In an MLB season full of surprises, the Boston Red Sox may just be the biggest surprise of the bunch. After a very quiet offseason that very nearly caused their fans to riot, the Red Sox have put their heads down and gotten to work. The result has been a team that was largely expected to be one of the worst in the league holding onto the third wild card spot in the American League with 90 games in the books.
With a 50-40 record, the Sox hold a two-game lead over the Kansas City Royals for the final AL wild card spot. Beyond that, they are just 1.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins for the second wild card, and 3.5 behind the New York Yankees for the first wild card. Boston has been rolling as of late to further help matters, as they have won seven of their past eight games.
None of this was expected for the Sox, and they have had a roster full of players who have managed to massively outproduce the expectations set for them ahead of the season. With that in mind, it's only fair to give the biggest breakout stars on this team their due praise, so without further ado, let's pick out the three guys who have played the largest roles in this shockingly successful season for Boston so far.
Kutter Crawford
If you had given up on Kutter Crawford coming into the year, you certainly weren't alone. At his best, Crawford seemed like a mediocre innings eater whose ERA was always going to hover above four. His numbers over his first 53 appearances in the majors didn't exactly do much to inspire confidence (9-15, 4.74 ERA, 214 K, 1.25 WHIP), and yet, he was one of Boston's top starters in their rotation entering the season.
So what has he done in 2024? Well, he somehow ended up forming one of the top one-two punches in the entire league with Tanner Houck (more on him in a minute) atop Boston's starting rotation. Crawford has been an absolute revelation for the Sox (5-7, 3.24 ERA, 106 K, 1.07 WHIP), and if it weren't for a poor stretch in June, he probably would have been an All-Star.
Crawford seemed to have come back down to earth during a six-start stretch from the end of May through June where his ERA was an ugly 5.97, but he bounced back by giving up just one run over 13 innings in his past two outings against the Miami Marlins and New York Yankees. His innings will have to be monitored down the stretch of the season, but Crawford's sudden star turn has been a delight for Red Sox fans everywhere to watch.
Jarren Duran
Jarren Duran wasn't necessarily bad in 2023 (.295 BA, 8 HR, 40 RBI, 24 SB, .828 OPS), but nobody could have really expected him to breakout like he has in 2024 (similar to Crawford). In the blink of an eye, Duran has become the five-tool star that he always had the potential to become during his time developing in Boston's minor-league system.
At the plate, Duran has done a bit of everything (.276 BA, 10 HR, 41 RBI, 21 SB, .811 OPS). It's also worth noting that he leads the majors with ten triples, and his 25 doubles are tops in the American League. It's not out of the picture for him to put together a 20-homer, 35-stolen base season when all is said and done.
And in the field, Duran has looked far more comfortable, regardless of whether he's playing in center field or left field. In prior seasons, Duran was a complete liability in the field, making this just another area in which he has taken a huge step forward. Duran rightfully earned his first career All-Star selection, and he will be hoping to finish off his career year with a strong second half of the season.
Tanner Houck
Red Sox fans always knew Tanner Houck was a talented pitcher, but the problem was finding a role for him. He seemed like a better fit in the bullpen, particularly after the 2021 campaign where he starred out of the pen during the team's run to the ALCS. Instead, he became a full-time starter in 2023 after a strange 2022 season that saw him kind of become the team's closer, and he responded by posting an ugly 5.01 ERA over 21 starts.
Just like Crawford and Duran, it was put up or shut up time for Houck, and expectations were set fairly low for him. He responded by inserting himself into the American League Cy Young race (7-6, 2.68 ERA, 106 K, 1.05 WHIP). He's slowed down a bit as of late, as he has a 4.64 ERA over his past six starts, but like Duran, he's earned his first All-Star selection as a result of his strong play.
It's telling that there are several other guys who could have made this list, but that's been the story of the Red Sox 2024 campaign. They still have a lot of work to do over the second half of the season, especially with Houck and Crawford both on pace to shatter their career-highs in innings pitched, but the good times are rolling right now, and if they can keep things up, they could actually end up sneaking their way into the playoffs when the regular season is over.
