A listless, insipid third place finish in 2019 left Boston Red Sox fans disappointed and disillusioned with a team that was supposed to have a real shot at defending its World Series title.
The two best stories to come out of a consistently inconsistent season were the rise of Xander Bogaerts as an MVP caliber player (.309 BA, 33 homers, 117 RBI, and a .939 OPS) and the emergence of a healthy, effective Eduardo Rodriguez who boasted career bests in wins (19), ERA (3.81), strikeouts (213), and innings pitched (203.1) while essentially anchoring the Sox rotation marred by injuries and ineffectiveness.