Top Offseason Acquisitions Each Year (1991-Present)

I got my first card of a new Red Sox player for 2023:

Getting Kenley Jansen for this year was a big deal.  Boston has lacked a true closer since Craig Kimbrel left the team as a free agent after the 2018 season.  Brandon Workman did a stellar job in 2019, but really was not a closer.  Matt Barnes took over for the most part after that, and he was an All Star, but again, he was better fit for a set-up role.  Jansen on the other hand, is a true closer.

So, was Jansen the biggest offseason acquisition for the Red Sox?  In one respect he was.  Jansen is a former All Star and there is some argument for him being a Hall of Fame candidate in the future.  He is not the most hyped acquisition coming into 2023, that honor goes to Masataka Yoshida, but he was the biggest sure thing.

Let's look at the Red Sox each year I have been following them.  I want to look at who had the most hype, who was the best that year, and who was the best long-term among the major acquisitions (which I am defining as Major League players, not prospects or minor-league deals).  Obviously, it is too soon to tell with 2023.

2022

MOST HYPE:  Trevor Story.  

BEST THAT YEAR:  Michael Wacha.  11-2, 3.32 ERA, 104 strikeouts

BEST LONG-TERM:  Too soon to tell.  It would almost have to be Story since he is the only one to play more than a year, but he has yet to play this season due to injury.

2021

MOST HYPE:  Enrique Hernandez?  Maybe?  None of the pick-ups were big stars.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Hunter Renfroe.  .259/.315/.501, 31 home runs, 96 RBIs

BEST LONG-TERM:  Enrique Hernandez.  He has not been great, but again, this is the only long-lasting acquisition.  Hernandez is still with the team, in his third year.

2020

MOST HYPE:  Alex Verdugo.  Verdugo was expected to help make up for the loss of Mookie Betts.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Verdugo.  .308/.367/.478, six home runs, 15 RBIs.  COVID season.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Verdugo.  Verdugo has been a consistent hitter, though he seems to just be coming into his own.  He is in his fourth year with the Red Sox.

2019

MOST HYPE:  Colten Brewer.  There were very few pick-ups at the Major League level in 2019.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Brewer.  1-2, 4.12 ERA, 52 strikeouts in 54.1 innings.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Brewer.  Like I said, it was not a big year for Boston getting new players.  He pitched three years in Boston, but only threw 81.1 innings.

2018

MOST HYPE:  J.D. Martinez.  

BEST THAT YEAR:  Martinez.  .330/.402/.629, 43 home runs, 130 RBIs.  All Star.  Two Silver Slugger Awards.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Martinez.  Five years, four All Star Games, Two Silver Sluggers.

2017

MOST HYPE:  Chris Sale.  Sale was one of the best pitchers in the league.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Sale.  17-8, 2.90 ERA, 308 strikeouts in 214.1 innings.  2nd in Cy Young vote.  All Star.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Sale.  He is in his sixth season, though he missed all of 2020.  Two-time All Star.

2016

MOST HYPE:  David Price.  Price was the largest free-agent contract in team history.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Price, slightly over Kimbrel.  Neither of the big pick-ups were great, but Price did go 17-9 with a 3.99 ERA and 228 strikeouts in 230 innings.  

BEST LONG-TERM:  Craig Kimbrel.  Price was a little disappointing, though his performance in the 2018 postseason was huge.  Kimbrel was a three-time All Star and a top closer in 2017 in particular.

2015

MOST HYPE:  Pablo Sandoval.  Sandoval was probably the biggest name among three major acquisitions.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Hanley Ramirez.  Sandoval was terrible.  Ramirez struggled after an injury, but hit .249/.291/.426 with 19 home runs and 53 RBIs.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Rick Porcello.  He also struggled in 2015, but won the Cy Young Award in 2016 and spent five seasons with the Red Sox.

2014

MOST HYPE:  Grady Sizemore.  Sizemore was a low-risk, high-reward signing who had been one of the top players in the league.  A.J. Pierzynski was probably considered more of a sure thing, but Sizemore was the big deal.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Burke Badenhop.  Not a big name, but Badenhop was a consistent bullpen arm with a 2.29 ERA in 70.2 innings.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Edward Mujica?  He is the only new acquisition that spent more than one year there, but he only pitched in 75 games in a bit more than one year.

2013

MOST HYPE:  Joel Hanrahan.  Among several low-end free agent signings, Hanrahan was supposed to be the big pick-up.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Koji Uehara.  Mike Napoli and Shane Victorino were very good, but Uehara was amazing.  He was 4-1 with a 1.09 ERA with 101 strikeouts in 74.1 innings and 21 saves.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Uehara.  He pitched four seasons in Boston with a 2.19 ERA.

