Underrated Player of the Year: 2007

In this series, I look at one player per year from 1991-the present who came out of nowhere or had a great year that no one really noticed or expected.

One of the biggest reasons that Boston was so successful in 2007 was their bullpen.  Anchored by Jonathan Papelbon and also featuring strong years from Hideki Okajima, Javier Lopez, and the ageless Mike Timlin, their bullpen was one of the best they have had in a long time.  2007 was also the second full season by Manny Delcarmen, the Boston native.  

Delcarmen pitched in just 44 games due to starting the season in Pawtucket, but he made it to the Red Sox to stay in mid-June and made a big impact.  Delcarmen pitched to a very impressive ERA of 2.05 and struck out 41 in 44 innings against 17 walks.  He also finished with a nice WHIP of 1.023.  It was a very strong season and Delcarmen made the case to become the principal right-hander out of the pen for the next couple of years.    

Delcarmen was effective again in 2008 as the main setup man but then began to falter in 2009.  He struggled in 2010 before being traded to the Rockies.  It was his last year in the Majors.  Delcarmen has been bouncing from team to team trying to make it back since.

Season in Review: 1995

1995 was another abbreviated season as the strike continued to early in the year.  Replacement players reported to Spring Training, some of whom would eventually make it back to the Majors later.  There was no free agency between the seasons so all of the new players were acquired in trades.  Boston was very active on that front as there was a massive overhaul of the team.  It was successful as they won the AL East with an 86-58 record under Kevin Kennedy for the first time.

Boston played the juggernaut Indians in the ALDS and were swept in three games.

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS
Mo Vaughn
The 1995 AL MVP won the award mostly due to the fact that he was not a complete asshole like Albert Belle who actually had vastly superior numbers.  Vaughn was probably elected the MVP due to his intangibles more than his numbers, though he certainly had good numbers.  Vaughn hit .300/.388/.575 with 39 home runs and tied for the league lead for RBIs with 126.  He also shockingly stole 11 bases in 1995.

John Valentin
As good as Vaughn was, Valentin was probably better, certainly because he played a tougher position.  Valentin hit .298/.399/.533 with 27 home runs and 102 RBIs.  He also stole 20 bases becoming the first Red Sox 20/20 man since Ellis Burks.  He was also very good defensively.  He lead the Majors in WAR in 1995, which was not really a thing at that time.  It was a terrific season that has mostly gone unnoticed.  He did win the Silver Slugger and finished ninth in the MVP race.  Had it happened around this time, he may have won it.

Roger Clemens
Clemens did not have a great year in 1995.  He was injured the first part of the year and he did finish the year with a 10-5 record.  He also struck out 132 batters in 140 innings pitched, but his ERA was a decidedly unimpressive 4.18.  It was a good thing that Boston had other pitchers to pick up the slack.

Tim Naehring
After years of being so close to cracking the starting lineup, Naehring finally got a chance to prove himself in 1995.  He became the full-time third-baseman after the trade of Scott Cooper to the Cardinals and instantly responded.  Naehring hit .307/.415/.448 with ten home runs and 57 RBIs, all the while playing good defense.  Naehring looked to be a rising star in 1995.

Mike Greenwell
Greenwell managed to put together a fairly successful season as well.  He hit .297/.349/.402 with 15 home runs and 76 RBIs.  It was a fairly typical year for the Gator.

HONORABLE MENTION
Lee Tinsley
Tinsley became the starting center fielder after Otis Nixon was traded away, though he had a couple of threats to his job in the acquisition of Willie McGee and the rise of Dwayne Hosey.  His numbers were not bad, but Boston never seemed to totally trust him.  He ended the season with a .284/.359/.402 line and seven home runs, not bad numbers for a leadoff hitter.  He also stole 18 bases.

FAVORITE ACQUISITIONS
Jose Canseco
My young mind was blown when Boston traded for Jose Canseco, one of the biggest stars I was aware of when I started watching baseball.  And he was not that far removed from those days.  Canseco struggled through some injuries but put up some big numbers when he was healthy.  He ended the year with a .306/.378/.556 line with 24 home runs and 81 RBIs.

