My 2024 Predictions

I was looking back at previous posts and remembered that I made some predictions about the 2024 team.  I guess out of lack of anything better to do tonight, let's re-visit those and see how I did:

WILYER ABREU

2024 Prediction: Abreu will turn out to be the best player Boston got in the Christian Vazquez deal, becoming the regular right-fielder by mid-season.

WELL?: Yep, I got this one right.

CHASE ANDERSON

2024 Prediction: Anderson will not even be with this team by May 1. He will only have a couple of mop-up appearances and a bloated ERA.

WELL?: Not quite. Anderson did okay for a little while and was a mop-up man for awhile. Injuries slowed him down and he was eventually released, but not until August.

BRAYAN BELLO

2024 Prediction: Bello will make big strides toward becoming a potential ace and win 15 games.

WELL?: Not really. He did win 14 games, but he did not look like a potential ace.

ISAIAH CAMPBELL

2024 Prediction: Campbell will turn out to be the best under-the-radar pick-up for the team in 2024 and be a valuable member of the bullpen.

WELL?: Not even close. He started okay, but ended up in just eight games with a 16.20 ERA.

TRISTON CASAS

2024 Prediction: Casas will have his first season with 30 home runs.

WELL?: Nope. Injuries happened. He ended up with just 13.

KUTTER CRAWFORD

2024 Prediction: Crawford will become Boston's #2 pitcher, finishing with 12 wins and an ERA below 3.50.

WELL?: Sort of? One could make the argument he was the #2 pitcher, but he did not have 12 wins or an ERA below 3.50.

BOBBY DALBEC

2024 Prediction: This year is the end of the road for Dalbec in Boston, and possibly very early.

WELL?: I don't get any joy out of this, but I was right this was it for Dalbec in Boston. He did make it through the year though.

RAFAEL DEVERS

2024 Prediction: Ho-hum, just another 30 homer/100 RBI season for Devers.

WELL?: Close. 28 home runs and 83 RBIs.

JARREN DURAN

2024 Prediction: Duran will steal the second-most bags in a single season in Red Sox history. The number to beat is 54.

WELL?: Nope. He had a great year, but in a completely different way than I was expecting. He only stole 34 bases though.

TANNER HOUCK

2024 Prediction: Houck will be the closer by the end of the season.

WELL?: No. I was not expecting an All Star season as a starter.

KENLEY JANSEN

2024 Prediction: Jansen will be traded at the Trading Deadline, but will be an All Star before he goes.

WELL?: Wrong on both accounts, but he had a fine season.

CHRIS MARTIN

2024 Prediction: Martin has another ridiculously good season and actually gets his first card since 2020.

WELL?: Yes, mostly. I wouldn't call it a ridiculously good season, but it was good and he did get his first card.

REESE MCGUIRE

2024 Prediction: McGuire's numbers continue to slide and he is released by the end of the season.

WELL?: Another one I don't feel good about, but I was correct. McGuire had a 63 OPS+ and was set loose in September.

TYLER O'NEILL

2024 Prediction: O'Neill has a renaissance season in 2024, but is traded at the deadline.

WELL?: He did hit 31 home runs, but he was not traded, so half credit.

NICK PIVETTA

2024 Prediction: Pivetta has another solid season, but is also traded at the deadline.

WELL?: I really thought Boston would move more players than they did. Wrong on that, but he did have a solid season.

CEDDANNE RAFAELA

2024 Prediction: Rafaela contends for the A.L. Rookie of the Year and wins a Gold Glove in his rookie season.

WELL?: Nope. A cold stretch in the second half and spending half the season at shortstop kept him from doing either one. Oddly Abreu did both of these.

PABLO REYES

2024 Prediction: Reyes will be a valuable utility infielder.

WELL?: Reyes did not play well and was released, so no.

JOELY RODRIGUEZ

2024 Prediction: Rodriguez will be the first player to be dropped from the roster and Brennan Bernardino will be brought back.

WELL?: Yes. After 14 games and a 5.93 ERA, Rodriguez was cut.

JUSTIN SLATEN

2024 Prediction: Slaten, a Rule 5 pick, will stay on the roster all season and gradually work into more of a trustworthy arm out of the bullpen.

WELL?: This is probably the most random one I was correct about. Slaten had a great rookie season, when he was healthy.

TREVOR STORY

2024 Prediction: Story has a 20/20 season and wins a Gold Glove.

WELL?: Looks like I was a year early. Story spent most of the season on the IL again.

ENMANUEL VALDEZ

2024 Prediction: Valdez hits well, but his defensive problems make it impossible to keep him on the roster and he is eventually traded.

WELL?: He did not hit well, but he was traded away in the offseason.

GREG WEISSERT

2024 Prediction: Weissert becomes a fan favorite and makes the Verdugo trade worthwhile.

WELL?: This was basically correct. Weissert had a good season.

GARRETT WHITLOCK

2024 Prediction: Whitlock solidifies his place in the rotation and wins 12 games.

WELL?: He started off well with a 1.96 ERA in four starts, but then hit the IL and never made it back. He only won one game.

