#2: Red Sox RF Hunter Renfroe
It should come as no surprise to anyone that the six-year veteran is on this list. Hunter Renfroe is known for two things: his cannon of an arm and the dynamite he has in his bat. He can gun you down at home just as easily as he can hit a ball 400 feet. Though his decision-making with that arm of his is highly questionable at times, I’d still rather have him in our dugout than the one across the way.
In his first season with the Red Sox, Renfroe totaled 31 homers, the second-best of his career. He also put together his best full season at the dish with a .259/.315/.315 line, nearly all career highs.
The big man from Mississippi would also pair those 31 home runs with 33 doubles and 96 RBI. The reason he’s on this list is that in a different trip to Yankee Stadium he decided to take Aroldis Chapman DEEP.
At this point, the game was more than done. New York was up 5-1 in the ninth with one out when Renfroe went to the plate. Chapman would toss a 96mph fastball low and inside to the right-fielder and let’s just say Hunter doesn’t miss those very often. Though 5-2 is the closest the score would get on this night, the blast from Renfroe is one I’m sure Aroldis would love to forget.
Renfroe was a major steal for Chaim Bloom as he’s the definition of a low investment-high reward player. He didn’t cost Boston much in the way of salary but more than earned every penny heading his way. Now that he has a season at Fenway Park under his belt, I’m looking forward to seeing what he does next.