2012

MOST HYPE:  Andrew Bailey.  Former Rookie of the Year closer.  Cost Boston Josh Reddick, among others.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Cody Ross.  Low-end contract, but hit .267/.326/.481 with 22 home runs and 81 RBIs.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Bailey never came close to what was expected of him, but he was also the only major acquisition to last more than a year.

2011

MOST HYPE:  Adrian Gonzalez.  Slightly over Carl Crawford.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Gonzalez.  .338/.410/.548, 27 home runs, 117 RBIs.  All Star, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Gonzalez.  Crawford was a major disappointment.  Gonzalez was mostly as-advertized.

2010

MOST HYPE:  John Lackey.  Lackey was the best pitcher on the free agent market.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Adrian Beltre.  .321/.365/.553, 28 home runs, 102 RBIs.  All Star.  Resurrected his career, which put him on the track to Cooperstown, albeit in Texas.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Lackey.  He was not great for the first two years and was injured all year in 2012, but had a terrific 2013, better postseason, and then was very good in 2014 before being traded.

2009

MOST HYPE:  John Smoltz.  Future Hall of Famer in his last Major League season.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Takashi Saito.  Always a consistent reliever, had a 2.43 ERA in 55.2 innings.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Ramon Ramirez.  Again, this is the only player who played more than a year.  Very good in 2009, not so much in 2010.

2008

MOST HYPE:  Sean Casey.  The Mayor was brought in to back up at first base.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Casey.  He was really the only choice.  He hit .322/.381/.392.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Casey.  He only played a year.

2007

MOST HYPE:  Daisuke Matsuzaka.  Boston spent a LOT of money to bring Matsuzaka to the U.S.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Hideki Okajima.  Matsuzaka was okay, but Okajima was mostly dominant in his first season.  He had a 2.22 ERA and was an All Star.

BEST LONG-TERM:  J.D. Drew.  I am a J.D. Drew fan.  He was an All Star (winning the MVP in that game) and hit .264/.370/.455 with 80 home runs and 286 RBIs in five seasons.

2006

MOST HYPE:  Josh Beckett.  Another ace acquired in a trade.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Mike Lowell.  While Beckett struggled in his first season in Boston, Lowell excelled.  He was acquired in the same trade as a throw-in, but hit .284/.339/.475 with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Beckett.  He was the ALCS MVP in 2007 and finished second in the Cy Young vote.  He was an All Star three times.

2005

MOST HYPE:  Edgar Renteria.  Expected to solidify shortstop after Nomar was traded.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Matt Clement.  13-6 with a 4.57 ERA with 146 strikeouts in 191 innings pitched.  He was an All Star and his numbers looked much better before he suffered an injury after being hit in the head with a line drive.  He was never the same after that.

BEST LONG-TERM:  David Wells.  Wells was already in his 40's when he signed with Boston, but he was still effective, and really good at throwing strikes.

2004

MOST HYPE:  Curt Schilling.  The third ace Boston acquired in an offseason trade in this post.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Schilling.  He was an All Star and finished second in the Cy Young vote while going 21-6 with a 3.26 ERA and 203 strikeouts in 226.2 innings.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Schilling.  In four seasons, he helped lead Boston to two World Championships.

2003

MOST HYPE:  Jeremy Giambi.  Jason's brother being traded to Boston gave an interesting twist to the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Bill Mueller.  .326/.398/.540, 19 home runs, 85 RBIs.  Silver Slugger. 

BEST LONG-TERM:  David Ortiz.  Giambi did not work out.  Ortiz definitely did.  Not much I really need to say about the man who turned into a Hall of Famer.

2002

MOST HYPE:  Johnny Damon.  Damon was going to bring much-needed speed to the Red Sox lineup.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Damon.  All Star and hit .286 with 30 stolen bases.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Damon.  Two-time All Star in four seasons and the face of the 2004 Red Sox.

2001

MOST HYPE:  Manny Ramirez.  At the time, he was the biggest free agent contract in team history.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Ramirez.  All Star and Silver Slugger.  Hit .306/.405/.609 with 41 home ryns and 125 RBIs.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Ramirez.  He actually lived up to his contract.  That is very rare with these huge contracts.  He was productive throughout the whole thing.

2000

MOST HYPE:  Carl Everett.  He was thought to be right on the cusp of stardom at the time.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Everett.  Often forgotten when talking about Everett's stint in Boston is how good he was in that first season.  He hit .300/.373/.587 with 34 home runs and 108 RBIs.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Everett.  Not much to choose from here.  Everett was not good in 2001, but no one else from that offseason made it that long.

1999

MOST HYPE:  Jose Offerman.  This was the year they lost Mo Vaughn.  Offerman was expected to offset the loss.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Offerman.  A slump in the second half led to some more pedestrian numbers, but he was terrific in the first half.  He was an All Star and hit .294/.391/.435.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Offerman.  Nobody else made it long.  Offerman played four seasons in Boston, but never came close to his numbers in 1999.

