Boston Red Sox
Established: 1901
Other Names:
Boston Americans (1901-1907)
2016 results: 93-69,
1st in A.L. East
Lost ALDS 3-0 to Cleveland
2017 Prediction: 1st
World Series Titles: 8
Most Recent: 2013
Last World Series
Appearance: 2013
Last Division Title: 2016
Ballpark: Fenway
Park
Est: 1912
Best Season: 2004
The Red Sox ended 86 years of
frustration when they won the World Series in 2004. While they won 98 games
during the regular season, they finished second to the Yankees in the A.L. East
but still qualified for the postseason as the Wild Card. After sweeping the
Angels in the ALDS, the Sox quickly fell behind three games to none to the
Yanks in the ALCS. They then became the first team in baseball history to rally
from such a deficit when they won four straight, including the final two in the
Bronx. The World Series sweep of the Cardinals was a bit anti-climactic after
the ALCS but it didn’t take away from the fact that the 2004 Red Sox were the
best team in the club’s history.
Best All-time Player:
Ted Williams
Ted Williams once said that he
wanted to be remembered as the best hitter that ever lived, and he put up some
numbers that could make a good argument that he was just that. Over his 19-year
career he batted .344, hit 521 home runs and added 1839 RBIs. Williams was a
17-time All-Star, won the A.L. MVP twice (1946 and 1949) and was the last Major
Leaguer to have an average over .400 (.406 in 1941). The “Splendid Splinter”
lost three years (1943-45) of playing baseball when he served in the United
States Air Force in World War II, and parts of two more years (1952-53) during
the Korean War. Imagine how much more impressive his stats would have been if
he’d played those years.
Best Player on the
Current Roster: Dustin Pedroia
Yes, Mookie Betts may have
posted better numbers in 2016, but Pedroia is the glue that has held the Bosox
together for the past ten years. In his career, the second baseman has a
batting average of .301, hit 133 dingers, added 662 RBIs, was A.L. Rookie of
the Year in 2007, the A.L. MVP in 2008, is a four-time All-Star, and has won
four Gold Glove Awards. Last season, he rebounded from an injury-plagued 2015
to hit .318, 15 home runs and 74 RBIs.
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