Tim Wakefield
Wakefield had been a success for the Pirates in 1992 but struggled the next couple of years.  He was a low-risk, high-reward reclamation project.  It definitely paid off in 1995 as Wakefield finished third in the Cy Young race and 13th in the MVP race.  He struggled a bit down the stretch, otherwise he would have won the Cy Young.  He finished the season 16-8 with a 2.95 ERA and 119 strikeouts, a great season for the knuckleballer.

Erik Hanson
Hanson started out the season as the most reliable Red Sox starter and quietly put together a very good season.  He was named to the All Star team for the first time, though he never pitched in the game.  He finished the year 15-5 with a 4.24 ERA and 139 strikeouts.

Troy O'Leary
Another low-risk, high-reward signing, O'Leary was waived by the Brewers and picked up when Mark Whiten was struggling.  O'Leary ended up hitting .308/.355/.491 with ten home runs and 49 RBIs.  They were not great numbers, but for his first real crack at a Major League job, they were nothing to sneeze at.

FAVORITE MIDSEASON ACQUISITION
Rick Aguilera
1995 was the first year I was really aware of the trading deadline.  I realized that Jeff Reardon was traded away and Rob Deer was acquired at the deadlines, but this was the year I really learned about it.  Boston was contending but Ken Ryan was failing as a closer, so they sent top prospect Frank Rodriguez to the Twins for Aguilera who ended up compiling 20 saves for the Red Sox and really helped them make the playoffs.  Of course he returned to the Twins after the season.

FAVORITE ROOKIE
Vaughn Eshelman
Eshelman had a very good start to his career, winning his first three Major League games, not bad for a Rule V pick.  He ended the season with a 6-3 record and a 4.85 ERA.  Not bad, but certainly not great numbers for the rookie southpaw.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS
Mark Whiten
I had high hopes for Mark Whiten.  Two years before, he hit 25 home runs for the Cardinals.  He was picked up in the trade for Scott Cooper.  Both Cooper and Whiten disappointed for their new teams.  Whiten was hurt a lot and ended up hitting only .185/.239/.241 with just one home run in 32 games.  He was eventually traded for Dave Hollins who played just five games for Boston.

Aaron Sele
Sele pitched on Opening Day and was expected to bust loose for the Red Sox after two decent seasons to start his career.  Unfortunately he was shut down with a season-ending injury early on and only ended up pitching in six games for the Red Sox in 1995.

PLAYOFF HERO
Luis Alicea
Alicea had a decent year all the way around in 1995 but he really shined in the ALDS.  He had six hits in only ten at-bats and also had two walks, ending up with a line of .600/.667/1.000.  He also had a home run, a double, and an RBI.  Boston had a miserable ALDS, but it was not Alicea's fault.

PLAYOFF GOAT
Mo Vaughn
Vaughn was quite frankly, terrible in the 1995 ALDS.  He did not have a single hit and struck out seven times in 14 at-bats.  Miserable numbers that did not help the team at all.

Ryan Westmoreland Retires

Red Sox prospect Ryan Westmoreland has retired.  Westmoreland joins the ranks of players like Harry Agganis and Tony Conigliaro.  Players with a wealth of natural talent that unfortunately were not able to realize their potential due to health issues.  Of course Westmoreland is luckier than Agganis, who died due to his condition.  Westmoreland will still be able to enjoy a fulfilling life and it is a testament to his personality that he has been able to look at the bright side of the whole situation.  Westmoreland transcends baseball.  I wish him all the luck.

03/07/2013 Red Sox 12 Twins 5

Pretty big offensive game for the Red Sox.  Mike Napoli homered and had two hits.  Jackie Bradley Jr., Dustin Pedroia, and Drew Sutton all had two hits apiece.  Unfortunately Joel Hanrahan imploded again.

