Boston Red Sox: All-time lineup and prospects who could dethrone them

The Red Sox all-time lineup and which prospects could dethrone them

The Boston Red Sox have one of the most storied histories in all of baseball. Fenway Park is iconic. They are the host of some of the greatest players, managers, fans, and traditions in the game.

With that in mind, it’s always fun to go back through the history of the team and wonder who the best players are at each position. Everyone has an opinion on this. But in the end, I think we can all agree that there are only a few truly viable options at each position. So why don’t we try our luck here and come up with our version of the classic question, who is the best player at each position in Red Sox history?

That’s been done to death though, so we’re adding a few tiny twists here.

First, we’re going to be putting them in a true batting order. It’s not just going to be catcher, first base, second base, and so on. This just adds a little extra to it.

That doesn’t really change anything though. It’s just moving the order that the players are revealed around. So we do have another twist. We’re going to be saying which current Red Sox prospects we think have the best chance of taking over as the the all-time best at each position.

This makes things a lot tougher, especially because I’m only going with prospects. That means someone like Rafael Devers (who already has a great career and is just 25) is ruled out of the equation despite being a pretty strong choice for potential all-time great.

Another quick note, Terry Francona gets the nod as all-time best manager in Red Sox history. Not giving him a full slide because I can’t keep the prospect aspect of it all going with him, as there’s no “managing prospect”. Unless you want to count some recently retired players that could take up the mantle at some point (they might be getting mentioned in this article).

Francona was the manager in 2004. Reversing the curse automatically puts you right near the top of the list. He won another ring in 2007 though, which sort of solidifies it all. Seemed really beloved by the players and organization. And the fans certainly still love Tito.

Leading off: All-Time Red Sox shortstop – Nomar Garciaparra

There’s no denying that Nomar Garciaparra is the greatest shortstop in Red Sox history. In nine years with Boston, Garciaparra slashed .323/.370/.553 over 966 games (3,968 at-bats).

Nomar won the Rookie of the Year, a Silver Slugger, and made it to five All-Star games. The right-handed hitter was top-10 in the MVP race five times, finishing as high as second in 1998. You could argue that he deserved more than one Silver Slugger and a few Gold Gloves. He easily could’ve won an MVP too.

It still pains me to think what his career numbers could’ve been had he stayed healthy. This is a guy that hit .306 with 30 home runs and 22 steals in his rookie season. His next season saw him hit .323 with 35 homers. Then .357 with 27 homers. And finally .372 with 21 homers.

Garciaparra managed to rack up the extra-base hits while in Boston. In those nine years he finished with 279 doubles, 50 triples, and 178 RBI. He drove in 690 runs and scored 709 more, while stealing 84 bases.

Not to start any wars here, but I stand by the fact that PRIME Nomar was better than PRIME Derek Jeter. Jeter had the better career, absolutely. Garciaparra was a better fielder too. This isn’t a knock on Jeter. One of the GOATs. I just don’t think Garciaparra is remembered how he should be remembered.

Xander Bogaerts has had a phenomenal career so far. It’s just a testament to how good Nomar was that it’s not even really a question as to who you have to pick for this spot.

Garciaparra was mainly a three-hole hitter in his career. But he did have some time at leadoff. And for this lineup, that’s the perfect spot for him. He wasn’t a speed demon, but was decently fast in his prime. And got on-base at some insane clips. That will help with this absolute UNIT of an offense that’s all about power.

Garciaparra would be able to get on-base, and maybe even swipe a few bags. He’d also add some pop to the one spot while playing great defense at short. It’s hard to see anyone topping Nomar Garciaparra at the position for a long time.

Red Sox shortstop protégé – Marcelo Mayer

If someone is going to dethrone Nomar when it comes to greatest shortstop in Red Sox history, it’s going to be the prospect they just snagged in the MLB Draft this year – Marcelo Mayer.

Mayer was the highest-rated prospect entering the draft. Somehow he fell down to fourth and Boston was able to snatch him up.

The 19-year-old is still pretty far away from the Majors, seeing as how he was just drafted out of high school (91 at-bats in the minors) and just turned 19 on December 12th. However, it might not be as far away as you might expect.

Mayer slashed .275/.377/.440 in those 91 at-bats. The left-handed hitter smoked four doubles, one triple, and three home runs. He drove in 17 runs, scored 25 more, and stole seven bases as well.

This is the perfect example of what he can do offensively, which is everything. He’s got pretty decent speed, and that’s the worst thing you can say about him. The potential to hit .300 with 30 home runs is real. Could even throw in 15-20 steals every once in a while, just to add to his game.

Mayer doesn’t stop there though, as he’s already good with the glove. This is what makes him special. Rarely do you see someone with such insane offensive potential also have this type of defensive talent at shortstop. There really isn’t much holding him back.

Mayer will likely start 2022 in Low-A. So like I said earlier, he’s still pretty far away from the Majors. However, he could go the route of Nick Yorke in 2021. By that I mean, he could finish the year in High-A. Boston will likely give him a lot of time in Low-A though as they’ll want him to get those reps (barring some just utterly ridiculous numbers).

