Charlie Hoke

So why did they bring up Bobby "ice water in his veins." Sprowl from AA for three starts in September instead of Tudor or Rainey from AAA?

Yep, they should have., I wrote a blog entry about Stapleton here:

Manager Don Zimmer was so enthusiastic about Bob Bailey, naming him the first player to make the club during Spring Training and saying "He'll win us 6 games off the bench" before the start of the season. Rob Refsnyder was the Red Sox's primary right-handed batter against left-handed pitchers for 4 years and after leaving in free agency was a consensus great pickup for the Mariners in the off season. Both Bailey and Refsnyder bat right-handed and predominantly face left-handed pitchers with the platoon advantage. Bob Bailey hit .191 for the year, hit .130 in the 2nd half and did not have a hit in September and October. Rob Refsnyder now has the same number of plate appearances at this point in the 2026 season as Bob Bailey had in all of 1978. and is hitting .133 after 49 games at the end of June. Bob Bailey was the first player to hit 100 career home runs for the Montreal Expos, played on the 1976 World Series winning Reds, and joined the Red Sox at the end of 1977. For Bob Bailey, his final appearance was a 3-pitch strikeout to Hall of Famer Goose Gossage in the Oct 2, 1978, in a winner take all game. Bob Bailey Career Stats Season Age Team Lg WAR G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ 1962 19 PIT NL 0 14 50 42 6 7 2 1 0 6 1 1 6 10 0.167 0.271 0.262 0.533 44 1963 20 PIT NL 2.7 154 640 570 60 130 15 3 12 45 10 9 58 98 0.228 0.303 0.328 0.632 82 1964 21 PIT NL 2.5 143 582 530 73 149 26 3 11 51 10 8 44 78 0.281 0.336 0.404 0.74 109 1965 22 PIT NL 1.7 159 702 626 87 160 28 3 11 49 10 14 70 93 0.256 0.33 0.363 0.692 95 1966 23 PIT NL 2.9 126 433 380 51 106 19 3 13 46 5 3 47 65 0.279 0.36 0.447 0.807 124 1967 24 LAD NL 0.1 116 372 322 21 73 8 2 4 28 5 5 40 50 0.227 0.31 0.301 0.611 83 1968 25 LAD NL 0.5 105 365 322 24 73 9 3 8 39 1 2 38 69 0.227 0.308 0.348 0.656 104 1969 26 MON NL 1.1 111 405 358 46 95 16 6 9 53 3 3 40 76 0.265 0.337 0.419 0.756 111 1970 27 MON NL 4.4 131 429 352 77 101 19 3 28 84 5 3 72 70 0.287 0.407 0.597 1.004 167 1971 28 MON NL 3.6 157 654 545 65 137 21 4 14 83 13 7 97 ## 0.251 0.359 0.382 0.741 112 1972 29 MON NL 1.5 143 560 489 55 114 10 4 16 57 6 7 59 ## 0.233 0.315 0.368 0.683 93 1973 30 MON NL 4.9 151 607 513 77 140 25 4 26 86 5 8 88 99 0.273 0.379 0.489 0.868 137 1974 31 MON NL 2.6 152 614 507 69 142 20 2 20 73 4 7 100 ## 0.28 0.396 0.446 0.842 131 1975 32 MON NL 0.3 106 279 227 23 62 5 0 5 30 4 4 46 38 0.273 0.392 0.361 0.753 107 1976 33 CIN NL 0.5 69 141 124 17 37 6 1 6 23 0 0 16 26 0.298 0.376 0.508 0.884 148 1977 34 2TM 2LG -0.1 51 94 81 9 20 2 1 2 11 1 1 12 11 0.247 0.34 0.37 0.711 90 1978 35 BOS AL -0.3 43 116 94 12 18 3 0 4 9 2 1 19 19 0.191 0.328 0.351 0.679 83 17 Yrs 28.8 1931 7043 ### 772 1564 234 43 189 773 85 83 852 ## 0.257 0.347 0.403 0.75 111 162 Game Avg 2.4 162 591 510 65 131 20 4 16 65 7 7 71 94 0.257 0.347 0.403 0.75 11 Despite coming off the bench 16 times, Bob Bailey had only 1 RBI from a homer in an 8-1 blowout win. Would Bob Bailey been allowed to stay on the roster for the whole season today, with social media and advanced stats? In the pre-internet age, you’d have to peruse the box scores to see how players performed and if a player didn’t meet the minimum at bats