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Red Sox 2026 superlatives: MVP, LVP, most improved and more
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- Red Sox 2026 superlatives: MVP, LVP, most improved and more
Red Sox 2026 superlatives: MVP, LVP, most improved and more originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Red Sox ' season is just about over, and what a memorable season it was.
After one of the worst first halves in Red Sox history, the club rebounded to clinch a playoff berth with one of the greatest turnarounds of all time. It was a total team effort with signature moments from both stars and role players, and they'll need that to continue if they're to make a deep run in the postseason.
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Before we turn the page to the playoffs, it's time to hand out some hardware. From MVP to most improved and biggest disappointment, here are our 2026 Red Sox superlatives:
Most Valuable Player: Willson Contreras
This one is obvious. Contreras anchored the Red Sox offense throughout the season, leading the team in homers (27), RBI (81), and OPS (.905). No other qualified Red Sox hitter had an OPS above .800.
Without Contreras, Boston's offense would have ranked among the worst in baseball.
Least Valuable Player: Carlos Narvaez
Narvaez emerged as one of Boston's most pleasant surprises in 2025, but he couldn't duplicate that success in 2026. The former Red Sox catcher struggled at the plate and regressed significantly behind it, hitting .187 with a .535 OPS in 62 games with the club. He was shipped to the Batlimore Orioles as part of the Adley Rutschman trade before the deadline.
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Best pitcher: Sonny Gray
The Red Sox acquired Gray in the offseason expecting him to serve as a solid No. 2 or No. 3 starter. Instead, he stepped up as the staff's de facto ace following Garrett Crochet 's early-season injury.
Gray put up Cy Young-caliber numbers in his age-36 season, setting career highs in wins (18) and ERA (2.72). Payton Tolle deserves credit for his phenomenal rookie season, but Gray was Boston's best pitcher from start to finish.
Best reliever: Garrett Whitlock
Aroldis Chapman enjoyed another dominant season as Boston's closer, but we're giving the edge to his elite set-up man.
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Whitlock has a career-best 1.72 ERA (sixth in MLB among relievers) and 0.898 WHIP (seventh) with 59 strikeouts and only nine walks in 54 appearances (52.1 IP). The back end of the Red Sox bullpen was arguably the team's biggest strength all season, and Whitlock was the MVP of that group.
Rookie of the Year: Payton Tolle
Tolle lived up to his former top prospect hype in his first official MLB season, posting a 3.03 ERA and 1.096 WHIP with 171 strikeouts and 40 walks in 26 starts (148.2 IP) after not making the team out of camp. The 23-year-old gave the Red Sox a bit of everything, from a couple of near-no-hitters to a 14-strikeout performance and an immaculate inning.
Jake Bennett deserves a mention for his breakout performance, but Tolle earns the Red Sox Rookie of the Year honor in a landslide.
Most improved: Mickey Gasper
Two years ago, Gasper didn't get a hit in his first 23 big-league plate appearances with Boston. He was traded to the Twins in the following offseason, and his struggles continued in 45 games with Minnesota in 2025.
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The Red Sox claimed Gasper off waivers from the Washington Nationals last winter. He was called back up to the big-league roster in May and posted a .756 OPS in 17 games that month.
After a rough June, Gasper was sent back down to Triple-A. He rejoined the roster in August and went nuclear, hitting six homers and amassing a 1.671 OPS in a historic 12-game stretch.
Gasper has 10 homers and an .835 OPS through 66 games played this season. He's the easy choice for this award.
Breakout star: Ceddanne Rafaela
Rafaela took another huge step forward at the plate while providing his usual elite defense in center field. The 26-year-old earned his first career All-Star nod and remained one of Boston's best all-around players in the second half.
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Through 137 games, Rafaela has set career highs in hits (152, first on Red Sox), batting average (.282, first), on-base percentage (.318, fourth), and slugging percentage (.442, third). We thought last year was his breakout season, but he took his game to a whole new level in 2026.
Biggest disappointment: Roman Anthony
Anthony was widely considered the Red Sox' most important offensive player heading into the 2026 season. It was a lot of pressure to put on a 22-year-old, but many expected him to be in the American League MVP conversation after he showcased his potential as baseball's No. 1 prospect last season and at the World Baseball Classic.
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Anthony had a .675 OPS with just one homer in 30 games before suffering a torn ring finger ligament on May 4 that kept him sidelined for almost four months. He hasn't looked much better since returning to the lineup on Aug. 30.
In 52 games, Anthony is hitting .235 with five homers and a .700 OPS. That's a huge disappointment for a player who entered the season with MVP aspirations.
Biggest surprise: The turnaround
Not just the biggest surprise of the Red Sox season, but also one of the biggest surprises in MLB history, was Boston going from 32-46 on June 24 to clinching a playoff berth.
Boston's miraculous run began with a four-game sweep of the New York Yankees . After losing two of three to the Washington Nationals, the Sox strung together 15 straight victories to tie the longest win streak in franchise history. It went 32-5 during its historic stretch.
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No matter how the Red Sox' 2026 season ends, it will be remembered for one of the greatest turnarounds of all time.
Best midseason acquisition: Jahmai Jones
The Red Sox acquired Jones from the Tigers on July 14 in exchange for a player to be named later. The under-the-radar move turned out to be an absolute steal for Craig Breslow and Co.
Jones excelled as a lefty masher with Detroit in 2025, posting a .937 OPS in 72 games. He struggled mightily in the first half of the 2026 season, but Boston took a chance on him with hopes he could assume the Rob Refsnyder/Romy Gonzalez role and give the lineup a boost against left-handed pitching.
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It's safe to say Jones accomplished that feat, as he posted a 1.062 OPS in 35 games with the Red Sox. Other midseason acquisitions, such as Curtis Mead (injury) and Adley Rutschman (poor offensive numbers), haven't panned out.
Best moment: Walk-off vs. White Sox
The Red Sox stayed red-hot after their 15-game win streak was snapped. They started a new streak shortly afterward, and on Aug. 6 vs. the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park, Caleb Durbin extended it in dramatic fashion.
Boston rallied to tie the game in the ninth, 10th, 11th, and 12th innings. In the 13th, Durbin had enough. He ripped a walk-off single up the middle for the Sox' eighth consecutive win and their 31st victory in their last 36 games.
Worst moment: Rock bottom vs. Rockies
Right before the Red Sox' historic turnaround, they were at rock bottom in Colorado . They lost two of three games to the Rockies in a series that led many to give up on Boston's season.
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The Red Sox should've won the series finale, but Marcelo Mayer booted a routine ground ball with a 6-3 lead in the seventh inning. The Rockies rallied to hand Boston its worst loss of the season.
Boston went 14 games under .500 following the series, then won 31 of its next 36 games and eventually clinched a playoff spot.
