The best in Boston: The top Sox hitters of the decade

This decade in baseball started the same way it ended: with the hated New York Yankees celebrating a World Series title. However (mostly) everything else in the game of baseball is different. This decade has brought the rise of Moneyball, newer, more sophisticated statistics, fancier Fantasy leagues, and steroids.  It brought the end of an 88-year title drought on the South Side of Chicago, while the North Side is entering its 102nd year without a championship. And we now look at the numbers 73 and 762 more like 73* and 762*.

But probably the most important change of the past ten years was the transformation of the Boston Red Sox from loveable losers to perennial winners, making them the most hated team in the game (at least until the Yankees spent near half a billion to capture a title and become the face of evil once again in 2009).

So I have taken it upon myself to go through 2000-2009 with a fine tooth comb and figure out who was the best of the decade, who was the worst, and what could have been (the Sox can very easily have four or five titles instead of the two that we have. No I’m not ungrateful, I’m just stating facts).

We’re kicking it off with the best players, position-by-position, that have played with Boston emblazoned on their chest. I’m basing my picks off a combination of statistics, expectations, awards, and clutch moments that made them stand out in this decade. So without further ado...

Catcher: Jason Varitek 2000-2009 stats: .258 BA, 153 HR, 594 RBI… 3 All Stars (03,05,08), Gold Glove (2005), Silver Slugger (2005), Named Captain in 2005, Caught MLB Record Four No Hitters (Nomo 2001, Lowe 2002, Buchholz 2007, Lester 2008)

This was a no brainer. Varitek is one of two players that have played with the Sox for the entire decade (Timmy Wakefield is the other and if it took you longer than five seconds to figure it out then shame on you) and he evolved from a backup to a three year stretch in which he was the best catcher in the game. During 2003 to 2005, Tek averaged 21 homers with 76 RBI while working his magic behind the plate. He was the best at calling a game and made younger pitchers like Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz throw with confidence. Josh Beckett just shook him off 90% of the time.

He’s been a great player and is the second best catcher in Red Sox history (#1 is Carlton Fisk). But the past two years his career has been in a bit of a freefall (it hasn’t been pretty to watch either) and the injuries have taken its toll on him. So maybe it’s for the best that he hangs them and up and start what could be an even more successful career as a manager. He has all the tools for it and knows the game extremely well and can pass his knowledge down to many players down the road. Who knows maybe we see Varitek coaching the Sox ten years from now. He’d be great at it too.

Honorable Mention: Doug Mirabelli (Three words: Dougie Goes Deep)

First Base: Kevin Youkilis (2004-2009) Stats: .292 BA, 93 HR, 408 RBI… Gold Glove (2007), 2-Time All Star (2008, 2009), Top-3 MVP (2008)

The Greek God of Walks has evolved from a bench player to the best hitter on the team and is in the midst of his prime. His patience at the plate is remarkable and he keeps himself alive fouling off pitch after pitch after pitch. His defense at first base is nearly perfect (he’s made ten errors in five years) and he has impressive versatility, also playing third and the corner outfield spots. He played a key role in the 2007 ALCS, going 14-for-28, nailing 3 home runs, and driving in 7 runs and would’ve won the MVP in the series if Josh Beckett wasn’t trying to prove a point and threw lights out (CC may have won the Cy Young but Josh was the best pitcher that year and the ALCS proved it.). For another five plus years, YOUUUK will be holding down first base with dominance and is the odds-on favorite to take over the reigns of captain once Varitek steps down.

Honorable Mention: Kevin Millar. Gave us Cowboy Up and drew the walk in Game 4 of 2004 ALCS that led to “The Steal.”

Second Base: Dustin Pedroia (2006-2009) Stats: .307 BA, 42 HR, 212 RBI… Rookie of the Year (2007), MVP (2008), 2-time All Star (2008, 2009), Gold Glove (2008), Silver Slugger (2008)

Little Dusty sure has come a long way since April 2007, when fans and media alike were begging him to benched for Alex Cora. He responded by winning the Rookie of the Year and the AL MVP in his first two seasons, something that’s only been accomplished by Lou Gerhig and Ichiro. (Translation: He’s something special.) The generously listed 5’9” Pedroia plays like someone who is 6’9”. Only Vladimir Guerrero swings with such ferocity as Pedroia.

His defense is deceivingly good as well. The highlight that sticks to mind came during the Buchholz no-hitter. He made a diving stab at a grounder by Miguel Tejada and threw a laser to Youkilis, getting Miggy out by a fraction of a second and thus saving the no-no. There’s only one word to describe Dusty: scrappy. Between him and Youk, the right side of the field is in great shape for the next decade.

Honorable Mention: Todd Walker. He tore the cover off the ball in the 2003 playoffs.

Third base: Mike Lowell (2006-2009) Stats: .295 BA, 75 HR, 348 RBI… World Series MVP (2007), Top-5 MVP (2007), All Star (2007)

Everybody groaned when he was part of the Josh Beckett trade but after the 2007 World Series, many people were saying he was just as important in the trade and made Larry Lucchino look ingenious for taking Lowell’s salary from the Marlins. (He pulled the trigger on the trade while Theo Epstein was too busy partying in his gorilla suit.) We all knew that he would be good with the glove but it was the offense that shocked everyone, as his bat was well suited for Fenway. He won the World Series MVP and while his age is an issue, he has played well when he’s on the field. He has a couple more years in him and will do well if the Sox find a young third baseman to split time and have Lowell teach the youngster what he knows.