to qualify for the batting title, you wouldn’t even see their cumulative stats in the published batting average lists. A player could easily be hidden away for the whole season back in the day. Now we see a similarly low level of performance for Rob Refsynder: a .133 average and -1.1 WAR (as of June 27, 2026). Rob Refsynder Career Stats (through June 27, 2026) Season Age Team Lg WAR G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ 2015 24 NYY AL 0.5 16 47 43 3 13 3 0 2 5 2 0 3 7 0.302 0.348 0.512 0.859 132 2016 25 NYY AL -0.2 58 175 152 25 38 9 0 0 12 2 1 18 30 0.25 0.328 0.309 0.637 73 2017 26 2TM AL -0.5 52 98 88 8 15 2 1 0 0 4 1 8 17 0.17 0.247 0.216 0.463 25 2017 26 NYY AL -0.3 20 40 37 3 5 1 1 0 0 2 0 3 8 0.135 0.2 0.216 0.416 10 2017 26 TOR AL -0.2 32 58 51 5 10 1 0 0 0 2 1 5 9 0.196 0.281 0.216 0.496 36 2018 27 TBR AL -0.1 40 103 84 10 14 3 0 2 5 0 2 18 26 0.167 0.314 0.274 0.588 66 2020 29 TEX AL 0 15 34 30 4 6 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 11 0.2 0.265 0.233 0.498 40 2021 30 MIN AL -0.1 51 157 139 21 34 7 0 2 12 1 0 17 40 0.245 0.325 0.338 0.663 86 2022 31 BOS AL 1.2 57 177 153 25 47 11 0 6 21 1 1 15 46 0.307 0.384 0.497 0.881 143 2023 32 BOS AL 0.4 89 243 202 31 50 9 1 1 28 7 2 33 47 0.248 0.365 0.317 0.682 87 2024 33 BOS AL 0.9 93 307 272 32 77 16 1 11 40 2 2 28 78 0.283 0.359 0.471 0.83 133 2025 34 BOS AL 1.2 70 209 182 29 49 12 0 9 30 3 0 24 54 0.269 0.354 0.484 0.838 133 2026 35 SEA AL -1.1 49 119 105 8 14 0 0 3 9 0 0 7 32 0.133 0.203 0.219 0.422 21 11 Yrs 2.4 590 1669 ### 196 357 73 3 36 163 22 9 173 ## 0.246 0.333 0.375 0.708 96 162 Game Avg 0.7 162 458 398 54 98 20 1 10 45 6 2 48 ## 0.246 0.333 0.375 0.708 9 Today, we have the ability to measure down to an individual at bat’s launch angle to see if a player is off his game? Rob Refsynder Advanced Stats (through June 27, 2006) Season Age Pitches Batted Balls Barrels Barrel % Barrel/PA Exit Velocity Max EV Launch Angle LA Sweet Spot% xBA xSLG wOBA xwOBA xwOBA con Hard Hit% K% BB% 2015 24 184 36 2 6.3 4.3 89.5 106.7 1.4 33.3 0.286 0.426 0.363 0.329 0.373 44.4 14.9 6.4 2016 25 673 125 1 0.9 0.6 88.9 108.9 4.3 32 0.265 0.342 0.282 0.303 0.323 39.2 17.2 10.3 2017 26 354 71 3 4.5 3.1 85.5 108.9 6 22.5 0.229 0.323 0.209 0.276 0.295 32.9 17.3 8.2 2018 27 429 58 4 7.4 3.9 88.2 110.2 12.6 32.8 0.22 0.35 0.276 0.324 0.356 33.3 25.5 17.6 2020 29 149 20 0 0 0 93 104.7 15 30 0.208 0.305 0.229 0.261 0.341 50 32.4 5.9 2021 30 669 100 7 7 4.5 89.2 111 9.3 40 0.258 0.45 0.296 0.342 0.419 41 25.5 10.8 2022 31 732 110 12 10.9 6.8 89.9 109.9 13.1 49.1 0.283 0.493 0.381 0.378 0.476 44.5 26 8.5 2023 32 1004 157 6 3.9 2.5 87.7 106.8 11.9 42 0.257 0.388 0.314 0.342 0.358 34.4 19.3 13.6 2024 33 1202 195 19 9.8 6.2 89.6 111.5 10.7 32.8 0.248 0.417 0.358 0.327 0.4 43.1 25.4 9.1 2025 34 887 130 16 12.3 7.7 92 112.2 12.1 34.6 0.243 0.457 0.359 0.338 0.413 52.3 25.8 11.5 2026 35 477 77 5 6.5 4.2 86.1 109.6 19.1 23.4 0.169 0.289 0.195 0.249 0.294 33.8 26.9 5.9 Player 6760 1079 75 7.1 4.5 89 112.2 10.6 35.2 0.247 0.401 0.313 0.325 0.378 40.8 23.3 10.4 MLB 7.6 4.9 88.6 122.9 12.5 33.3 0.243 0.408 0.316 0.316 0.369 37.1 22.2 8.4 Source: Statcast We can see that Refsnyder's Barrel %, Hard Hit% is down as his Launch Angle Sweet Spot % meaning he's not hitting the ball as well as in previous seasons. Would knowing this in the past have made a decision to keep a player playing easier?