Still if he finishes the year in High-A that suddenly puts him knocking on the double-A door for 2023. And we might even see him in the Majors by the end of that year if Mayer really accelerates the program. Most likely though, we’ll see him in Boston in 2024.

Even if that seems like a long time away, Marcelo Mayer would be 22 for the entirety of that season. Still insanely young and giving him more than enough time to put up some mammoth numbers and a chance at dethroning Nomar.

Red Sox third base protégé – Blaze Jordan

Blaze Jordan was one of the most exciting picks Boston made in 2020. They managed to snatch him up and sign him in the third-round of the MLB Draft. This was thanks to them saving some money on their first-round pick, someone many thought was a reach (we’ll talk about him later though).

Jordan has insane power. At the moment, his defense leaves some to be desired. This means he might not actually stick at the position. But he does have the potential there and does have a strong arm.

It’s the offense that you have to love. Like I said, insane power. A right-handed hitter that could put up some Manny Ramirez type numbers. I had to give him a shoutout at some point in this article because Manny doesn’t take up any of the three outfield spots.

Jordan has only 105 MiLB at-bats under his belt so far. That’s due to the 2020 season being a wash and an injury in 2021 limiting him.

Still though, those 105 at-bats were enough to get anyone excited. Splitting time between Rookie Ball and Low-A, Jordan slashed .324/.368/.590 with eight doubles, one triple, and six home runs. So the power is definitely already shining through.

That adds some extra intrigue to Jordan. He just turned 19 on December 19th, and it’s not just “raw” power potential. It’s already there.

Jordan drove in 26 runs (in just 28 games), scored 19 more, and stole one base. Speed isn’t going to be a part of his game. But that’s okay because he has the potential to put up good averages, great on-base percentages, and ridiculous power numbers. That should lead to some monster run production. And if he wants to steal a handful of bases every once in a while, that’s fun too.

You could absolutely make an argument that Devers has the best chance of dethroning Boggs. We’re sticking with strictly prospects though. And Jordan isn’t out of the race. He’s going to be 19 for the entirety of 2022 and has already made some waves. Seeing him advance to High-A is extremely likely. Double-A isn’t completely out of the picture either if we’re being 100% honest. With that in mind, even if Jordan gets to the Majors in 2024, he’d be 21 that season – that gives him a lot of time to play catchup.

Three-hole: All-Time Red Sox designated hitter – David Ortiz

David Ortiz might make the Hall of Fame this year and wow does he deserve it. Big Papi is one of the greatest designated hitters of all-time. The left-handed hitter finished his career with over 600 doubles, 19 triples, and over 500 home runs.

In his time with Boston (14 seasons), Ortiz slashed .290/.386/.570 with 524 doubles, 16 triples, and 483 home runs. He drove in 1,530 runs and scored 1,204 more, stealing 13 bases (just fun to throw that in there).

He joined the Red Sox in 2003, and his first five years with the team saw him finish in the top-five in MVP voting each season. Ortiz made 10 All-Star games and won seven Silver Sluggers. This included a 2006 season that saw Big Papi hit 54 home runs, a Boston record.

He had a couple “bad” years that got some people worried, wondering if it was the beginning of the end. That was back in 2008 when he slashed .264/.369/.507 with 30 doubles, 23 home runs, and 89 RBI. Still really solid. The next year saw another dip though, with a .238/.332/.463 slash line with 35 doubles, 28 home runs, and 99 RBI. 2010 saw a big uptick in production though, and from 2011 on he was back to being virtually unstoppable.

In fact, in his final year (2016) Ortiz slashed .315/.401/.620 with a league-leading 48 doubles, one triple, and 38 home runs. He scored 78 runs and lead the league with 127 RBI. Oh, and he was 40. Seriously, it felt like he had another five years in him if he wanted to keep going.

Ortiz was a postseason superstar too. He slashed .289/.404/.543 with 22 doubles, two triples, and 17 home runs in 85 games (304 at-bats). Papi drove in 61 runs and scored 51 more. He also had countless clutch hits that will live in Boston lore forever.

This one is tough for a few reasons. First of all, it’s going to be really really hard for someone to beat out Ortiz anytime soon. I mean the man was there for three World Series rings (2004, 2007, 2013). And was a major part of each team too. In all three of those seasons he hit over .300, had at least 30 homers, and drove in at least 100 runs.

Second, there aren’t many players like him anymore. Ortiz was a full-time designated hitter his entire time in Boston. In his 14 years with the team he started just 142 games at first base. 75 of those starts came in his first two seasons. After that it was basically just whenever they were playing at a National League stadium.

Now a lot of teams love to do the whole rotation where even if you have a “usual” DH they still play the field a decent amount to give others a rest. More importantly though, it feels like a position they would sign someone for. It’s harder to imagine a prospect getting the DH treatment but who knows.

And again, even if they did they’ll have a lot of work to do to reach Big Papi levels.

Just imagine Ortiz hitting in the three-hold behind Garciaparra (we did get to see him drive in Nomar quite a bit for a year-and-a-half) and Boggs. The RBI totals would be insane. He’s pretty well versed in those role already.

Red Sox designated hitter protege – Alex Binelas

If you were wondering why I didn’t have Jordan here, this is why. There is also a serious discussion to be had about Nicholas Northcutt, who can absolutely mash. Niko Kavadas also needs to be mentioned as he might have some weaknesses in his game but his bat and insane power potential are not the issue. But Binelas gets the nod.

