RED SOX: A LOOK BACK AND AHEAD
1. Sale: As advertised
Against the first batter he faced as a Red Sox starter on April 5, Chris Sale touched 98 mph on his way to seven shutout innings at Fenway Park. He deservingly earned the All-Star Game start for the American League before weakening down the stretch, but he came up big with gems against the Rays and Blue Jays in crucial momentum games to lift the Sox to the postseason.
2. Price is not right
On Feb. 28, David Price threw a simulated game with such gusto that pitching coach Carl Willis said Price's cutter looked better than it had at any point during the 2016 season. But the next day, Price's elbow hurt. He didn't pitch again until May 29, then submitted two average months before his torn elbow shut him down. He hasn't made another start since. His work out of the bullpen in the playoffs impressed, but questions remain about his health heading into 2018.
3. The cavalry arrived
Before Eduardo Nunez and Rafael Devers were in the lineup together for the first time on July 28, the Sox ranked 16th in the majors in averaging 4.6 runs per game. From July 28 through the rest of the season, they ranked fifth, scoring 5.2 runs per game. Devers (called up July 23) had a stunning rookie year and Nunez (acquired in a July 26 trade) morphed into Babe Ruth until he hurt his knee down the stretch and spent the playoffs on the bench.
4. Farrell out, Cora in
They didn't have the pitching to contain the Houston Astros lineup — then again, no team did — nor the hitting to keep up. The Sox had won 93 games again, but were again bounced in the first round, prompting the end of John Farrell's tenure. Alex Cora was hired 11 days later as the 47th manager in club history.
5. Big fish gets away
Despite being on a going-nowhere Marlins team, Giancarlo Stanton made all of baseball watch as he hit 62 homers and win the National League MVP. Soon after, the Marlins were sold and Stanton was available. But instead of the Red Sox hooking their big fish, it was the New York Yankees who roped him to the Bronx, reheating the rivalry.