1998

MOST HYPE:  Pedro Martinez.  The fourth ace acquired in a trade in this post.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Martinez.  He finished second in the Cy Young vote.  He went 19-7 with a 2.89 ERA and 251 strikeouts in 233.1 innings.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Martinez.  He won two Cy Young Awards, and deserved more and was elected to the Hall of Fame.

1997

MOST HYPE:  Shane Mack, maybe?  Boston mostly picked up low-risk, high-reward former stars in 1997.  Mack was a sleeper to have a big season. 

BEST THAT YEAR:  Jim Corsi.  Mack hit .315, but in just 60 games.  Corsi was a reliable bullpen arm with a 3.43 ERA in 52 games.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Bret Saberhagen.  Saberhagen did not pitch much in 1997, but eventually contributed a 26-17 record and a 3.90 ERA over parts of four seasons.

1996

MOST HYPE:  Mike Stanley.  It's not often Boston grabs a Yankees free agent.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Stanley.  With apologies to Heathcliff Slocumb, Stanley had a great year at the plate.  He hit .270/.383/.506 with 24 home runs and 69 RBIs.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Tom Gordon.  Stanley was very good, but Gordon turned into one of the greatest closers in Red Sox history.  He was an All Star and had a Stephen King novel with his name in the title.

1995

MOST HYPE:  Jose Canseco.  Canseco was still very much a big deal in 1995, just a few seasons removed from being one of the biggest stars in the game.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Tim Wakefield.  I might be cheating a bit.  Wakefield was released in Spring Training and Boston picked him up.  He went 16-8 with a 2.95 ERA.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Wakefield.  He pitched with Boston through 2011.  

1994

MOST HYPE:  Otis Nixon.  Another time Boston brought in some speed.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Nixon.  He hit .274/.360/.317 and stole 42 bases.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Lee Tinsley.  Tinsley was mostly a backup in 1994, but became a starter in 1995, hitting .285.

1993

MOST HYPE:  Andre Dawson.  Boston replaced future Hall of Famer Wade Boggs with future Hall of Famer Dawson.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Scott Fletcher.  I am deferring to WAR here.  Fletcher hit .285 and was great defensively.  Dawson was very much past his prime.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Fletcher.  Not much to choose from.  Dawson was not good either year, Jeff Russell was very good in 1993, but bad in 1994.  Fletcher was similar.

1992

MOST HYPE:  Frank Viola.  Former Cy Young winner was paired with reigning Cy Young winner Roger Clemens.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Viola.  He was not great, but he still had a 13-12 record with a 3.44 ERA in 238 innings.

BEST LONG-TERM:  Viola.  He was even better in 1993, before suffering major injuries in 1994.  No real competition though.

1991

MOST HYPE:  Jack Clark.  Righty power hitter with great eye at the plate.  He essentially replaced Dwight Evans.

BEST THAT YEAR:  Clark.  Hit just .249, but had a .374 OBP, 28 home runs and 87 RBIs.  

BEST LONG-TERM:  Danny Darwin.  Darwin was not great in 1991, but decent in 1992 and shockingly good in 1993 when he led the league in WHIP and won 15 games.

A Wong-derful Mailday Pt. 2

I will come up with some better titles later, I promise.  But, this one works for what I have going on today.  

Here is the next batch of Connor Wong cards, with a LOT of high-end stuff.

Up first is a 2022 Panini Select Rookie Jumbo Gold patch card.  This is a pretty awesome patch that looks like it comes from one of the O's in the city name on the away jersey.  This card is numbered to just 10.  My Tzu-Wei Lin collection was notably missing relic cards.  Wong has quite a few of them.  This is already my second patch card.

One of the reasons Wong has SO many cards is that he appears in several of the insert sets in Panini Chronicles, each of which have several parallels of their own.  This is from the Contenders and is the Gold parallel.  Again, this is numbered to just 10.

Here is the Panini Prizm Rookie Autographs base version.  This card also has a number of parallels.

This is the Cracked Ice parallel of the first card.  It is patch card number three already and is serial-numbered to 25.  I was getting concerned about this card coming in.  I got an email notification that it had been delivered last Thursday, but took until Saturday to show up.

One of the sets from last year that I kind of ignored when it came out was Topps Chrome Sonic.  I viewed the premise as kind of strange and thought it was just yet another iteration of the flagship set.  So, I never really bothered to look at it much.  But, when I started this collection up, I had a chance to look at some of the parallels and they are kind of interesting.  This is the Black and White RayWave parallel, one of the less rare ones.

Here is my first Wong 1/1.  This is from Panini Prizm and is the Gold Vinyl parallel.  It took quite a while to add my first Lin 1/1, so Wong is a bit ahead of the curve here.  Prizm is one of those sets with possibly dozens of parallels.

