5 Red Sox Players Who Are Cementing Themselves As Franchise Cornerstones

While the Boston Red Sox are still barely hovering above .500, this season has not been without its bright spots, as a plethora of Red Sox players have had breakout seasons. Here are five Red Sox who are cementing themselves as important players in the long term for Boston.

5. Connor Wong

In his first season as the Red Sox’s full-time catcher, Connor Wong wasn’t perfect. While he provided solid defense behind the plate, finishing 8th among AL position players in Baseball Reference dWAR, Wong struggled at the plate, owning a below-average 80 OPS+ with 134 strikeouts in 371 ABs.

But in his second full season behind the dish, Wong has had a breakout season at the plate over the first two months. In 131 plate appearances, Wong is batting .344 with a 144 OPS+, and 5 home runs. He is also showing much better plate discipline, as his K% has decreased from 33% to 19%. Albeit in small sample size, Wong has clearly made improvements with his bat to go along with solid defense. 

Of course, the Red Sox have catcher and 2023 first-round pick Kyle Teel waiting in the wings, and he is already mashing his way through Double-A Portland. But with the rapport Wong has developed with Red Sox pitchers and his team control (hitting free agency after the 2028 season), keeping Wong around long-term as, at minimum, a reliable backup catcher makes a lot of sense for the Red Sox. Hopefully, Teel and Wong can form one of the more dynamic catcher duos in baseball.