Who Joined Garrett Crochet On MLB Writer's List Of Top Red Sox Performers?

Boston's best players so far aren't precisely who we expected

Apr 4, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A general view of Fenway Park during a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Most Boston Red Sox fans hoped for better than a 14-13 record to begin the year, but the season is young, and there have been multiple bright spots for Boston already.

On Friday, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden wrote about the most important positives from the Red Sox’s season thus far.

“Reason for optimism: Garrett Crochet, my preseason pick to win the AL Cy Young Award, is living up to the high expectations, posting a 1.95 ERA over his first six starts,” Bowden wrote.

“The back end of the bullpen is also getting the job done as Aroldis Chapman and Justin Slaten have converted all seven of their save opportunities. Trevor Story is batting .300 with five home runs, 15 RBIs and six steals. Alex Bregman has demonstrated his leadership skills and provided consistent offensive production. Second baseman Kristian Campbell is in the early mix for AL rookie position player of the year. And top prospects Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer are poised to help the big-league team at some point this season.”

Reading the above list might make Red Sox fans forget that the team has already lost three series at Fenway Park, including one to the lowly Chicago White Sox.

And yet, Boston was only two games back of the divisional lead entering Friday, and the season is still in its infancy.

Perhaps the most surprising of the Red Sox’s narratives has been the outstanding play of Trevor Story, who is healthy, thriving, and looking like one of the best overall players in the American League.

Anthony and Mayer remain fascinating storylines for the 2025 Red Sox, mostly because no one’s sure how Boston’s management is going to work either or both of these guys into the big-league lineup. When is it going to happen, and which current Red Sox players are going to be swapped out?

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