Boston Red Sox: Five biggest bright spots from 2020 season
By Sean Penney
Red Sox Honorable Mentions
These players either didn’t do quite enough or didn’t play often enough to crack the top-five list but they warrant being mentioned for their production.
Tanner Houck had a historically great start to his career, allowing only one earned run through his first 17 innings in the big leagues. He went 3-0 with a 0.53 ERA and 11.1 K/9 in three starts. The limited sample size keeps him out of the top five but Houck showed enough to earn himself a chance to compete for a spot in next year’s rotation.
Phillips Valdez was the breakout star of the bullpen but an 8.68 ERA in 10 September appearances took the shine off his promising first season in Boston. He still finished with a respectable 3.26 ERA for the season but his high walk rate (4.7 BB/9) remains a concern.
Martin Perez was the most consistent starter in a dysfunctional Red Sox rotation. Getting shelled for six runs in his final start spoiled his otherwise strong season, leaving him with a mediocre 4.50 ERA. He still did enough to warrant having his option for 2021 picked up.
Kevin Plawecki was an unexpected source of offense. The career .229 hitter caught fire this season to post a .341 batting average. The backup catcher only played 24 games though. The sample isn’t enough to convince us that he’s suddenly figured it out at the plate.
The Red Sox benefited when Yairo Munoz went AWOL on the Cardinals, allowing him to fall in their lap. He only played in 12 games but his .333 average and .844 OPS showed a glimpse of his potential.
Special shout out to Kevin Pillar, Mitch Moreland, Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree for performing well enough early in the season to build some trade value. Moreland was one of the team’s best hitters before he was traded but he played poorly after moving to San Diego. Pillar produced solid results after he was shipped to the Rockies but everyone hits well in Colorado. Workman was a disaster as the Phillies new closer and Hembree hit the injured list shortly after he was dealt. Solid work by the Red Sox to get anything of value for these players who weren’t part of their future.