Boston Red Sox: Ranking the top 10 players from the 2000s

The Boston Red Sox finally ended decades of futility in the 2000s when they won the World Series. Here’s a list of their best players during the decade.

The first decade of the twenty-first century was when the Boston Red Sox finally broke through and ended nearly nine decades of heartbreak. After so many near misses and a crushing defeat at the end of 2003, the Sox finally exorcised all of the ghosts of the past in 2004 and ended generations of frustration (even if they didn’t make it easy along the way).

While the Red Sox have seen countless great players come and go over the years, the ones from the years 2001-2010 hold a special place in fans’ hearts. These were the players that finally ended the long World Series drought, brought eternal joy to Red Sox fans, and ushered in the current era of nearly perennial contention.

Many of these players were all time greats who left their mark not only on the Red Sox but on the history of Major League Baseball itself. Others were very good players, important contributors to the Red Sox success, and will forever be integral parts of Red Sox history. Since we’ve already looked at the top ten Red Sox players of the 1980s and 1990s, it’s time to look at the ten best from the 2000s.

In no particular order, let’s begin.

Pedro Martinez

Pedro Martinez has already been included up on the list of best trades in Red Sox history, most important players in Red Sox history, and top ten Red Sox players of the 1990s. He’s included in this list covering the 2000s because his Red Sox career neatly straddled the two decades and because he was a vital member of the 2004 World Series championship team.

Pedro’s incredible exploits with the Red Sox in the late 1990s have already been discussed, but he was also very, very good in the early 2000s as well. While he didn’t approach the lofty heights he reached in the 1990s (especially his superb 1999 and 2000 seasons), Martinez was still one of the top pitchers in the league during his final Red Sox seasons of 2001-2004.

After his superb 2000 season, Pedro battled a shoulder injury in 2001 and only made eighteen starts, going 7-3 with a 2.39 ERA and 163 strikeouts. He bounced back during his final three seasons in Boston, though, putting up the following numbers:

2002: 20-4 W-L, 2.26 ERA, 239 K, 40 BB, 199.1 IP, 0.923 WHIP (30 starts)
2003: 14-4 W-L, 2.22 ERA, 206 K, 47 BB, 186.2 IP, 1.039 WHIP (29 starts)
2004: 16-9 W-L, 3.90 ERA, 227 K, 61 BB, 217.0 IP, 1.171 WHIP (33 starts)

Pedro’s ERA and WHIP in 2002 and 2003 led all of MLB while he led the American League in strikeouts in 2002. His postseason numbers were a bit more uneven although in the end he was crucial in helping them win it all in 2004. He won a game in both the 2003 and 2004 ALDS and won his start in Game Three of the 2004 World Series when he held the St. Louis Cardinals scoreless for seven innings.

The only blemishes on his postseason career during these years were in the 2003 and 2004 ALCS. In 2003, Pedro took the loss in Game Three when he was matched up against Roger Clemens, but will forever be remembered for hitting Karim Garcia and then throwing down Yankees coach (and former Red Sox manager) Don Zimmer during the bench clearing brawl that erupted later in the game.

Later in the series in Game Seven, Martinez was cruising and looked to be in line to pick up the win and help the Red Sox clinch the pennant, but manager Grady Little infamously left him in to begin the eighth inning with a 5-2 lead. As everyone knows, Pedro gave up three runs to the Yankees, allowing them to tie the game before they eventually won it in the eleventh inning.

Martinez also lost Game Two and got a no decision in Game Five of the 2004 ALCS. Pedro’s stuff in 2004 has lost a lot of its movement and speed and he relied more on his pinpoint location and guile to outwit hitters. That was never more apparent than his masterful performance in the 2004 World Series when they needed him most.

Pedro Martinez was one of the greatest pitchers in Red Sox history and did it in both the 1990s and 2000s. Perhaps he wasn’t as dominant in the 2000s as he was in the 1990s, but he was still one of Boston’s best and deserves to be on this list as much as he did the previous one.

David Ortiz

David Ortiz is another player on this list who shouldn’t surprise anyone. He may be the single most important player in the history of the Red Sox and is almost certainly their greatest-ever free agent signing. He spent fourteen seasons with the Red Sox, from 2003 until his retirement in 2016 and became not only the face, but the heart and soul of the team.

