Boston Red Sox - The Obama / Trump Years (2010-2019)

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2010

Decade

108

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Titles:

Top Red Sox Players of the Twenty Teens

2013 - Won Division, Won ALDS (TB), Won ALCS (Detroit), Won WS (Cards)

2016 - Won Division, Lost ALDS (Cleveland)

Pitchers:

2017 - Won Division, Lost ALDS (Houston)

Rick Porcello (9.43) - 45

2018 - Won Division, Won ALDS (NY), Won ALCS (Houston), Won WS (LA)

Jon Lester (15.63) - 42

Clay Buchholz (13.75) - 33

BallPark:

Craig Kimbrel (6.73) - 27

Fenway Park

Eduardo Rodriguez (13.73) - 25

David Price (10.75) - 24

Team Name:

John Lackey (4.31) - 23

Red Sox

Chris Sale (15.24) - 22

Koji Uehara (7.36) - 21

Owner:

Jonathan Papelbon (1.88) - 15

John Henry

Felix Dubront (0.67) - 11

Larry Lucchino Minority Owner and Team President (2010-2015)

Drew Pomeranz (3.96) - 11

Josh Beckett (4.76) - 9

General Managers:

Theo Epstein (2010-2011)

Catchers:

Ben Cherington (2011-2014)

Christian Vazquez (3.21) - 21

Mike Hazen (2015-2016)

Jarrod Saltalamacchia (5.04) - 20

Dave Dombrowski (2017-2019)

Sandy Leon (2.08) - 12

Victor Martinez (3.58) - 9

Managers:

Terry Francona (2010-2011)

First Basemen:

Bobby Valentine (2012)

David Ortiz (25.28) - 55

John Farrell (2013-2017)

Mike Napoli (7.76) - 24

Alex Cora (2018-2019)

Adrian Gonzalez (9.88) - 21

Mitch Moreland (4.06) - 15

No Hitters:

None

Second Basemen:

Dustin Pedroia (35.85) - 73

Hall of Famers:

David Ortiz (Pending)

ShortStop:

Xander Bogaerts (20.64) - 48

Rookie of the Year:

Marco Scutaro (5.09) - 12

None

Third Base:

MVP:

Kevin Youklis (9.54) - 18

Mookie Betts (2018)

Rafael Devers (6.26) - 12

Hanley Ramirez (1.45) - 12

Cy Young:

Adrian Beltre (7.79) - 10

Rick Porcello (2016)

Travis Shaw (3.44) - 9

Notable Events:

Outfield:

Mookie Betts (42.1) - 76

2010 - Boston had a lot to live up to coming into the decade.

Jacoby Ellsbury (14.85) - 36

Over the previous dozen seasons, they had finished second ten

Jackie Bradley (14.98) - 36

times and also had a first and a third. The first place finish in 2007

Andrew Benintendi (8.85) - 27

culminated in a world series title, they also won the world series in 2004.

JD Martinez (9.74) - 19

In the dozen previous years, the Red Sox made the playoffs eight

Brock Holt (7.95) - 19

times and averaged a gaudy 92-70 mark.

Shane Victorino (7.12) - 13

Daniel Nava (7.65) - 11

2010 - Boston adds two more World Championships during the decade -

2013 and 2018. The Sox also have two more first place finishes, but

Notable Events:

mix in three bad years. Odd decade, but overall a successful one.

2015 - Ex Red Sox mega prospect Hanley Ramirez, 31, is signed as a free

2010 - The 2010 roster was showing some serious wear and tear, however:

agent from LA.Ramirez was the young stud traded to Florida in the Josh

□ C - Jason Varitek, 38, no longer a starter

Beckett deal back in the day. It's been a long bumpy ride, but Hanley, who

□ C - Victor Martinez, 31, a DH in catchers garb

can still hit, but can't field, is back where he started.

□ 1B - Kevin Youkilis, 31, had seen the top of the mountain

With Big Sloppy still going strong at DH, Boston had to try to find a spot

□ SS - Marco Scutaro, 34, Boston needed a replacement here badly

for Ramirez somewhere out in the field if they wanted to get his big

□ 3B - Adrian Beltre, 31, still outstanding, but he was about to leave

bat in the lineup

□ 3B - Mike Lowell, 36, hard to believe he was still around

□ RF - JD Drew, 34, running on fumes at this point

2016 - Boston obtains closer Craig Kimbrel from San Diego for four warm

□ RHP - John Lackey, 31, a lot of mileage on his right arm

bodies. He is not far removed from being the unhittable force of nature

□ RHP - Dice-K, too many innings in the US

he was for four seasons in Atlanta.Altho' he appears to be on the decline,

□ RHP - Josh Beckett, 30, running out of gas

he does manage to save thirty one games for Boston.

