On Sunday, MLB announced the full AL and NL squads for this year's All-Star
game.
Three Red Sox players made this year's team: starting pitcher Garrett Crochet, third baseman Alex Bregman, and closer
Ardolis Chapman. What I found interesting was that all three of these players
were former All-Stars playing in their first season in Boston. I guess that
made their off-season an official success!
It reminded me of
a post I did 2 years ago
when closer Kenley Jansen made the All-Star team. His selection led me to
wonder how often a free agent signed by the Red Sox made the All-Star team in
his first year with Boston. You can't make a better first impression than
that!
This seems like a good opportunity to update my list. According to my
research, Bregman and Chapman are the 11th and 12th times that has happened!
(Crochet was acquired in a blockbuster trade, so not included here.) It's an
unusual group of guys, from a future first ballot Hall of Famer to a couple of
guys even hardcore Red Sox fans might not remember.
Bill Campbell, RP, 1977
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1977 Topps #166 Bill Campbell |
The first big free agent signing by the Red Sox turned out well. After
winning the very first Rolaids Relief Award in 1976 for the Twins, Campbell
signed a 5 year contract with Boston. He made his only All-Star team in
1977, and finished the year leading the league in saves and winning the
Rolaids Award again.
Erik Hanson, SP, 1995
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1995 Upper Deck #483 Erik Hanson (TR) |
Probably the oddest entry in this list, Hanson signed a one-year contract
prior to the 1995 season. He made his only All-Star squad en route to a 15-5
season, parlayed that into a multi-year contract with Toronto, and ended up
as one of the
worst free agent signings in franchise history.
Jose Offerman, 2B, 1999
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2000 Upper Deck #61 Jose Offerman (AS) |
The Red Sox badly needed a second baseman and lead-off hitter. They thought
they were getting both when they signed Jose Offerman to a 4-year deal. His
first season was actually pretty solid, and he made the All-Star team as a
reserve. Wheels completely fell off after that, and he became Jose
"Awful-man" to the Boston fandom.
Manny Ramirez, OF, 2001
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2002 Ultra #206 Manny Ramirez (AS) |
Arguably the greatest free agent signing in Red Sox history. Not only did
Manny make the All-Star team during his first year in Boston, he made the
All-Star team every single season of his 8-year contract. Outside of his
personality shortcomings and PED usage, he was (statistically) worth every
penny.
Johnny Damon, OF, 2002
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2002 Fleer Tradition Update #U327 Johnny Damon (AS) |
Lightning struck twice as for the second straight year, Boston signed an
outfielder who became an All-Star. Damon was actually the very first AL
player to earn an All-Star nod by the now-defunct "All-Star Final Vote" gimmick (beating out Jim Thome, Eric Chavez, Magglio Ordonez, and
Darin Erstad).
Matt Clement, SP, 2005
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2005 Topps Updates & Highlights - All-Star Stitches #ASR-MCL Matt Clement (MEM) |
Clement was one of a handful of starters the World Champion Red Sox signed
in an attempt to replace the departing Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe. He had
a great first half of the 2005 season, going 10-2 and being named as a
replacement for the injured Roy Halladay. Shortly after the All-Star break,
he was struck in the head by a line drive and was never effective again.
Hideki Okajima, RP, 2007
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2007 Topps Updates & Highlights #UH247 Hideki Okajima (AS) |
Prior to the 207 season, Boston made international news by signing a star
pitcher from Japan. Who would have thought their second, less herald
Japanese import would be the one to make the All-Star team? Okajima was
fantastic out of the bullpen, and like Damon before him was named the winner
of that year's "Final Vote", although he didn't get in the game. Later that
year, he became the first Japanese pitcher to pitch in the World Series.
Adrian Beltre, 3B, 2010
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2010 Topps Update #US-328 Adrian Beltre (AS) |
There was a time when no one, and I mean no one, thought of Adrian Beltre as
a Hall of Fame player. I'm not saying that the one-year pillow contract he
signed with the Red Sox in 2010 jump-started his Hall of Fame candidacy, but
without that one amazing season in Boston, the Rangers would never have
known what he was capable of. Why the Red Sox let him go after that I'll
never understand...
J.D. Martinez, DH, 2018
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2019 Topps Heritage #359 J.D. Martinez (AS) |
J.D. Martinez was one of the most impactful signings in franchise history.
The professional hitter at the heart of one of the greatest Red Sox teams
ever, Martinez made the All-Star team every single year of his 5-year
contract aside from the 2020 season (when the All-Star Game was cancelled).
Kenley Jansen, RP, 2023
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2024 Topps Pristine #297 Kenley Jansen |
There were many raised eyebrows at his nomination. Stat-wise, he was solid
but unspectacular. One could even argue that he was not the most deserving
reliever on the team. Yet, his inclusion was merited as the Red Sox lone
representative that year. The Red Sox hadn't had a true closer since Craig
Kimbrel, and the future Hall of Famer helped turn the Boston bullpen into a
strength.
Alex Bregman, 3B, 2025
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2025 Topps Now #71 Alex Bregman (PR510) |
Bregman was an interesting selection, mainly because he hasn't played since
May 23rd! Although he's close to returning, it's unusual to have someone who
has missed the past 6 weeks be considered an All-Star. Yet, he was so
incredible at the start of the season that even with all that time missed,
he's still 2nd among AL 3rd basemen in WAR, and top-6 in HR and RBI.
Aroldis Chapman, RP, 2025
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2025 Topps Heritage #24 Aroldis Chapman |
Like Jansen before him, Chapman's 1 year contract this past off-season was
one of those minor transactions that wasn't shaking the landscape. Since his
last All-Star selection in 2021, he's been on journeyman's path with stops
with 5 different teams. All he has done this year is turn back the clock
with his best season since his days in Cincinati!
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