2010 SoxSpace Awards by Jared Carrabis
The best of the best from the year that was in Red Sox Nation


Each year I like to take a moment to recognize some of the individual achievements of the Boston Red Sox, because you will never hear any of the players on this team ask for individual praise. It's all about winning a World Series, and as thanks to the players for keeping the right mindset, here are some individual awards selected by yours truly.

Let's start from the bottom and work our way up:

The Pokey Reese Award - Bill Hall
This trophy is the SoxSpace version of the "10th Man Award."

It's scary to think of how badly the Red Sox would have been in shambles without Bill Hall in 2010. Oh, Dustin Pedroia broke his foot? I'll play 47 games at second base. Adrian Beltre needs some rest? I'll man the hot corner for five games. Marco Scutaro's arm is about to detach from its socket? Put me down for sixteen games at short. Jacoby Ellsbury got his ribcage punted inwards by Beltre? How does 49 games in left sound? Mike Cameron has a sports hernia? Seven games in center is no biggy. JD Drew is up to his old tricks? I don't mind another seven games in right field. Oh, we're getting smoked and you need me to pitch to save the bullpen? How's my 0.00 ERA lookin'? I think I've made my point. Bill Hall (119 games: .247/.316/.456, 18 HR, 46 RBI) is the recipient of the 2010 Pokey Reese Award.

The Curt Schilling Award - Jed Lowrie
This trophy is awarded to the player(s) who overcome a bad season or an injury-plagued season to have an outstanding season the next year.

Jed Lowrie hasn't had the greatest of luck since hitting a walk-off against the Angels in the 2008 postseason as Boston's starting shortstop. In 2009, Lowrie was hampered by a nagging wrist injury, and then suffered from the effects of mononucleosis, which delayed his 2010 debut. However, when he got there, he performed. In 55 games, Lowrie hit .287 with a .907 OPS. What was more impressive was that the switch-hitter hit lefties at a .338/.420/.606 clip in 81 plate appearances. Lowrie added to his late-inning heroics with a walk-off homer into the bullpen area against the Blue Jays in late August. Clearly, he deserves this award, as well as a shot to win the starting role in 2011 at shortstop.

The Tony Conigliaro Award - Mike Lowell
This trophy goes to the player who best overcomes an obstacle and adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination and courage.

The Mike Lowell era in Boston has been a memorable one, and after five great seasons, the 2007 World Series MVP is calling it a career, but not before he takes home some hardware from SoxSpace. After nearly being dealt to the Texas Rangers on several different occasions, Lowell kept his mouth shut, all while battling a hip injury, and a lack of a role on the team that he wanted to play for. If you want to know why Mike Lowell is winning this award, look no further than this video.

The Mark Bellhorn Award – Darnell McDonald
This trophy is the SoxSpace version of the "Unsung Hero Award."

Darnell McDonald made an immediate impact, making his Red Sox debut against the Texas Rangers on April 20 in a pinch-hit situation. McDonald tied the game with a homer in the eighth, and then rattled the wall in the ninth to send Fenway home happy. From that night forward, McDonald became a staple in Terry Francona’s lineup, playing in 117 games to the tune of a .270/.336/.429 batting line in 363 plate appearances. When he put the ball in play, McDonald hit a stellar .342, and took the, then, NL Cy Young Award-favorite Ubaldo Jimenez deep in his home ballpark of Coors Field. In his time with Boston in 2010, he didn’t go longer than ten games without an RBI and hit .333 in the month of August with three triples and two homers. McDonald played all three outfield positions and hit in eight out of a possible nine slots in Francona’s batting order.

The Fred Lynn Award – Ryan Kalish
This trophy is awarded to the top Red Sox rookie.

The MLB rules state that a pitcher cannot qualify for the Rookie of the Year Award if they pitch 50 innings the year before, or spend 45 days on the major league roster. Daniel Bard pitched 49.1 innings in 2009, but spent more than 45 days with the Red Sox. As a result, Ryan Kalish edged out Daniel Nava for the honor. Regarded as the Red Sox’ top prospect, Kalish hit .252/.305/.405 in his first 53 big league games with four homers, two of which were grand slams. In games in which the Red Sox were victorious, Kalish hit .293, with all four of his long balls coming in a winning effort, as opposed to his .188 average in Boston losses. Kalish spent time in all outfield positions, while hitting a respectable .289 with runners in scoring position, and .313 with two outs and runners in scoring position.

The Carl Yastrzemski Award – Adrian Beltre
This trophy is awarded to the best clutch performer.

Plain and simple, Adrian Beltre was clutch for the Red Sox in 2010. Beltre hit .353 in games won by the Red Sox with 21 of his 28 homers coming in Red Sox victories. When leading off an inning, Beltre got on base at a .355 clip, scoring 24 times. With runners in scoring position, Beltre hit .338/.411/.600 with 75 RBI. Beltre also hit .320 with two outs and the bases loaded, and hit nine homers with the game tied. In 2010, Beltre had 22 go-ahead hits. In 641 plate appearances, Beltre drove in 102 runs, which was 32 RBIs higher than the league average.

The Flash Gordon Award – Daniel Bard
This trophy is awarded to the Red Sox top reliever.

Capitalizing on a down year by Jonathan Papelbon, Daniel Bard flourished in his first full season as Boston’s set-up man. In 73 appearances for Boston, Bard logged 73.2 innings of relief with a 1.93 ERA, while striking out 76 batters. Bard finished seventh in the American League in ERA among relievers, one behind Mariano Rivera. Bard’s 76 strikeouts ranked him third among AL relievers, one behind Joba Chamberlain, and five shy of the top spot held by Matt Thornton of the White Sox.

The Pedro Martinez Award - Jon Lester
This trophy is the SoxSpace version of the "Cy Young Award."

For the third consecutive year, Jon Lester takes home the Pedro Martinez Award. Finishing fourth in the American League for the Cy Young Award, Lester won a career-best 19 games, leading the league with a 9.7 strikeouts-per-nine mark. After a sluggish 0-2 start, Lester went on to go 11-3 from April 28 through July 9, holding opponents to a .182 batting average. After losing four consecutive starts, Lester finished strong, going 8-2 from August 9, ‘til the end of the season, with opponents hitting .219, while striking out 71 batters in 61.1 innings.

The Ted Williams Award – Adrian Beltre
This trophy is the SoxSpace version of the "MVP Award."

In a season plagued by injuries, Adrian Beltre exceeded all expectations set on him, played through injuries, and gave Red Sox fans thrills every night at the ballpark. Whether it be his flashy defense, his wedding proposal-style homers, or the “Wow’s” that could be heard from fans who watched his tape-measure shots, Beltre was the Red Sox’ MVP in 2010. Despite a nagging hamstring injury, Beltre played in a team-high 154 games, Beltre was fifth in all of baseball in WAR, finishing the year hitting .321/.365/.553 with 28 homers and 102 RBI. Beltre ranked in the top six in homers and RBI among MLB third basemen, and had the highest batting average among all big league hot corner patrollers. Although the acquisition of Adrian Gonzalez assures that he is out of a job here in Boston, he will surely be missed, both as a baseball player, and as a person.

That's all for this year! I encourage you to agree, disagree and debate the winners. Also, if you have any suggestions for other awards, feel free to leave a comment.

Thanks to all of you for reading this year, and in seasons past. Have a safe and happy New Year!

-Jared Carrabis

Published on December 30, 2010

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