News and notes from around Red Sox Nation.
I’m going to make a prediction about 2025 right now: Liam Hendriks is going to be the most popular Red Sox reliever since Koji, or maybe even prime Jonathan Papelbon before him. Hendriks is a funny and relatable fireballer who drops f-bombs in every sentence and has politics that jibe particularly well with this fanbase. He’s just a great fucking dude. Case in point: he’s the Red Sox nominee for the 2024 Roberto Clemente Award. He’s earned this despite the fact that he has yet to pitch a single inning this year, in part because he’s spent the entire season meeting with fellow cancer survivors. (Julian Benbow, Boston Globe)
Of course, Hendriks to cement his status as a fan favorite, Hendriks will have to pitch well, first. It would also help if he does some historically cool stuff, like Rob Refsnyder and Tyler O’Neill did last night, hitting back-to-back homers twice in the same game. (Tim Crowley, NESN)
It was particularly great seeing Refsnyder go deep because, in his own words, he’s “been so freaking bad.” (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
Will Kristian Campbell hit back-to-back homers with a teammate in the Red Sox lineup some time next year? That question would’ve seemed preposterous just a few months ago, but now some evaluators are calling him the best prospect in the entire Red Sox system. (Eli Ben-Porat, Baseball America)
Campbell has a clear path to start next season with the big league team. And even if he doesn’t, we’ll probably see each of the Big four make their MLB debuts at some point in 2025. After they’ve graduated, who are the next names to keep an eye on? (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)