The left-handed hitter isn’t exactly known for his fielding. There are a few problems that are pretty easily identifiable. I think some of it is blown out of proportion, but still it’s definitely the weakness in his game.

With that in mind, Binelas (a third baseman at the moment) would be a great candidate for a designated hitter. Especially considering how good he is with a bat.

Binelas was part of the trade that sent Hunter Renfroe to the Milwaukee Brewers and Jackie Bradley Jr. back to Boston. The 21-year-old (turns 22 on May 26th, which is also my birthday) was a third-round pick last season. And despite playing in just 36 games in the minors, he’s already made a strong impression.

Binelas appeared in 29 games in Low-A. In that time he slashed .314/.379/.636 in 118 at-bats. He roped 11 doubles and nine home runs, driving in 27 runs and scoring 29 more.

It’s easy for fans to be upset about losing Renfroe after such a phenomenal season. But the 29-year-old does have some serious holes in his game. Those limitations have held him back in the past and maybe made Boston think it was smart to sell high. Getting Binelas as part of the return package feels pretty special.

Although he’s only played 29 games in Low-A, this is a College prospect. The idea surrounding them is that it takes less time in the minors to develop as they’ve already had that College seasoning. With that in mind, we could see Binelas get pretty close to the Majors in 2022, and might even make his MLB debut in 2023. That gives him plenty of time to try and build on his numbers.

It’s hard to imagine someone dethroning Big Papi. But if there’s any advantage, it’s that Ortiz didn’t come to Boston until he was 27.

Cleanup: All-Time Red Sox outfielder – Ted Williams

Is this the most obvious choice of all-time? Not only did Ted Williams have some of the most baller nicknames (Splendid Splinter and Teddy Ballgame are just so smooth), he is arguably the greatest hitter to ever play.

Williams spent his entire 19-year career with Boston. In that time, he slashed .344/.482/.634 with 525 doubles, 71 triples, and 521 home runs. The left-handed hitter drove in 1,839 runs and scored1,798 more, stealing 24 bases.

There’s so much to unpack right there too. First of all, after dominating the first four years of his career he missed his next three. Williams was serving in the military and missed his age 24, 25, and 26 seasons. It feels extremely safe to say he would have added another 100-plus doubles, 100-plus homers, 350-plus RBI, and 350-plus runs to the overalls if that didn’t happen.

The consistency was insane too, so you can’t even really make the “you can’t guess what he would’ve done” argument. Williams had more seasons hitting over .400 (3) than he had hitting under .300 (1). That’s insane. And his career-.482 OBP is the all-time record.

Williams was in the top-10 in MVP voting 12 times, winning it twice. Honestly, it’s pretty well known he should’ve won more but apparently he wasn’t the media’s favorite – they had a pretty well-documented feud. He won the Triple-Crown twice, and came extremely close a number of other times and was a 17-time All-Star.

Williams has a really strong argument as the greatest Red Sox player of all-time. So I feel bad for any outfielder that has to try to live up to the legacy, but we’ve got to throw someone into the fire for the sake of content.

Williams spent the most time batting third, but he felt right as the four-hitter here. Especially considering he flourished no matter where he was. He’ll bring home anyone Ortiz didn’t.

Red Sox outfield protégé – Gilberto Jimenez

Gilberto Jimenez might not excite everyone thanks to his low power numbers. The switch-hitter had just three home runs last season and has six total in 864 at-bats in his career. However, there’s so much more to his game.

First of all, the slash line was really solid in 2021. Jimenez slashed .306/.346/.405 with 16 doubles, six triples, and three home runs. He drove in a solid 56 runs and scored 64 more, stealing 13 bases.

Second, the defense is really good. The outfielder has great range and a really strong arm that you might not expect from someone without power at the plate (although Ichiro never hit many homers and he had a rocket).

Third, there’s a chance he develops some power. Jimenez bulked up last offseason and many expected the power to show up last year due to that. He ended up having a much worse slugging percentage than the year prior though. I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt and point out that he had a year off due to COVID shutting down the minors in 2020. So maybe with a year with those new muscles under his belt, he’ll find his power stroke a little more.

Finally, there’s insane speed with Jimenez. He may have only stolen 13 bases in 2021, but he has 50-plus steal potential. I mean literally his first at-bat of last year saw Jimenez beat out an infield single to second base. It was as routine as a routine grounder could get, and he just beat it out.

This should help him keep up some high averages as he can get on-base with a lot of weak contact. And a ton of steals and runs scored could help raise his legacy as well. If any sort of power ever does come, that’s just icing on the cake. Honestly though, I’d love to have a “classic” leadoff man who is just getting on-base, raking up steals, and scoring runs from his 2-3-4 hitters knocking him in.

Honestly, no one is passing Williams for a long time. Jimenez could definitely put his name up there with some greats though. At at 21 (turns 22 on July 8th), he’s got a lot of time ahead of him. A Major League debut in 2023 is possible. He should definitely be in the Majors by 2024. That gives him plenty of time to run up (weak pun intended) the numbers.