Patch card number four also has an autograph and is from a home jersey.  This is actually the base version of the Panini National Treasures set.

One of the more interesting, and bizarre-looking, parallels from Prizm is this Snake Skin parallel.  It is serial-numbered to 50.  I kind of targeted this one because it is so strange looking.

The last card for this post is patch card number five.  I am not sure what that patch is there, I suspect it is from a minor league uniform, but I do not really know.  It is damn cool though.  I definitely like this one a lot.

That's it for now, but there are a LOT of Wong cards coming.  These are some of the more high-end cards for now.  

Another Forum Trade (Including Connor Wong)

Here is another forum trade.  This one was focused primarily on 2021 Bowman Draft.  I have probably discussed my feelings about Bowman Draft at some point around here.  If not, I guess I will today.  I am not the biggest fan of it.  It is overly expensive and a lot of the players may never play in the Majors.  So, I will get the base singles usually, and maybe some of the refractors, but it is never a focus.

1.  Xander Bogaerts.  Obviously not all of the cards are from Bowman Draft.  This is a decent action shot for Diamond Kings.  I am curious if Panini will release a Diamond Kings set this year.

2.  Tanner Houck.  Houck has been showing promise as a starting pitcher this year.  There was some question about whether he would be better out of the bullpen, but he has done really well so far.

3.  Kutter Crawford.  Crawford seems to have taken Houck's spot as a multi-inning reliever, as well as Josh Winckowski.

4.  Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz.  Rodriguez-Cruz was the Red Sox fourth-round pick in 2021.  He has been fairly impressive, but has not pitched a lot since he was drafted.

5.  Brainer Bonaci.  Bonaci is currently ranked 22nd on the Sox Prospects top prospects list.  He will likely be a utility infielder if he makes it to the Majors.

6.  Freddy Valdez.  Valdez was acquired from the Mets in the Andrew Benintendi deal.  He was supposed to have prodigious power, but that has not translated.  He has recently been transitioned into a pitcher.

7.  Triston Casas.  Here is a player that has actually made the Majors.  Casas is starting to come around at the plate, but it has been a little slow.

8.  Jeter Downs.  Another player who made the Majors, Downs is out of the Red Sox system now.

9.  Chih-Jung Liu.  Liu is currently in AA Portland.  He was an international free agent out of Taiwan and has had varying levels of success in the minors.  He does not look likely to make the Majors at this point.

10.  Tyler McDonough.  Another utility-type, McDonough had a good year in 2021, but has struggled since in the minors.

11.  Bobby Dalbec.  Interrupting the Draft cards is Dalbec, who got a short look in the Majors earlier this season, but has not been any more impressive with the bat.

12.  Nick Yorke.  Boston's first-round pick in 2020 came out of the gate raking, but then struggled last season.  This is sort of a make-or-break season for him.  If he struggles again, the leash might be short for him moving forward.  

13.  Brainer Bonaci.

14.  Freddy Valdez.

15.  Triston Casas.

16.  Jeter Downs.

17.  Chih-Jung Liu.

18.  Jarren Duran.  Duran has been impressive so far in the Majors, at the time that I am writing this.  He may have finally put it together.

19.  Rafael Devers.  I am up to 251 Devers cards with this one.  49 to go.

20.  Connor Wong.  Here we go.  I do not remember having this card as part of the deal.  So, this is exciting.  

21.  Jarren Duran.  

22.  Connor Wong.  This one I think was part of the deal.  So, that's two more Connor Wong cards for the collection.  I am now up to 19.

23.  Dustin Pedroia.  Pedroia will be eligible for the Hall of Fame for the first time next year.  It will be interesting to see what happens with him.

24.  Rafael Devers.  I love that Devers is shown in his City Connect uniform on this card.  Also, 48 to go.

25.  Jarren Duran.  With the way he has been playing, I am actually not complaining about getting so many of his cards.

26.  Bobby Dalbec.

27.  Roger Clemens.  Clemens will next be up for the Eras Committee ballot in 2027.

29.  Christian Arroyo.  Arroyo has been struggling a bit this season and could find himself the odd man out when Adalberto Mondesi and Trevor Story are ready.

30.  Triston Casas. 

31.  Tanner Houck.

32.  Trevor Story.  Story appears to be making progress and could be back by mid-season.

33.  Nomar Garciaparra.  Here is Nomar shown in a Trenton Thunder uniform.  Trenton was the AA team of the Red Sox during his time.  He did not have great numbers with Trenton, surprisingly.  He hit .267 with eight home runs and 35 stolen bases for them.

Your 1981 Red Sox Pt. 27: Dave Stapleton

In this series, I will look at each player who played in 1981, the year I was born. Because, why not?  

