The tradition grows of a random player being a key contributor to the Red Sox!
Sandy Leon. Dominic Smith. Christian Arroyo. John Schriber. Martin Perez. Jose Iglesias. These guys and probably more all sit on an illustrious list for recent Red Sox Nation history: Active Hall of Famer.
I’m kidding. Seriously though, in recent memory the Red Sox have frequently been fortunate to have a player who tremendously outperforms expectations, overcoming their player profile and standing on the depth chart as they are thrust into the spotlight out of nowhere.
The moniker itself started in 2018, when it was given to Sandy Leon for his completely unexpected and vital contributions to the World Series-winning team, and that role has been seemingly been passed down through the seasons. Christian Arroyo came out of NOWHERE in 2021 to help the Red Sox make the playoffs. Dominic Smith went on a sudden tear for his lone season in Boston despite a rough start.
Is Abraham Toro the next to join these ranks?
Toro signed a minor league deal to start the season with little to no expectations of getting much playing time in Boston. When Triston Casas went down in early May, he was called right up and the collective Nation groaned as it didn’t seem like he would be the long-term solution at first. Since then? A batting line of .330/.354/.574/.928, five homers and 12 RBIs in 94 at bats, and a .993 fielding percentage—just ONE error— at first base in 23 games started there. A 155 OPS+ and 0.7 WAR, if you want normalized stats.
His hard hit ball percentage of 40.7 is the highest of his career in any season, his 14.1 whiff percentage is the lowest in any season, and his batting profile has shifted from being an extreme pull hitter just two seasons ago into a more well rounded all-field hitter.
Yeah yeah, it’s a small sample size. Still, the moments he’s contributed to, especially of late—even if he’s not the main character—are ones that have ended up making a big difference. In game one of a double header against the Orioles on May 24th, down 5-2, he knocks a solo homer that kickstarts the eventual 6-5 walk-off win. On June 4th against the Angels, he gets the game-tying sac fly in the 8th, then gets on base in the bottom of the 9th with a single, which sets up what? A walk-off dinger by Ceddanne Rafaela. Wednesday evening against the Rays, the go-ahead and game-winning solo homer to preserve great performances by Marcelo Mayer and Walker Buehler.
How about not just a solo homer, but some great defense in last weekend’s series victory over the Yankees, at third base nonetheless?
This incredible stretch at first base to get a crucial inning-ending out in Atlanta?
Atlanta just doesn’t want to see Abraham Toro again.
Is it funny to get hyped over a role player like Abraham Toro? Yeah, it’s the consequence of a really awful injury at a position where you thought you were going to have a lot of production. But if the Red Sox want to be successful for the rest of the season, these are the kinds of guys we’re going to have to count on. The cynic in me wholeheartedly expects him to plummet back down to Earth—and Worcester—at some point, but the baseball lover in me says it’s awesome to be writing about someone I never thought I would write about this season! Let’s hope we all get more performances like this in 2025.