Earlier tonight, the Red Sox clinched their first American League East title since 2013. You might recall that as the last time they won a World Series.
A lot has changed in Boston since, including executives and almost the entire roster. Beyond David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia, the remaining position player who saw the most playing time on that championship squad was Jackie Bradley Jr. -- and he finished with 107 trips to the plate.
On the mound, the Red Sox have three main holdovers: Clay Buchholz, Koji Uehara, and Junichi Tazawa. Otherwise? Steven Wright qualifies as the most accomplished remaining member. He made four appearances and one start in 2013.
It's fitting, then, that this is Ortiz's final ride, because the 2016 season has been all about passing the torch from one Red Sox core to the next. Obviously WAR isn't a perfect measure -- or always a precise one -- but according to it, the top five Red Sox position players this season are: Mookie Betts, Pedroia, Bradley Jr., Ortiz, and Xander Bogaerts. In other words, that's two mainstays and three players who have just over six years combined of major league service time.
Those three, along with prospects like Andrew Benintendi and Yoan Moncada, represent the future of the Red Sox's lineup, as well as a developmental successes. Let's examine the ways.
The Red Sox have benefited as much as any team from taking chances on smaller hitters -- like Betts, Pedroia, and potentially Benintendi. Betts in particular was overlooked throughout his amateur and prospect days due to his size (he's 5-foot-9) and questions about his defensive home. However, all he's done since turning professional is hit, hit, hit, and now he's a legitimate MVP candidate. He's the best player on the roster and should be acknowledged as such.
Bogaerts signed with the Red Sox as an amateur free agent from Aruba. He didn't ink his deal on July 2, nor did he receive a seven-figure bonus. Yet Bogaerts still developed into one of baseball's best prospects. Most impressive about his career arc? Probably his ability to stick at shortstop. Credit that to Bogaerts, and to the Red Sox for sticking by and believing in him.
Bradley Jr. was a supplemental first-round pick from a highly successful collegiate program (University of South Carolina). Still, the Red Sox had to stomach through a miserable 530-plate-appearance stretch to begin his big-league career, in which he hit .196/.268/.280. Always a great glove in center, Bradley Jr. has since morphed into an above-average hitter, making him a potential All-Star candidate.
Besides the players, if there's one person to credit for the Red Sox's promising core, it's probably Ben Cherington. As Dayn Perry recently noted, Dave Dombrowski has obviously taken a different approach, trading from the farm system's depth to acquire ready-made big-league talent. But if not for the stubbornness and vision of Dombrowski's predecessor, it's unclear if the Red Sox's future would look as bright as it does.
Here's hoping Boston fans find time to appreciate that while celebrating their division title.
