The most elite assemblage of infielders within the past 10 seasons of Boston Red Sox baseball.
Well… it’s official Boston Red Sox fans.
We’ve reached yet another decade of Boston Red Sox baseball in the books. The first post our beloved 2004, cure-breaking, World Series title. A decade in which we witnessed another pair of duck-boat celebrations, a fluke notion dismissal period which established Boston’s place in the pre-seasonal contention discussion for yet another.
Three front-office head honchos (Theo Epstein, Ben Cherrington, DavecDombrowski), four skippers (Terry Francona, Bobby Valentine, John Farrell, Alex Cora) and over $1.075 billion dished out in the free agency market.
The following five names were the most memorable and elite contributors in their respective infield positions within the past 10 seasons of Red Sox baseball.
First-Baseman: Mike Napoli (2013-15)
December 2012- The Boston Red Sox and Mike Napoli agreed on a three-year deal worth $39 million, establishing Boston’s next first-baseman after Napoli caught over 70 games for the Texas Rangers in the season previous.
Napoli partook in one postseason run during his tenure in Boston following a .259/.360/.482 season with 23 home runs and 92 runs batted in for the 2013 season.
This proved to be one of the top-tier free agency signings within the past decade for Boston. Napoli instantly embedded himself within the Boston culture, partaking in the birth of the unforgettable and forever cherished “Band of Bearded Brothers”, making number 12 a household staple within the roster.
Whether it was taking Justin Verlander deep in Detroit in game three of the American League Championship Series, tagging Kolten Wong in the Koji Uehara World Series game four pickoff, or getting drunk with the locals of downtown Boston following the Red Sox clinching their eighth franchise title, Napoli just seemed born to be a Red Sox.
His hard-nosed, gritty demeanor which he carried alongside himself day-in and day-out will keep his name forever present in the Boston Red Sox memorable books.
Second-Baseman: Dustin Pedroia (2006-present)
Contrary to popular belief, due to a recent trend of injury, Dustin Pedroia’s stint in a Boston Red Sox uniform remains a noteworthy one.
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Following his life-long battle of doubt being a 5-foot-9 infielder, following a 2007 World Series title that came with a Rookie of the Year Award, and a 2008 American League MVP Award, Dustin Pedroia remains among one of the franchise’s all-time great infielders.
To be fair, Pedroia has experienced a great decline in power, all due to his year-after-year battle with ongoing injuries and countless surgical procedure rehabilitation periods.
Nevertheless, in 2013, Dustin Pedroia had perhaps his final major contribution season in a Boston Red Sox uniform.
That year would see Pedey play in a career-high 160 games while hitting .301/.372/.415 with nine home runs and 84 runs batted in. Not to mention Pedroia’s elite defensive contribution which came rewarded with a 2013 Gold-Glove Award.
With Dustin Pedroia remaining under contract and all intentions towards a return to the field according to Pedroia, who are we to rule out the man who’s made a living proving everyone wrong?
Shortstop: Xander Bogaerts (2013-present)
The savior in the Boston Red Sox regaining an edge in establishing a franchise cornerstone in the shortstop position, the first since Nomar Garciaparra nearly two decades ago, Xander Bogaerts has no competition for his spot on this list.
Last off-season Bogaerts was rewarded his elite bat and glove with a six-year deal worth $120 million. Coming prior to a career year for Bogaerts in which he batted .309 with 33 home runs and 117 runs batted in.
At just 27 years old, Xander Bogaerts has already collected a pair of World Series rings (2013, 2018), three Silver Slugger Award (2015, 2016, 2019), and two American League All-Star selections (2016, 2019).
It seems as though every season we’re witnessing an uphill climb in productivity and improvement from Bogey, both at the plate and with the glove.
Third-Baseman: Rafael Devers (2017-2019)
The youngest yet perhaps most electrifying player within the past decade when taking into consideration the fact Rafael Devers is just 23 years old, way ahead of his prime.
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With that being said, it’s truly unreal to witness what Devers has managed to do and how he’s been able to mature at the plate, becoming one of the most dangerous left-handed bats in all of Major League Baseball.
Since being called up at an age where Rafael Devers was below the legal drinking age, he had concerns from scouting reports all around. His aggressive, non-patient approach which would make his strikeout prone. His mediocre defensive abilities.
In just his second season, first full-year, Devers batted 58.1 percent of his fly balls to the opposite field in 2018, then 57.4 percent in 2019. His MVP ballot worthy 2019 season saw Devers hit a career-best .311 with 32 home runs, 115 runs batted in, and 54 doubles. That was a +30 improvement from Devers’ 2018 double’s hit total. Not to mention Devers saw a +5.5 fWAR from 2018 to 2019, the highest in all of baseball.
One can’t help but be eager and thrilled to await the seasons to come from Rafael Devers as the Boston Red Sox third baseman. We’ll be talking about the next decade of Red Sox baseball when this guy finally reaches his 30’s.
What a thought huh?
Catcher: Jarrod Saltalamacchia (2010-2018)
Without a doubt the most thought-debating, conflicting selection on this list.
The names are countless when reminiscing over this past decade’s catchers.
Yet it’s Jarrod Saltalamacchia who stands out among them all, and no, it’s not because of the fact that Saltalamacchia is the longest last name in baseball history. That was a sweetener that added a little persuasion to placing Salty on my list.
While Jarrod Saltalamacchia wasn’t among the most elite catchers during his time period, lacking frame abilities and a threat-worthy arm behind the plate, it was reliability that Salty always brought to the diamond.
Salty played in 100-plus games in three of his four seasons with the Boston Red Sox, serving as the blue-collar guy who showed the type of grit that kept him in the lineup. Through 2011-13, he averaged around 18 home runs per season and came through with his most productive within his tenure at a perfect time in 2013.
Many, including myself, were on full-board in the “Get Salty to the All-Star Game” campaign of 2013. Unfortunately, his efforts and hopes at that didn’t fall in fruition.
Nevertheless, everlasting glory through being the guy to catch the final strikeout of the first World Series title victory at Fenway Park in 95 years, is a settlement I’m confident Jarrod Saltalamacchia is satisfied with.