Five-hole: All-Time Red Sox outfielder – Carl Yastrzemski

You know what’s wild to think about? Ted Williams retired after the 1960 season. Carl Yastrzemski made his MLB debut in the 1961 season. You could look at this one of two ways. One, Boston fans were blessed to have such a perfect successor for Williams who could immediately be the superstar. Two, Boston fans were robbed of getting to see the two play together. That’s just such a tease to be that close but not actually happen.

Either way, they got to see both. And Yaz was certainly something special. The left-handed hitter spent all 23 of his MLB seasons in Boston. In that time, he slashed .285/.379/.462 with 646 doubles, 59 triples, and 452 home runs. He drove in 1,844 runs, scored 1,816 more, and stole 168 bases.

Yastrzemski was a one-time MVP. He made it to 18 All-Stars (including a stretch of 15 straight seasons making it to the Summer Classic), won seven Gold Gloves, and in 1967 won the Triple Crown. It was the last Triple Crown in baseball until Miguel Cabrera managed to achieve the feat in 2012. Yaz is the last Red Sox player to do so though.

Boston has a pretty loaded history when it comes to talent. Yaz tends to stand out though. Not just for the fun name, but because of how consistently good he was in such a long career. They could count on Yastrzemski to be a monster in the middle of their lineup for over 20 years. That’s wild.

Another impressive stat with Yaz, he didn’t strikeout. He never had 100 strikeouts in a season. And even crazier, he had eight different seasons with under 50 strikeouts, plus another with 50 exactly. He put the bat on the ball, and managed to do it with a lot of force – he wasn’t just slapping singles.

While most of his career was spent in the three-hole, we’re batting Yaz fifth in this lineup. It feels like Ortiz fits better at three. Then after Williams, Yaz sort of resets the lineup. If Williams brings everyone home (which he did pretty often) you have Yaz to “leadoff” again. But if Williams leaves anyone on-base, you know Yaz will bring them home.

Red Sox outfield protégé – Ceddanne Rafaela

Ceddanne Rafaela is definitely an interesting prospect. Defense will never be the problem. Given a position full-time, he will absolutely win a Gold Glove or two.

That’s the thing though, he’s so talented at so many different positions. His ability to play second, third, short, and the three outfield spots means Boston has flexibility. Don’t be surprised if the Red Sox use him as a utility-man if he does end up on the big league roster at some point.

However, if they do end up giving him a spot, I could see it being in the outfield. I feel like that’s where they have the fewest big-name prospects at the moment, so it would workout that way.

Rafaela’s offense is pretty interesting too. He improved a lot during the season in 2021 and ended up with a pretty decent .251/.305/.424 slash line in 102 games (394 at-bats) in Low-A. The right-handed hitter smoked 20 doubles, nine triples, and 10 home runs. He also drove in 53 runs, scored 73 more, and stole 23 bases.

Rafaela has blazing speed. It helps him cover insane amounts of space in the field. But it also gives him 50-plus steal potential, which is always fun. At first it seemed like he had very very little power, but his bat started to wake up as the season went on.

I still don’t think he’ll be a major home run guy but now it feels safe to say that Rafaela will rack up the extra-base hits with doubles and triples, and could throw in 15-ish homers.

He’ll be 21 for basically the entire 2022 season (turns 22 on September 18th). So that gives him a lot of time to develop. Rafaela will likely start the year in High-A. We could see him in the Majors sometime during the 2023 season, with 2024 seeming very very possible. Should be a very fun player that fans love to watch.

Can he put up some monster numbers to go along with it? The offense might never crazy but he could steal a ton of bases, score all the runs, and win some Gold Gloves. That certainly won’t hurt his legacy.

Batting sixth: All-Time Red Sox first baseman – Jimmie Foxx

Jimmie Foxx spent the first 10 years of his career with the Philadelphia Athletics. He went on to play the next seven in Boston though. Seven years might not seem like enough time to make a big impact, but Foxx isn’t just a normal player.

The first baseman started his Boston career in 1936. He promptly made it to six straight All-Star games. That run also included three top-10 MVP finishes, including one MVP crowning.

Foxx slashed .320/.429/.605 with 181 doubles, 45 triples, and 222 homers in his seven seasons (3,288 at-bats) with the Red Sox. The right-handed hitter drove in 788 runs, scored 721 more, and stole 38 bases. That’s over 100 runs and 100 RBI each season. That’s also over 30 home runs in each season. His 50 home runs in 1938 was a Red Sox single-season franchise record all the way up until 2006 when Ortiz smacked 54.

Oh, and that 1938 season also saw Foxx drive in 175 runs. Yes, you saw that correctly – 175 RBI in a single season. That’s the fourth-most in a single season in MLB history.

Even though he wasn’t in Boston all that long, those numbers are incredible. A few players have put together great careers, but haven’t been able to surpass him (most recently Kevin Youkilis).

That being said, this is possibly the most beatable of the legends. Foxx’s limited time in the city, opens up the door for someone to beat him. And Boston has a perfect candidate.