Dave Stapleton was coming off of a very successful rookie season in 1980.  Stapleton finished second in the Rookie of the Year vote, though distantly, to Cleveland Indians outfielder Joe Charboneau.  Stapleton played primarily at second base in 1980 and hit an impressive .321/.338/.463 with seven home runs and 45 RBIs and only struck out 32 times in 472 plate appearances.  He had been an impressive contact hitter in the minors as well, so there was reason to be optimistic about his career moving forward.

In the strike-shortened 1981 season, Stapleton had a good, but not great, season.  His average dipped almost 40 points to a still-respectable .285/.325/.423.  Most of his other numbers declined as well, except for his home runs (which increased to 10).  He played in 93 games, 13 fewer than in 1980, but that was more due to the strike.  He contributed 101 hits, 45 runs scored, 17 doubles, 42 RBIs and struck out just 22 times.  He continued to play steady defense and split time among third base, shortstop and second base, with some first base and outfield thrown in for good measure.

Unfortunately, Stapleton would continue to decline.  The next season, his power numbers again increased (28 doubles, 14 home runs, 65 RBIs), but his rate stats again declined (.264/.305/.398) in 150 games, primarily at first base.  He was excellent defensively at first, but those numbers are not going to cut it as a Major League first-baseman.  1983 again saw him play the bulk of the time at first, but his numbers again decreased to .247/.297/.363 with ten home runs and 66 RBIs, though he did hit a career-high 31 doubles.  It was his last season as anything close to a regular player.

Stapleton continued playing with the Red Sox through 1986, but never more than 39 games or 71 plate appearances.  He was relegated primarily to pinch-hitting or defensive replacement duties at first base.  He never hit another home run.  Stapleton was frequently used to replace Bill Buckner at first base late in games, but he was notably not used in Game 6 of the World Series.  Given his defensive gifts, it is unlikely he would have misplayed the ball Buckner did.  After the season, he signed a deal with the Mariners, but did not make it through Spring Training.  That was it for his career.

Forum Trade for the Wantlist

The second forum trade back was for a lot of 18 cards, all of which came off of my wantlist.

1.  Mookie Betts.  Yes, I am still getting Mookie cards.  There were three in this trade.  I have quite a few Betts cards on my wantlist still.  He was one of the most dynamic players the Red Sox have had during my lifetime.  There is still something to be said for that.

2.  Mookie Betts.

3.  Mookie Betts.

4.  Xander Bogaerts.  Bogaerts and Betts are neck-and-neck as far as number of cards in my collection.  Bogaerts has longevity on his side, Betts was just such a big star.

5.  Michael Chavis.  Chavis had a nice rookie season in 2019, but could never hit consistently after that.  He is currently with the Nationals.

6.  Roger Clemens.  I like these low-end inserts that A&G puts out each year with lots of different players.  

7.  Pedro Martinez.  Martinez appears in this trade even more than Mookie.  He still appears in a lot of sets every year for a player that has been retired since 2008.

8.  Pedro Martinez.

9.  Pedro Martinez.

10.  David Ortiz.  Here is another A&G insert.

11.  Ted Williams.  It is always nice to see The Splendid Splinter get new cards.

12.  Carl Yastrzemski.  Yaz too.

13.  Carl Yastrzemski.  I really like this shot of Yaz from the late 70's.  It is a little blurry, but it's not one I have seen a billion times before.

14.  Kevin Youkilis.  This card finished off this insert set.  Youk was one of my favorites when he was active.

15.  Steven Wright.  The one thing I don't really like about forum trades is how hard it is to get the obscure players.  A lot of people only want to list the stars because those are the players that attract attention, but as I have said a lot, I like player selection.  This is my first Wright card in a long time.  He was briefly a subject of a mini-player collection.

16.  Dustin Pedroia.  I like this picture of Pedroia here.

17.  Ted Williams.

18.  Pedro Martinez.  This is the fourth Martinez card in the trade.

The Next Couple Wong Cards

Here are a couple more Connor Wong cards from the recent binge.  These are both base cards, sort of.

1.  Finest Flashbacks.  This is one of my favorite photos of Wong so far, with the full catcher's gear (one thing that will become clear quickly is the number of times photos are re-used for different sets, but this one is only found in this set).  This set is designed after the 1995 Finest set.  I think these were only available online.  

2.  Panini Capstone.  I have said before that Panini's best cards are catcher cards in full gear.  You can fool yourself into believing they have an MLB license.  This is actually a short-printed card.  The scan does not show the unique texture of the card.

I am up to 15 Wong cards.  According to TCDB, I am tied for 9th place.  I will be moving quickly up the list, but #1 has more than 150 cards of him.  That seems ambitious at the moment, but I will see what happens.