He helped the team win three World Series in 2004, 2007, and 2013, but since the focus of this article is only the first decade of the 2000s, let’s look what he did from 2003 to 2010. During those regular seasons he hit .285 with 288 home runs and 932 RBI. He led the American League in 2006 with 54 home runs which also set the Red Sox single season record.

Even more than what Ortiz did in the regular season was what he did in the postseason. His combined stats for the 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2009 postseasons are a .312 average to go with 12 home runs and 43 RBI. Beyond the numbers, though, Ortiz was one of the most clutch postseason hitters not only in Red Sox history, but in baseball history.

He’ll forever he known for the big hits he delivered during the 2004 ALCS comeback, winning Game Four with an extra innings home run and Game Five in extras with an RBI single. For the rest of his career, whenever the Red Sox needed a big hit, no matter the stakes, David Ortiz delivered.

Jason Varitek

One of the most popular Red Sox players of the last twenty years, Jason Varitek was part of one of the greatest trades the team ever made. Acquired in 1997 along with Derek Lowe in return for Heathcliff Slocumb, the Sox swindled the Seattle Mariners out of two players who would help them win the 2004 World Series. While Lowe would leave the team after that victory, Varitek stayed for his entire career, retiring after the 2011 season.

During the years 2001-2010, Varitek held down the catcher position and took on the additional official title of captain beginning in 2005. He was a very good, not great defensive catcher who was well liked and respected by the team’s pitching staff for how he called a game. He also set a major league record by catching four no hitters in his career.

As for his batting statistics, Varitek was one of the better hitting catchers in the league and gave the team added versatility by being a switch hitter. During the decade (2001-2010), he hit .256 with 145 home runs and 547 RBI.  He was remarkably durable, too, playing 110-140 games per season between 2002 and 2009.

Jason Varitek wasn’t a catcher in the same mold as Johnny Bench or Carlton Fisk, but he was a solid, reliable presence both behind the plate and at it…and anyone who gets in front of Alex Rodriguez and shoves their glove in his face is destined to be a Red Sox hero.

Nomar Garciaparra

Without question, Nomar Garciaparra was the biggest homegrown star on the Red Sox during his time in Boston. From 1996 to 2004 he held down shortstop while hitting for a combination of average and power that brought back memories of Ted Williams. While his best seasons were in 1999 and 2000 when he won two straight batting titles and flirted with .400, he was still very good in the new century.

Nomar battled injuries after the 2000 season and the one to his wrist especially meant he was never quite the same hitter as he’d been before. He missed most of the 2001 season due to injury and was not an everyday player in 2004 (again, due to injuries) but put up very good numbers in 2002 and 2003 (before being traded at the 2004 deadline to the Chicago Cubs).

2001: .289 BA, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 7 BB, 13 R, 24 H, .352 OBP, .822 OPS (21 games)
2002: .310 BA, 24 HR, 120 RBI, 41 BB, 101 R, 197 H, .352 OBP, .880 OPS (156 games)
2003: .301 BA, 28 HR, 105 RBI, 39 BB, 120 R, 198 H, .345 OBP, .870 OPS (156 games)
2004: .321 BA, 5 HR, 21 RBI, 8 BB, 24 R, 50 H, .367 OBP, .867 OPS (38 games)

Nomar was a big reason why the 2003 team was as good as they were and why they made it to Game Seven of the ALCS that year. As evidenced by his sharp decline both in terms of injuries and production after the Red Sox traded him, it’s clear that Boston got the best out of Nomar.

Curt Schilling

Curt Schilling was the Red Sox big acquisition in the 2003 offseason, acquired via trade in an effort to bolster their rotation and help them match up against the Yankees in 2004. After they unsuccessfully tried to trade for Alex Rodriguez (who then ended up on the Yankees), the Red Sox had to do something to keep pace with New York and in hindsight, it looks like they won the arms race.

Schilling went 21-6 with a 3.25 ERA and 203 strikeouts in 2004, forming a potent one-two at the front of the Red Sox rotation with Pedro Martinez. He was even better in the postseason, which is where his reputation preceded him and why the Red Sox wanted him in the first place. He went 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA and 13 strikeouts in the 2004 postseason.