Player of the Game: Clay Buchholz (3 IP, 2 hits, 4 strikeouts)

03/06/2013 Pirates 9 Red Sox 3

Jon Lester looked good, unfortunately Rubby De La Rosa, the gem from the big Dodgers trade did not.

Player of the Game: Pedro Ciriaco (2 for 4, run, stolen base)

03/05/2013 Red Sox 4 Puerto Rico 3

The Red Sox played the Puerto Rico WBC team in an exhibition  Puerto Rico has a number of stars such as Angel Pagan, Carlos Beltran, and Yadier Molina, so it was encouraging when John Lackey shut them down in his start.

Player of the Game: Ryan Lavarnway (3 for 3, 1 run, 2 doubles)

03/04/2013 Red Sox 5 Rays 1

Felix Doubront made his Spring debut.  He was a little rusty with a couple of walks, but he should come around.  Hopefully he builds on his rookie season.

Player of the Game: Jose Iglesias (2 for 2, 2 doubles, run).  I really want Iglesias to hit well enough to make Stephen Drew expendable.  Not that I dislike Drew, but Iglesias is so much fun to watch on defense.

03/03/2013 Yankees 5 Red Sox 2

The first game against the Yankees and Joel Hanrahan imploded.  Not a great sign.  Mike Napoli hit a home run though, so that's good.

Player of the Game: Ryan Dempster (3 IP, 1 H, 2 strikeouts)

1991 Topps #94 John Dopson

In this series, I look at my first team set: 1991 Topps.  This was the set I started my baseball card collection with.

John Dopson had a very good year in 1989 at 25 years old and looked like he could develop into a fairly decent starter.  Unfortunately it did not work out that way and in 1990, Dopson only pitched in four games.  He pitched well in those games, he was 0-0 but had a 2.04 ERA.  He did walk as many as he struck out however, and of course walks were one of his biggest issues preventing him from being a better pitcher.  Injuries also derailed his career as he would only pitch in one game in 1991.

Underrated Player of the Year: 2006

In this series, I look at one player per year from 1991-the present who came out of nowhere or had a great year that no one really noticed or expected. 

The trade that brought Wily Mo Pena to Boston was not a particularly good one.  The Red Sox sent Bronson Arroyo who was starting to make a name for himself after a decent 2005 to the Reds for Pena.  The Red Sox needed some more offense and thought they had a surplus of starting pitching and Arroyo was signed to a reasonable contract.

However, Pena had a decent season in 2006.  He definitely provided the power that the Red Sox hoped for, with 11 home runs in only 84 games.  He also provided a decent batting average and on-base percentage, ending up with a slash line of .301/.349/.489.  

He could always hit, but he had more than a few adventures on the fielding side of things.  Pena was pressed into full-time duty when Coco Crisp went down with an injury.  He was miscast as a center fielder during this period.

I saw Pena play in Kansas City that year and he absolutely crushed a home run that nearly left the stadium.

Unfortunately Pena would not play nearly as well in 2007 and he was eventually traded to the Nationals for Chris Carter.

03/02/2013: Red Sox 2 Twins 1

Player of the Game: Juan Carlos Linares (2 for 4, home run, run, RBI).  Linares is getting old for AAA at 28.  It is pretty likely that he will never really make an impact at the Major League level.

03/01/2013 Red Sox 5 Pirates 2

This was a much cleaner game than the night before.  It also featured the Spring debut of Mike Napoli for the Red Sox.  By the way, these things will be longer and more detailed when the regular season starts.  Spring games are pretty meaningless.

Player of the Game: Dustin Pedroia (2 for 2, run, 2 RBIs)

One-Year Wonder Pt. 14: Bill Hall

Every once in awhile, the Red Sox pick up a veteran player for a year, or just the stretch run that was a star at one point that I become fascinated with. It's a player that is basically only a role player at that point in their career, but may show flashes of their old brilliance. It's so unusual to see them as a member of the Red Sox, that I try to find as many of their cards as possible. This series will be about some of those players.