I was pretty disappointed that I did not win one auction recently.  I was bidding on a printing plate that I was outbid on at the last moment.  That kind of sealed the deal for me for starting a new player collection.  I did not intend to get that invested.  Alas, that really frustrated me.

Donruss Optic Blaster

I have been really struggling with pulling Red Sox cards in packs lately.  I have not been able to open any 2023 products on my own, as my local Walmart has not gotten anything new, so I have been buying some Panini products from last year.  And I have had nothing to show for it in my Red Sox collection, hence why it has been several weeks since my last "pack breaks" post.

I bought two blasters the other day, Prizm and Donruss Optic.  The Prizm blaster was yet another bust.  Here is the Optic break:

All base cards, and no Connor Wong unfortunately, but it was a decent break considering there were just 30 cards in the box.

1.  Rafael Devers.  I was pretty surprised I did not have this one.  I have so many parallels I guess that this photo looked very familiar.  But, it is new to me.

2.  Trevor Story.  Like I said the other day, Story is sort of underrepresented in my collection and it always seems weird when I get a Red Sox card of him.

3.  Connor Seabold.  Wrong Connor.  Wong has a Rated Rookie card from this set that I did not have either, but I'm sure I will grab it eventually.

First Forum Trade in a Long Time

It took several weeks, but I managed to update my tradelist recently.  I wanted to start trading again.  I have several deals coming in, but this was the first one:

1.  Kutter Crawford.  Crawford is an intriguing arm who looks to be at home as a long man out of the bullpen.  This is my first autographed card of him.  Crawford looked really good at times, but struggled at others.  He did not start the year real well, but he is starting to come around.

2.  David Ortiz.  What is there to say about Ortiz?  This is a relic card from 2023's Topps set with the 1988 design.  It is a pretty good photo of him waiting on a pitch.  

One trade down, several to go.

A Wong-derful Mailday

Well, here we are.  It's the first official post with the subject of a new mini-player collection.  I decided on Connor Wong.  He's young enough and a promising player.  There are a couple of caveats:

1.  Obviously I will not be going for his Dodgers cards, just like with Jason Varitek's minor league cards in the Mariners organization and Steven Wright's Indians cards (during the short time I was focusing on him).  

2.  I do not think it is likely that I will be "super-collecting" him.  Wong already has nearly 800 cards with the Red Sox as a result of the absolutely insane number of parallels from each set he appeared in last year.  I want to get as many as I can during this time period, but I am not going to be spending hundreds of dollars tracking down each and every parallel.  I just want to get what I can.  

With all of that said, I have quite a few coming in.  Today, I have a few to show off:

My first high-end Wong card is this Panini Chronicles Spectra Neon Blue card.  It has an impressive three-color patch and an autograph.  This is serial-numbered to 99, which certainly helped me grab it for a decent price.

And here we have a couple of parallels.  The first is the Light Blue Select parallel.  The second is the Bowman Sky Blue parallel from Bowman.  It was not intentional that all three cards were some sort of blue parallel, but it worked out that way.  I bought several cheaper cards all in one shot, and not all of them were blue parallels.

So, here we go.  I will keep the Varitek collection going, as well as still trying to find Tzu-Wei Lin cards.  I just have a new focus for a little bit.  We will see how the season goes.

I guess if anyone out there has any that are not listed on the have list that is now one of the pages to the right of this post, I would love to trade.

I am Not Starting a New Mini-Player Collection

I am Not Starting a New Mini-Player Collection

I am Not Starting a New Mini-Player Collection

I am Not Starting a New Mini-Player Collection

I am Not Starting a New Mini-Player Collection

I am Not Starting a New Mini-Player Collection 

I am Not Starting a New Mini-Player Collection

I am Not Starting a New Mini-Player Collection

I am Not Starting a New Mini-Player Collection

I am Not Starting a New Mini-Player Collection

I am Not Starting a New Mini-Player Collection

I am Not Starting a New Mini-Player Collection

I am Not Starting a New Mini-Player Collection

I am Not Starting a New Mini-Player Collection

I am Not Starting a New Mini-Player Collection

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Damn it.

An Ebay Lot and the Jason Varitek Quest for 1,000: #992

I snagged another lot off of Ebay with a bunch of recent parallels, inserts and base cards from harder-to-find sets.  There were a few duplicates, but the majority of the cards were new to me, and the major reason I grabbed it was a new Jason Varitek card.  Once again, sorry for the scans.  I need a scanner.

1.  Chris Sale.  Sale is finally healthy this year.  His first couple starts have not been great, but he seems like he might be putting it together.  The Red Sox really need pitching, so if he can step up, it will be very helpful.

2.  Connor Wong.  I am really starting to like Wong.  He was injured most of Spring Training so he is still adjusting, but his defense has been impressive and he has surprising speed for a catcher.  I originally wanted him to start in the minors with Jorge Alfaro as the starting catcher, but I am quickly changing that opinion.

