David Ortiz on Tuesday was announced as a first-ballot selection for induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. And in 2023, there will be quite a few former Boston Red Sox players who could join him as they become ballot-eligible.
Before we even get into the list of six players who had at least a cup of coffee with the Red Sox during their MLB careers and will be eligible for a vote in 2023, it's very important to note that we're not suggesting these players necessarily are worthy of a first-ballot Hall of Fame selection. Perhaps they won't even crack the Hall of Fame at all.
However, they are included on Baseball Reference's potential ballot page, which tracks players who not only meet ballot criteria (in this case, retiring after the 2017 season and played at least 10 seasons) but also score at least a 10 on the site's Hall of Fame monitor, which tracks all sorts of statistics. For context, the site considers a player likely for induction with a score over 100.
With that disclaimer out of the way, here are the former Red Sox players who could crack the ballot beginning next year:
Stephen Drew
Position: SS, 2B
Years with Red Sox: 2013-2014 (163 games)
Baseball Reference HOF Score: 11
Of note: 2013 World Series champion ... Played 12 seasons in MLB with five teams (Arizona, Washington Nationals, New York Yankees, Red Sox, Oakland Athletics) ... .252/.318/.423 career slash line
Bronson Arroyo
Position: RHP
Years with Red Sox: 2003-2005 (73 games)
Baseball Reference HOF Score: 15
Of note: 2004 World Series champion ... 2006 All-Star with Cincinnati Reds ...Played 16 seasons in MLB with four teams (Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, Red Sox, Diamondbacks) ... 148-137 career record, 4.28 career ERA
Mike Napoli
Position: 1B
Years with Red Sox: 2013-2015 (356 games)
Baseball Reference HOF Score: 17
Of note: 2013 World Series champion ... 2012 All-Star with Texas Rangers ... Played 12 seasons in MLB with four teams (Los Angeles Angels, Rangers, Red Sox, Cleveland) ... .246/.346/.475 career slash line
Jacoby Ellsbury
Position: OF
Years with Red Sox: 2007-2013 (715 games)
Baseball Reference HOF Score: 36
Of note: Two-time World Series champion ... 2011 All-Star ... led MLB in stolen bases in 2009 (70) and 2013 (52) ... led American League in triples in 2009 (10) ... Played 11 seasons in MLB with two teams (Red Sox and Yankees) ... .284/.342/.417 career slash line
John Lackey
Position: RHP
Years with Red Sox: 2010-2014 (111 games)
Baseball Reference HOF Score: 48
Of note: Three-time World Series champion ... 2007 All-Star with Angels ... Played 15 seasons in MLB for four teams (Angels, Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs) ... 188-147 career record, 3.92 career ERA
Aaron Hill
Position: IF
Years with Red Sox: 2016 (47 games)
Baseball Reference HOF Score: 18
Of note: 2009 All-Star with Toronto Blue Jays ... two-time Silver Slugger ... Played 13 seasons in MLB for five teams (Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers) ... .266/.323/.417 career slash line
It's uncertain if any of these players will be selected for induction, but at least Red Sox fans have something to look forward to with Ortiz now taking part in the Hall of Fame's Class of 2022 induction ceremony in July.