BILL HALL
Bill Hall was acquired in a trade with the Mariners in January of 2010 for Casey Kotchman.  The Mariners picked up most of Hall's salary, and that turned into one of the best deals the Red Sox made that year.  

Hall was extremely versatile, playing every position but right field, first base, catcher, and designated hitter.  His batting average was not terribly high, and neither was his on-base percentage, but his versatility, power, and speed were all important to the team.  Hall hit .247/.316/.456 with 18 home runs and 46 RBIs.  He also stole nine bases.  He was an important piece, all the more so due to the extreme number of injuries Boston suffered in 2010.  He was able to cover for injuries to Dustin Pedroia, Mike Cameron, and Jacoby Ellsbury.

I was disappointed after the year that Boston did not bring him back.  But he played well enough to get a starting role and the Astros picked him up.

02/28/2013 Red Sox 16 Pirates 6

The Red Sox walked 15 times today.  Hopefully that is more of a sign of the patience of the Red Sox hitters than the wildness of the Pirates' pitchers.  We will see.

Player of the Game: Jackie Bradley Jr (3 for 5, 3 runs, stolen base).   Bradley may force the Red Sox to find a spot for him right away.

02/27/2013: Orioles 5 Red Sox 3

Junichi Tazawa has had a rough spring so far.  Hopefully he'll get back on track.  I would love to see him stick in the Major Leagues all year, especially after his incredible season last year.

Player of the Game: Pedro Ciriaco (2 for 4, 3B, RBI)

02/26/2013: Cardinals 15 Red Sox 4

Rough game today.  It's only Spring Training though, so not a big deal.

Player of the Game:  Ryan Dempster (2 IP, 0 hits, 2 strikeouts)

Busts Pt. 20: Daisuke Matsuzaka

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

DAISUKE MATSUZAKA
We can talk about this now.  Matsuzaka was the subject of the highest posting fee in baseball history to that point.  The Red Sox paid $51,111,111.11 just to talk to Matsuzaka about playing for them.  They outbid the Rangers, Mets, and Yankees among other teams.  Matsuzaka was supposed to be an ace for whoever got him.  They then signed him for a $52 million, six-year contract.  It was the highest contract anyone ever got coming from Japan.

2007 proved to be a reasonably decent rookie year.  Matsuzaka pitched to a 15-12 record with a 4.40 ERA and 201 strikeouts in 204.1 innings.  Not bad, but not quite what was expected.  He finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year vote and won Game 3 of the World Series.  He even helped himself with a two-run single.  All in all it was a fairly successful season.

His 2008 season was even better.  He won 18 games against just three losses and a 2.90 ERA with 154 strikeouts in 167.2 innings.  He finished fourth in the Cy Young race.  He did show a tendency to nibble at the corners at the plate and throw a lot of pitches.  But nonetheless, his numbers looked great on paper.  He looked like he could be the great pitcher the Red Sox thought they were getting.

In 2009 however, the injuries and tendency to throw a lot of pitches started to accumulate.  The next four seasons saw his numbers dramatically decline.  He pitched in only 56 games over the next four years with a 17-22 record and a 5.53 ERA with 254 strikeouts.

At the end, the injuries and the number of pitches did him in.  When he was aggressive, he was good, when he nibbled he had a tendency to get hit hard.  The money just was not worth it at the end.  

02/25/2013: Red Sox 4, Blue Jays 2; Rays 6, Red Sox 3

Today the Red Sox played two split-squad games, one against the new-look Blue Jays and R.A. Dickey, and the other against the Rays.  Boston countered Dickey with their own knuckleballer, Steve Wright.

Player of the Game (Blue Jays): Jackie Bradley Jr. (3 for 3, double, RBI, run)

Player of the Game (Rays): Dustin Pedroia (1 for 3, home run)

1991 Topps #70 Ellis Burks

In this series, I look at my first team set: 1991 Topps.  This was the set I started my baseball card collection with.

