The Best Individual Red Sox Seasons of the Century: Part Eight, Honorable Mentions 2016-2024

We close out this series with the third installment of the honorable mentions, this time focusing on the period spanning from 2016 to 2024. Though this span included the greatest Red Sox team of all time, it is undoubtedly the weakest of the three time periods covered in the honorable mentions. The Red Sox only won a playoff series in two of the nine years and finished in last place three times. Still, many great players rolled through Boston during this time, including the last year of David Ortiz’s career and the prime of Mookie Betts. Let’s see who earned an honorable mention.

Image courtesy of © Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

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This series focuses on the best Red Sox single-season performances of this century. To read previous installments, click the links below.

2016 Dustin Pedroia
Stats: 154 G 5.4 WAR 117 OPS+ .318/.376/.449 15 HR 74 RBI

In what would unfortunately be his last great season, Dustin Pedroia remained a key cog in the Red Sox’s league-leading offense and put up his best numbers since 2011. His .318 batting average ranked third in the American League, spurred by his first 200-hit campaign since his 2011 season. The highlight of Pedroia's campaign came in late August when he collected a hit in twelve straight at-bats, which was one shy of the major league record. While his offensive numbers rivaled the best of his career, he took a step back on defense, as FanGraphs rated him in the negatives for the first time in his career. After backing into the playoffs by dropping five of their final six games, the Red Sox were swiftly swept by the Indians, with Pedroia going just 2-for-12 in the series.

2016 Jackie Bradley Jr.
Stats: 156 G 5.8 WAR 116 OPS+ .267/.349/.486 26 HR 87 RBI All-Star

After looking completely overmatched in his first two and a half seasons at the major-league level, Jackie Bradley Jr. returned from a minor-league stint in the second half of 2015 looking like a completely different hitter. From August 6 to September 7, Bradley hit an incredible .424/.480/.880, which included a two-homer game off Felix Hernandez. Bradley’s hot streak earned him the starting job on the 2016 team, where he continued to rake at unprecedented levels. A .296/.337/.540 first half, which featured a franchise-record 29-game hit streak, earned him his first and only All-Star appearance, where he started in center field alongside three of his teammates. Though he came back to earth in the second half (.234/.315/.413), Bradley’s 116 OPS+ and elite defense resulted in a 5.8 WAR, nearly two-and-a-half wins more than any other season in his 11-year career.

2016 David Ortiz
Stats: 151 G 5.2 WAR 164 OPS+ .315/.401/.620 38 HR 127 RBI All-Star MVP-6

It’s been nearly a decade since this season, and I still can’t wrap my head around it. Having recently turned 40 and announced his retirement at the end of the season, Big Papi went out and put together the best farewell season in sports history. There’s a very good argument that Ortiz was the best hitter in baseball in 2016, as he led the majors with 48 doubles, a .620 slugging percentage, and a 1.021 OPS. Factor in the distraction of a season-long retirement tour and the constant maintenance of a lingering achilles injury, and this might be the single most impressive season of Ortiz’s Hall-of-Fame career. Alas, Ortiz looked a little worn down by all the fanfare in the postseason, as he managed just one hit in the three-game sweep at the hands of the Indians.

2016 David Price
Stats: 35 GS 230 IP 2.9 WAR 17-9 3.99 ERA 1.20 WHIP 228 K

On the surface, this might not seem like an impressive season, especially considering this was the first year of David Price’s record-setting seven-year deal. Fans certainly weren’t happy seeing his ERA jump a run and a half from 2015 and even less so after his blowup in the ALDS. But this season deserves an honorable mention because there is no chance the Red Sox win the AL East without him. Price led the majors with 35 games started and 230 innings pitched, living up to his reputation as a workhorse in a rotation decimated by injuries. In addition, Price was very good after a rocky first month of adjusting to Boston, posting a 3.39 ERA in his final 28 starts. So yes, Price’s inclusion in this list may not be very popular, but his durability and consistency deserve recognition.