In the one game playoff between the Red Sox and the Yankees, did either team take advantage of the expanded rosters on Sep 1? From what I understand, everyone on the 40 man roster could have been eligible to play in that final regular season game. I know the Red Sox had rookie Bobby Sprowl start 3 games in September, but were there other players who could have been available for that final game or during September? The Red Sox had 34 players accrue MLB stats in 1978 and the Yankees had 41, though both teams did not use that many players in the final game; The Yankees used 15 and the Red Sox used 17.

Firing a Red Sox manager has worked before, but usually you have to wait till next season. Here's what happened to the Red Sox after they fired previously successful managers.

Here are right-handed bats the Red Sox picked up during the season in their recent World Series runs.

The Red Sox are looking for that one missing piece, a right-handed batter. Can one player be the difference between getting into the post-season and not? In previous Red Sox World Series years, one added batter may have made all the difference. Will it now? In 1986, the Red Sox got Dave Henderson from the Mariners. In ALCS game 5, down 3 games to 1 and facing elimination, Henderson’s 2 out 2 run homer in the top of the 9th of game 5 tied the game and won it with a sacrifice fly in the 11th, and the Red Sox subsequently went to the World Series. Despite Henderson hitting .400 with 2 home runs, the Sox fell to the Mets. . In 2004, the trading away of at the time, perennial all-star Nomar Garciaparra for Orlando Cabrera seemed like a bad trade, but Cabrera learned to take advantage of the Green Monster in left and hit .294 for the season, .379 in the ALCS against the Yankees, and helped win the World Series for Boston for the first time in 86 years. In August 2007, free agent Bobby Kielty signed and ended the season with the deciding run, a pinch-hit home run in the World Series against Colorado in game 4. In 2018, the Red Sox found Steve Pearce at the trading deadline, getting him and cash(!) from the Blue Jays for minor league prospect, Santiago Espinal. Pearce had a .300+ BA, .400 OBP and .500+ slugging line against left handed pitchers that year and provided the right-handed half of the 1st base platoon with Mitch Moreland, though he also played in the corner outfield spots. Climaxing with 3 home runs and 8 RBIs in a 5-game Fall Classic series, Steve Pearce was the World Series MVP. Who will be this year’s Steve Pearce, Dave Henderson, Bobby Kielty, or Orlando Cabrera?

Baines had 4 voters on the committee: team owners (Gillick and Reinsdorf) former manager (LaRussa), teammate (Alomar), who probably voted for him and persuaded others to do so. Not too many Red Sox on that Eras committee. And most of the Eras Committee are old school players and managers who look at things traditionally.

Alex Cora joins a list of previously successful Red Sox managers who have been let go during a season. Relieving a manager can energize a team to post-season success, or it can demotivate them and lead to many years of meandering. What does history show? Dick Williams after a successful World Series run in 1967 was fired in 1969 with a record of 82-71 with the Red Sox ending in 3rd place. It took 8 years before the Red Sox again appeared in the post-season in 1975. Darrell Johnson, who managed the Red Sox to the epic 7 game 1975 World Series loss, was fired in the middle of the next season with a 41-45 record. The Red Sox would go 11 years and through 3 other managers before returning to the post season in 1986. Despite taking the Red Sox to a Game 7 in the 1986 World Series, John McNamara was dismissed mid-season in 1988 with a record of 43-42. The Red Sox won the AL East after his departure that year. Tapped as temporary manager, 3rd base coach “Turnpike Joe” Morgan went 46-31 the rest of 1988 to take the Red Sox to the ALCS and again in 1990. However, the Red Sox were swept 4 straight by the Oakland A’s in both years. After a 2nd place finish in 1991, Morgan was fired with one year left on his contract and succeeded by Butch Hobson who was not successful with 3 consecutive sub-.500 seasons. The Red Sox did not see the post season again until 4 years later in 1995, when Kevin Kennedy replaced Hobson. Kennedy was replaced himself after failing to reach the post season in the following year. Jimy Williams came next and took the Sox to the 1998 ALDS and 1999 ALCS but was fired in 2001 with a 65-53 record, 2 games out of the wild card and 5 games behind the division leading Yankees. Replaced by pitching coach, Joe Kerrigan, the Sox plummeted losing 26 of 43 and ended the season 13.5 games behind the Yankees and 20.5 games out of the Wildcard, missing the postseason. Grady Little came next and went to the 2003 ALCS, losing to the Yankees. His decision to leave Pedro Martinez in the game after throwing 100 pitches and leading 5-2 in the 8th inning of Game 6 was heavily criticized and contributed to his contract not being renewed. Finally, with their 6th manager since 1992, the Red Sox won the World Series under Terry Francona in 2004. Francona won a second World Series in 2007 and had two more post-season runs, but in 2011, after the Red Sox lost a playoff spot on the final day of the season, Francona’s option was not exercised and he ended his Red Sox tenure. The Red Sox missed the post season in the following year but won the World Series in 2013 under John Farrell. Farrell himself was dismissed after two consecutive ALDS losses to the Houston Astros in 2016 and 2017. Alex Cora then in his first year wins the World Series in 2018, and seemed to be the toast of the town. Now after a 10-17 start in 2026, Alex Cora has ended his Red Sox manager tenure, and Worchester Red Sox manager, Chad Tracy takes the reins. Will The Red Sox respond to their new manager and rise in the standings or will it take more than a new manager to win post-season laurels?