As for his spot in the lineup, Foxx could hit anywhere in the middle-of-the-order and produce. He has some experience hitting sixth though, so he gets the nod here. Expect an insane amount of home runs. The RBI numbers might not be as high as his prime years, but he’ll still rack them up. And the only reason they won’t be as high is because Yaz probably already drove most of them in. That’s the uh, “curse” of this lineup I guess. The RBI numbers might not be as great for some of the hitters because everyone is driving everyone in. Then again with all these insane OBPs, they should all still get plenty of opportunities.

Red Sox first base protégé – Triston Casas

Triston Casas has become a household name in the baseball world already, and he hasn’t even played in the Majors yet. Having a strong run in the 2021 Olympics certainly helped his case when it comes to that though.

Casas appeared in 86 games between Double-A and Triple-A last season. The only reason the games played were that low is due to the interruptions from the Olympics. In those 86 games (308 at-bats), Casas slashed .279/.394/.484 with 15 doubles, three triples, and 14 home runs. The left-handed hitter drove in 59 runs and scored 63 more, stealing seven bases.

Most impressively, Casas drew 57 walks while only striking out 71 times. That’s pretty impressive for a 21-year-old (will turn 22 on January 15th). Casas has a fantastic eye, great patience, and an elite bat. He chokes up pretty heavy, which limits the strikeouts. But that choking up doesn’t limit his power, he’ll still take you 450-feet.

Casas is primed to be a star and he could make his Major League debut in 2022. In fact, you could make a pretty solid argument that he could make the team out of Spring Training. So he’ll have plenty of time to rack up the stats and take over as the GOAT at first base for Boston.

Solid defensively, great contact, elite power potential. He’ll draw plenty of walks, and drive in tons of runs. There’s very little to not love about his game.

It feels unfair to already be tasking him with becoming the best first baseman in team history. Honestly though, it doesn’t feel like asking too much of him. That’s how good the potential of Casas is.

A lot of people already knew who Casas was before last season. But in 2021, he made his name known all throughout the baseball world thanks to the Olympics. 2022 could be the year he makes sure everyone knows he’s the real deal. And from there on, we could be witnessing an all-time great. If there’s anyone on this list in the most “immediate” danger of losing their top-spot, it might be Foxx – because Casas is ready.

Seven hitter: All-Time Red Sox outfielder – Jim Rice

1975 must’ve been a fun season to be a Red Sox fan. Jim Rice and Fred Lynn both had incredible rookie years and the fans must’ve really had insane amounts of optimism.

Lynn messed around and made it to the All-Star game, won a Gold Glove, won Rookie of the Year, and won the MVP all in the same season. Rice wasn’t too far behind. He was the runner-up for ROY and third in the MVP race.

This led to the two being nicknamed the “Gold Dust Twins”. Another strong nickname. And a deserved one as they gave Boston fans a bunch of entertaining seasons with the duo in the outfield.

Don’t worry though, Rice managed to win his MVP a few seasons later in 1978. He spent all 16 years in the Majors with Boston. The right-handed hitter slashed .298/.352/.502 with 373 doubles, 79 triples, and 382 home runs. He drove in 1,451 runs, scored 1,249 more, and stole 58 bases.

Rice was an eight-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger, and finished top-five in MVP voting six different times (including the one MVP he won in 1978).

Speaking of, that 1978 season was pretty wild. It saw Rice slash .315/.370/.600 with 25 doubles. Meanwhile, he led the league in triples (15), home runs (46), RBI (139), and hits (213). He even threw in 121 runs and seven steals. Think about that though, 15 triples and 46 home runs in the same season. That just seems wild.

Oh, and at the time, Rice’s 46 home runs were the second-most ever in a single-season by a Red Sox player. Only Foxx had more homers when he mashed 50 in 1938. Ortiz went on to hit 47 in 2005, then set a new Boston record with 54 in 2006.

Rice is a legend, and having him bat seventh just shows how stacked Boston’s history is. That’s not a knock on the slot either. He’d still have a lot of RBI opportunities and chances to show off that power.

Red Sox outfield protégé – Tyler McDonough

Tyler McDonough was selected in the third-round of the 2021 MLB Draft by Boston. He is a utility-man at the moment. However, the North Carolina State product did spend most of his time in centerfield.

McDonough appeared in 31 games (121 at-bats) in the minors last season between Rookie Ball and Low-A. That’s all he needed to make an impression though. The switch-hitter slashed .298/.388/.496 with seven doubles, four triples, and three home runs. He drove in 15 runs, scored 25 more, and stole three bases.

McDonough is extremely interesting because he grades out at above-average at everything. Maybe he won’t be “elite” in any specific category, but he could be a true five-tool player. The 22-year-old (will turn 23 on April 2nd) could do that with some extra speed. McDonough has potential to hit .280-plus with 20-plus home runs. He could also steal over 25 bases in a season while playing great defense.

It’s the type of talent that could lead to phenomenal production. Maybe he won’t win an MVP or be the superstar of the team, but he does it all. And that could lead to McDonough being a staple of the Boston lineup for a long, long time.

So even if he isn’t putting up insane numbers each year, you could expect above-average production every single year. And if he’s around long enough, that could lead to him becoming a legend in Boston.