JOSH WINCKOWSKI

2024 Prediction: Winckowski becomes one of the team's setup men with another strong season.

WELL?: Nope. He was okay, but a 4.14 ERA is not getting it done.

CONNOR WONG

2024 Prediction: Wong is an All Star in 2024.

WELL?: This was optimistic, but Wong was hitting .307/.367/.443 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs at the break, so he certainly COULD have been an All Star.  So, even though I was wrong, it wasn't the worst prediction.

MASATAKA YOSHIDA

2024 Prediction: Yoshida contends for the batting title in 2024.

WELL?: He hit .280, while the leader hit .332. Yoshida was not in the top ten.

So, I am probably not in any danger of starting a psychic hotline.  I got most of the guys who got released correct, which is not exactly positive.  My best guesses were Chris Martin, Wilyer Abreu, Greg Weissert and Justin Slaten.  The worst prediction was probably Isaiah Campbell.

Red Sox With No Cards: 2022

After the surprisingly successful 2021 season, the Red Sox stumbled in 2022, finishing 78-84 and missing the postseason.  Injuries were an issue as only five position players appeared in more than 100 games.  There was a lot of player movement.  Short-term players who made it onto cardboard included Eric Hosmer and Eduard Bazardo.  John Schreiber appeared in the 2021 post which was posted before the 2024 season when he finally appeared in a Red Sox uniform on a card, so he will not appear here.  Then there were the players below:

ABRAHAM ALMONTE

The definition of a journeyman, Almonte played for the Mariners, Padres, Indians, Royals, Diamondbacks, Padres again and Braves before appearing with the Red Sox.  Then he played with the Mets the next season.  He also never played more than 82 games in a season.  Almonte has his contract purchased in July of 2022 from the Brewers (who he never actually played for).  He made it into 15 games with the Red Sox and hit .257/.297/.400 with a homer, two doubles and two RBIs.  He also stole a base.  He played reasonably well for Worcester, hitting .291 with seven homers.  He signed with the Mets the next season.  He has not played in the Majors since.  

YU CHANG

There was a time when Chang looked like a potential regular player.  In 2021 with the Indians, he hit .228/.267/.426 with nine homers and 39 RBIs in 89 games.  The next season he appeared in games with four teams: the Indians, Pirates, Rays and the Red Sox.  Chang's strength was always his versatility as he appeared at every infield position, designated hitter and even pitcher.  The Red Sox snagged him off of waivers from the Rays in September and he played in eleven games.  He hit .150/.346/.250 with two doubles and an RBI.  He played shortstop in every game for the Red Sox.  Chang will also appear in the 2023 post, so that is all I will say for now.

TYLER DANISH

Danish had kind of an odd career.  A second-round draft pick of the White Sox in 2013 out of high school, he made his Major League debut at just 21 years of age in 2016.  He bounced back and forth between the Majors and Minors for the next three seasons with the White Sox, pitching seven games in 2018.  Then, he moved around a lot, appearing in the systems of the Angels and Mariners before finally making it back to the Majors in 2022 with the Red Sox.  Danish appeared in 32 games with the Red Sox as a middle reliever.  He threw 40.1 innings with a 5.13 ERA and a record of 3-1.  He struck out 32 and walked 12.  That was the last time Danish appeared in the Majors, but he did some more moving around, going to the Yankees, Nationals and Rockies organizations.  He has not appeared in a game in 2025, but is just 30 years old.  Danish does have a minor league card in the Red Sox organization.

AUSTIN DAVIS

This is Davis's second appearance in one of these posts.  He was acquired in a mid-season deal in 2021 in which Boston gave up former first-round pick Michael Chavis to the Pirates.  Davis was a weapon down the stretch in 2021.  He was not as good in 2022 though.  The southpaw appeared in 50 games for the Red Sox, throwing 54.1 innings, but his ERA ballooned to 5.47.  He did notch 61 strikeouts, but also gave up 29 walks.  His struggles increased as the season went on and he was waived at the end of August.  He caught on with the Twins and made it into two more games.  Davis did not appear again in the Majors until pitching seven games with the Padres in 2024, and that has been it to date.

JAYLIN DAVIS

Davis was a 24th-round pick by the Twins in 2015, but didn't make his Major League debut until 2019 with the Giants.  He was part of the trade for the Twins to acquire Sam Dyson in 2019.  Davis made it to the Majors for a handful of games in each of the next two seasons after 2019 with the Giants.  He was placed on waivers in April of 2022 and the Red Sox snagged him.  He spent most of the season in the minors, but made the most of his opportunity when he was in the Majors.  Davis played in 12 games with Boston and hit .333/.407/.375.  He had eight hits, four runs scored, a double and two RBIs.  His numbers in the minors were not as impressive.  Davis hooked on with the Mets organization in 2023, but never appeared in the Majors again.  Davis does have a minor league card in the Red Sox organization in 2022.