Ellis Burks was one of my favorite players early on.  He was a rare power/speed threat for the Red Sox at the time.  Burks won the Gold Glove and the Silver Slugger in 1990.  He hit .296/.349/.486 in 1990.  He lead the team with 21 home runs, 89 RBIs, and nine stolen bases.  His stolen bases were down quite a bit, and he was caught eleven times.  He also made his first All Star team.  He looked like a rising star at only 25 years old.  Unfortunately he would have two injury-riddled, down seasons before Boston let him go.  

Season in Review: 1994

1994 was the year of the strike.  There was no postseason and no World Series.  As a young fan this was devastating.  I was only 13 years old at the time.  I did not really understand what was going on and I kept hoping they would come back and finish the season.  But they did not.  Boston was fairly underwhelming that year, going 54-61 under Butch Hobson.  It was Hobson's last season as manager.

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS:
Mo Vaughn
Vaughn was on the verge of an even better year than his 1993 season.  At the time of the strike he was hitting .310/.408/.576 with 26 home runs and 82 RBIs.  He could have easily broken his career marks with a full season.  He was becoming an offensive force for the Red Sox by this point.  And the best was yet to come.

John Valentin
By this point, Valentin was one of the most underrated players in baseball.  Valentin was hitting .316/.400/.505 with nine home runs and 49 RBIs.  His biggest moment of the 1994 season was turning an unassisted triple play.

Roger Clemens
He did not have a great record, but for the most part Clemens was back to his usual form.  He only finished 9-7 but Boston was not terribly good that year.  He did finish second in the league with a 2.85 ERA and 168 strikeouts.  So for the most part it was back to being a dominant pitcher for Clemens.

Scott Cooper
Cooper had his second straight All Star selection in 1994 and his numbers for the most part were better.  He was hitting .282/.333/.453 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs.  He also hit for the cycle against the Royals.  I remember listening to that game on the radio, I lived close enough to Kansas City to hear the games on the radio.

Andre Dawson
Dawson was definitely on his last legs as a Major Leaguer by this point, but I still enjoyed watching him because I knew he would be in the Hall of Fame some day.  His batting line was a less than impressive .240/.271/.466, but he did hit 16 home runs.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Aaron Sele
Following up his successful rookie season, Sele emerged as a decent number two starter for Boston.  His record was only 8-7 but he did pitch to a 3.83 ERA and 105 strikeouts.

Tom Brunansky
Bruno was re-acquired in a trade with the Brewers early in the season for Dave Valle after right-fielder Billy Hatcher was traded to the Phillies.  Bruno helped to add some offense, something that was lacking for the team that season.  He finished the season hitting .237/.319/.475 with ten home runs.  He was done as a Major Leaguer after 1994.

Mike Greenwell
Greenwell was hurt often in 1994, playing only 95 games.  His numbers were down to .269/.348/.453 but he did hit 11 home runs.

FAVORITE ACQUISITION
Otis Nixon
I had been watching the Red Sox for only four years as of 1994, and the most stolen bases in one season I had seen was Scott Fletcher's 16 in 1993.  So I was excited to see Otis Nixon acquired by the Red Sox.  Finally they had someone who could steal a lot of bases.  Nixon hit .274/.360/.317 in 1994.  His OBP and average were actually better than his career numbers, so it was a successful season for him.  He stole 42 bases and would have easily broken the team record if not for the strike.

FAVORITE ROOKIE
Rich Rowland
Acquired in a trade prior to the season for catcher John Flaherty.  Rowland had played in September in each of the prior four seasons and finally got a chance to play in 1994.  He became the backup to Damon Berryhill but showed some impressive power, hitting nine home runs with a .483 slugging percentage in 46 games.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS
Dave Valle
Valle was acquired as part of a complete catcher overall in 1994.  Gone were Tony Pena, Bob Melvin, and John Flaherty.  Valle, Berryhill, and Rowland were all new to the organization.  Valle was expected to be the starter, but only hit .158/.256/.250 and was shipped to the Brewers for Brunansky.

Greg Harris
One year after a great season out of the bullpen, Harris's ERA ballooned to 8.28.  The amount of work the season prior must have taken a toll on the 38 year old.