3.  Jarren Duran.  Duran looks like a different player this season.  Maybe he has finally put it all together and he can take advantage of his game-changing speed.  I love the photo here, celebrating a home run.

4.  J.D. Martinez.  There are quite a few Martinez cards in this lot.

5.  Bobby Dalbec.  Unlike Duran, it looks like Dalbec has still not been able to overcome his deficiencies.   He will likely be traded away like Michael Chavis was back in 2021.

6.  Xander Bogaerts.  There are quite a few Bogaerts cards in this lot.  That just means I will have to get that many more Rafael Devers cards to catch up.

7.  J.D. Martinez.  Martinez card #2 in the lot.

8.  J.D. Martinez.  Martinez card #3 in the lot.

9.  Chris Sale.  Sale card #2 in the lot.

10.  Trevor Story.  Story seems to be somewhat underrepresented in my collection.  His injury issues do not really help as it is often easy to forget he is even on the team.

11.  Trevor Story.  Story card #2 in the lot.

12.  Chris Sale.  Sale card #3 in the lot.

13.  Bobby Dalbec.  Dalbec card #2 in the lot.

14.  Triston Casas/Jarren Duran/C.J.Chatham.  Casas has had a slow start to the season.  Hopefully he will get it going.  Duran is on his second card in the lot.  Chatham was Boston's second round pick in 2016, but was cut loose a couple years ago.  He just never got it going.

15.  Blaze Jordan.  Jordan has a great name and massive power potential, but is still young and learning how to be a complete hitter.  It will be interesting to see whether he makes it to the Majors or not.

16.  Connor Wong.  This is Wong card #2 in the lot.

17.  Connor Wong.  This is Wong card #3 in the lot.  I will admit the number of Wong cards was a secondary reason to get this lot.  As I said, I am really beginning to like him.

18.  Jarren Duran.  This is Duran card #3 in the lot.

19.  Jarren Duran.  This is Duran card #4 in the lot.

20.  Jarren Duran.  This is Duran card #5 in the lot.

21.  Rafael Devers.  I needed that.  Not that I do not like getting Bogaerts cards, but I would prefer to get Devers cards.  I still have that 300 card goal.

22.  J.D. Martinez.  This is Martinez card #4 in the lot.

23.  Xander Bogaerts.  This is Bogaerts card #2 in the lot.

24.  Tommy Pham.  It was nice to add a Pham card too.  I liked him quite a bit and was somewhat disappointed Boston did not bring him back.

25.  Pedro Martinez.  I wonder sometimes about younger collectors' thoughts on pulling cards of retired players like this.  So many sets these days have retired players mixed in.  When I was getting into collecting, all of the sets seemed to have exclusively active players.  I think only Topps flagship is like that now, and it has a bunch of insert sets with retired players.

26.  Roger Clemens.  See?  Another one. 

27.  David Ortiz.  See?  Another one.  I love the moment this is from.

28.  Connor Seabold.  Seabold was extremely disappointing last season and was traded to the Rockies in the offseason.

29.  Carl Yastrzemski.  Here's another one.

30.  Ted Williams.  And another one.  I do love this picture though.

31.  Wade Boggs.  And another one.  This photo is interesting, showing Boggs with a bunch of chickens.  I cannot say I have seen this photo before.

32.  Alex Verdugo.  Verdugo has been the player I predicted he could be so far this season.  Plus, this card has the City Connect uniform.

33.  Jason Varitek.  And finally, Varitek card #992 is another parallel from 2021 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary.  Potentially a goldmine for finding more Varitek cards.  This is the Blue Prism Refractor.

Loyalty and Longevity Pt. 13: Dustin Pedroia

In this series, I look at players who played their entire Major League career with the Red Sox, as long as said Major League career lasted at least ten years.

It truly is a shame the way that Dustin Pedroia's career ended.  He had a very real chance of becoming a one-team Hall of Famer, something Boston has not had since Jim Rice.  

Pedroia was drafted by the Red Sox in the second round of the 2004 Draft.  He was the team's top pick as a result of losing their first-round pick to the Athletics as compensation for signing Keith Foulke as a free agent.  His cards had a bit of a strange start.  He appeared in the 2004 Donruss Elite Extra Edition set.  Sort of.  Cards with his name appeared, but the picture was actually of fellow draftee Cla Meredith.

This is NOT Dustin Pedroia

Pedroia moved quickly through the Red Sox system and made his Major League debut just two years after he was drafted.  Pedroia played in 31 games down the stretch in 2006, hitting .191/.258/.303 with two home runs and seven RBIs.  Nevertheless, Boston management seemed comfortable starting the 2007 season with Pedroia at second base.  He started extremely slowly and, after the first month of the season, fans were calling for him to be replaced.  Manager Terry Francona kept with the kid though, which eventually paid off.