With a .400 season and a career batting average of .400, you'd think that Roger LaFrancois would have an all-star career, but he was one of the last of his kind, a rostered bullpen catcher. Teams used to carry a third catcher, whose main job was to work in the bullpen. This was a rostered player whose job was to warm up pitchers before they went into the game. Typically, a bullpen catcher was experienced and had a lot of knowledge to share with younger players. However, in the 1980’s, this role eventually disappeared and the bullpen catcher became a coaching position instead of a rostered player. Some Famous Bullpen Catchers in Red Sox History In the 1930’s, Moe Berg, reputed to be the brainiest man in base all, spoke seven languages and read 10 newspapers daily. His teammate, Dave Harris, said of that, “but he could hit in none of them.” When Ted Williams was in his second year with Red Sox, he sought out Moe Berg for advice. Williams wanted to know about what made great hitters like Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. Berg replied, “Gehrig would wait and wait and wait until he hit the pitch almost out of the catcher’s glove. As to Ruth he had no weaknesses, he had a good eye and laid off pitches out of the strike zone. Ted,” Moe said, “you most resemble a hitter like Shoeless Joe Jackson. But you are better than all of them. When it comes to wrists you have the best.” [1] In 1938 and 1939, his last two years in the majors, Moe appeared in 10 and 14 games. Roger La Francois was likely the Red Sox’s last bullpen catcher. He was on the roster the whole season in 1982 but appeared in only 8 games. Manager Ralph Houk valued LaFrancois for his experience. Ralph Houk himself was a bullpen catcher for most of his career. From 1949 to 1954, Yankees’ manager Casey Stengel kept Houk on the roster, during which he appeared in 36 games total, from a high of 10 to a low of 1. Houk himself said he was the knowledge man and answered questions about life, love, and baseball. It was in the 1980’s when baseball revenues increased to the point that teams could expand their coaching staffs and coupled with the increase in player salaries, it became more cost effective to make the bullpen catcher a coaching position and not a roster position. [1] Berger, Ralph. Moe Berg – Society for American Baseball Research, Society for American Baseball Research. Accessed 4/22/2026. https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/Moe-Berg/.

How much does erstwhile Red Sox Alex Verdugo have left in the tank? He hasn't played since last summer in 2025. Despite signing a minor league with the Padres this spring, he has yet to play a minor league game. With a -0.3 (Wins above Replacement) WAR in 56 games with the Braves in 2025, Verdugo has declined from a 2.6 WAR high with the Red Sox in 2023. So will he get a chance to play on the Padres minor league jersey of the year winning team, the El Paso Chihuahuas or will he seek to play elsewhere? Update May 13, 2026: Alex Verdugo will have shoulder surgery and was released by the Padres.

Jarred Kelenic was told he will not make the White Sox opening day roster after signing a minor league deal in the 2025 off season. His major league career is on hold again. As a corner outfielder/DH, he is in a highly competitive position, and while still not yet 27, his window may be closing. Could the Red Sox use him?

Under current MLB labor bargaining rules, teams generally have control of players until a player has accrued more than 6 years of MLB service. This ensures that teams have a reasonable amount of time to benefit from developing a player in their organization. Players who excel can enter arbitration after 3 years and sometimes after two years if they qualify under the "Super Two" rule of being in the top 22% of service time. Arbitration can be an adversarial process where the player submits a salary offer versus a team offer, where both sides have the incentive to promote in the player's case or discount in the team's case, a player's performance. Bad feelings incurred during arbitration often linger and affect future relationships. To avoid potentially contentious arbitration, often teams will lock up players with contracts earlier to buy out arbitration years and even some free agent years in advance. This has the benefit of the team securing a player whose rising performance may command a higher salary. Conversely this gives players earlier security for their playing career. The Red Sox have signed Roman Anthony, Brayan Bello, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Garrett Whitlock to long term contracts avoiding arbitration. Garrett Crochet, who was arbitration eligible has also been locked up. Several free agent years being bought out, 4 for Roman Anthony (through 2030), 3 for Ceddanne Rafaela (through 2032) and one for Garrett Crochet (through 2032). With the core locked up for the near future, will the Red Sox be able to leverage this to post-season success?

