Ranking every Boston Red Sox season from this decade
By Sean Penney
2010
The first year of this decade was fairly forgettable. It wasn’t awful enough to ingrain any moments of agony in our memories but it was far from a successful campaign.
2010 saw the arrival of Adrian Beltre on a one-year “prove it” deal. The veteran third baseman didn’t disappoint, hitting .321 with 28 home runs and 102 RBI. He made his first career All-Star appearance and finished ninth on the MVP ballot. Beltre used that bounce-back season to cash in with a new deal with the Texas Rangers the following winter.
Boston’s chances to contend were derailed by their ace having the worst year of his career. Beckett was limited by injury to 21 starts, going 6-6 with a 5.78 ERA.
This was also the first season of John Lackey‘s tenure with the Red Sox but their prized free agent acquisition was a disappointment. Lackey won 14 games but his 4.40 ERA wasn’t what Boston expected from the former All-Star.
The Red Sox won a respectable 89 games but finished six games behind the Yankees for the Wild Card.