Boston Red Sox Top-5 breakout performances of 2015

Aug 26, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Travis Shaw (47) celebrates with shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2) after hitting a two run home run during the eighth inning against the Chicago White Sox at U.S Cellular Field. The Boston Red Sox defeated the Chicago White Sox 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports

The 2015 season ends with the Boston Red Sox at the bottom of the division, finishing last in the AL East for the second straight season. This once proud franchise hadn’t suffered consecutive last place finishes since the 1929-1930 seasons, yet now find themselves in the basement of the division in three of the last four seasons.

Of course the one year in that stretch that wasn’t a last place finish resulted in a championship in 2013. This goes to show there can be a silver lining found in almost any story, so while the team’s spot in the standings remains an unacceptable disappointment, there were some bright spots to this season that offer a glimmer of hope for the future.

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Boston’s season went south due to poor roster construction that was highlighted by several misfires in free agency and trades. Injuries to key players and a few slumping veterans only compounded those issues, sending their season spiraling down the drain.

While most of those offseason moves from last winter didn’t pan out, the Red Sox have plenty of homegrown talent that emerged this year.  The Red Sox began to play much better once they trimmed away some of the disappointing veterans that were weighing them down to make room for more young players, finishing the season with a 32-26 record since August 1.

If the Red Sox can play at that pace next season they will find themselves back in contention. Here are the top-5 breakout performers from this season that can help them get there if they can continue to build on their career years.

Next: Xander Bogaerts