Despite the ups and downs the Boston Red Sox have endured this season, they have received contributions from throughout their roster.
Some can be expected, like Xander Bogaerts leading the Red Sox in batting average and Rafael Devers leading the team in home runs, while others have seemingly come out of nowhere to make an impact.
One such player that fits the latter description is John Schreiber, who MLB.com writer Will Leitch named as the Red Sox's most underappreciated player in a column he wrote Thursday. Seemingly an unknown part of the Red Sox bullpen to begin the season, the hard-throwing right-hander has transformed himself into a trusted reliever for manager Alex Cora.
Cora isn't afraid to routinely throw Schreiber into high-leverage situations and he usually delivers. This season, Schreiber has accumulated five saves and a team-best 18 holds while posting a 3-3 record to go along with a 2.18 ERA. Schreiber has also struck out 61 batters in career-high 53 2/3 innings.
It was tough to see a season like this coming from the 28-year-old but he's definitely been an X-factor out of the bullpen for the Red Sox.
"Schreiber appeared in one game for the Red Sox last year, and he had a career 6.28 ERA in 28 games over two seasons with the Tigers before that," Leitch wrote. "So it is pretty wild that he has been without question the Red Sox's most reliable reliever this year … which of course might be its own indictment."
Schreiber had a stretch earlier in the season when he went 19 consecutive outings without giving up a run. That type of effectiveness has made Cora use Schreiber in pretty much any inning when he feels the game is on the line.
Schreiber isn't a household name, but he's certainly starred in his first full season with the Red Sox and it's hard to think about where the bullpen would have been without him.