He also showed just how gutsy he was (and forever entered Red Sox lore) when he pitched on a hastily surgically repaired ankle with a “bloody sock” in both Game Six of the ALCS and Game Two of the World Series, winning both decisions.

In the four seasons Schilling spent in Boston to wrap up his career, he went 53-29 with a 4.20 ERA and 574 strikeouts. He was never the same after 2004 and had to change into more of a finesse pitcher, relying more on guile and command once his velocity diminished. He used that to great effect in helping the Red Sox win another World Series in 2007. He tried coming back for another season in 2008 before finally retiring.

Regardless of how one feels about Schilling since his playing career ended, there’s no denying that he was one of the greatest Red Sox pitchers of the 2000s and is worthy of induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame as well.

Kevin Youkilis

Kevin Youkilis may be one of the most underappreciated homegrown players the Red Sox have produced in the last twenty years. He was certainly popular with fans and the media as a hard-nosed, gritty player but he was also really, really good. First called up as a rookie to fill in for the inured Bill Mueller during the historic 2004 season, Youk (as he was affectionately called) spent the first nine seasons of his career in Boston.

Initially a third baseman, Youk was converted into a first baseman and turned into one of the best in the league at that position, winning a Gold Glove in 2007. He also set the record for most consecutive games without an error by a first baseman at 238 games. More than his slick fielding and toughness playing through injuries, though, Youkilis was  most well-known for his plate discipline.

Dubbed “The Greek God of Walks” in the famous book Moneyball, Youkilis walked a lot and had very good on base percentages throughout his career. During the decade (2004-2010), he hit .290 with 112 home runs, 470 RBI, 412 BB, 816 H, 501 R, a .393 OBP, and an OPS of .876. He was also very durable, playing through injuries and in 130 or more games in most seasons.

He won a World Series ring in 2004 even though he didn’t play beyond the ALDS, but he was a starter for the 2007 team that won it all and he was a vital part of that championship. He had a couple of solid years in 2011 and 2012 before being traded in June of 2012 during the miserable Bobby Valentine season.

Kevin Youkilis was one of the best and most fondly remembered Red Sox players of the 2000s and further ingrained himself into the fabric of Boston sports when he married one of Tom Brady’s sisters in 2012. Not bad for a guy who was called “an on base machine” during his time in the minor leagues.

Jonathan Papelbon

The Red Sox have had their fair share of characters throughout the years and Jonathan Papelbon is no exception. The big righthander was drafted in 2003 and made his debut with the big league club on July 31, 2005. While he saw limited action that season, in 2006 he began his run as the team’s closer. He’d spend until the end of the 2011 season with the team before leaving in free agency.

From 2006 to 2010, Papelbon was one of the best closers in the game and an integral part of the 2007 World Series champions. During those years, he logged a 19-18 W-L record, a 1.75 ERA, 422 strikeouts, and 188 saves in 365 innings. He was also fantastic in the 2007 postseason, winning a game in the ALDS, saving one in the ALCS, and three in the World Series. His cumulative ERA during those three series was 0.00 and he struck out seven while walking four across 10.2 total innings.

Fans will also remember Papelbon dancing an Irish jig with an empty beer carton on his head on the field and on top of the dugout after the Red Sox won the ALCS as well as exuberantly throwing his glove in the air after getting the final strikeout in the 2007 World Series. Papelbon was certainly a character but he was also a great closer, the best the Red Sox had in the 2000s.

Jon Lester

The last quality starting pitcher the Red Sox drafted and developed over the last twenty years, Jon Lester is a player that many Sox fans think should’ve spent his entire career in Boston. The big lefty was drafted by the team in 2002 and made his major league debut in 2006. His career was abruptly halted later that season when he was diagnosed with Lymphoma.

After missing the rest of 2006 and the first half of 2007 while making a full recovery, Lester went 4-0 for the Red Sox in the second half of the season and helped them win the World Series. He won the clinching Game Four, pitching 5.2 innings while only giving up three hits, striking out three, and walking three.

For the rest of the decade, Lester was one of the Red Sox top starters and his numbers from 2006 to 2010 prove that out. Over that span, he went 61-25 with a 3.84 ERA, and 712 strikeouts over 766 innings and 123 starts. He was remarkably durable, too, topping 200 innings from 2008-2010.

