Boston Red Sox: Group of ‘Misfits’ among key contributors

On a team with two leading MVP candidates, here’s why and how a group of “misfits” became some of the Boston Red Sox key contributors.

As the historic winning season continues for the Boston Red Sox, we are obviously reminded of the superb talent of stars like Mookie Betts, Chris Sale, and now JD Martinez. But when we take a closer look at this Red Sox team, we see the emergence of players who struggled to make it elsewhere, and whose talent went under appreciated.

This paradox actually begins with the aforementioned JD Martinez. Before his breakout season in Detroit in 2015, Martinez was once a college player without a D1 spot and a relatively unknown Houston Astros farmhand.

Further, he was cut by Houston in Spring Training after the team had lost 111 games the previous season. Likewise, he was never offered the “big contract” that most slugging free agents sign. All of this, of course, for the active major league home run leader.

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It continues with players like Sandy Leon, Steve Pearce, and Brock Holt. Leon was injured often in his early career with the Nationals and was traded to Boston for nothing more than cash considerations. Once he got here, he lasted only a couple months before being DFA’d and ultimately sent to Pawtucket in July 2015. Up until mid-2016, he rarely played and has been considered simply a backup to Vazquez most of his tenure here.

That being said, the Red Sox are 23-1 in Leon’s last 24 starts behind the plate and he has become the personal catcher for Sale.

While Pearce has had more consistent playing time than Leon throughout his career, he has bounced around frequently. In eleven major league seasons, Pearce has played in seven different organizations, including three separate stints with the Baltimore Orioles. He has also played for every AL East team.

During last weekend’s historic sweep of the Yankees, Pearce hit four home runs, including three on Thursday night.

Brock Holt was merely a throw-in to a 2012 trade with the Pirates that featured Joel Hanrahan and Mark Melancon swapping teams. It wasn’t really until mid-to-late 2014 that Holt began to impress the Boston Red Sox and earned playing time. In 2015, he was the lone Red Sox all-star.

Since then, however, Holt has had to battle injuries, illnesses, concussions, and skepticism. Though this season Holt has been one of the team’s most reliable bench players, especially given the numerous injuries among his teammates.

The journey to the Island of Misfit Red Sox ends with recently-acquired Nathan Eovaldi. In high school, he had Tommy John surgery which severely hurt his development and draft stock. Never the less, Eovaldi made the big leagues at the age of 21 after just three minor league seasons.

However, like Steve Pearce, he bounced around first from the Dodgers to the Marlins and then from the Yankees to the Rays. Through the process, he missed all of 2017 with another elbow surgery. Since his arrival in Boston, he has pitched 15 innings and given up zero runs in just two starts.

These later players might not be the ones who get the jersey sales, the interviews, or the accolades, but their contribution to the Red Sox success is instrumental. In reality, this is simply a snapshot.

Baseball is one of those games where size, stuff, and stature don’t always tell the tale. It’s about showing up 162+ times per year. These guys do, and that’s why they’re among the Boston Red Sox key contributors.