So Close

Following 2 straight last-place finishes in the AL East, the Boston Red Sox weren't expected to be a powerhouse team in 2016. With talented clubs like the Blue Jays and Orioles competing alongside Boston for the AL East division title, no one, including myself, expected the 2016 Red Sox to be as successful as they were.

Yet, in spite of relatively low expectations, this team finished 2016 with a 93-69 record along with their first of (at least) 3 straight AL East division titles. As a whole, this team worked incredibly well together. 

Current stars like Mookie Betts and the recently-extended Xander Bogaerts had breakout seasons. Rick Porcello was dominant and, in his age-40 season, David Ortiz performed better than he had in roughly a decade. Craig Kimbrel and David Price, although not perfect, were reliable pitching options. 

As the season drew to a close, Boston seemed poised for postseason success, even though they were going up against the eventual AL Champions, the Cleveland Indians. 

However, in an unexpected turn of events, the Red Sox were swept by Cleveland in 3 games, including a crushing defeat at home which I witnessed in-person. Although they more than made up for this defeat 2 years later, this abrupt end to their impressive season was a major shock.

Alas, it's this Red Sox team that has inspired me to take part in a contest, held by Collecting Cutch. The one rule for entering is that I have to write a post about my favorite team not to win the World Series. 

The 2016 Red Sox were the first team to come to mind, and no matter how many other clubs and seasons I thought about, not one of them compared to this talented squad from 3 years ago.

More important than their 93-69 record, the most significant part of this Red Sox team was that 2016 was the final year of David Ortiz's MLB career. Towards the end of the previous season, Ortiz announced that 2016 would be the final season of his 20-year career. 

Although he wasn't able to retire as a World Series champion, Ortiz's .315 batting average, 38 homers, and 127 RBI proved that even at 40 years of age, Ortiz could play some of the best Baseball of his career. 

Not only did he lead the AL in RBI, SLG, OPS, and doubles, but his performance allowed Boston to lead all of Baseball with a .282 batting average that year.

In addition to David Ortiz, Boston's power hitting came from a variety of different sources in 2016, including a surprise candidate at 3rd base. Travis Shaw, who was traded to the Brewers following his 2016 season, drove in 71 runs in just 480 at-bats. 

He provided a dependable bat and glove throughout 2016, but his most impressive season came in 2017, his very first season in Milwaukee. Not going to say the Red Sox shouldn't have traded him, but I don't see any major return on investment. 

I realize I'm supposed to be talking about the 2016 Boston Red Sox players and their performances, but I'd be remiss if I failed to point out that Xander Bogaerts just signed a 6-year extension to stay in Boston after he was set to become a free agent after 2019. 

His deal is worth $120 million, or $20 million per year, hopefully leaving enough money for Mookie Betts to get an extension as well. Along with fellow Red Sox players, Bogaerts had a stellar 2016 season where he combined contact with power. Hitting .294 with 21 homers and 89 RBI, Bogaerts made the All-Star team in 2016 as well.

In what could prove to be the final healthy season of the 35-year old's career, Dustin Pedroia and his .318 batting average was a key contributor to the Red Sox's success back in 2016. After missing a lot of 2015 due to injury, Pedroia had over 200 hits in 2016 for only the 2nd time in his career. 

Even though his best seasons were past him, Pedroia was able to contribute in more than 1 way to the Red Sox's 2016 season. He's struggled with injuries throughout his career, so I'm definitely hoping for a bounce-back year in 2019 after being limited to just 11 at-bats last season.

Just in case I've never said this before I miss Hanley Ramirez a lot. I understand that he underperformed, big time, in May of 2018, but I still long for the days in which he was a member of the Red Sox.

Thankfully, he's received playing time in Cleveland, and he even drove in the Indians' first runs of 2019 with a home run against the Twins. I'll never forget how dominant he was back in 2016 for the Red Sox when he hit .286 with 30 homers (2nd most ever in his career) and 111 RBI, the most runs he's ever driven in.

Although Benintendi fell victim to injury late in the season, his call-up to the majors signified the beginning of something special for the Red Sox. He had many memorable moments throughout his 34 games for the 2016 Red Sox, including this insane catch at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay, a moment that was forever immortalized on cardboard roughly 1 year later in 2017 Topps Stadium Club.

To this day, I contend that Mookie Betts should've been the 2016 AL MVP after he put together a historic performance while being just 23 years old. He contributed to the Red Sox's insane team batting average with a .318 line himself, and he also 113 runs while going yard 31 times. 

In fact, Mookie's totals for hits and RBI is something that he wouldn't even eclipse during his 2018 AL MVP season, though that is partially due to a decrease in at-bats. In addition to the arrival of Benintendi and Bogaerts' breakout year, Mookie's impressive season signified that big things were in store for the Boston Red Sox. 

Although Mookie came up short in MVP voting, Rick Porcello was able to acquire an award of his own in 2016; the AL Cy Young award, a feat that no one saw coming. Recently-signed pitcher, David Price, would have been a more likely choice for this award, but Porcello's 22-4 record and 3.15 ERA made him the ace that Boston needed.

His Cy Young award win remains a controversial one, especially with Justin Verlander's wife, Kate Upton. Nevertheless, Porcello took home the hardware and provided a much-needed boost to this Boston rotation.

It still surprises me that this talented club didn't even make it out of the ALDS, never mind play in the Fall Classic against the NL champs, the Chicago Cubs. Regardless, 2016 was a critical stepping stone for the Red Sox en route to their eventual World Series title in 2018. 

Without this historic season and everything that came with it, Boston may not have prevailed and taken home the title just 2 years later.