Elite Red Sox Duo Earns All-MLB First Team Honors
Thanks to Craig Breslow’s savvy moves last offseason, the Boston Red Sox are fortunate to have arguably the best starting pitcher (Garrett Crochet) and best relief pitcher (Aroldis Chapman) in baseball.
Not surprisingly, both star lefties received All-MLB First Team honors on Thursday, capping off an impressive awards week for both hurlers.
Crochet was one of five starting pitchers named to the First Team along with Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Max Fried. Chapman was one of only two relievers alongside Jhoan Duran.
On Wednesday, Crochet finished runner-up to Skubal in the AL Cy Young race, while Chapman placed seventh. On Thursday, Chapman won AL Reliever of the Year while Crochet finished eighth for AL MVP.
Both had incredible seasons for the Red Sox during their first year in Boston, with Crochet leading the rotation and Chapman anchoring the bullpen.
Crochet went 18-5 with a 2.59 ERA, 6.3 WAR and an MLB-leading 255 strikeouts. He also paced the AL in innings (205 1/3) and K/9 rate (11.2). He was the definition of an ace, helping the Red Sox go 23-9 in his starts by frequently delivering six or seven quality innings.
Meanwhile, Chapman effectively shortened the game by one inning every time he pitched. All he did was go 5-3 with a 1.17 ERA, a 0.70 WHIP, 32 saves and 85 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings, facing 50 batters without allowing a hit at one point.
Both pitchers received contract extensions this year, so they’ll be back in 2026 to try to help Boston win a championship.