The return of James Paxton reminded me that there are many former Red Sox players in the league. Here is how their seasons are going so far.
SP James Paxton was never the biggest name former Boston Red Sox player in MLB. However, the former is now a current one a trade. Nonetheless, there are many past Red Sox player still making their mark in the Majors, just in different colors. Ironically, the most disappointing departure for this season alone is still SP Chris Sale. Sale had one last surprise in store for Sox Nation by being far better this year than the player Boston received in return, 2B Vaughn Grissom. Grissom has gotten the Sale Virus and has barely played this year while Sale is in the NL Cy Young race.
Enough on Sale, there are other Sox out there as well. I checked in on many of these players in April when the season just began. Now it is time to see how they are doing in the dog days of summer. This season, some players are displaying winning performances, others are struggling, and some have just gotten rained out. Rained out, also known as hurt in this situation.
The Winners
Like I mentioned above, Sale dominates this list. From 2020-2023, Sale pitched 151 innings. This year he is at 123 and counting. He is on pace to at least match his total from 2019, 147.1 innings. A 2.71 ERA, 13-3 record, and 155 strikeouts means Sale is pitching bravely for the Atlanta Braves. Too bad the rest of their rotation suffered injuries this year. Either way good for him, and thank you for 2018. I will happily forget everything that happened after that year in Boston involving you.
Another pitcher continuing his winning ways is SP Nathan Eovaldi. Count me in as surprised the Texas Rangers kept him at the deadline even though they are eight games out of the Wild Card race. Anyways, Nate the Great is still thriving in his home state with a 3.38 ERA and 8-4 record through 112 innings. One position player having a respectable season is 1B Justin Turner. He was tearing it up in April but has cooled off as of late. Unlike Eovaldi, he was dealt at the deadline from Toronto to Seattle. Turner has 33 RBIs and a .720 OPS. Not eye popping but he has been a reliable right-handed hitter, and his experience will be a valuable asset for Seattle in the postseason.
The Losers
The Braves won with Sale, but they lost with OF Adam Duvall. His average is .186 with a .580 OPS. The Atlanta climate has done wonders in a positive way for Sale and done equally negative things to Duvall. Another former Red Sox outfielder who forgot how to hit is OF Andrew Benintendi. Benny is on the Chicago White Sox. The white represents the white surrender flag they are waving this season. The good news for him is hitting .203 with eight homers and a minus two WAR is about par for the course in the White Sox lineup. Much like Sale, we’ll always have Paris, I mean 2018, with Benny.
The last player in here would be a part of this list regardless of his statistics. OF Alex Verdugo was traded to the New York Yankees, which automatically makes him an enemy. His 32 second trot after a home run did not help his image either. Therefore, with a hint of joy, I will report that Verdugo is having a subpar season in the Bronx. He is currently set to have his lowest average and OPS of his career this season. He could top his career high in home runs (13) since he is already at ten, but at the price of a much lower average. I’ve rooted against much more beloved Sox than Verdugo who went to the Yankees, so don’t expect any love from me to him anytime soon. At least the Yankees did one thing right in forcing him to get rid of most of his chains.
The Rain Outs
It feels like opposite day listing SS Mookie Betts and SS Xander Bogaerts on this list, but not Sale. A wise man once said “the times they are a changin” and he may be right, or bad luck finally caught up with two durable stars. In Betts’ case, a pitch hit him in the hand, putting pause on what was a remarkable season. In 72 games, he hit .304 with 50 runs and 40 RBIs for the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was enough to earn him an All-Star berth in his first season primarily at shortstop. You Betts believe he’s one of the best of his generation.
Bogaerts missed significant time after dislocating his shoulder. Since returning, he’s been on a mission to help the San Diego Padres, who were also big spenders at the trade deadline. He was out from May 20 to July 12. Since July 12, he’s hitting .453/.464/.623, all of which lead the Padres. His average is third in MLB since then. It’s good to see him being an impact player again. Him and Mookie have earned enough love for me to continue rooting for them unless they commit a cardinal sin. A cardinal sin in this case isn’t joining the St. Louis Cardinals, but the Yankees, so maybe it should be called a Yankee sin.
Lastly, SP Eduardo Rodriguez has not thrown an inning all season. He joined the Arizona Diamondbacks only to be as relevant as the Arizona Coyotes now are in the state. Here’s to him returning soon from the shoulder ailments that have plagued him all season. The D-Backs could certainly use him in a tight race for the final National League Wild Card spot.
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