Season in Review: 1993

1993 was quite a bit different than 1992.   There was a lot of player turnover and a lot of my favorite players (Boggs, Burks, and Reardon in particular) were gone.  Unfortunately a season that was once very promising took a bad turn and Boston finished 80-82.  Most of the problem was due to inconsistent pitching as Roger Clemens had a bad year.

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS
Mo Vaughn
Vaughn really came into his own as a force to be reckoned with in 1993.  It was his first full season with the Red Sox and he became one of the most productive first basemen in the league.  He hit .297/.390/.525 with 29 home runs and 101 runs batted in.  He also started to show some impressive leadership qualities.  One of my favorite moments was him clotheslining a charging George Bell after being hit by an Aaron Sele pitch.

Scott Cooper
No he was not a great player, or even a particularly good player, but the third-baseman had a strong arm and was the team's lone All Star.  Although he did not really deserve it.  Cooper hit .279/.355/.397 with nine home runs and 63 RBIs.

Danny Darwin
Darwin was Boston's top starting pitcher in 1993, leading the team in wins (15), innings pitched (229.1), and WHIP (1.068).  He also struck out 130 batters and had a 3.26 ERA.  He came close to pitching a perfect game, allowing only a Dan Pasqua triple that would have been caught if Billy Hatcher were just a couple inches taller.

John Valentin
Valentin, like Vaughn, started to come into his own in 1993 as a player.  He hit .278/.346/.447 with 11 home runs and 66 RBIs.  He also proved to be a very good defensive shortstop.  This was Valentin's first full season with the Red Sox as well, though he did not start on Opening Day.

Mike Greenwell
Greenwell came back from a rough 1992 season to lead the team in batting average in 1993.  Greenwell hit .315/.379/.480 with 13 home runs and 72 RBIs, both second only to Vaughn.  This was another solid season for the outfielder who built a career on solid, but not terrific seasons.  Greenwell also lead the team with 170 hits that year.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Greg Harris
Harris was one of the most productive middle relievers in 1993 pitching in 80 games which was a team record and lead the league.  He pitched to a 6-7 record with a 3.77 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 112.1 innings pitched.  He also wound up with 8 saves.

Frank Viola
One of two supposed aces coming into the season, Viola actually had a decent season for the Red Sox in 1993, but was injured for a chunk of the season.  He ended up with a record of 11-8 with a 3.14 ERA (which lead the team among pitchers who qualified) and 91 strikeouts.  His overpowering days were over but he proved to be a somewhat crafty southpaw.

Scott Fletcher
Fletcher was a terrific defensive second baseman who actually had a pretty decent season with the bat.  He hit .285/.341/.402 with five home runs and 45 RBIs and lead the team with 16 stolen bases.  Not bad numbers for a middle infielder at that time, particularly a second baseman.

FAVORITE ACQUISITION
Andre Dawson
Boston replaced the departed future Hall of Famer Wade Boggs with another future Hall of Famer.  Of course Dawson was well-past his prime by the time he came to Boston and his knees forced him into playing all but 20 of his games as the team's designated hitter.  He hit .273/.313/.425 with 13 home runs and 67 RBIs.

FAVORITE ROOKIE
Aaron Sele
Sele was the team's first selection in 1991 and made an immediate impact.  He finished the season with a 7-2 record and a 2.74 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 111.2 innings.  He finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year vote behind Tim Salmon and Jason Bere.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS
Roger Clemens
After a terrific 1992 season, a lot was expected of Roger Clemens in 1993.  Unfortunately this was probably his worst season in his career.  Clemens finished with a losing record for the first time, going only 11-14 with a 4.46 ERA and only 160 strikeouts in 191.2 innings, all his worst numbers since 1985, before he became the dominant pitcher he was.

Ivan Calderon
One of many new, talented players picked up by the Red Sox prior to the 1993 season, acquired in a trade with the Expos for Mike Gardiner and Terry Powers.  Calderon was acquired to man right field in case Carlos Quintana and Bob Zupcic were not up to the task.  However, Calderon was hurt and ineffective, playing only 73 games before being replaced by Rob Deer and hitting just .221/.291/.291 with one home run and 19 RBIs.

Busts Pt. 2: Ivan Calderon

Sometimes, offseason acquisitions work out. Sometimes they don't. Sometimes, they are spectacular failures.

IVAN CALDERON
Ivan Calderon was part of the big makeover of the Red Sox in 1993. He was brought in to play right field and designated hitter, sharing both positions with fellow new acquisition Andre Dawson. In the late 1980's/early 1990's, Calderon was viewed as a decent five tool player. He hit for power, could steal bases, had decent contact skills and a good batting eye, and he was pretty good in the field. Calderon was an All Star in 1991 while with the Expos, but he was injured for much of the year in 1992.

The Red Sox acquired him anyway, buying low on him and only giving up Terry Powers and Mike Gardiner, neither of whom did much after that. Calderon though, continued to have injury problems and only played in 73 games. He was still a good defensive player putting up a WAR number on defense of 1.0, but his hitting stats were atrocious. Calderon went .221/.291/.291 with only one home run and 19 RBIs. He did steal four bases, but was also caught twice. Calderon was released in August and hooked back up with the White Sox, but it was clear his career was over.

Calderon was murdered in 2003 when he was shot seven times in the back and head in a bar in Puerto Rico.