Red Sox: Boston’s five biggest surprises from the 2021 season
The Red Sox were full of surprises in 2021
This season is one I don’t think many in Red Sox Nation will forget anytime soon as the team delivered more than we ever expected. From the top of the standings to a point where the Playoffs seemed out of reach. 2021 brought us some great moments, frustrating outcomes, and plenty of stories that we’ll be telling for years to come.
We don’t have an idea of when the lockout is going to end so there’s only so much looking forward we can do. As much as I’d love to talk about free agency and the trade market, the baseball world is colder than Maine in January thanks to the work stoppage. With the future on hold, there’s no better time than now to look at the past.
So, as we come to the end of 2021 how can we encapsulate everything from a rollercoaster of a year? It’s tough and I toiled over which angle to go with for this and finally settled on some of the biggest surprises from this past season. Whether it be a rookie reliever shutting down the league, a utilityman finding his home, or a veteran fireballer having the campaign of his life. This was one hell of a season of Red Sox baseball.
Garrett Whitlock anchors the Red Sox pen
This was a surprise that I think only Chaim Bloom and Alex Cora saw coming. A rule-5 Draft steal from our beloved friends the Yankees would become our biggest weapon in 2021. Seriously, who thought a prospect that had already undergone Tommy John would become one of the best relievers in baseball in his rookie season?
Garrett Whitlock was an absolute stud for the Red Sox in 2021 and while he didn’t pitch as often as fans would’ve liked, I fully believe that that aided his effectiveness. Cora treated Whitlock as if he was a starter and only called upon him after a certain amount of rest between each appearance.
This was a two-pronged plan as they didn’t want to re-injure his recently repaired elbow and they also didn’t want the opposition to figure him out. We all know what happens when you overwork a pitcher coming back from TJS, as well as when the other team sees them every night. Cora and Bloom played their cards perfectly and despite a hiccup here and there, Garrett was the ace of the bullpen
The righty finished his rookie campaign with a 1.96 ERA in 73.1 innings of work with a 2.84 FIP, 1.105 WHIP, and a 4.76 K/BB. I don’t think anyone could’ve asked for more from the 25-year-old and I can’t wait to see what he can do in 2022.
Kiké Hernández finds his home with the Red Sox
Kiké Hernández is going to go down as one of the most fun players to ever wear a Red Sox uniform. He’s going to go down in the annals of this franchise as one of the most beloved first-year players in team history. He had the unenviable task of filling the leadoff shoes of both Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi, not a fun job for anyone.
While his tenure didn’t start off with fireworks, an injury, and a quick trip to Worcester would turn things around though. Kiké would transform into one of the most reliable hitters in the lineup and his glove earned him more Web Gems than we can count. Going into this season, I think many with myself included, were worried about the defense in centerfield with Jackie Bradley Jr. leaving, but we were wrong.
Hernández’s 8.6 Defensive Wins Above Replacement landed him fourth in the American League for centerfielders, pretty damn good. His 14 DRS was second only to Kansas City’s Michael Taylor, who played 470 more innings at the position than Kiké. His UZR was also the fourth-best in the AL at a 7.4. For a guy that was signed to be a second baseman he sure was one hell of an outfielder.
As the season developed, Kiké was one of the lifebloods of this team. Each up and down, win and loss, he was one of those that never gave up on the vision of Bloom and Cora. He would elevate himself as one of the best hitters in baseball in the postseason and even stamped his name into the record books.
Nathan Eovaldi Carries the Red Sox Rotation
Woo buddy, what can I say about Nathan Eovaldi that hasn’t already been said over the last few months? It’s not often that a pitcher in his 30’s that has as much wear and tear on his body as Nasty Nate posts his best season in year 10. Sure enough, the fireballing righty dug deep and put this pitching staff on his back and led them to the Postseason.
When Nate came here in 2018 he earned the admiration of Red Sox Nation right out of the gate. Injuries would dampen their opinion of him in 2019 but he would soon change that. He stepped up big time in 2020 during the COVID shortened season after Chris Sale was shut down for Tommy John, Eduardo Rodriguez battled the virus and myocarditis, and David Price was sent packing to Hollywood.
But 2021, this season, I don’t think anybody saw it coming. He led the AL in both starts (32), and FIP (2.79). He led all of Major League Baseball in BB/9 at a paltry 1.7, you weren’t getting a free pass off Nate in 2021. This past season saw him earn his first All-Star nod, a 15th-place MVP finish, and he just missed the Cy Young finals by a hair. Nothing to be ashamed of.
As a part of my ‘Bold Prediction‘ series, I said that Nate would walk away with 2022 carrying the Cy Young Award. He missed out on the honor by mere voting points this season and I think that may fuel the Texan to get even nastier when next season rolls around. I, for one, am all for it.
The Red Sox take a trip to Waltham
This is easily one of my favorite things from this season, the trade for Kyle Schwarber. Chaim Bloom was raked over the coals for not making big flashy moves at the Trade Deadline, and yet, the Red Sox still made a deep run in October. Weird how that works. As he always does, he made deals that would best suit the team as opposed to the deals that would make headline news.
The addition of Schwarber was one that seemed to ignite a fire under the team and propelled them to the Postseason run we all enjoyed. His patience at the plate was instantly adopted by the rest of the lineup and the opposition paid for it. He also fit in instantly with the chemistry of this club and as a guy that never takes himself too seriously, the fans bought in as well.
Whether it was his celebration over achieving a simple ground out against the Rays in the ALDS or launching Schwarbombs all over the league, he was a great pickup by Bloom. Thanks to the fellas over at Section-10, Kyle would find a new home in Waltham, Mass.
The inside joke became such a reality that the town adopted Schwarber and he would donate pizzas to the local police and firehouses while also giving to charities in the area.
The slugger is a free agent but he and the Red Sox both expressed an interest in a reunion. With more than enough money in the budget and a great need for him in the lineup, I fully expect him to come back once the lockout ends. Having a bat and player the caliber of Schwarber in the lineup every night is a huge plus for AC and I’d love to see him back.
The Red Sox Dance Their Way to October
Nobody and I mean NOBODY, saw this one coming. In what was probably the biggest surprise of the season was the Red Sox coming within two games of returning to the World Series. Going into the 2021 campaign, the baseball world figured they may be better, but still near the bottom of the barrel. Well, with Alex Cora back at the helm the fellas decided they were done being losers and winning was pretty cool again.
For the first half of the season, you would’ve thought we all met up with Doc Brown and went back to 2018. The Sox were cruising and nobody was going to get into their way. Things were looking like a cakewalk until the All-Star break approached and the wheels went off the wagon. The second half brought a lot more stress than there ever needed to be but in the end, it didn’t matter.
Cora led the Red Sox past the Yankees in a thrilling Wild Card victory. He then vanquished the Rays in the ALDS, officially defeating both of their foes. Some could say, not me but some, that the Sox are the technical AL East Champions. Hard to argue against that. Then a rematch of the 2018 ALCS, and the Astros came to fight.
Boston had Game 1 in hand before blowing it late, dominated Game 2 and 3, and had Game 4 won until their carriage turned back into a pumpkin. The poot defense that plagued them all season reared its ugly head and the Astros feasted on it. What could’ve been a World Series run was squandered in six games but it was still more than we ever could’ve dreamed of. In fact, I believe they’ll accomplish the feat in 2022.
Wouldn’t that be something?
Next. Top-5 games from the Red Sox sluggers in '21. dark