JAKE DIEKMAN

The Nebraska-born southpaw Diekman had the longest career out of any of the players in this post, spanning 13 years and nine teams.  He also pitched for the Phillies, Rangers, Diamondbacks, Royals and Athletics prior to 2022 with the Red Sox and has since pitched for the White Sox, Rays and Mets.  Diekman was once a part of the deal that sent Cole Hamels to the Rangers.  Diekman signed as a free agent with the Red Sox during Spring Training.  He had a fast start, striking out Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Joey Gallo to save a one-run game against the Yankees early in the season.  Unfortunately, that success did not continue the entire season.  Diekman appeared in 44 games with a 5-1 record, throwing 38.1 innings with a 4.23 ERA.  He struck out 51, but walked 30 and picked up a save (the one I mentioned against the Yankees).  Diekman was traded to the White Sox on August 1 in the deal that brought Reese McGuire to Boston.  He has not appeared in a game in 2025 after being released by the Braves in Spring Training.  

JEURYS FAMILIA

Probably the biggest "star" in this post is Familia, who is the only player in this post who has ever been named to an All Star team.  Familia was an All Star in 2016 with the Mets when he led the league with 51 saves and had a 2.55 ERA.  Familia had been a terrific closer with the Mets, saving 124 games with them, primarily between 2015 and 2016.  After he lost the closer role, he was sent to the A's to finish out the 2018 season then returned to the Mets in 2019.  He started the 2022 season with the Phillies, but had a 6.09 ERA and was released in August.  Boston took a flyer on him, but he did not improve in his ten games with them, going 1-2 with a 6.10 ERA in 10.1 innings, striking out eight and walking seven.  He pitched for the A's again in 2023, but has not appeared in the Majors since.  

MICHAEL FELIZ

Like Austin Davis, Feliz is in his second appearance in one of these posts.  Feliz appeared in four games during the 2021 season, before finishing the season with the A's.  After the season, the Red Sox re-signed him and he started the 2022 season in the Red Sox organization.  He made it into one game with the Red Sox, throwing 3.1 innings with one earned run (2.70 ERA).  He struck out four and walked two.  He was released in a roster crunch afterwards and appeared in the Twins and Yankees organizations, but never made it back to the Majors.  Feliz pitched for eight years in the Majors for the Pirates, Astros, Red Sox, A's and Reds.  Feliz does have a minor league card in the Red Sox organization.   

ZACK KELLY

Kelly is the most likely possibility in this post to join Rich Hill and John Schreiber as players to eventually get cards with the Red Sox after appearing in one of these posts.  This is due to the fact that Kelly is actually still active with the Red Sox and in his fourth season with Boston.  2022 was his debut season and he pitched in just 13 games.  Kelly started his professional career after being signed as an undrafted free agent with the Athletics, then moved on to the Angels before being signed as a minor league free agent by the Red Sox before the 2021 season.  As such, he was 27 when he made his debut.  He threw 13.2 innings, striking out 11 and walking four and had a 1-0 record with a 3.95 ERA.  Kelly has often had trouble finishing batters off and limiting hard contact and that has made it difficult for him to stay on the Major League roster.  He will be talked about more, barring Topps finally making a card of him.  He does have minor league cards in the Red Sox system.

KALEB ORT

The righty Ort is another player who is in one of these posts for the second time.  2022 is a more egregious miss for him though.  He appeared in just one game in 2021, in 2022 he appeared in 25.  Ort was originally an undrafted free agent by the Diamondbacks in 2016, then moved to the Yankees organization.  The Red Sox selected him in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft (I have no idea what the rules are for that phase) prior to the 2021 season.  In 2022, he had a record of 1-2 with an ugly 6.35 ERA.  He threw 28.1 innings, striking out 27 and walking 15.  He notched the only save of his Red Sox tenure when he finished off a game against Baltimore.  Ort will be talked about again, though it is worth mentioning that he had a successful 2024 season with Houston and is still with the Astros today.  Ort does have minor league cards in the Red Sox organization.

HANSEL ROBLES

Yet another player who appeared in the 2021 post is Robles, who was one of Boston's better mid-season trades during the 2021 season.  The Red Sox traded for Robles at the 2021 trading deadline, sending minor leaguer Alex Scherff to the Twins.  Robles had been a closer at times with the Angels and Twins and had been a serviceable middle reliever with the Mets previously.  His inconsistency has largely been his downfall throughout his career and led to him moving in and out of the closer role for the Red Sox in 2021.  2022 was mostly just bad for him though.  He came into the season as a setup man/closer option, but struggled.  He appeared in 26 games, throwing 24.2 innings with a 5.84 ERA.  He struck out 21, but walked 14.  The Red Sox released him in July.  Robles has not appeared in a Major League game since, though he has been in the Dodgers and Mariners systems.  

