Leading lefties: Crochet, Chapman earn All-MLB First Team honors
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BOSTON -- The two things you could count on most with the 2025 Red Sox?
Excellence from ace Garrett Crochet every fifth or sixth day. And sheer dominance by Aroldis Chapman when he came on in relief.
Fittingly, the two power lefties are Boston’s two representatives on the All-MLB First Team presented by MGM Rewards, it was announced on Thursday night.
Crochet joined Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Max Fried as the five-man rotation.
Chapman was joined by Phillies fireballer Jhoan Duran as the two relievers on the star-studded squad.
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While Crochet generated a lot of splash when the Red Sox traded four prospects to acquire him from the White Sox at last December’s Winter Meetings, there wasn’t nearly as much chatter the day before when Boston finalized a one-year, $10.75 million deal with free agent Chapman.
At that point, there was no certainty he would be the team’s closer, as Chapman had been inconsistent the three previous seasons while being used mainly in a setup capacity.
But the 37-year-old arrived at Spring Training determined to improve his strike-throwing – and he did just that, issuing a full-season career low of 15 walks.
Not only was Chapman throwing strikes, but he continued to bring the heat he’s been known for his entire career, averaging 98.4 mph on his four-seamer. Per Statcast, Chapman ranked in the 95th percentile in pitching run value and fastball run value.
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Chapman’s conventional numbers were just as impressive, as he notched a 1.17 ERA with 32 saves while striking out 85 in 61 1/3 innings. The Sox had no interest in letting Chapman get to free agency, so they signed him to a one-year $13.3 million contract that includes a mutual vesting option for ‘27.
As for Crochet, he gave Boston instant credibility upon arrival. After a three-year postseason drought, the bar had been raised and most prognosticators expected the Red Sox to get back to the playoffs.
They did just that and Crochet, voted by the Boston chapter of the BBWAA as the team’s Most Valuable Player, led them there.
Crochet led MLB in strikeouts with 255 while finishing second in innings (205 1/3).
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In 32 starts, Crochet was the epitome of a stopper for the Red Sox, going 18-5 with a 2.59 ERA.
The All-MLB Team was introduced in 2019 to honor players’ full-season contributions, given that All-Star selections are based on first-half performance. Fans were asked to vote at MLB.com to help choose First and Second Team selections at each position (including three outfielders, a DH, five starting pitchers and two relievers) among this year's nominees.