Red Sox: 3 pitchers deserving of their first career All-Star selections

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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 11: Relief pitcher Josh Taylor #38 of the Boston Red Sox reacts at the end of the seventh inning of the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park on June 11, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /

Red Sox reliever Josh Taylor

For how poorly of a start he got his 2021 season off to, Josh Taylor has quietly become the Red Sox’s most valuable left-handed reliever thanks in part to stringing together 23 consecutive scoreless appearances out of the Boston bullpen dating back to April 30.

Over that sizable stretch of games, the southpaw has produced a 0.00 ERA, a .420 OPS against, and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 24:7 in his last 18 1/3 innings of work.

Among 22 left-handed relievers in the American League who have tossed at least 18 innings since April 30, Taylor ranks first in ERA, first in hits given up (nine), 15th in strikeouts, first in batting average against (.145), first in on-base percentage against (.243), first in slugging percentage against (.177), first in weighted on-base average against (.196) fourth in strikeout percentage (34.3%), first in FIP (1.84), and seventh in xFIP (3.18), per FanGraphs.

While Taylor’s usage may not match that of other relievers on this list of 22, the 28-year-old has certainly emerged as one of the most dominant left-handed relief options in baseball and has clearly become one of Cora’s most trusted weapons out of the Sox bullpen.

For that, he should garner at least some All-Star consideration, especially considering where he stood at this point two months ago.

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