Given the circumstances, a number of other Sox players have stepped up to make cases for the title of team MVP.
The past two seasons appeared to be indicating that David Ortiz's career was nearing its end. His numbers declined, and he noticeably wasn't able to catch up with fastballs like he used to be able to. This year, though, things turned around. After a slow start, Ortiz played very well — hitting 31 home runs and slugging .527. He even won the Home Run Derby and all in all made a fair case for being re-signed by the team.
Nobody's numbers, though, were as good as Adrian Beltre's. While he tailed off a little from his first half pace that had him in MVP contention, he's still hitting .320 with 28 home runs. He has unquestionably had his best season since 2004, and will likely make a lot of money in the near future as a result.
Victor Martinez, like Beltre, may be in for a big payday. Despite missing time with an injury, V-Mart has managed to hit .299 with 19 home runs and 74 RBIs. He's played three positions — a must given how thin the roster has been — and he's been on an absolute tear down the stretch.
The pitching staff, however, has had it just as hard as the team's field players. The bullpen has been shaky — Daniel Bard aside — and Josh Beckett and John Lackey have underperformed. Jon Lester, though, has been a horse all season and has 19 wins to show for it.
So, who do you think has been the Red Sox' MVP this season?