YOLMER SANCHEZ

Once a regular second-baseman with the White Sox, Sanchez had fallen on some hard times by the time he appeared in a Red Sox uniform.  A slick fielder, he won a Gold Glove in 2019 and could once hit enough to justify his place on the diamond.  He led the league in triples in 2018 and had a line of .245/.300/.360 in parts of seven seasons with the White Sox, four of which were as a regular.  He had occasional pop and could steal the occasional bag too.  He started having injury issues that limited him in 2020, then spent the entire 2021 season in the Braves minor league system.  The Red Sox signed him as a free agent prior to the 2022 season and he spent most of his time in their minor league system.  He did make it into 14 games though, hitting an anemic .108/.214/.108 with four hits, a run, two RBIs and was caught stealing both times he attempted.  He played exclusively second base, other than one appearance as a pitcher, his second time doing that.  Sanchez pitched the final inning of an ugly 28-5 loss to the Blue Jays and gave up a run and three hits for a 9.00 ERA.  He was waived in August and played a few games for the Mets.  He has not been in the Majors since.  He does have a minor league card in the Red Sox system. 

PHILLIPS VALDEZ

We close on a player who is on his third appearance in one of these posts.  Valdez looked like a promising pitcher during the 2020 season when he had a 3.24 ERA in 30.1 innings over 24 games after the Red Sox grabbed him off waivers from the Mariners.  He slipped in 2021, raising his ERA to 5.85, but still pitched in 28 games.  He spent time in the minors with the Red Sox organization for the first part of 2022, though he did pitch in 13 games in Boston.  He had an unimpressive stint, going 0-1 with a 4.41 ERA in 16.1 innings pitched, striking out 13 and walking seven.  He was waived in July and caught on with the Mariners organization.  He has not appeared again in the Majors since.

As usual with these posts, there are a lot of relievers, though there were a handful of position players.  A former All Star (Jeurys Familia) and a former Gold Glove winner (Yolmer Sanchez) appear to make things kind of interesting.  Several of these guys had somewhat lengthy careers.  Jaylin Davis probably had the best numbers for the Red Sox, but the player I would have most wanted to see get a card is undoubtedly Jake Diekman.  There are very few Nebraska natives in the Major Leagues, much less ones that play for the Red Sox, so I would like to add them when I can.  For some reason a lot of the Nebraska players who play for the Red Sox never get cards with them (Buddy Hunter and Kip Gross are a couple of examples).  So yes, Diekman it is.

2001 Fleer Red Sox 100th Pt. 17: Doc Cramer

NAME:  Doc Cramer

POSITION:  Center field

WHY IS HE HERE?  The center fielder spent five seasons in Boston and was an All Star in four of them.  He led the league in at-bats twice and hits once (200 in 1940).  He hit over .300 in four of the five seasons and had a cumulative line of .302/.349/.378.  He did not have much power or speed, but he didn't strike out much either (99 strikeouts versus 207 walks during his Boston tenure).

WOULD I PUT HIM IN IN 2001?:  Probably.

ANY BETTER CHOICES IN 2001?:  All of the better choices are already here.

WOULD I PUT HIM IN NOW?:  Maybe.

ANY BETTER CHOICES NOW?:  Several center fielders would deserve a place over Cramer since 2001, including Johnny Damon, Jacoby Ellsbury, perhaps even Jackie Bradley, Jr. 

Season in Review: 2024

The Red Sox improved slightly in 2024, going 81-81.  It was the first non-losing season since 2021, but it could have been much better if not for a post-All Star Break slide.  The team was built around a young core who simply seemed to wear down as the season went on.  Injuries took a huge toll on the team, which certainly didn't help, and some of the players brought in, failed to make an impact  

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS

RAFAEL DEVERS

Devers put together another fantastic season at the plate.  It is still hard to believe this was the last full season of him in Boston.  He was an All Star for the third time as he hit .272/.354/.516 and led the team with 28 home runs and 83 RBIs.  He was among the league leaders in on-base percentage, slugging and doubles (34).  He continued to have a difficult time defensively at third base, but his hitting made up for it.  

JARREN DURAN

2024 was the year of Jarren Duran for the Red Sox.  The speedy outfielder played in 160 games (and would have played in all 162 if not for a brief suspension which I won't get into).  He led the team with 8.7 bWAR and hit .285/.342/.492 with 21 home runs, 75 RBIs and 34 stolen bases.  He led the league in doubles (48) and triples (14) while notching 191 hits and 111 runs scored.  He was an All Star for the first time, winning MVP honors and finished eighth in the MVP race.

TANNER HOUCK

Boston's third All Star in 2024 was former first-round pick Houck, who was electrifying in the first half of the season.  Unfortunately, he was not able to sustain that success throughout the season.  Houck led the league in shutouts and had a record of 9-10 with a team-leading 3.12 ERA.  In 178.2 innings pitched, he struck out 154 batters while walking just 48.  His home runs allowed per nine innings also led the league.  

CONNOR WONG

Despite some significant defensive struggles, Wong had a very nice season in 2024.  He stumbled down the stretch as the workload behind the plate wore him down, but he ended up the season with a slash line of .280/.333/.425, not bad numbers for a catcher.  He also hit 13 home runs, drove in 52 runs and stole eight bases.  He was among the league leaders in fielding percentage, runners caught stealing and assists.  It did look like he could be a starter for a long time to come.