2018 David Price
Stats: 30 GS 176 IP 3.7 WAR 16-7 3.58 ERA 1.14 WHIP 177 K

Now, here’s a Price season that everyone can get behind. After a tumultuous 2017 season that included IL stints, a fight with Dennis Eckersley, and a move to the bullpen, Price rebounded in 2018 with a solid season for the best team in Red Sox history. His was particularly effective when Chris Sale got injured in the second half, pitching to a 2.25 ERA over his final 11 starts. Of course, Price’s regular season would be meaningless if he couldn’t exorcise his postseason demons. After a disaster against the Yankees and a mediocre performance against the Astros, Price finally got the monkey off his back. He threw six shutout innings in the ALCS clincher, then allowed just three runs in 13 World Series innings, making a strong case for series MVP. Price’s Red Sox tenure would quickly go downhill after this, but his 2018 run made the massive investment the Red Sox paid worth it.

2018 Andrew Benintendi
Stats: 148 G 4.8 WAR 123 OPS+ .290/.366/.465 16 HR 87 RBI 21-24 SB

While Andrew Benintendi’s Red Sox tenure can only be described as underwhelming, 2018 was the season it all came together for himself and the team. He paired an elite, all-field approach with excellent baserunning and above-average defense (although playing shallow in front of the Monster helped hide his weak arm), culminating in a 4.8 WAR that is still easily a career-high. While his offensive production dipped in the postseason, his diving catch on a sinking Alex Bregman liner in Game 4 of the ALCS was the most important play of the entire postseason run.

2019 Mookie Betts
Stats: 150 G 7.3 WAR 134 OPS+.295/.391/.524 29 HR 80 RBI 16-19 SB GG All-Star MVP-8

In the context of his 2018 MVP campaign, 2019 represented something of a disappointment for Mookie Betts, as he “only” finished eighth in the voting in 2019. Yet, if you take the season in isolation, it was another phenomenal season for the right fielder, as he racked up 7.3 WAR with superb hitting, savvy baserunning, and Gold Glove defense. The unfortunate part is that Betts’ worst stretch (.237/.370/.414) came when the Red Sox pitching staff was still reasonably competent, and his best numbers came after the staff imploded and the club fell out of the race.

2019 J.D Martinez
Stats: 146 G 3.5 WAR 139 OPS+ .304/.383/.557 36 HR 105 RBI All-Star MVP-21

Martinez’s WAR is nerfed a bit by the high run-scoring environment of 2019 and his poor defense, but don’t let that fool you into thinking he wasn’t a monster at the plate. The slugger finished top ten in the league in home runs (36) and RBI (105), earning his second-straight All-Star appearance and down-ballot MVP votes. This season capped a monstrous three-year run for Martinez in which he posted a .313/.388/.619 line and averaged 41 home runs and 113 RBI a season, making a strong case for the best pure hitter in baseball.

2019 Eduardo Rodriguez
34 GS 203.1 IP 5.5 WAR 19-6 3.81 ERA 1.33 WHIP 213 K 128 ERA+ CYA-6

As a top prospect acquired for Andrew Miller, Eduardo Rodriguez’s Red Sox career was hardly a failure, but he always left you wanting more. Injuries limited him to just two seasons with over 25 starts, and in only one of those seasons, he finished with an ERA under 4.50. That came in 2019 when Rodriguez surprisingly threw over 200 innings and came within a whisker of winning 20 games. Like much of his career, control was a problem with Rodriguez, as he led the league with 75 walks but made up for it with 213 strikeouts. Even if it didn’t result in a postseason performance, Rodriguez's performance was critical for a rotation that saw Rick Porcello get battered and Nathan Eovaldi, Chris Sale, and David Price go down with injuries.

2019 Brandon Workman
Stats: 73 G 71.2 IP 3.1 WAR 10-1 1.88 ERA 16 SV 1.03 WHIP 104 K

With Craig Kimbrel departing in free agency, the Red Sox entered the 2019 season without a proven closer. Matt Barnes and Ryan Brasier got the first shot, but eventually, Alex Cora turned to Brandon Workman, who had entered the season without a big league save. Workman quickly proved to be the answer, posting a 1.88 ERA and striking out 104 batters in 71.2 innings. A 5.7 BB/9, however, foreshadowed trouble, and Workman would never again finish a season with an ERA under 5.46.