Batting eighth: All-Time Red Sox second baseman – Dustin Pedroia

Dustin Pedroia is the most recent of the “legends,” beating out Ortiz by a bit for that honor. The second baseman was easy to love and played all 14 years of his career in Boston. He was the epitome of “dirty jersey.” If you tuned into a Red Sox game anytime after the first inning, it was likely that Pedroia’s jersey was already dirty.

One of the best fielders you could hope for, he was perfection at second base. Winner of four Gold Gloves, the most errors Pedey ever had in a single season was seven. SEVEN! He wasn’t just making the “routine” plays either, Pedroia had some wizard-type spectacle plays as well and saved a lot of hits/runs from happening.

He wasn’t just a glove though. The right-handed hitter slashed .299/.365/.439 with 394 doubles, 5 triples, and 140 home runs in 6,031 at-bats in his career. He drove in 725 runs, scored 922 more, and stole 138 bases.

The way Pedroia was usually described was that he wasn’t the most athletically gifted, but he’d out-work, out-hustle, and out-smart basically anyone else. This helped him be one of the better players in baseball basically his entire career.

To go along with those four Gold Gloves, he won one Silver Slugger, was an All-Star four times, won Rookie of the Year in 2007, and won the AL MVP in 2008.

If it wasn’t for a slide that we won’t discuss here because I don’t want to get angry, who knows what would have happened. Pedroia suffered an injury in 2017 and never really recovered from it though. He played nine total games in the next two seasons. The numbers definitely could’ve been better if that didn’t happen, and maybe the Hall of Fame would’ve come calling. Without that extra time though, it feels like he sadly might fall sort of the Hall.

That doesn’t matter however. Red Sox fans know how special he was. Most baseball fans do in fact. But it’s Boston that will always love and appreciate the talent that was the heart-and-soul of the team for so long. He put on a Laser Show, and he’s on this list thanks to that.

It feels like a given that Pedey will one day try his hand in managing. He would definitely be able to connect with his team and instill some hard working attitudes. His insane work-ethic and knowledge of the game would translate perfectly.

Pedroia spent the hefty majority of his career near the top of the order. He was the perfect type of two-hitter. However, this lineup is absolutely stacked and he works nicely down here hitting eighth.

Red Sox second base protégé – Nick Yorke

Nick Yorke was Boston’s first-round pick in 2020. The best thing a lot of people were saying about him at the time was that the Red Sox were able to sign him for cheaper than slot value, which allowed them to sign Blaze Jordan in the third-round.

Other than that, a lot of people weren’t too thrilled though. It took Yorke exactly one season to go from underwhelming in many people’s eyes to a “can’t miss prospect”.

How did he do it? By slashing .325/.412/.516 with 20 doubles, five triples, and 14 home runs in 97 games (378 at-bats) between Low-A and High-A in 2021. The right-handed hitter drove in 62 runs and scored 76 more, stealing 13 bases. He struck out 69 times, and drew an impressive 52 walks.

The 19-year-old (will turn 20 on April 2nd) was so incredibly mature at the plate. I would say “for his age”, but for anyone he looked great.

Yorke has it all. He’s going to hit for average, and his eye will give him some sky-high OBPs. Meanwhile, he has pretty decent pop. Expect a lot of extra-base hits and potentially over 20 homers a year. There’s not elite speed, but there’s more-than-enough for him to steal 15-20 bases as well.

Oh, and the defense took massive leaps during the season. The second baseman committed eight errors in the first month of the season. He committed just one error the rest of the season though. And suddenly it went from looking like a potential issue, to Yorke looking like he might turn into a Gold Glove type second baseman.

Pedroia leaves behind a massive legacy. Yorke has the talent and potential to fill it perfectly though. Let’s see if he can be a “heart-and-soul” of a team too.

Nine hitter: All-Time Red Sox catcher – Jason Varitek

Honestly, this is the one that might upset some people. It’s definitely my most “controversial” inclusion. That’s not because of Jason Varitek, but because of Carlton Fisk. Most people would probably put Fisk here. But it’s Varitek and I’ll give you a few reasons why.

First of all, Fisk spent 24 seasons in the Majors – 13 were with the Chicago White Sox. The other 11 were with Boston, and one of those was 1969, when he played in two games. Fisk’s real rookie year was 1971. His numbers were great in Boston, but so were Varitek’s.

Tek slashed .256/.341/.435 with 306 doubles, 14 triples, and 193 home runs in 15 seasons with Boston (his entire career). In 5,099 at-bats, the switch-hitter drove in 757 runs and scored 664 more, stealing 25 bases.

Varitek was a great offensive threat at catcher. That’s not what made him so special though. The big knock on him was that he didn’t have good arm strength. His 23% caught stealing rate sort of proves that to be true. However, defensively he was a superstar. Tek was a master at blocking the plate and framing pitches. He saved a lot of runs and stole a lot of strikes for his pitchers.

There also has never been a better game-caller that I have seen than Jason Varitek. He was a master at it. His dedication to this part of the game is legendary too, as he study the other team’s hitters so well that he knew exactly what to throw them in every situation.

This helped Varitek to a pretty cool record. He is tied with Philadelphia Phillies legend Carlos Ruiz for the most no-hitters caught in a career (four). That’s no accident either, no one helped their pitchers out more than Tek.