How will a future expansion and realignment with 32 MLB impact the Red Sox? Two new teams bringing the total to 32 teams aligned in 8 divisions of four in two leagues will allow 4 division winners and 3 wild cards to play in the post-season. This is an increase of one additional playoff team from the current 3 divisions of 5 teams anointing one division winner and 3 wild cards in the current structure. The Red Sox would likely be in a division with the Yankees, but the 2 other teams would be chosen among the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays, and the Tampa Bay Rays. With 32 teams, a proposed schedule could be this. Current Proposed Division Games 13 x 4 = 52 14 x 3 = 42 League Games 6 x 6, 7 x 4 = 64 6 x 12 = 72 Inter-League Games 3 x 14, 4 x 1= 46 3 x 16 = 48 162 games 162 games # of Games x Opponents This structure will emulate the NFL structure with the top seeded division winner getting a 1st round bye and with three rounds of playoffs before the World Series. Should they stick with the current AL league structure or move to a more geographic league independent structure? AL Orientation Geographical Rivals Mixed Red Sox Red Sox Red Sox Red Sox Yankees Yankees Yankees Yankees Orioles Phillies Mets Orioles Tampa Bay Nationals Phillies Nationals So who would you want to be in the division with the Red Sox?

Missing out getting free agents Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber may be disappointing at first but a long-term saving grace for the Red Sox. Pete Alonso opted out of a 2-year $54 million contract with the Mets to sign a 5-year $155 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles as he enters his age 31 year. Entering free agency, Kyle Schwarber elected to stay with the Phillies on a 5-year $150 million contract entering his age 33 year. From Baseball-Reference.com, the most similar player to Pete Alonso is Khris Davis. Here are their stats through their age 30 seasons. Khris Davis: Standard Batting (2013-2018) Seasons Age Team WAR G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ rOBA Rbat+ TB GIDP 2013-2018 25-30 MIL,OAK 11.7 775 3058 2726 425 676 143 8 193 497 18 5 261 814 .248 .320 .519 .839 126 .362 128 1414 81 per Season 25-30 MIL,OAK 1.9 129 510 454 71 113 24 1 32 83 3 1 44 136 .248 .320 .519 .839 126 .362 128 236 14 per 162 gms 25-30 MIL,OAK 2.4 162 639 570 89 141 30 2 40 104 4 1 55 170 .248 .320 .519 .839 126 .362 128 296 17 Pete Alonso: Standard Batting (2019-2025) Seasons Age Team WAR G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ rOBA Rbat+ TB GIDP 2019-2025 24-30 NYM 23.3 1008 4316 3763 580 951 183 8 264 712 18 4 419 984 .253 .341 .516 .857 135 .367 135 1942 108 per Season 24-30 NYM 3.3 144 617 538 83 136 26 1 38 102 3 1 60 141 .253 .341 .516 .857 135 .367 135 277 15 per 162 gms 24-30 NYM 3.7 162 694 605 93 153 29 1 42 114 3 1 67 158 .253 .341 .516 .857 135 .367 135 312 17 From Age 31 onwards, Khris Davis only lasted three more years and hit only 28 more home runs. Khris Davis: Standard Batting (2019-2021) Seasons Age Team WAR G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ rOBA Rbat+ TB GIDP 2019-2021 31-33 OAK,TEX -0.9 205 746 668 81 144 21 1 28 93 0 0 67 203 .216 .291 .376 .667 81 .293 82 251 18 per Season 31-33 OAK,TEX -0.3 68 249 223 27 48 7 0 9 31 0 0 22 68 .216 .291 .376 .667 81 .293 82 84 6 per 162 gms 31-33 OAK,TEX -0.7 162 590 528 64 114 17 1 22 74 0 0 53 160 .216 .291 .376 .667 81 .293 82 198 14 Another cautionary tale for the Orioles might be their own Chris Davis who played from 2008 to 2020 and hit 241 home runs through his age 30 season and only 54 afterwards. How will Pete Alonso perform through his age 35 season? Kyle Schwarber entering his age 33 season has a career similar to Dave Kingman who was most known also for his home run power and low average. Dave Kingman: Standard Batting (1971-1981) Seasons Age Team WAR G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ rOBA Rbat+ TB GIDP 1971-1981 22-32 CAL,CHC,NYM,NYY,SDP,SFG 16.1 1243 4666 4192 592 1011 166 23 292 779 71 42 388 1244 .241 .308 .501 .809 122 .367 121 2099 86 per Season 22-32 CAL,CHC,NYM,NYY,SDP,SFG 1.5 113 424 381 54 92 15 2 27 71 7 4 35 113 .241 .308 .501 .809 122 .367 121 191 8 per 162 gms 22-32 CAL,CHC,NYM,NYY,SDP,SFG 2.1 162 608 546 77 132 22 3 38 102 9 6 51 162 .241 .308 .501 .809 122 .367 121 274 11 Kyle Schwarber: Standard Batting (2015-2025) Seasons Age Team WAR G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ rOBA Rbat+ TB GIDP 2015-2025 22-32 BOS,CHC,PHI,WSN 19.9 1291 5384 4544 800 1050 175 14 340 784 37 19 764 1527 .231 .346 .500 .846 127 .363 126 2273 53 per Season 22-32 BOS,CHC,PHI,WSN 1.8 117 490 413 73 96 16 1 31 71 3 2 70 139 .231 .346 .500 .846 127 .363 126 207 5 per 162 gms 22-32 BOS,CHC,PHI,WSN 2.5 162 676 570 100 132 22 2 43 98 5 2 96 192 .231 .346 .500 .846 127 .363 126 285 7 Dave Kingman played for 5 more years ending his career with 442 home runs. Dave Kingman: Standard Batting (1982-1986) Seasons Age Team WAR G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ rOBA Rbat+ TB GIDP 1982-1986 33-37 NYM,OAK 1.3 698 2763 2485 309 564 74 2 150 431 14 7 220 572 .227 .290 .439 .730 104 .330 102 1092 53 per Season 33-37 NYM,OAK 0.3 140 553 497 62 113 15 0 30 86 3 1 44 114 .227 .290 .439 .730 104 .330 102 218 11 per 162 gms 33-37 NYM,OAK 0.3 162 641 577 72 131 17 1 35 100 3 2 51 133 .227 .290 .439 .730 104 .330 102 253 12 The Phillies also have the precedence of signing another powerful slugger, Ryan Howard, to a 5-year extension for $125 million after his age 31 season. Here's his performance through his age 32 season with 300 home runs. After age 32, Howard only hit 82 home runs in the final three years of his contract. Ryan Howard: Standard Batting (2004-2012) Seasons Age Team WAR G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ rOBA Rbat+ TB GIDP 2004-2012 24-32 PHI 18.3 1098 4701 4054 661 1100 200 17 300 920 12 4 565 1306 .271 .364 .551 .915 135 .388 133 2234 82 per Season 24-32 PHI 2 122 522 450 73 122 22 2 33 102 1 0 63 145 .271 .364 .551 .915 135 .388 133 248 9 per 162 gms 24-32 PHI 2.7 162 694 598 98 162 30 3 44 136 2 1 83 193 .271 .364 .551 .915 135 .388 133 330 12 With an average value of $30 to $31 million per year for a 1st baseman and designated hitter, the Orioles and Phillies are paying premium prices for two positions low on the defensive spectrum and where careers go to end. The home run hitting skills of Alonso and Schwarber are among the most perishable of skills with age. Combined with their historically low batting averages and high strikeout rates, it is unclear that both will continue to produce at high levels for the rest of their contracts. Long term contracts tend to become big liabilities in their later years as performance declines as it inevitably will with age. Even thought these contracts appear to have secured Alonso and Schwarber for the Orioles and Phillies for the next five years, this may not prevent the players from being moved as circumstances change. Schwarber will vest in his 10 and 5 rights[1] after this season in 2026 and gain full veto rights over trades, and Pete Alonso has a limited no-trade clause which may limit the Orioles and Phillies ability to move these players elsewhere. Losing out on these two players especially with their trade protections is probably a burden the Red Sox are glad to have avoided. What do you think? [1] https://www.mlb.com/glossary/transactions/10-and-5-rights