BRAYAN BELLO

Bello came into the season looking like a breakthrough candidate, but just could not seem to get on track.  He seemed to struggle with his command at times and would get frustrated.  Despite that, he led the team in wins (14-8 record).  His ERA was high (4.49), but he struck out 153 batters in 162.1 innings and walked 64.  He seemed to get better down the stretch and built on that going into 2025.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

KENLEY JANSEN

The closer was the oldest regular player on the team at 36 years old, but still had some life left in his arm.  He continued to build on his potential Hall of Fame career, going 4-2 with a 3.29 ERA in 54 games pitched.  In 54.2 innings, he struck out 62 batters while walking 20 and notched 27 saves.  Jansen had some minor injuries and shut down toward the end of the season when it was clear the Red Sox were not going to be in the postseason, which angered some.

KUTTER CRAWFORD

The third of three starters to be developed by the Red Sox to start 30 or more games in 2024, which is the first time that has happened in a very long time, Crawford led the league in losses (9-16 record), but actually had a decent season.  He also led the league in games started (33) and had a 4.36 ERA, throwing 183.2 innings while striking out a team high 175 and walking 51.  He also led the team with a 1.122 WHIP.

NICK PIVETTA

Pivetta always felt like a pitcher close to a breakout season.  Even though it did not happen in 2024, he still put up some impressive numbers.  He did not lead the team in strikeouts, but he did lead in strikeouts per nine innings as he punched out 172 in just 145.2 innings pitched and also only walked 31 batters.  He had a record of 6-12 and had a 4.14 ERA.  Unfortunately, this was his last season in Boston and he finally had that breakout season this year in San Diego.

FAVORITE ACQUISITION

 TYLER O'NEILL

The Cardinals make a lot of silly trades, and this was no different as they sent O'Neill to Boston for Nick Robertson and Victor Santos, neither of whom did anything for St. Louis.  O'Neill crushed 31 home runs in 2024 and had a line of .241/.336/.511.  Injuries plagued him, but he found Fenway to his liking.  He didn't stay in Boston as the team had too many outfielders, but he became another One-Year Wonder right-fielder.  His biggest moment was homering on Opening Day for the fifth straight season.

FAVORITE MID-SEASON ACQUISITION

DANNY JANSEN

There is not really much to choose from in this category.  Jansen was acquired in order spell Connor Wong behind the plate as well as for his ability to hit lefties.  The Red Sox gave up several prospects that would have needed protection from the Rule 5 Draft.  Unfortunately, Jansen hit just .188/.323/.300  with three home runs and six RBIs in 30 games.  His biggest moment was appearing in a game that had been suspended by rain a couple months earlier against his old team, in which he had been in the lineup, making him the first player to appear for both teams in the same game.

FAVORITE ROOKIES

WILYER ABREU

Picking a favorite rookie was a much bigger competition.  Abreu wins on the strength of the fact that he was the only one of these three players to receive Rookie of the Year consideration (he finished sixth, but should have been higher).  Abreu, acquired in the Christian Vazquez trade, appeared in 132 games and hit .253/.322/.459 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs.  He also stole eight bases and hit 33 doubles.  Abreu won the Gold Glove as well.  

CEDDANNE RAFAELA

A slump in the second half dropped Rafaela from consideration for the Rookie of the Year vote.  He basically split the season between shortstop (82 games) and center field (87 games), while also appearing at second base, third base and right field. He was terrific in center, but did not do quite as well at shortstop, which kept him from winning the multi-position Gold Glove.  He hit .246/.274/.390 with 15 home runs, 75 RBIs and 19 stolen bases.  He also had 23 doubles and five triples and 134 hits (fourth on the team).  

DAVID HAMILTON

Hamilton was the big prospect acquired in the deal that sent Hunter Renfroe to the Brewers and returned Jackie Bradley Jr. to Boston.  He started the 2024 season very rough and struggled mightily at shortstop.  He started playing much better once he was moved to second base and ended up second on the team in stolen bases (33), which would have been more had he not gone down with an injury late in the season.  Hamilton hit .248/.303/.395 with eight home runs and 33 RBIs.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS

TREVOR STORY

It was yet another injury-plagued season for Story in 2024.  He suffered a dislocated shoulder diving for a ground ball early in the season and only appeared in 26 games.  He had yet to appear in 100 games in the first three seasons of his Red Sox tenure at this point.  Story hit .255/.340/.394 with two home runs, ten RBIs and six stolen bases.  So, he hit well when he was on the field, that just was not often enough.

TRISTON CASAS

Casas also had a season marred by injury as a strained rib limited him to just 63 games played.  He was impressive at the plate when he was healthy.  He hit .241/.337/.462 with 13 home runs and 32 RBIs in his second season.  His biggest moment was a three-homer game late in the season.  Casas's health has become a real concern with penciling his name into the lineup going forward.

VAUGHN GRISSOM

Grissom was supposed to be the second-baseman in 2024, but injuries ended up limiting him to 31 games played.  He was bad when he was in the lineup, hitting just .190/.246/.219 with just three extra base hits (all doubles), six RBIs and two stolen bases.  As bad as all that is, the fact that he was the entire package the Red Sox received for Chris Sale made it that much worse as Sale had a return-to-form and finally won a Cy Young Award.