Honorable Mention: Bill Mueller won a Batting Title and was a great switch-hitter. This was a tough call.

Shortstop: Nomar Garciaparra (2000-2004) Stats: .320 BA, 82 HR, 350 RBI… Batting Champ (2000), 3-Time All Star (2000,2001,2003), 2-Time Top-10 MVP(9^th in 2000, 7^th in 2003)

Oh Nomah. How we miss thee. He was by far the best all-around shortstop in baseball during his time as a member of the Red Sox. His covered all the ground in between second and third base when he was on defense. His wrist injury hampered him a little. It’s a damn shame that he had to go. Would we have won the World Series with Nomar on the team? It’s the second biggest what-if question with the Red Sox in the past decade (No. 1 would be “what if Grady took out Pedro?” Damn him.) 

Honorable Mention: None. We haven’t had a decent SS since #5. Call it “The Curse of Nomah” or as I like to call it “Theo Overthinking”

Left Field: Manny Ramirez (2001-2008) Stats: .312 BA, 274 HR, 868 RBI… 8-time All Star (2000-2008), 6-time Silver Slugger (2000-2006), 6-Time Top-10 MVP (2000-2005), 2004 Home Run Champ, 2004 World Series MVP

No Jason Bay isn’t taking this one. Love him or hate him, Manny was the best player the Sox had this decade. His presence as the clean-up hitter transformed David Ortiz into Big Papi. During his time, everyone paid attention to Manny’s at-bats. Manny was the player to help the Sox get over the hump in 2004 because the pressure never got to him. He was always calm, cool, and collected. While he was a sub-par defensive player, he did know how to play the bounces off the Green Monster to throw people out. It shocked me how everyone turned on Manny in 2008 and helped jettison him to the Dodgers.

What drives me nuts is the idea that the Red Sox got the better end of the deal. Not only did the Sox trade the best right handed hitter in our history, they traded two prospects (Brandon Moss and Craig Hansen), AND paid off the remainder of his contract ($8 million). ARE YOU KIDDING? It boggles my mind. (One final tangent: To those that thought he wouldn’t play hard after the trade deadline are ridiculous. You expect someone like him to not play hard during the end of the contract year? This trade cost us the 2008 World Series. Period.)

Honorable Mention: Jason Bay has played well. Better re-sign him or the Manny trade is even more stupid.

Center Field: Johnny Damon (2002-2005) .295 BA, 56 HR, 299 RBI, 98 SB.. All Star (2005), Clubhouse leader of the “Idiots”

This was a tough one. Choosing between Damon and Jacoby Ellsbury was hard. Both are quality lead-off men. Both have speed. Both have a good glove and bad throwing arms. Ellsbury gave us free tacos, Damon gave us the great Game 7 in 2004. Damon gets the edge for his all-around offensive power and his leadership in the clubhouse. There was a reason why Damon signing with the Yankees hurt: because he was pretty damn good. If Coco Crisp signed with the Yankees, we wouldn’t give a damn.

Damon was a rock star in Boston but knowing Red Sox fans, the rock star act would get pretty old if he struggled a little, and in a matter of weeks and we would be demanding to trade him (Jonathan Papelbon,  I’m looking at you).

Maybe Damon knew that and went for the money (although the deal was $4 million more than what Theo offered) and quite frankly you can’t blame him. Wait a minute…. Yes I can! Screw you Damon!

Honorable Mention: Ellsbury. He’s a speed demon and he gave us free tacos!

Right Field: Trot Nixon (2000-2006) Stats: .274 BA, 124 HR, 468 RBI… Dirt Dog for the Sox

JD Drew should be in this spot. He has decent stats. He has the grand slam in the 2007 ALCS. But he’s JD Drew. He’s had limitless potential but in all honesty he is Trot Nixon with marginally better offense and worse defensively. Plus everybody loved Trot. He played his ass off for us even though he couldn’t hit lefties if his life depended on it. He was everything you asked for and people still wish he was playing over JD Drew because he cares. People remember the home run he hit off of Roger Clemens in Yankee Stadium in the 9th to give Pedro Martinez and the Sox the victory. Trot deserves this spot for his style of play (which led to him constantly on the DL and shortened his career) and his defense in right was great. So in short, thank you Trot for your dedication.

Honorable Mention: JD Drew. Only because Wily Mo sucked and he hit what Bill Simmons calls the $14 Million Dollar Grand Slam

Designated Hitter: David Ortiz (2003-2009) Stats: .288 BA, 259 HR, 830 RBI… 5-time All Star (2004-2008), Runner up MVP (2005), 3-time Top-5 MVP (2004, 2006, 2007), 2004 ALCS MVP, Too Many Clutch Moments To Count

Do I have to mention why? The Dominican slugger evolved from Jeremy Giambi’s backup to the biggest clutch hitter of all time. His battles against Mariano Rivera are etched in the brains of millions of Red Sox fans. Even after all the clutch hits in 2004, he kept pulling off these game winning hits. Everybody in Fenway knew that if Big Papi came up in late innings with the Sox trailing, Ortiz would win the game. And he would, seemingly every single time. Only Larry Bird has had fans believing in one’s ability in the clutch. Something tells me that he has a couple more game winners in his bat.

Honorable Mention: No one. Ortiz is above and beyond people like Mike Stanley and Dante Bichette.

Be sure to check back on Thursday when I list off the best pitchers of the decade.