□ RHP - Tim Wakefield, 43, even knuckleballers get old sometime

□ DH - David Ortiz, 34, is old, but still has another seven big years left in him

2016 - The Sox splurge on lefthander David Price, 30. You have to wonder

and he could have had more

why they wouldn't spend on Lester the year before (he was thirty one),

but would spend on Price, but as it turns out the Price was right

2010 - That being said, the cupboard wasn't bare, there was some youth:

as he has a big year for the Sox.

□ C - Jarrod Saltalamacchia, 25, well regarded prospect at this point

□ 2B - Dustin Pedroia, 26, a great player in an ordinary player's body

2016 - After two years in the cellar, Boston gains fifteen games in the

□ SS - Jed Lowrie, 26, servicable shortstop

standings, good enough to win the Division. The previous two Division

□ OF - Josh Reddick, 23, a good stick

titles ultimately yielded world series rings. Not this time.

□ CF - Jacoby Ellsbury, 26, a good player who would snooker the Yankees

The Sox crash out in the first round. They are led by in the regular season by

into an absurd mega contract several years down the road

Cy Young winner Rick Porcello who went from 9-15 to 22-4 and

□ LHP - John Lester, 26, a stud

David Price who went 17-9. Journeyman Steven Wright goes 13-6

□ LHP - Felix Doubrant, 22, decent starting prospect

and the bullpen led by Craig Kimbrel, Koji Uehara and Brad Zeigler

□ RHP - Clay Buccholz, 25, a potential stud whose promising career will

holds it together just enough. Meanwhile Boston's offense explodes for

get sidetracked by injuries

a whopping 878 runs. Big Sloppy leads the way with career closing

□ Closer - Jonathan Papelbon, 29, will last much longer at a high

38-127-.315 numbers. Hanley Ramirez, 32, remembers how talented

level than most relievers

he really is and goes 30-111-.286 and a nice young core of sticks emerge:

□ Releiver - Daniel Bard, 25, hundred mile an hour fastball but would

□ RF - Mookie Betts, 23, 5th round pick in 2011, 31-113-.318

blow out his arm

□ CF - Jackie Bradley, 26, 1st round pick in 2011, 26-87-.267

□ LF - Andrew Benintendi, 21, 2-14-.295, 1st round pick (overall 7th) in 2015 draft

2011 - After looking like a shoo-in to make the playoffs for most of the

□ SS - Xander Bogaerts, 23, IFA in 2009, 21-89-.294

season, the Sox collapse in September. In a miracle finish, the Rays

□ 3B - Travis Shaw, 26, 16-71-.242, 32nd round pick in 2008

beat out the Sox for a wild card spot on the final day of the season.

Boston had finished the season going 7-20 after starting out 83-52,

2017 - Big Sloppy surprisingly retires at age 38 after his huge 2016 season.

frittering away a nine game lead on the upstart Tampa club.

Not to worry as the Sox don't miss a beat and win the Division without him.

Terry Francona, a tremendous manager who makes a real difference,

had lost control of the club and he was let go after the season.

2017 - Boston acquires stud lefthander Chris Sale from the White Sox.

This is definitely huge for Boston as it gives them three high quality starters

2012 - It turns out that September of 2011 was not an aberration

with Price and Porcello at the top of the rotation. It almost seems unfair.

and Francona was completely absolved as the Red Sox prove that

The price for Sale is steep - four youngsters including primo prospects:

they are now, indeed,suddenly awful. After fourteen years of high

Michael Koppech, 21, 1st round pick in 2014 (33rd overall) - throws 105 mph

quality success, Boston finishes a bad last.

Yoan Moncada, 21, 2015 IFA, rated #1 minor league prospect in 2017

2013 - Up is down and down is up in Boston. After losing in 2011-12

2017 - 3B Rafael Devers, 20, an IFA in 2013 is a rookie

when everyone thought they should win, the Sox now win when

everyone.thinks they should lose. Boston gains twenty eight games

2017 - Boston deals 3B Travis Shaw to Milwaukee for closer Tyler Thornberg, 28

in the standings and finishes first and then beats Tampa, Detroit and

the Cards to win the World Series. Their third WS title in ten years.

