games with 19 at-bats, but did not record a hit or a walk and struck out seven times.  He was released in May and has yet to catch on to another team.

15.  Jarren Duran.  Duran spent most of the season in the minors, but he played in 58 games with Boston.  He hit .221/.283/.363 with three home runs and 17 RBIs.  He stole seven bases and recorded 14 doubles and three triples.  Duran is still in the organization.

16.  Rafael Devers.  Boston's third All Star in 2022 was the team's best hitter.  Devers hit .295/.358/.521 with 27 home runs, 42 doubles and 88 RBIs.  A mid-season slump due to nagging injuries kept him from even stronger numbers.  Devers is still with Boston, but entering his final season before he qualifies for free agency.  Hopefully Boston will keep him around.

17.  Tanner Houck.  Like Whitlock, Houck did not have a set role.  He pitched in 32 games with four starts and 14 finishes.  He had a record of 5-4 with a 3.15 ERA in 60 innings pitched.  He saved eight games, tied for the team lead, and struck out 56 while walking 22.  Houck is still with the Red Sox.

Like I said, there are some odd decisions here.  The biggest ones being Iglesias and Schwarber.  Shaw is pretty odd too.  I would have liked to have seen Michael Wacha or Rich Hill make appearances.  This was produced too early to catch Trevor Story.