Article: Talk Sox's 2024 Red Sox Most Valuable Player

[Caleb Kohn]

This week, we've been posting our 2024 Red Sox awards. Today, we share our vote on the Most Valuable Player. 

The 2024 Red Sox exceeded expectations for most of the season before tailing off to finish at .500, but with injuries to several key players, it took a village to keep the Sox in a tie for 3rd place in the AL East. This article is the results of voting among the
TalkSox.com writers for MVP of the team in 2024.

Honorable Mentions
Wilyer Abreu: .253/.322/.459 (.781 OPS) 15 HR – 58 RBI – 59 R – 3.5 bWAR
Brayan Bello: 30 Starts – 162.1 IP – 153 SO – 4.49 ERA – 1.5 bWAR
Kutter Crawford: 33 Starts - 183.2 IP - 175 SO - 4.36 ERA – 2.0 bWAR
Kenley Jansen: 27 Saves – 54.2 IP – 62 SO – 3.29 ERA – 1.3 bWAR
Ceddanne Rafaela: .246/.274/.390 (.664 OPS) 15 HR – 75 RBI – 70 R – 19 SB – 2.8 bWAR

4th : Tyler O’Neill: .241/.336/.511 (.847 OPS) 31 HR – 61 RBI – 74 R – 2.7 bWAR  
“TO” impressed in his first year in Boston, leading the team in homeruns (31) despite playing only 113 games with a few stints on the injured list. Acquired from the Cardinals as a bounce back candidate, O’Neill gave the Red Sox the powerful righthanded bat they desperately needed in a lefty heavy lineup and was solid in the outfield as well. He is a free agent this offseason but has expressed interest in returning to Boston.

3rd : Tanner Houck: 30 Starts – 178 2/3 IP – 154 SO – 3.12 ERA – 3.5 bWAR
Houck went from fighting to make the 5th spot in the rotation out of spring training to being the ace of the staff, a true testament to his mental toughness. After coming off back surgery and taking a line drive to the face last season, Houck never really got momentum behind him, and struggled with a 5.01 in 2023. With a full offseason of health, and improved command, Houck lowered his ERA to 3.12 over 178 2/3 innings, both of which are career bests. Houck was a first-time all-star in 2024 and will anchor the pitching staff in 2025.

2nd : Rafael Devers: .272/.354/.516 (.870 OPS) 28 HR – 83 RBI – 87 R – 3.7 bWAR
Devers was on pace for the best offensive season of his career before nagging shoulder injuries caused him to slump down the stretch. Despite his late season struggles, Devers still led the team in OPS (.870) and OPS+ (139), while hitting 28 home runs and 34 doubles. At age 27, he became the youngest Red Sox player to reach 200 home runs and set a Red Sox record by homering in six straight contests from May 15th through May 20th . Look for a healthy Devers to put up monster numbers next season.   

1st : Jarren Duran: .285/.342/.492 (.834 OPS) 21 HR – 75 RBI – 111 R – 34 SB – 8.7 bWAR
Duran quite literally ran away with this award, with his hustle and attitude setting the tone from the leadoff spot all year long. Duran was the spark that kept things going even when no one else was clicking in the lineup. He finished with the major league lead in doubles (48) and tied for the lead in triples (14). Duran was a first time all-star as the leader of the “Runnin’ Red Sox” and captured the national spotlight with a homerun in the All-Star Game, winning MVP of the Midsummer Classic. 

Duran also recognized the importance of posting and set a goal to play in every possible game this season. He led the team with 160 games played. With a team that was decimated by injuries, counting on the speedy leadoff man to terrorize opponents on the base paths meant everything to the Sox and the Fenway Faithful. 

The biggest weakness for Duran in past years has been his defense, something that he more than turned into a strength this season. Duran was 95th percentile in Outs Above Average and Fielding Run Value. With an 8.7 bWAR, this season takes him from a borderline breakout player in 2022 to a true star in 2023 and beyond.

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That is how we drew it up. Who do you think the MVP of the Red Sox was in 2024? Even more fun, who do you think we will be writing this article about in 2025? Will Duran or Devers be leading the charge again, or will a newcomer take the top spot? Let us know in the comments.

Others receiving votes: Masataka Yoshida, David Hamilton, Justin Slaten, Tristan Casas, Nick Pivetta, Connor Wong.

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