2017 - A carbon copy of 2016. The Sox win the Division with a 93-69 mark and

Coming into the season, Boston had had it with high priced free agents

then crash out of the playoffs in the Division series. Sale does his job and Drew

and appeared to settle in with picking up some modestly paid players

Pomerantz comes out of nowhere to match Sale's 17 wins but both Price and

to fill out the lineup - they were not going for it at all. What happened

Porcello both lay an egg to keep the season from becoming a complete runaway.

was that with a bunch of hard nosed players, the Sox gritted

themselves to a title. Boston scored 119 more runs than in 2012,

2018 - Alex Cora is hired on as manager replacing John Farrell who had just led

but it wasn't any one guy who made the difference. High priced free

Boston to two Division titles. New GM Dave Dombrowski wanted his own guy in

agents Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford had been mercifully taken

there and Cora delivered as Boston won 15 more games and another World Series.

off Boston's hands by the Dodgers the previous August thus giving the

Cora was an analytics guy, but with a twist. Instead of slavishly adhering to

Red Sox some much needed "cap" room. In their place were a bunch

what the numbers were indicating to do, Cora instead used the numbers merely

of gritty newcomers 1B Mike Napoli, SS Stephen Drew, OF Jonny

as a guideline rather than as a hard and fast rule. In other words, he was using

Gomes and Shane Victorino. On paper, these guys weren't nearly as

analytics as a tool in the mix to make managerial decisions rather than just

good as the guys who left, but the game isn't played on paper.

executing whatever the numbers dictated. It certainly worked in 2018.

The other returning players, to a man, picked up their game a notch

from 2012: C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, 2B Dustin Pedroia, 3B Will

2018 - DH JD Martinez, 30, is signed as a free agent from Arizona

Middlebrooks, OF Daniel Nava and Jacoby Ellsbury and DH David Ortiz.

Not the world's most imposing lineup, but Boston scored a lot of runs.

2018 - The Red Sox win the World Series after a sensational 108 win regular

On the mound, it was a similar story, Boston didn't make a splash on the

season. Boston almost has it all: great starting pitching, excellent hitting with

free agent market but did pick up thirty eight year old closer Koji Uehara,

power and situationally and excellent fielding.

who turned out to be unhittable. They also added thirty six year old starter

The bullpen wasn't spectacular during the regular season, but came thru big

Ryan Dempster whose acquisition was barely noticed over the winter.

time in the post season.

Dempster only went 8-9 but ate a lot of innings and was indicative of

Boston 's roster s loaded with talent, most of it young.

where Boston management's head was at over the previous winter. The

guys who made the huge difference from 2012 (the Sox gave up 150 less

2019 - What marked this decade for Boston was the wild swings in performance

runs in 2013 - a run a game) were already on the roster:

from year to year both positive and negative. The '19 season was typical of this

□ Lefty Jon Lester went 15-8,

schizophrenic behavior of the team. Coming into the season, Boston was

□ Lefty Felix Doubrant went 11-6,

considered one of baseball's best teams. By the end of the season, they were

□ Righty Clay Bccholtz went 12-1

looking at a rebuild, altho' it's not exactly clear why.

and a bunch of incumbant relievers like Craig Breslow,

The Sox dropped a whopping 24 games in the standings from 2018 to 2019.

Andrew Miller and Junichi Kazawa all came thru big time.

However, they actually scored 25 more runs in 2019. The offense was fine.

The pitching was not fine, giving up 181 more runs

2014 - The Sox lose twenty six games in the standings and finish last.

High priced lefthanded aces Chris Sale, 29, and David Price, 32, went from a

So much for the small free agent approach to building a winner.

a combined 28-11 to a combined 13-16. Rick Porcello, 30, dropped from 17-7

Sandwiching a world championship with two putrid seasons isn't really a

to 14-12. Between the three of them, three studs to three duds, was 14 of the

good operational model for a big bucks organization like Boston.

24 games lost. And, you went from three aces at the top of your rotation to none.

The Red Sox score a whopping 219 runs less than they did in 2013 while

Boston also lost their closer, Craig Kimbrel, and his 42 saves to the Cubs in

giving up fifty more. The bottom line is that you really need a solid base

free agency and didn't replace him.

of talent to compete on a high level with consistency and the Red Sox

The offense obviously didn't need a rebuild. The pitching did, but it looks like

no longer have that at this point.

Red Sox ownership, after four World Series titles in fifteen years, decided that

they weren't going to spend any more money chasing more championships.

2014 - Boston deals Jon Lester to the A's at the trade deadline for

Therefore, a rebuild. To me, if ownership loses it's stomach to compete, it

OF Yoenis Cespedes who has another year left on his contract prior to

should do everybody a favor, including themselves, and sell the club.

free agency. Lester was a two month rental for the A's and everyone

expected him to re-sign with Boston after the season. The Red Sox balked,

however, and Lester ended up signing with the Cubs. Meanwhile, the

Sox turn around and trade Cespedes after the season to Detroit for former

first round pick twenty six year old righthander Rick Porcello.