I decided to try it out, but with a twist. Rather than just whoever pops in my head, I'm going to think of the first player I can think of that is also a Red Sox alum. I did a similar post last fall, and actually had it in the back of my mind to do a full lineup for each team, if possible. This would be a good starting point. I also decided to only allow a player to be used only once per team.
I present to you now, the player that popped into my head for each team:
Angels - Fred Lynn
1985 Topps #220 Fred Lynn |
His swing was built for Fenway. I will always maintain that he would have built a strong Hall of Fame case if he never left.
Astros - Larry Andersen
1989 Donruss #359 Larry Andersen |
My first thought was Jeff Bagwell, but he never played for the Red Sox. This led me to think of the guy he was traded for.
Athletics - Jose Canseco
1991 Bowman #227 Jose Canseco |
A lot of Hall of Famers played for both teams, yet he popped in my mind first.
Blue Jays - Roger Clemens
1999 Topps Opening Day #161 Roger Clemens (HL) |
He was my favorite player growing up. It saddened me initially when he left. I got over it.
Braves - John Smoltz
1991 Leaf #309 John Smoltz |
He's going to be the guest speaker at a University of Virginia fundraiser tomorrow. I think that influenced my decision.
Brewers - George Scott
1977 Topps #255 George Scott |
Technically, Scott was the second person I thought of. I had a current Brewer in mind, but for the life of me I couldn't recall his name. All I could think of was his nickname "The Mayor Of Ding Dong City". Scott's name popped in my head before I could figure it out, so apologies to Travis Shaw.
Cardinals - Dennis Eckersley
1996 Upper Deck #375 Dennis Eckersley (BG) |
I find with a lot of these players, I'm surprised by the team association. Eck was a quick choice for the Cardinals, which led me to wonder why I didn't associate him with the Athletics before?
Cubs - John Lester
2018 Topps #266 Jon Lester |
I wish he never got traded.
Diamondbacks - Chris Young
2008 Topps #179 Chris Young (PSH) |
I'm surprised JD Martinez wasn't the first player I thought of!
Dodgers - Alex Cora
2001 Upper Deck Victory #371 Alex Cora |
Like I said above, I did a whole lineup of players who wore both of these uniforms.
Expos - Pedro Martinez
1995 Stadium Club #485 Pedro Martinez |
Arguably the greatest trade in Red Sox history.
Giants - Pablo Sandoval
2011 Topps #188 Pablo Sandoval |
Arguably the worst free agent signing in Red Sox history.
Indians - Andrew Miller
2018 Stadium Club #227 Andrew Miller |
The one great thing Bobby Valentine did in his one year as manager was to put this guy in the bullpen.
Mariners - Derek Lowe
1996 Bowman #228 Derek Lowe |
Arguably the greatest trade in Red Sox history, part 2.
Marlins - Andre Dawson
1997 Upper Deck #80 Andre Dawon |
Like Eck before him, I'm surprised he wasn't who popped in my head for the Cubs.
Mets - Mo Vaugn
2002 Donruss Originals - Aqueous #331 Mo Vaughn |
It was a shame he had trouble staying healthy after he left Boston.
Nationals - Jonathan Papelbon
2016 Topps #266 Jonathan Papelbon |
All-time saves leader for two historic franchises, and if he could have stayed effective for just a few more years, he'd probably have held the Nationals record too.
Orioles - Koji Uehara
2009 Topps #616 Koji Uehara (RC) |
The 2013 title doesn't happen without him.
Padres - Drew Pomeranz
2016 Topps Update #US236 Drew Pomeranz (AS) |
He was horrible for the Red Sox last year, but I think he's got a bounce back year coming up. The Giants got him on a good deal.
Phillies - Danial Nava
2017 Topps Heritage #561 Daniel Nava |
He's got the kind of story that would make a great Disney movie.
Pirates - Jason Bay
2004 Topps #411 Jason Bay |
He was about a good of a return for Manny Ramirez as anyone could have asked.
Rangers - Adrian Beltre
2015 Topps #175 Adrian Beltre |
Happy retirement Adrian! See you in the Hall in 5 years!
Rays/Devil Rays - Wade Boggs
1998 Donruss #234 Wade Boggs |
The Rays retired his number before the Red Sox did, which is weird.
Reds - Bronson Arroyo
2011 Topps #98 Bronson Arroyo |
Good guitar player, but still looked ridiculous in dreads.
Rockies - Ellis Burks
1997 Score #74 Ellis Burks |
Proof that even injured players can be champions.
Royals - Johnny Damon
2000 Stadium Club #12 Johnny Damon |
What an Idiot.
Tigers - Rick Porcello
2014 Topps #384 Rick Porcello |
With all the Red Sox hitting free agency within the next two years, you don't hear about Porcello much. He's been solid, and I wouldn't mind seeing him come back.
Twins - Eduardo Nunez
2015 Topps #499 Eduardo Nunez |
Proof that the World Series is still fresh in my mind - I thought of him before Big Papi?
White Sox - Yoan Moncada
2018 Bowman Platinum #22 Yoan Moncada |
Why Moncada and not the guy he was traded for, Chris Sale? I don't know.
Yankees - Jacoby Ellsbury
2016 Topps Archives #40 Jacoby Ellsbury |
He's still a Yankee, right?
So that was an interesting experiment. In almost all cases I could think of someone better if I gave myself even a minute to think of it. Instead I ended up with a delightfully weird mix of Hall of Famers, All-Stars, regulars and role players.
This certainly was different! It's a good thing that I wasn't trying to do it your way, otherwise I probably would've only been able to come up with a handful of names.
ReplyDeleteDang. Them Red Sox, they get around.
ReplyDeleteThis was one of my favorite posts for this BBA. A very cool twist that requires an extra layer of thought. Well done!
ReplyDeleteI really love the concept behind this post. Lots of thought popped into my head as I read along, ranging from why it took the Sox so long to retire Boggs' number to Drew Pomeranz's horrible 2018 season. Just think, if he had been a free agent after his stellar 2017 performance, he could've made some big money.
ReplyDeleteVery cool twist! I played along using A's player. Lol. Got stuck on the Diamondbacks... then the Expos... then I gave up ;) Still... loved reading your responses.
ReplyDeleteIt took me awhile, but...
DeleteA's/Diamondbacks - Stephen Drew
A's/Expos - Matt Stairs
Plus, both of those guys are Red Sox alum as well! Triple threat!
Ugh. Totally forgot about Drew and the Diamondbacks.
DeleteOh wait. Tim Raines played for the A's... and obviously the Expos.
DeleteYou probably could have gotten away with using Bagwell. He started out in the Red Sox organization at least. Although, it would be like associating Smoltz with the Tigers. Nice list!
ReplyDelete