The awards sort of alluded him. In his career, Varitek made just three All-Star games. He finished in the top-30 for MVP voting three times, won one Gold Glove, and one Silver Slugger award. Most importantly though, he was part of two Championship teams (2004 and 2007) and he played a massive role both times.

He was also such a leader, being the last Boston player to rock the “C” on his chest. In fact, you could argue he helped out with that 2013 World Series as well. Jarrod Saltalamacchia was the catcher for that Boston team, and he made strides behind the plate immediately after arriving in Boston – which was 2011 (Varitek’s last year). That’s no coincidence, Tek was a teacher and probably loved to pass on the knowledge.

He also stayed on with Boston immediately, taking a role with the team in 2012. Imagine the benefits he gives to the catchers and pitchers on the team getting to learn from him.

Varitek is the other player I was talking about when I mentioned that the Red Sox might have some “managing prospects”. He has insane knowledge of the game and could absolutely take over as a manager one day.

I considered putting Pedroia in the nine-hole and having it be that whole “second leadoff” thing. But Tek felt good here. He did spend some time here back in the day anyways (although he was mostly used in the seventh spot, then sixth, then eighth). But having some pop like his at the very bottom of the order would be fun. He’s mostly here to help the pitchers anyways.

Red Sox catching protege – Ronaldo Hernandez

There were two serious options for this spot in my opinion. Ronaldo Hernandez and Kole Cottam. Cottam has fantastic offensive talent and his defense was so improved last season that it makes you wonder just how good he can be.

However, Hernandez is getting the nod here for a few reasons. First of all, he’s slightly younger. It’s not the biggest difference, but he’s about six months younger and will play the entire 2022 season at 24, while Cottam will turn 25 right at the start of the year. That’s not much but it’s a slight needle mover.

Then there’s the fact that Hernandez is closer to the Majors. He finished 2021 in Triple-A, while Cottam finished in Double-A. Finally, both are great offensively. However, Hernandez is more polished defensively at the moment and has a stupid strong arm. And with how much I just talked about defense making me take Varitek, it felt appropriate to mention here. Cottam has a chance to be the protégé, but right now Hernandez is a little closer to the Majors so he gets the nod.

The right-handed hitter slashed .284/.326/.501 with 29 doubles, one triple, and 16 home runs in 99 games (363 at-bats) between Double-A and Triple-A. He drove in 58 runs and scored 45 more.

A big issue with Hernandez is his discipline. He drew just 12 walks last season. In fact, he’s only had two seasons (out of six) with at least 20 walks. One of them was exactly 20, the other was a much better 31. Still though, even 31 isn’t exciting anyone. So that’s something to keep an eye on. He’ll need to learn to be more patient if he wants to succeed in the Majors.

Hernandez has all the tools to be great though. He’s a phenomenal defensive catcher who can block the plate and frame pitches well. His arm is elite as well (the caught stealing percentage isn’t great but you should never look at that in the minors, too much is going on). Offensively, he has the ability to hit for a solid average and rack up the extra-base hits.

This is a tough one to grade. Varitek’s offensive numbers aren’t insane but he was so important defensively. So it will be hard to surpass him at the position, but Hernandez has the talent to do so.

All-Time Red Sox starting pitcher – Pedro Martinez

Come on. Did you really think it would be anyone else? Pedro Martinez dominated in the steroid era. You know, the era where people were hitting 500-foot bombs for breakfast and washing it off with 700-foot bombs.

Despite pitching in that time, Martinez has somehow come out of the other side being considered possibly the most dominant pitcher in baseball history.

The right-handed pitcher spent seven years in Boston. In that time, he posted a 117-37 record, 2.52 ERA, and 0.98 WHIP. Those numbers are ridiculous.

Oh, and he struck out 1,683 batters (compared to 309 walks) in 1,383 2/3 innings. That’s unreal.

Martinez was a bit of a head case on the mound. But in the best possible way since he used it to his advantage. For example, throwing at the first batter of a game just to send a message. You could say this was stupid, or reckless, or might fire up the other team. But his numbers speak for themselves.

Yes, he only spent seven years with the team and there were a lot of other candidates. But no one is touching Martinez.

I mean, in his first year in Boston he came in second in the Cy Young voting. He clearly took offense to that, because he went on to win the award the next two seasons. Both of them included top-5 finishes in the MVP race as well (2nd then 5th).

Martinez made it to four All-Star games with Boston. He was top-22 in MVP voting five times, and top-five in Cy Young voting six times (including the two wins). He was truly untouchable with the Red Sox. If you need one win with an all-time Boston team, you’re putting Martinez on the bump to start that game.

Red Sox starting pitcher protégé – Bryan Mata

Bryan Mata suffered an injury and had to get Tommy John surgery during Spring Training last season. Honestly though, that did absolutely nothing to knock my excitement for the right-handed pitcher.

Mata has it all going for him. The only real negative I can think of is some injury concern and some command issues. Tommy John might have helped with both of those though oddly enough.

The 22-year-old (will be 23 on May 3rd) had a great season in 2019. He posted a new career-high in innings pitched (105) and strikeouts (111). His walks were down to 42 from 58 the year prior. That’s extremely impressive considering he only threw 72 innings that season.