Returning to the post season for the first time since 2021, the 2025 Sox ended the year losing the American League Wild Card Series to the Yankees. Is the playoff window still opening? With a strong base of young players: Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Garrett Crochet, Carlos Narvaez, Brayan Bello, Kristian Campbell, the Sox are well positioned for the future, but veteran talent is thin with only Trevor Story, Jarred Duran, Lucas Giolito, Masataka Yoshida and Aroldis Chapman producing at high levels. Winning teams often blend veterans and youngsters to produce a sum greater than the whole. Finding that balance is critical to success and there is no sure formula to win the World Series. For 2026, the Red Sox will likely seek the quick fix of trading or signing free agents to get what they need which are corner infielders and starting pitchers. In previous championship years, the Red Sox were able to assemble winning rosters most judiciously through trades and free agency, but also from the emergence of prospects. 2004 started off with a trade for Curt Schilling and was bookend-ed by the trading away of Nomar Garciaparra for Orlando Cabrera from the Montreal Expos and Doug Mientkiewicz from the Minnesota Twins. 2007's foundation was set with Dustin Pedroia's rookie year and by the 2005 trade for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell from the Florida Marlins primarily for prospect Hanley Ramirez. 2013 was set up by pre-season signing of Shane Victorino and Mike Napoli which solidified right field and 1st base and combined with the full maturation of Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury, 2018 featured the full blooming of Xander Boegerts, Rafael Devers, Mookie Betts bolstered by the free agent signing of J.D. Martinez and earlier trades for David Price, Rick Porcello, and Chris Sale in prior years. What will the Sox do to keep the playoff window open for years to come?

