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Boston Red Sox: Ranking the team’s five All-Stars

By Owen Crisafulli

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JULY 01: Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with Xander Bogaerts #2 of the Boston Red Sox after hitting a 2 RBI home run in the bottom of the sixth inning of the game against the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park on July 01, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JULY 01: Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with Xander Bogaerts #2 of the Boston Red Sox after hitting a 2 RBI home run in the bottom of the sixth inning of the game against the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park on July 01, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /
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Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox J.D. Martinez (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

After watching Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers get named as the starting left side of the infield for the American League All-Star team, the Boston Red Sox added three more players from their squad to the All-Star roster when the rosters were filled last night.

J.D. Martinez was voted in on the bench, while Nathan Eovaldi and Matt Barnes were selected to the pitching staff.

With five total players on the roster, the Red Sox have the most All-Stars of any team in the league, which is indicative of their place as one of the top teams in baseball. Their turnaround from one of the worst teams in the league to one of the best has been due in large part to this group of five players.

But which player has been most important to this team’s incredible turnaround? That’s the question we pose today, as we set out to rank the Red Sox five All-Stars in terms of importance to the team. Each player could realistically be the most important player, leading to some tough decisions, but without further ado, let’s get started.

Boston Red Sox All-Star No. 5: J.D. Martinez

It speaks volumes to the caliber of All-Stars the Red Sox have that Martinez is the least important of the group, but that’s where things stand. J.D. Martinez came out on fire to start the season, and basically surpassed most of his totals from the entirety of last season in only the first month of this season.

His pace from April has slowed down, and he was rightfully overlooked for Los Angeles Angels two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani in the Designated Hitter voting, but Martinez’s turnaround has been huge this season. Let’s compare his numbers for last season to this to get the full story.

2020 season: .213 BA, 7 HR, 27 RBI, .680 OPS

2021 season: .303 BA, 17 HR, 56 RBI, .920 OPS

As you can see, this has been a marked improvement from what we saw last season. Martinez was pretty much unplayable last season, as he wasn’t hitting, and he offers very little in the field. But he quickly brushed aside his lost 2020 season, and has returned to his form from his first two seasons with the Sox.

After a bit of a lull midway through the first half, Martinez has picked things up lately, hitting three home runs over his last seven games. Martinez should be able to keep hitting at around a .300 clip, and is a safe bet to reach the 30 home run threshold assuming he stays healthy. The Sox lineup has mashed all season long, and a big reason for that is the return of J.D. Martinez.

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