The Grady Sizemore All-Stars: Best Red Sox scrap heap bargains of the last 20 years

Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

With Opening Day just a few days away, Grady Sizemore is poised to come north with the Boston Red Sox. It’s a great story: a former All-Star, signed to an incentive-laden $750,000 contract, hasn’t played in the Majors for two years and now appears to have penciled himself in as the team’s starting center fielder. He’s a true “scrap heap” find.

Yesterday, Paul Prims profiled Nick Esasky’s 1989 season. Esasky thrived in his lone campaign with Boston after struggling for years to find at-bats under Pete Rose in Cincinnati. He was another gem.

With these examples in mind, I bring you the Grady Sizemore All-Stars — the greatest Red Sox scrap heap pickups of the last 20 years.

What’s the criteria?

1. No pitchers. This list is for position players. The Bret Saberhagen All-Stars will be profiled in a future post.

2. The player must be “somebody.” Maybe he was an All-Star.  A Gold Glover. A former Rookie of the Year. A guy who was once an everyday player. A prospect who can’t catch a break.

3. The player must be on the scrap heap. Either:

a) unwanted — waived and/or looking at a steep pay cut,

b) coming back from injury, or

c) returning from the minors, an independent league, a foreign country, or being out of baseball altogether.

Those are the rules. And now, the starting nine…

Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Napoli (2013)

After slashing .320/.424/.631 in a career year for the Rangers, Napoli slumped to .227/.343/.469 in an injury-plagued 2012. The Red Sox believed, if healthy, he’d be somewhere between the two extremes – at any rate; he could still get on base.

When the Sox pulled back on a three year, $39 million pact due to hip issues, Napoli inked a $5 million deal with incentives up to $13 million. The wolf-like first baseman exceeded expectations, pounding 23 home runs and driving in 92 as a key cog in the 2013 World Series run.

Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

David Ortiz (2003)

Ortiz, as Rany Jazayerli writes, “HAD BEEN RELEASED BY THE MINNESOTA TWINS” after launching 20 homers and driving in 75 runs in just 412 at-bats in 2002. Theo Epstein jumped at the chance to sign the 27-year old to a one year, $1.25 million pact.

Ortiz hit his way out of a platoon with Jeremy Giambi, cemented himself as the team’s full-time DH by summer, and finished with 31 home runs and 101 RBI, placing fifth in the American League MVP vote. The rest is history.

2011 Topps

Adrian Beltre (2010)

Coming off a five year, $64 million pact with the Mariners during which he averaged just 21 home runs and 79 RBI playing half his games at Safeco Field, Beltre signed with the Sox on a one year, $9 million agreement.

It turned out to be a relative bargain as the 30-year old blasted 28 home runs, drove in 102 and clubbed an American League-leading 49 doubles, while providing Gold Glove-caliber defense at third base.

2005 Topps Heritage

Kevin Millar (2003)

Millar hit .310 and popped 36 homers in part-time duty with the Marlins between 2001 and ‘02, but the 31-year old’s contract was sold and he was headed for the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese Central League when Epstein decided to do some maneuvering and block the deal. When all was said and done, Millar belonged to the Red Sox at a cost of $2 million for 2003.

The affable first baseman responded with 25 homers for the ’03 Sox and served as a key member of the 2004 World Series team, hanging around Boston until the end of the ’05 campaign.

2004 Upper Deck

Bill Mueller (2003)

Along with Ortiz and Millar, Bill Mueller is the third offseason signing from 2003 to make this list. No wonder Epstein was billed as the “boy genius.”

Mueller logged just 576 at-bats the previous two seasons with the Giants and Cubs before Epstein signed him to a three-year, $6.7 million deal. Could he stay healthy?

In 2003, he did. The switch-hitting third baseman out-dueled Derek Jeter and teammate Manny Ramirez  for the AL batting title and also became the first player in MLB history to hit a grand slam from both sides of the plate in the same game, on July 29 in Texas. He stuck around through the end of the ’05 season.

2003 Topps

Carlos Baerga (2002)

A three-time All-Star and .300/20/100 guy at second base for the Indians in the early 90’s, the Red Sox invited Baerga to spring training after two years out of the Major Leagues. In fact, in 2001, Baerga played for the Long Island Ducks, toiled in Korea, and served as player-manager for a team in his native Puerto Rico.

He surprised and won many fans in Boston, batting .286 in part-time duty as a pinch hitter and DH.

1991 Fleer Ultra

John Olerud (2005)

After competing against the Sox from the opposite dugout in the 2004 ALCS, the former AL batting champ came to Boston to finish his career in 2005. The 36-year old slashed .289/.344/.451 — more than respectable numbers in backup duty.

2003 Topps Heritage

Alex Gonzalez (2006)

Gonzalez popped 41 home runs between 2003 and ’04 for the Marlins, but the Sox didn’t sign the defensive wizard for his bat. Sure, he reached base at just a .299 clip, but after the disaster of Edgar Renteria, the shortstop’s contributions in the field made believers out of Red Sox fans accustomed to iron-gloved sluggers.

Who are your Grady Sizemore All-Stars? Let me know in the comment section or on Twitter, using the hash tag #RedSoxScrapHeap.