This year won’t see our Boston Red Sox compete in the World Series but there are plenty of players in the Fall Classic with ties to this ball club.
It’s been a tough year for Boston Red Sox fans, there’s no getting past that. But you can’t expect it all every year. Sure, it would’ve been nice to see a little more of a playoff push from a reigning World Series champion but it just wasn’t to be.
As much as we’ll all look forward to the 2020 season, there’s still one postseason series to go for this year, and it’s the big one. The Fall Classic begins tonight, as the Washington Nationals look to go head-to-head with the 2017 World Series champion Houston Astros in what promises to be a very intriguing matchup, especially from a pitching perspective. While the Red Sox didn’t make the cut this year, there are still some ex-Sox players who did.
The first player who’ll jump out at Red Sox fans is Josh Reddick. Houston’s outfielder has been an important player to this exceptional Astros team since he joined for the 2017 season – where he helped them win it all.
The Red Sox selected Reddick in the 17th round of 2006 MLB Draft. Reddick finally made the jump to the majors with the Red Sox in 2009 but didn’t make a real impact until his final season in Bean Town. In the 2011 season, Reddick appeared in 87 games and drove in 28 for a Sox team that went on to win 90 games but ultimately finished third in the division standings.
In the offseason following that year, the Red Sox traded Reddick and two other minor league players to the Oakland Athletics for Andrew Bailey and Ryan Sweeney. This trade ended up being an important one for the development of Reddick’s career. He went on to win a Gold Glove in his first season with the A’s before producing plenty of solid seasons in Oakland. For the last three seasons, Reddick’s pretty much been a day-to-day player and an important piece of the puzzle which has formed this fantastic Houston club.
Another Astros player who spent some time in Boston is Wade Miley. Miley’s been an effective major league pitcher since he came into the league back in 2011. In his second season in the league with the Arizona Diamondbacks, he made the NL All-Star team and finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting.
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Miley joined the Sox in December of 2014 in a trade that sent Rubby De La Rosa to the D-Backs. Miley pitched well at times but it wasn’t exactly what the Sox needed. He finished the year with a 4.46 ERA.
The Red Sox traded Miley after one season to the Seattle Mariners for reliever Carson Smith. The other part of this deal, funnily enough, saw Roenis Elias come to Boston. Elias is currently on the Nationals books. He made four appearances down the stretch but doesn’t look like he’ll be taking a part in World Series.
As for Miley, he’s been a very good pitcher for Houston this past year. He’s only made the one appearance in the postseason so far, back in the ALDS, but he’s still another ex-Red Sox player who’ll be going all the way.
2017 World Series MVP George Springer has ties to New England, as he was raised in New Britain, Connecticut and attended UConn, where he played college ball. Springer has a number of honors from his time as a Huskie, including the 2011 Big East Player of the Year award – which has spanned all the way to the majors, as he’s now a three-time All-Star and looking to be a two-time World Champion.
Really, it’ll just be Reddick to look out for amongst ex-Red Sox players. He’s someone you’ll likely be seeing make an impact throughout the World Series. He hasn’t had the best month yet, with just three hits from twenty-two at-bats, but he’s someone who can always make a difference.