Boston Red Sox: 3 key players needed to make the postseason

The Boston Red Sox were the worst team in the American League East in 2022, and all predictions are pointing to them being there again in 2023. But, of course, fans in the city of Boston would disagree.

Let’s look at three Boston Red Sox players set on helping the team make a run at the Wild Card

Corey Kluber looks to make one last stand with the Boston Red Sox. He signed a one-year contract for $11 million this offseason and is officially set to be the Opening Day starter, per manager Alex Cora. Kluber has been a solid pitcher, posting a +1 strikeout per inning over his entire career. In Fort Myers for spring training, he appeared to be as sharp and healthy as ever. In 12 innings of spring action, he logged 14 strikeouts with a 2.13 ERA and two wins. Kluber could be the top-of-the-rotation guy for Boston’s potential surprise Wild Card run.

Rafael Devers is entering the 2023 season at the MLB prime age of 27 with a new 11-year, $313.5 million contract. He is the face of the Red Sox now, its heart and star for the next decade. The commitment says a lot about the organization’s thoughts on Devers as they let Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts go in similar contract situations.

Devers played third base with Manny Machado for the Dominican Republic in the WBC this spring. Rafael spoke to MLB.com about it, saying, “Of course, I learned a lot from Manny Machado. He’s one of the best third basemen, if not the best third baseman, right now in the game.” Devers also said, “Just watching him going about his business and playing, you learn a lot. It was a very good moment for me.”

That’s very promising to hear for the Red Sox. Devers has been warming up nicely this spring, hitting .296 in 24 at-bats, and looks ready to go to shine for the gritty underdog. If Devers could go .300 with 30 homers/100 runs scored/100 RBI, it could have him in the MVP conversations this year.

Finally, manager Alex Cora recently announced that right-hander Kutter Crawford would be on the Opening Day roster and the team’s fourth starter in the rotation. Crawford will likely get this first start on April 3 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. His spring performance sealed his fate as he threw an impressive 12 innings with a 2.03 ERA, 0.975 WHIP, and 14 strikeouts. If he can carry that performance over to the regular season (and with a name like Kutter Crawford), he will surely be a long-time Boston fan favorite.