4 most surprising Red Sox players in the 2023 season
Yes, the Red Sox have been eliminated, they fired their GM, and no one really knows what direction the team is going to go in this coming offseason. But, that doesn't mean this season was all negative.
The 2023 Boston Red Sox season certainly isn't going to be remembered fondly by fans anytime soon. This iteration of the team constantly went through stretches of highs and lows throughout the year, any improvement immediately getting followed up by a fallow period where it felt like the team didn't deserve to stay in the Major Leagues. The Red Sox were the physical manifestation of the "We're so back/It's so over" meme for all of 2023, and we've finally been put out of our misery of watching this stress-inducing team.
However, just because the end product didn't result in nabbing one of the Wild Card spots like many of us hoped for throughout the summer, that doesn't mean there weren't any positives that the team can take with them into the offseason. While there's plenty to be disappointed about in this team (looking at you, Alex Verdugo ... and Tanner Houck ... and post-injury Trevor Story ... and Corey Kluber ... where was I?), there's also plenty to be pleasantly surprised in with this team, so let's briefly look at the highlights of this lowlight of a season.
Most surprising Red Sox player of 2023 -- No. 1: Justin Turner
It really feels like Justin Turner big time turned back the clock this season. WhenJustin Turner joined the Red Sox this year, I tried to temper my expectations as much as I possibly could. Sure, Turner had been very good in Los Angeles the past few years, but he had turned 38, and I was worried that Father Time was finally going to catch up with him and he'd end up a failed replacement for J.D. Martinez in the lineup.
I'm very happy to admit that I was wrong on this thought process. Turner proved to be a constant presence in the Red Sox lineup throughout the entire season, being able to fill in at both infield corners (and some second base, a position he last played in 2019), while consistently being one of the best bats on the Red Sox this season. Fun fact: Justin Turner set a new career-high with 95 runs batted in this season.
At 38 years old!
I had expected him to be an okay bat, maybe he could end up around 75 RBI, but to be closing in on 100 shows 1) just how wrong I was, and 2) just how good of a season Justin Turner had. While he'll most likely decline his player option and test his market value this offseason, I think Red Sox fans should remember nothing but positives from Turner's stint with the team, and the positive veteran presence he was able to bring to the locker room while absolutely raking.
Most surprising Red Sox player of 2023 -- No. 2: Jarren Duran
If you had asked me where Jarren Duran would be at the end of the 2023 season, I would've said that he'd be manning center field in Polar Park, begging for a chance to come back up to Boston. Duran's leap at the plate genuinely stunned me as it happened (and I think it shocked Alex Cora, too), and it really is a shame that he lost the rest of his season to turf toe, because it had felt like he established himself as an everyday player, and a genuine asset for the Red Sox to leverage.
One of the main things that led to Duran's improvement was, as simple as it sounds, getting the bat on the ball more often. Duran's strikeout rate fell to a career-low 24.9% this season, while his batting average on balls in play (BABIP) skyrocketed to .381 and his hard hit percentage (percentage of balls hit with an exit velocity at or above 95 mph) jumped to 46.3% in 102 games this season. While his numbers still pale in comparison to the same numbers from the big names in the majors, they do place Duran as one of the better hitters on the Red Sox this year, which I had very little hope of ever seeing come out of Duran in a given year.
Most surprising Red Sox player of 2023 -- No. 3: Chris Martin
Let's be honest with ourselves: the less said about the 2023 Red Sox pitching staff, the better. There were rare occasions this season where Red Sox pitching instilled me with any sort of confidence, but I will say that there was one man who did instill me with some confidence: a 37-year-old righty who decided to have a career year with this Red Sox team.
I'd be lying if I said that I knew who Chris Martin even was before the season (turns out, he's different than the Coldplay guy). However, after his performance this year, I'm willing to be the conductor on the Chris Martin Hype Train. In 54 games this year, Martin had an ERA of 1.07, allowing only six earned runs through the whole season.
He also threw 46 strikeouts to only eight walks, compiled an ERA+ of 428, and was able to avoid hard contact from batters that he faced, holding one of the lowest average exit velocities from opposing batters in the league. Hopefully, Martin can keep his form up going into next season, because having a reliable arm like his at the back end of the bullpen is extremely valuable for any team, let alone a team that dealt with tons of close games.
Most surprising Red Sox player of 2023 -- No. 4: Triston Casas
It was looking really bad for Casas after the first month of the season this year. In the month of April, Casas held the abysmal stat line of a .137 batting average, an OPS of .585, and 26 strikeouts in 73 at-bats. The Casas delegation became down-trodden and it seemed like all hope was lost as calls for Bobby Dalbec were coming from all directions. However, as the season went on, Casas truly turned into the dominant force at the plate everyone hoped he would be.
The main stretch to focus on is Casas after the All-Star break, and that's when Casas really threw his name into the hat for Rookie of the Year consideration. In 54 games after the All-Star break, Casas held a slash line of .317/.417/.617 (1.034 OPS!), hitting 15 home runs and driving in 38 runs in the span as well. Casas took home Rookie of the Month in July for the American League, and finds himself in the top 10 of the American League in on-base percentage, OPS, and OPS+ (among other stats), and truly looks like one of the best hitters in the American League at this moment.
Yes, Casas still needs to improve in the field and cut down on the strikeouts, but for everyone who doubted Casas after last year and has lambasted him for sunbathing, painting his nails, and being somewhat "eccentric," those doubters can go crawl back into whatever hole they live in, and get used to Casas being your everyday first baseman for the Red Sox. The franchise should do the right thing, and lock up Casas to an extension before he gets too expensive and dominates first base for a different lucky team.