Congratulations to the 2025 Boston Red Sox for making the playoffs. It’s been a long year, fraught with injuries, controversy, errors, poor situational hitting, more injuries, and players being unceremoniously ushered out of town. This team has deficiencies, many of them, but there will be plenty of time to discuss that in the offseason. Right now, it’s time to talk about what went right in 2025 and why making the playoffs is a significant step forward.
I doubt many fans could have predicted how this season played out. They were a .500 team for most of the year, but streaks of 12 of 13 right before the break, 10 of 12 in early August, and 7 of 8 in late August banked enough wins to make them a playoff team in a weak American League. Add to that a complete collapse by the team that was considered the best in the AL, the Detroit Tigers. The playoff seasoned Houston Astros also faltered down the stretch due to some key injuries.
The current roster only has 9 players who have ever appeared in the playoffs, and really only 3 who have significant playing time. All three have World Series rings. Only 7 players have played more playoff games than Alex Bregman in the history of MLB. He has 2 rings. Aroldis Chapman also has 2 rings and has pitched almost 50 innings in the postseason. Add Nathaniel Lowe to that mix as a significant piece in the 2023 Texas Rangers championship. Playoff experience will be important for the rest of the roster. Regardless of how many games they play, playoff baseball is a different animal. It’s a shame that Anthony, Mayer, and Campbell won’t be able to participate in the experience.
What Went Right
First and foremost, the Red Sox found a legitimate ace. Garrett Crochet tired at the end of the season, but for most of it, he was a Cy Young caliber starter. He is set up as the staff ace for years to come. Number two on the list is the emergence of an exciting rookie player in Roman Anthony. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say he will be a star in the years to come. He already exhibits all the qualities of a great hitter in limited plate appearances this season. The only thing that needs to come around is his home run stroke but given his gap power to all fields, I expect we will see that soon.
Aroldis Chapman was a pleasant surprise as he wasn’t even expected to be the closer at the start of the year. All he did was turn in one of the greatest seasons in the history of Red Sox relievers. They have him for another year plus a mutual option. If he does falter in the next two years, there is another guy who had a great season waiting in the wings. The Red Sox finally used Garrett Whitlock as he was supposed to be used, as a late inning setup man. He excelled in that role mostly locking down the 8th inning to give Chapman an opportunity to close out games.
Honorable Mentions
Trevor Story finally had a healthy year in a Red Sox uniform and turned in a solid season both at the plate and in the field. Alex Bregman had a hot start to the season but has struggled since coming back from injury. Hopefully, he can come back healthy next year assuming he doesn’t opt out of his contract. Marcelo Mayer and Carlos Narvaez showed flashes as rookies, and we will expect much more from them next season. Finally, we get to the lefty killers, Romy Gonzalez and Rob Refsnyder. The Red Sox would definitely not have made the playoffs without them. Romy’s OPS against left-handed pitching is .978 and Refsnyder’s is .958, just crazy. While I’m not a fan of platooning, it was absolutely crucial to the Red Sox success this year.
Again, there will be many weeks and months to break down deficiencies and offseason needs. This team is still in rebuilding mode, but they are one step closer to opening a championship window. For now, let’s enjoy whatever we get from the postseason and hope the experience will provide a level of maturity that is required to win a championship.