Topps Now: August 1, 2025

The biggest story for the Red Sox this season has been the emergence of Roman Anthony.  He looks like the real deal.  He was the top prospect in the game coming into the season.  The last time the Red Sox had the top prospect in the game was probably Yoan Moncada, and that really didn't work out.  Anthony was the second round pick of the Red Sox in 2022 out of high school and is already a regular in the Majors.

On August 1 in a game against the Astros at Fenway, Anthony had his first walkoff hit.  The score was tied 1-1 going into the bottom of the tenth after a great start by Cooper Criswell (who needs a card).  Boston's only run scored off of a sac fly in the seventh.  In the tenth inning, Wilyer Abreu started at second base as the ghost runner, then moved to third on a ground ball by Ceddanne Rafaela on which Houston failed to record an out.  Anthony then came up and smoked a single to deep center field that would have been a double at least had it not scored the winning run.

Anthony is currently on the IL and the offense has sputtered.  Hopefully he will be back soon.  I am looking forward to a full year out of him.

Wongs and Rafaelas

The next two maildays consisted entirely of cards of Connor Wong and Ceddanne Rafaela.  Yes, I am still collecting Wong, as long as he is still on the team.  My enthusiasm for the collection has waned a bit, but every once in awhile, I grab a few, and recently I have grabbed a few decent ones.  As for Rafaela, he remains the primary focus of my collection right now, but I am not looking to try to grab every single card.  He has a lot of stuff that has gotten past the point I am comfortable spending.  

So, on the first day, I received the above cards.  The Wong is the Aqua Refractor from Topps Chrome.  The Donruss card of Rafaela is the Red parallels and is serial-numbered to 275.

On the second day, I got in quite a few more cards.  The Wong card is the Lightboard Logo parallel.  I grabbed last year's Rafaela and decided I liked this parallel quite a bit, so I figured if I could get the Wong, I would.  The Rafaelas are primarily a few parallels that I just grabbed randomly.  The last card though is the third card from the lot that I lamented missing out on the day of my jury trial.  It took awhile to get in.

Nothing too exciting today, just some progress with Rafaela and Wong.

Even the Non-Rafaela Posts Have Rafaelas in Them

I was supposed to have a jury trial last week, but an extremely stupid thing happened and so it got moved.  After cooling down for a few days, I have a pile of cards that need to be shown.  I am mostly caught up, so I might be able to start doing some non-mailday posts in the near future.  But it will take a couple days to catch up on the pile first.

Payton Tolle was the Red Sox's second-round pick just last year and made his Major League debut a couple weeks ago.  He is the team's top pitching prospect.  He had a great debut, but has struggled a bit since then.  I expect him to spend most of next season in the minors to get more seasoning and build up some secondary pitches.  He has a great fastball though.

The next trade will take up the next two scans, and is one of my favorite trades I have made in recent weeks:

1.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  This is another base card that took me awhile to find.  There were three Rafaela cards in this trade, which is enough for second-most of any player.  

2.  Kenley Jansen.  Jansen has an outside shot at the Hall of Fame.  He spent two years with the Red Sox and was an All Star in 2023.  

3.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Here is the second Rafaela.  He was the primary reason to start this trade.

4.  Wilyer Abreu.  This trade will feature four cards of Abreu, driving him up to 14 cards in my collection, still very low for a player of his status on the team, but it is looking much better.

5.  Carlos Narvaez.  The Red Sox catcher has slowed down down the stretch, but Connor Wong is heating up, so it will work out.

6.  Jhostynxon Garcia.  Nicknamed "The Password" due to the incomprehensible spelling of his first name.  Garcia is another potential outfielder for next season.  Or trade bait.  Who knows?

7.  Jhostynxon Garcia.  These are my first two cards of him.

9.  Wilyer Abreu.  Here is the second card.

10.  Tyler O'Neill.  The yellow parallel of O'Neill.  He has just eight home runs for the Orioles in 45 games played.  Injuries have taken their toll on his career.

11.  Walker Buehler.  Unfortunately, this was one of those free agent deals that just did not work out.  Buehler pitched in 23 games with Boston and was 7-7 with a 5.45 ERA in 112.1 innings pitched.  He struck out 84 and walked 55.  Just not good.  He was released and caught on with the Phillies.  This is a short print card.

12.  Kutter Crawford.  Another short print.  Crawford will be in the mix to start next season.

13.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  The third Rafaela.

14.  Wilyer Abreu.  The third Abreu.

15.  Tony Perez.  A pretty cool parallel of the Hall of Famer who spent four seasons toward the end of his career in Boston.  In 1980, he hit 25 home runs and drove in 105, both leading the team.  He was 38 and it was his last big offensive season.

16.  Wilyer Abreu.  The final Abreu card.

17.  Alex Bregman.  I don't think he is quite living up to his salary.  I think he will be back in Boston next season, I don't see him opting out of his existing contract unless Boston is able to re-work his contract into a longer-term deal with a lower annual salary.   

That's it for today.  

A Big Rafaela Post, Including a Major Relic

This is a post covering several days worth of maildays.  All Rafaela cards.  I was a little annoyed on Sunday.  Saturday night, Rafaela leaped and stole a home run from an Arizona Diamondbacks player.  Later in the same game, Blaze Alexander of the Diamondbacks also stole a home run from Alex Bregman.  Alexander got a Topps Now card, but Rafaela didn't.