Unfortunately, the Red Sox tried to play games with his contract as he approached free agency and it cost them when they ended up trading Lester in the middle of the 2014 season. He wasn’t the flashiest pitcher, but Jon Lester was reliable and effective during his time in Boston and has been missed since he’s been gone.

Dustin Pedroia

Dustin Pedroia is technically still a member of the Red Sox although the severity and persistence of his injury issues over the last few seasons make it look as though we’ve likely seen the last of him on the field. While he played more seasons after 2010 than he did before, it’s arguable that he had his best years for the Red Sox between 2006 and 2010.

Making his debut in 2006 for a cup of coffee with the big club, Pedroia began his true rookie season of 2007 as the team’s everyday second baseman. He struggled early on, but manager Terry Francona believed in him and kept playing him and it paid off. Pedroia broke through and ended up having an excellent season, winning American League Rookie of the Year by hitting .317 with 8 home runs, 50 RBI, 165 hits, 86 runs, an OBP of .380, and an OPS of .823.

In the postseason that year, he hit .354 with one home run and five RBI in the ALCS as the Red Sox came back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Cleveland Indians. He then hit .278 with one home run and four RBI in the World Series, helping the Red Sox win their second championship of the decade.

His 2008 season was even better as he won the AL MVP award by hitting .326 with 17 home runs, 83 RBI, 213 hits and 118 runs (both of which led the league), a .376 OBP, and an OPS of .869. He also won his first Gold Glove award (he’d win three more in 2011, 2013, and 2014).

For the years 2006-2010, Pedroia hit .284 with 54 home runs and 253 RBI. His stellar defense, gritty hard-nosed style of play (especially playing while hurt), and fierce determination to overcome his small size and become one of the premier second basemen of his generation has made Pedroia a fan favorite throughout his career and a borderline Hall of Fame candidate.

Honorable Mentions

These are the players who spent significant time with the Red Sox in the 2000s, contributed to their two World Series wins, but just barely didn’t make the cut for the top ten. In no particular order, first up is Trot Nixon who spent all but the final two years of his career with the Red Sox. After debuting in 1996, he became the team’s everyday right fielder in 1999 and personified the Dirt Dog mentality of those late 1990s/early 2000s teams.

Hie best season was 2003 when he hit .306 with 28 home runs and 87 RBI. A teammate of his from 2002 to 2005 was Johnny Damon who has already been discussed in the best free agents article. Damon was the team’s leadoff hitter and center fielder during those years and was crucial to the team winning in 2004 both on the field with his play and in the clubhouse with his personality.

The 2004 season was also his best in Boston as he hit .304 with 20 home runs and 94 RBI. Derek Lowe came over with Jason Varitek when then-GM Dan Duquette swindled the Mariners in 1997. Lowe was a solid reliever for the Red Sox before he became a starter in 2002. From 2001 to 2004 he won 57 games (including a 21 win season in 2002) while eating up innings and providing clutch performances.

Perhaps nothing defined how clutch he was than his pitching in the 2004 postseason when he won the clinching games in the ALDS, ALCS, and World Series. The final member of the 2004 team to make this list is Tim Wakefield, who reliably did whatever the Red Sox needed him to do from 1995 to 2011. His greatest contributions came in the 2000s when he helped them win it all in 2004 and 2007.

His versatility as a starter or reliever and his ability to eat up a ton of innings with his knuckleball in order to give other pitchers rest was hugely underrated but definitely appreciated by Sox fans. Finally, two members of the 2007 team who came over together in another excellent trade in 2006 merit mention here. Josh Beckett anchored the new-look pitching staff and in 2007 he went 20-7 with a 3.27 ERA and 194 strikeouts.

He was also lights out in the postseason, going 4-0 across the ALDS, ALCS, and World Series. He continued to pitch well for the Red Sox to the end of the decade before injuries and attitude forced his trade to the Dodgers in 2012. Last but not least is the player who was a salary dump throw-in in the Beckett trade, Mike Lowell.

All he did was hit .324 with 21 home runs and 120 RBI in 2007 before winning World Series MVP by hitting .400 with a home run and four RBI. Lowell spent the final five seasons of his career in Boston before retiring after the 2010 season. Not bad for a guy who the Marlins threw in just to get rid of his contract, wouldn’t you say?