Small decisions had big impacts in the 2025 World Series. What if one choice had gone the other way? Hobbling from a late regular season knee injury, Bo Bichette played gamely throughout the Series for Toronto and was pinch ran for late in games and often replaced by Isiah Kiner-Falefah, a former gold glover for base running and defensive ability. In the third inning of Game 7, Bo Bichette hit a 3-run homer off of Shohei Ohtani to give Toronto an early lead. In the final inning of Game 7, down by one run and after Vladimir Guerrero's leadoff double, Bo Bichette would have been up, but instead Isiah was the batter, having pinch run for Bichette in the bottom on the 9th with the score tied. The bat was taken out of Isiah's hands as he was asked to bunt Guerrero over to third, using up the Blue Jay's 25th out, and successfully moving the tying run to 3rd. This is a move that many teams make as getting a runner in to score from 3rd base with less than 2 outs is a percentage play. However late in a game, this sacrificed one of Toronto's remaining 3 outs in the game., The bunt was successful, but the Dodgers set up for a double play with a walk to the next batter. Had Bichette stayed in the game, would he had changed the Blue Jay's decision to bunt in that circumstance? Bichette was hitting .348 with 6 RBIs in the World Series and was the league leading hitter at .381 with runners in scoring position and 94 RBIs during the regular season. Would the Dodgers have pitched to him or walked him and put the potential winning run on base in the bottom of the 11th inning with a 1-run lead? When last on base, Bichette was the potential winning run, but his slowed running ability meant he was only able to move station to station or one base at a time and might not be able to score easily. Since it was the bottom of the 9th with the score tied, Toronto was playing to win and elected to pinch-run with a nimbler runner, but lesser batter, Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Was that potential winning run worth worsening Toronto's hitting lineup if he did not score and the game continued?

When you're the perennial All-Star and lauded as the team's superstar, you may feel you need to do it all. October 2, 1978, down by a run in the tiebreaker game to see who would go on to the ALCS, the Red Sox had two men on with Carl Yastrzemski at the plate [1] with 2 outs facing Rich Gossage. Gossage's first pitch was low for the ball. The second pitch was popped up as Yaz could not hold up his swing and Yankees 3rd Baseman Graig Nettles caught the box for the final out. Left on deck was catcher Carlton Fisk. With Gossage having already pitched 2 1/3 innings, should Yaz have waited to take another pitch and try and get on base and let someone else be the hero? October 20, 2025, down by a run, the Mariners are down to their last out against Toronto and All-Star center fielder Julio Rodriguez is at the plate against Toronto closer Jeff Hoffman. On a full count, Rodriguez swings and misses on a low and outside pitch to end the game with catcher Cal Raleigh on deck. [2] Would it better serve the team to take the walk and let Cal Raleigh, who hit 60 home runs during the regular season have a shot? Often, a player particularly a superstar wants to make an impact and try and do it all, but baseball is a team sport and while one player can dominate a game, you win as a team. [1] YAZ SIR, GOOSE WAS YANK HERO [2] Julio Rodriguez's awful final AB will haunt the Mariners all offseason

Do you put the go-ahead run on base and walk a dangerous hitter to load the bases or do you pitch to him? In game 7 of the 2025 ALCS, the Mariners with a two-run lead, faced a decision with 1 out, runners on 2nd and 3rd and George Springer at the plate. With 22 previous post-season home runs and 2 more during the 2025 ALCS, Springer a right handed hitter was facing Eduard Bazardo who had not lost a game for the Mariners all season, yet Bazardo had thrown 15 pitches over 2 innings the day before. With lefty Nathan Lukes on deck for Toronto, Bazardo would be disadvantaged facing Lukes had he intentionally walked Springer. Because of the three batter minimum rule[1], a lefty reliever could not have been brought into face Lukes after Bazardo had entered the game. Earlier in MLB history, a new pitcher could be inserted and face a single batter maximizing the lefty/lefty or righty/righty matchups, but since 2020, the three batter minimum requires relievers to stay in longer, With that in mind, the decision to matchup righty/righty and not put the winning run on base over-rode the fear of facing the dangerous hitter. In matchup between batter and pitcher, one will win, and in this case, the batter triumphed with George Springer hitting a go-ahead 3-run homer to give Toronto a lead they would not relinquish and the AL pennant. Would you have chosen differently? [1] MLB's Three Batter Minimum Rule

Eduard Bazardo, one of 4 remaining ex-Sox players and the only pitcher on still contending teams, will have a chance to play in the 2025 World Series. He plays a vital role for the 2025 Seattle Mariners coming out of the bullpen to preserve leads [1]. Signed as an international free agent in 2014 at the age of 19, Bazardo steadily rose through the minor leagues peaking as the 19th best prospect on the Sox and appeared poised to join the Sox in the majors but a lat injury on May 19, 2021 landed him on the 60-day disabled list. Coming back in 2022, Bazardo pitched in 12 games, posting an ERA of 2.76 over 16 1/3 innings, but elected for free agency after the season. After a brief stint in Baltimore, Bazardo was acquired by the Mariners in 2023 and split time in the minors and majors in 2024, before becoming a mainstay in the Mariners' bullpen. He led the Mariners relievers in innings pitched at 78 2/3 and recorded 12 holds. The change of scenery gave Bazardo that chance to hone his craft and now has him poised on the cusp of a World Series. [1] How the Mariners found Eduard Bazardo and turned him into a bullpen force | The Seattle Times