Quite a bit here in this scan.  The 1/1 Pre-Production Proof is a little annoying.  First of all, it's not really on any kind of card stock, it is more of a piece of flimsy foil.  Secondly, it was only after receiving it that I figured out these cards are not listed on the TCDB.  So, my count on that page is not accurate.  Apparently there are issues with Leaf providing an accurate checklist, so they don't list any of these.  So, even though it is my first 1/1 of Rafaela, it doesn't really feel like it.

I tried valiantly to get the Flagship Blue in a trade, but couldn't get a response from the other party.  The Bowman card in the middle is the Retro Logo Foil, and looks much nicer in person.  The bottom row came in one lot together.

A couple weeks ago, I had a jury trial and missed bidding on an auction that had three nice Rafaela cards in it that I wanted.  I ended up buying them separately, but spent more than I would have had to had I been able to get the lot.  The first card in this scan and the second card in the second row were two of the three cards.  As of today, I am still waiting on the third card.  I like the Prizm autograph at the end of the scan too.  I might have to track down some of the parallels.

Here's something interesting at the top of this scan.  A dual relic of Rafaela with Rafael Devers.  Sort of like Devers passing the torch to Rafaela as my favorite player.  I really like the Prizm card in this scan as well.  I have said before that Prizm makes some of the best parallel sets.  It's a shame Panini doesn't have a Major League license, and at this point, can't even make active players anymore.

Closing things out today is one of the biggest items in my collection to date.  This is a game-used (maybe) fielding glove card.  I kind of wanted to grab this since defense is still Rafaela's top tool.  He's fast and can hit for power, but defense is still what carries him.  

Several TCDB Trades

I was doing well for awhile, able to post stuff every day.  Then, the jury trials started hitting.  I've got about a month before the next one, so I will get caught back up again.

Today, I am showing off a number of TCDB trade packages that all arrived at the same time.

1.  Jarren Duran.  I still think he will be traded this offseason.  Something has to give in the outfield.  They cannot go into next season with Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony and Jhostynxon Garcia.  They just can't.  Duran makes the most sense to trade, particularly in light of his down season this year.  I like the guy, but it just doesn't make sense to keep him.

2.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  He is in a deep slump, but occasionally wakes up to get a huge hit.  You can probably guess which trades I initiated by his presence.

3.  Aroldis Chapman.  I am not a Chapman fan.  I was not a big fan of his signing.  But, when the ERA is under 1.00 and the WHIP is under 0.75, it is just too hard to not root for the guy.  Chapman is having one of the greatest seasons of his potential Hall of Fame career, if not his best season.  

4.  Luis Guerrero.  Guerrero has great stuff and velocity, but has absolutely no idea where the ball is going.  He could be a potential future closer, but he has some work to do.

1.  John Wyatt.  Hey, some vintage in this trade.  Wyatt was Boston's "closer" in the Impossible Dream season.  I put it in quotes because the closer role as we know it today didn't really exist.  Wyatt notched 20 saves though and had a record of 10-7 with a 2.60 ERA.  He was acquired in a deal with the Kansas City A's along with Jose Tartabull for Jim Gosger, Guido Grilli and Ken Sanders.

2.  Mike Andrews.  Andrews was the second-baseman for the 1967 Red Sox and was an All Star in 1969.  He later was involved in controversy when he made a few errors in the 1973 World Series for the A's and owner Charlie Finley tried to release him in the middle of the Series.

3.  Josh Beckett.  If pitchers never hit again in the Majors, Josh Beckett then is the last Red Sox pitcher to hit a home run.

4.  Xander Bogaerts.  I just like this insert set.  I have several Yankees on my tradelist, so it is nice to add a Red Sox player.

5.  Jarren Duran.  This shot was taken as Duran rounded the bases after his All Star Game home run off of Hunter Greene that led to him being named the All Star Game MVP.

6.  Ted Williams.  I always enjoy adding cards of Teddy Ballgame.

7.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Technically, this trade was not initiated by me.  But the other party was offering something I really didn't want much, so I countered.  The fact he had a Rafaela I needed was just the icing on the cake for me.

8.  Garrett Whitlock.  Whitlock is a guy that doesn't get a lot of cardboard.  That may change with the terrific season he is having.  Hopefully Boston has learned to stop messing around with him and just leave him in a setup role.

1.  Garrett Crochet.  Crochet has fallen off the pace for the AL Cy Young Award, which is disappointing, but he has still had a fantastic first season.  He may yet win one in the future.

2.  Wilyer Abreu.  I love this shot.  Abreu has been underrepresented in my collection for a long time.  I worked on a couple of trades to increase his status.  This trade was one of them.

3.  Jason Varitek.  I am finally getting a few Varitek cards again.  I love this shot too.  Stadium Club is so awesome.

4.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Again, you can tell this was one I initiated.