As you can see the walks are a major issue. 42 in 105 innings isn’t good and that was the major improvement. The fact that he made some a big leap tells you that it’s something he is capable of straightening out though.

Mata also posted a 3.43 ERA, .237 BAA, and 1.28 WHIP in 2019. He did so while spending time in both High-A and Double-A (his highest point in the minors so far).

It’s unclear what 2022 holds for him. The fact that his last game since the injury was his best game ever has to leave people wanting more though. In his final start in 2019, Mata set career-highs in innings (7) and strikeouts (9). He did so while walking five, but only allowing one hit and zero runs. It was utter dominance.

His pitches are absolute filth. And the fact that he was usually the youngest player on the field when he was playing makes you excited for what a matured version can do (and I use “matured” lightly as he’s still only 22).

Mata might start the year on the injured list as he’s still recovering from TJ. When he does come back, it will be interesting to see where Boston places him in the minors and what type of workload they give him. It will also be interesting to see how his pitches look though. Will he have added a couple MPH or some extra break to his pitches? Or will there be more command now? You never know what TJ will do to a pitchers repertoire.

Mata is an ace. I’ve been saying it for years and I won’t back down now. He could be in the Majors by the time he’s 24. And that gives him a long time to rack up some big numbers in Boston.

All-Time Red Sox closing pitcher – Jonathan Papelbon

Jonathan Papelbon was nuts. Remember how I talked about how I 100% believe Nomar could’ve been one of the GOATs if it wasn’t for injuries. Same thing here with Papelbon except it wasn’t really injuries that slowed him down.

Papelbon made his Major League debut with the Red Sox in 2005. His official rookie year was 2006 though, and let me just read you off the stats – because this is one of the wildest rookie seasons I’ve ever seen.

The right-handed pitcher finished that year with 68 1/3 innings pitched. In that time he went 35-for-41 on save opportunities. He boasted a .167 BAA and that might be the worst of the numbers somehow. Pap also had a 0.78 WHIP and 0.92 ERA with 75 strikeouts. How he was that dominant in year one is beyond me.

It didn’t stop there though. In seven years in Boston, Papelbon recorded 219 saves. And that’s counting his 2005 “debut” season where he only threw 34 innings and had zero saves.

He also posted a 2.33 ERA, 1.018 WHIP, a BAA that hovered in the low .200s, and 509 strikeouts in 429 1/3 innings pitched. His 2007 BAA of .146 is hauntingly low. That shouldn’t be allowed.

Papelbon moved on to Philadelphia after that and continued to dominate. He finished his career in 2016 after posting a career-worst 4.37 ERA with the Washington Nationals. It was the only time in his career that he had an ERA over 4.00. Even that year though he was very reliable, saving 19 games in 22 opportunities.

Papelbon was only 35 and probably could’ve kept being very effective. He had some issues with teammates (he literally choked Bryce Harper). That might have spelled an early end to his career.

Imagine if he stayed in Boston though (remember, he called out Philadelphia and basically admitted he missed Boston). Over six seasons he had 219 saves. That’s an average of 36.5 saves a season. Could he have climbed up to get close to Mariano Rivera’s number? I’m not saying yes, but it might not have been the craziest thing ever.

I mean, he still finished his career with 368 saves, that’s a lot. I’m willing to bet he would have eclipsed 500 (I know that’s still not close to Rivera) if he stayed in Boston (I honestly think he would have pitched a lot longer too).

Papelbon was in his absolute prime when he was in Boston. No one could touch him. He was elite, the best-of-the-best type stuff. Very few you would want closing out your game for you more than the Red Sox Papelbon.

Red Sox closing pitcher protégé – Durbin Feltman

Durbin Feltman was supposed to be the closer of the future when Boston drafted him back in 2018. It started off great too with a strong first year. 2019 saw Feltman take several steps back though. Then 2020 saw the MiLB season get cancelled due to COVID. And honestly, I think that made a lot of the hype around Feltman die down.

But 2021 was a serious resurgence year for the right-handed pitcher. He spent the year in both Double-A and Triple-A and finished with a 2.96 ERA, .215 BAA, and 1.06 WHIP. In 51 2/3 innings he struck out 62 batters while only walking 14.

What’s most impressive though is that Feltman was so much better in Triple-A. He posted a 2.59 ERA, .200 BAA, and 0.90 WHIP with 25 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings in Worcester.

The fact that he was able to improve during the year despite taking a leap to the next level has to get you excited. Honestly, I was pretty surprised he never got the call to the Majors. But it worked out really well for the purposes of this article, because now I get to put him on this list.

Feltman should be the closer of the future for Boston. In fact, he has a chance to be the closer of now. They don’t have a closer at the moment and he could absolutely win a spot in the bullpen this Spring Training. Maybe he could even win that role.

Feltman is only 24 (turns 25 on April 18th). Papelbon was 25 in his rookie year with Boston too. That kind of works out beautifully. Pap put up his numbers in only seven seasons (mainly six seasons if you want to get technical about this). Feltman could play for a much longer time. So even if he doesn’t start as the closer, he’ll have plenty of time to make up the ground.

The Red Sox drafted him with the idea that he would be their closer one day. It might be time for Durbin Feltman to take up that mantle.