When is the right time to take a starting pitcher out of the game? Who earns the right to stay in a game? In the current game, it is rare for a starter to complete a game. With the availability of bullpen specialists and detailed metrics analysis on pitch counts, platoon advantages, and individual matchups, managers now opt to bring in a reliever for a starter before a starter is ready to leave. In game 4 of the 2025 ALCS playoffs, veteran Max Scherzer all but chased his manager back to the dugout in the 5th inning with a verbal drubbing. [1] Scherzer, the winner of two World Series titles and 3 Cy Young awards had earned his right to choose his own exit and finished the inning and got 2 more outs in the 6th before leaving and winning the pivotal game 4 of the ALCS. It's been said it's better to take someone out too early then too late. In this case the Blue Jays succeeded by letting Max Scherzer finish the 5th inning and continue on to the 6th. With a 4-run lead and Scherzer's pedigree, it wasn't too much of risk. In the past the Red Sox have waited too long with a starter and it cost them. In 2003, in the 7th and final game of the ALCS against the Yankees, Pedro Martinez had a 3-run lead on the Yankees but left in to start the 8th inning and gave up 3 runs before being removed, with the Red Sox ultimately losing in 11 innings. [2] When do you think is the right time to remove a starter? l1] 'I Thought He Was Gonna Kill Me': Blue Jays Manager John Schneider on Mound Visit With Max Scherzer [2] 2003 American League Championship Series (ALCS) Game 7, Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees: October 16, 2003 | Baseball-Reference.com

Rookies have made an impact in the post season for both good and bad. Is it wise to trust a rookie during the Playoffs and World Series? Of the remaining 2025 Playoff teams, there are 3 rookies on the Brewers, 1 on Toronto and 1 on the Dodgers. Milwaukee Brewers Issac Collins, OF Caleb Durbin, 3B Jacob Misiorowski, RP Los Angeles Dodgers Rori Sasaki, RP Toronto Blue Jays Trey Yesavage, SP In Game 2 of the ALCS, Trey Yesavage started and pitched until the 5th inning only giving up 3 runs before he was lifted with 2 men on in a tie game. The bullpen subsequently gave up the lead pinning Yesavage with the loss. Will he get another chance if the series goes further? In Game 1 of the NLCS, Both Issac Collins and Caleb Durbin were starters with Issac Collins scoring the only Brewers run off of Dodgers reliever, Rory Sasaki, who had previously saved 2 games in the NLDS. The Dodgers went to the bullpen with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th inning and were able to close it out for Sasaki. Will the rookies continue to shine on the biggest stage or will more veteran experience be more telling?

History suggests that managers in the first full season with a team have a good chance of winning the World Series. In Red Sox history, the following first year managers all won World Series in their first full season with the team: Jake Stahl (1912) Ed Barrow (1918) Terry Francona (2004) John Farrell (2012) Alex Cora (2018) Honorable mentions should go to Dick Williams who led the Red Sox to the 1967 pennant in his rookie manager season and to Joe "Walpole Joe" Morgan, who won two American League East Titles in his 1st and 3rd years as manager. "There can be only one." - Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez (Highlander) Only one remaining playoff team in the 2025 Division Series has a manager in his first full season: Dan Wilson, Seattle Mariners, 90-72 record and the #2 seed in the American League. Will Dan Wilson's first full year as manager bring Seattle its first World Series championship?

After the end of the 2025 regular season, Jarred Kelenic is outrighted to the Braves AAA-Gwinnett farm team, removed from the Braves' 40-man roster, will not be offered arbitration, and instead opts for free agency. At 26, will he have the chance to continue his MLB career elsewhere? For now, Kelenic's biggest claim to fame may be bestowing the nickname, Big Dumper, to MVP candidate, Cal Raleigh, who was his teammate on the Seattle Mariners in 2021. Jarred Kelenic becomes free agent after being outrighted by Braves (Retrieved Oct 5, 2025) Why Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is called the Big Dumper | Sporting News (Retrieved Oct 5, 2025)

Mookie Betts and Kyle Schwarber, two ex-Red Sox, face off in the 2025 National League Division Series. Would the Sox have been better off keeping them instead of letting both go? Mookie Betts was traded away before the 2020 season for Jeter Downs, Alex Verdugo, and Connor Wong. Of the three, only Connor Wong remains now as a Red Sox, playing catcher. Betts had turned down a $300 million extension from the Red Sox resulting in his trade before his final contract year with the Red Sox. The Dodgers subsequently signed him to a 12 year extension for close to $400 million. Kyle Schwarber played part of 2021 and left after the season as a free agent, signing a 4-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, a contract that finishes this year. Mookie since leaving the Red Sox has won two World Series and had 6 consecutive post-seasons with the Dodgers. Schwarber has led the Phillies to 4 consecutive post-seasons and one World Series after leaving the Red Sox. Would the Red Sox have gotten to the playoffs in the past few seasons had those two elite top of the order players remained?