5.  Wilyer Abreu.  This gets me to ten cards finally.

6.  Jason Varitek.  I was supposed to get the Chrome card in this trade, this is the Black Foil, but I am not complaining.

1.  David Hamilton.  Hamilton just stole his 20th base of the season, joining Jarren Duran and Trevor Story as players having 20 or more stolen bases on the season.  This is only the second time since 1915 the Red Sox have had three players steal 20 or more bases (2008: Coco Crisp, Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia).  If Rafaela steals one more base, they will have four.

2.  Justin Slaten.  This is the card that started this trade.  I originally wanted a Rafaela as well, but the other party didn't want to trade it for the stuff I had for him.  Slaten is one of the better Rule 5 picks in Red Sox history.  Garrett Whitlock is still far and away the best though.

3.  Connor Wong.  The guy did have a Wong card I needed.  I haven't gotten much from his appearance in Topps Chrome yet.

4.  Brandon Walter.  I discussed Walter recently.  Weird to get another card of him so quickly.

5.  Triston Casas.  Boston desperately needs power next season.  Hopefully Casas can stay healthy for once.

6.  Chris Murphy.  It's probably a rule that Murphy and Walter have to appear in the same transactions.

1.  Masataka Yoshida.  I do like this card.  I wasn't wild about this trade initially, but this is a pretty cool card.  I just wish he would hit.  

2.  Trevor Story.  What a season Story is having.  He is already at 20/20 for the season and looks like a potential Gold Glover.  He is 27 for 27 in stolen bases.  He still has seven home runs and three stolen bases to go to get to 30/30.  I don't think that will happen.  The 30 stolen bases probably, but I think he will come up short on the home runs.

3.  Connor Wong.  Another Wong.  I did not initiate this trade.  I think it had something else in it instead of the Wong, but I don't recall specifically.  

That's it for today.  I have a few more posts to try to catch up.  

Green Rafaela Day

There is going to be a lot of green in this post today, four out of the five new Rafaela cards are various shades of green.  

So yeah, four out of the five cards are green.  That was not intentional, it just sort of happened.  The Stadium Club Chrome Green Refractor is probably my favorite, but the two Donruss cards look so much better in person.  The Prizm Scope card is numbered to just 75 and is actually the third card from this set to make it into my Red Sox collection.

So, short post today.  The one tomorrow will be quite a bit longer.

Heritage Trade

One of the better trades I have made lately brought me a bunch of Heritage singles that I needed for my team sets.  Heritage is one of the better sets for player selection and I usually like to get the team set, and try hard for the short prints.  For whatever reason, the last couple years I haven't been great about getting many cards.  This trade helped make up some of the holes.  The first scan will be from 2024, the second from 2025.

1.  Brayan Bello.  One of the players in this scan that is still with the team, Bello is having a bit of a breakout season this year.  He has become a certified Yankee killer and his ERA is currently below 3.00.  He is an extreme groundball pitcher, so he doesn't rack up the strikeouts, but he has been very impressive this year.

2.  Kenley Jansen.  It is strange that Boston has brought in three of the greatest closers in the last twenty years.  Jansen had his moments with Boston and was an All Star in 2023.  He picked up 56 saves over his two years in Boston.

3.  Tyler O'Neill.  O'Neill had a very good season in Boston, even if it was shortened by injury.  He crushed 31 home runs, his second-highest total of his career, and played good defense.  The Red Sox did not keep him around and he took a big deal with the Orioles, that is not working out.

4.  Chris Murphy.  Notably, both Jim Rice and Fred Lynn had their rookie cards in 1975 Topps as part of four-player rookie cards.  Murphy will likely not be as impressive, but he has had some decent stints as a lefty reliever.

5.  Kutter Crawford.  Crawford looked like a potential breakout candidate, but has been injured all season.

6.  Naoyuki Uwasawa.  This is now my third card of Uwasawa, one more than he has games pitched in the Majors.

7.  Brandon Walter.  It's pretty easy to confuse Walter with Chris Murphy, both were lefty relievers around the same time with Boston.  Walter though has turned into a decent starter with the Astros this season.

8.  Danny Jansen.  I've covered this event a couple of times, so I don't have to do it again.  Jansen is now playing with the Brewers.

9.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  This is not a Ceddanne-free post, but he's not the focal point.

10.  Nick Sogard.  Sogard has gotten a lot of cards this year for a guy who is a AAAA utility player.  He can do some decent things, but he is no danger of becoming a regular Major Leaguer.

11.  Rob Refsnyder.  One of the great lefty mashers in the league today, Refsnyder has found a home in Boston.

12.  Jarren Duran.  The most interesting question going into the offseason is how Boston handles the outfield.  I spoke at length about this in my post about the Rafael Devers trade.  Boston still has at least four outfielders going into next season with Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Roman Anthony.  They have to make a trade and Duran seems like the most likely to go, with Abreu a slight second.

13.  Connor Wong.  Yep, got a Wong here too.  Wong is starting to hit better, still not much power though.

14.  Kenley Jansen.  No relation to Danny.  Obviously.

15.  Tris Speaker.  Speaker is still arguably the greatest center fielder in team history and the first example of the team not being able to keep its stars.