2021 Xander Bogaerts
Stats: 144 G 5.0 WAR 129 OPS+ .295/.370/.493 23 HR 79 RB All-Star MVP-12

2021 was another typical Xander Bogaerts season: A 5.0 WAR, an average approaching .300, 20-25 home runs, and an OPS+ around 130. It looked like it could be a career year for a while, but a stint on the Covid-IL and a 5-for-32 finish to the season slowed his momentum. Unlike in 2018, where Bogaerts was mostly a supporting character, Bogaerts provided some big hits during the Red Sox postseason runs, the most notable being a first-inning home run off Gerrit Cole in the Wild Card game. The magic would run out in the ALCS, as Bogaerts went 0-for-8 in the final two games, and the Red Sox lost to the Astros in six.

2021 Rafael Devers
Stats: 156 G 3.7 WAR 134 OPS+ .279/.352/.538 38 HR 113 RBI All-Star MVP-11

Though not quite as good an all-around season as 2019, 2021 was the first season Devers truly became the face of the franchise. His 38 home runs remain a career-high, none bigger than the two Devers hit on Game 162 to send the Red Sox to the postseason. The clutch performances continued into the postseason, as Devers hit .295/.392/.636 with five home runs in 11 games. Though Devers deserves credit for taking the field 156 times in a year when many regulars went down with injuries, his WAR takes a hit due to his -13 Outs Above Average (though FanGraphs is far kinder).

2021 Garrett Whitlock
Stats: 46 G 73.1 IP 2.8 WAR 8-4 1.96 ERA 1.10 WHIP 81 K

Garrett Whitlock began the season as an unknown Rule 5 pick and ended it pitching critical innings during the Red Sox postseason run. In between, Whitlock established himself as Alex Cora’s most trusted reliever thanks to his incredible strike-throwing ability and lethal sinker/slider combination. Whitlock’s relief in the ALDS against the Rays set the stage for a pair of walk-off wins, but the tide would turn in the ALCS. Just six outs away from taking a commanding 3-1 series lead, Whitlock hung a slider to Jose Altuve that the former MVP sent over the Green Monster, tying the game at two and completely flipping the momentum of the series.

2021 Kiké Hernández
Stats: 134 G 5.0 WAR 108 OPS+ .250/.337/.449 20 HR 60 RBI

It seems hard to believe now, but Kiké Hernández began his Red Sox tenure as a fan favorite. Thanks to elite center-field defense and 20 home runs, Hernández accumulated 5.0 WAR despite landing on the IL with both a hamstring strain and Covid. Already regarded as a big-time postseason player during his time with the Dodgers, Hernández took it to another level in 2021 with a .408/.423/.837 line, including five home runs in just 11 games. Injuries and disastrous shortstop play would soon derail Hernández’s Red Sox tenure, but his one-year deal before the start of the 2021 season proved to be one of Chaim Bloom’s best moves.

2023 Chris Martin
Stats: 55 G 51.1 IP 3.2 WAR 4-1 1.05 ERA 1.03 WHIP 46 K CYA-12

Other than Koji Uehara’s 2013 season, Martin might have been the most consistent reliever in this century of Red Sox baseball. Though he didn’t post gaudy strikeout numbers, Martin used a five-pitch mix and impeccable control to induce weak contact and keep runs off the board. Martin’s performance over the final four months is simply laughable: 37 games, one run, six walks, and 32 strikeouts. The only downside is that Martin didn’t get a chance to build on his performance in October, as the rest of the pitching staff collapsed in the second half.

2024 Tanner Houck
Stats: 30 GS 178.2 IP 3.5 WAR 9-10 3.12 ERA 1.14 WHIP 154 K All-Star

Entering spring training appearing to be the odd man out in the Red Sox rotation, Tanner Houck won the fifth spot after an injury to Lucas Giolito. Thanks to the work of Andrew Bailey and co., Houck looked like a different pitcher right out of the gate, displaying improved control and confidence in his splitter. His dominant first half earned him an All-Star appearance, but the massive weight the Red Sox placed on his shoulders eventually caught up to him: He had a 4.42 ERA over his final 14 starts and pitched just nine innings after September 4.