Pedroia got going as the season went on, and ended up having a terrific rookie season that won him the Rookie of the Year.  His final numbers were .317/.380/.442 with eight home runs, 39 doubles, 86 runs scored, 50 RBIs and seven stolen bases.  He played steady defense and was the team's primary leadoff hitter.  He also hit two home runs in the postseason, including homering in his first World Series at-bat.  It was an impressive rookie season for the second-baseman, and the best was yet to come.

2008 saw Pedroia be named the A.L. MVP in his second season.  He is one of just two Red Sox players to win both the Rookie of the Year and MVP (Fred Lynn did it in the same season).  Pedroia led the league in runs scored (118), hits (213) and doubles (54).  He came in second in the batting race and hit .326/.376/.493 with 17 home runs, 83 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.  He was named to the All Star game for the first time and won both the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards.  He also hit three more home runs in the postseason, all of them in the ALCS against the Rays.  

Pedroia's numbers dipped a bit in 2009, but he still led the league in runs scored (115) and was named to his second All Star team.  He hit .296/.371/.447 with 15 home runs, 48 doubles, 72 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.  Still, it felt like a disappointing season.  Then, injuries struck for the first time in 2010, limiting Pedroia to just 75 games.  He still made the All Star team and hit .288/.367/.493 with 12 home runs, 41 RBIs and nine stolen bases.

He bounced back in a big way in 2011 and had what was likely his greatest season.  In 2011, Pedroia hit .307/.387/.474 with 195 hits, 102 runs scored, 37 doubles and a career-high 91 RBIs.  He also had a 20/20 season, which was overshadowed by Jacoby Ellsbury's 30/30 season (a first for a Red Sox player).  His 21 home runs and 26 stolen bases were also a career high.  Pedroia won his second Gold Glove Award and finished ninth in the MVP vote, but was somehow not an All Star.

2012 was a bad year for the Red Sox, but Pedroia was still a consistent contributor, hitting .290/.347/.449 with 81 runs scored, 15 home runs, 65 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.  The team was pretty bad though, so his contributions went largely unnoticed.

The Red Sox shocked the baseball world when they went from worst to first in 2013.  The team was built on good chemistry and solid role players.  Pedroia was one of the few stars on the team and he had a good season.  In a career-high 160 games played, Pedroia led the league in plate appearances (724) and hit .301/.372/.415 with 193 hits, 91 runs scored, 42 doubles, nine home runs, 84 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.  He was an All Star (his fourth) and won a Gold Glove (his third) and finished seventh in the MVP vote.

In 2014, injuries really began to take a toll on Pedroia.  His slight frame and tendency to play the game like he was on fire started to wear on him a bit.  He played in just 135 games in 2014 and his numbers suffered.  It was the only full season he had less than 100 OPS+ on the season (it was 99, so it was not a horrible season).  Pedroia hit just .278/.337/.376, his worst rate stats in a full season.  He had 33 doubles and seven home runs while stealing just six bases.  He still won his fourth Gold Glove though.

He missed even more time in 2015, playing in just 93 games, but his numbers improved markedly.  That year, he hit .291/.356/.441 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs.  

Pedroia had his last great, full season in 2016.  He was completely healthy for the first time since 2013 and played in 154 games.  He played well too.  He hit .318/.376/.449 with 201 hits, his second time with more than 200 hits, 105 runs scored, 36 doubles, 15 home runs, 74 RBIs and seven stolen bases.  He was no longer fast, but his defense was still strong.  He did not win the Gold Glove though and was also not an All Star.

He was playing reasonably well in 2017, but played just 105 games due to nagging injuries to his wrist and knee.  He hit .293/.369/.392 with seven home runs and 62 RBIs on the season and then had surgery on his knee in the offseason.  He was to start the 2018 season a little late.  Unfortunately, he was never able to fully get back to health.  Pedroia ended up playing in just nine games over the next two years.  He looked like he might be back in 2019 until he was spiked in the knee in a game against the Orioles (I still can't stand Manny Machado to this day).  He played just one more game.  He tried to make it back until deciding to retire in 2021.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Dustin Pedroia's Hall of Fame candidacy.  He was certainly one of the premier second-basemen in the American League during his career, even moreso after Robinson Cano's steroid suspension.  Had he been able to continue to play for a few more years at a reasonable pace, he likely would have a strong case.  As it is, his career spanned 14 seasons and he hit .299/.365/.439 with 1,805 hits, 394 doubles, 922 runs scored, 140 home runs, 725 RBIs and 138 stolen bases.  He was an All Star four times, won four Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger, the Rookie of the Year and MVP.  As it is, Pedroia is the best second-baseman in Red Sox history.  I still think he has a borderline shot at the Hall of Fame.  It's just a shame his career ended the way it did.