The Boston Red Sox finished with a 90-72 record which was good for third place in the A.L. East, 7 games behind the New York Yankees. The monumental collapse in September has already cost manager Terry Francona his job and G.M. Theo Epstein could be next as he is interviewing for the same job for the Chicago Cubs. As the great Judas Priest sings…..”If the man with the power can’t keep it under control, some heads are gonna roll!” That is what is happening with owner John Henry wielding the axe. Here are the things (other than the collapse) that stood out to me about the Red Sox in 2011:

TEAM MVP: 28-year old lefty swinging CF Jacoby Ellsbury nips 1B Adrian Gonzalez for this award in my mind. Ellsbury played in 158 games for the Red Sox in 2011 and he was 212 for 660 (.321 avg, .928 OPS) with 119 runs scored, 32 homers, 105 RBIs and 39 stolen bases. He was incredible for the Red Sox in 2011 as he really stepped up with power that he has never shown before. Ellsbury also finished the year strongly, so you can’t blame him for the Red Sox not making the playoffs.

BEST PITCHER: 31-year old righty starting pitcher Josh Beckett nips Jon Lester and Jonathan Papelbon for this honor according to me. Beckett pitched in 30 games (all starts) for the Red Sox this year and he was 13-7 with a 2.89 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. He only gave up 146 hits in 193 innings this year for the Red Sox while whiffing 175 batters and walking only 52.

PLEASANT SURPRISE: 28-year old righty reliever Alfredo Aceves did whatever the Red Sox needed him to in 2011 as he even made some starts. He pitched in 55 games (4 starts) for the Red Sox this year and he was 10-2 with 2 saves, a 2.61 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. Aceves gave up only 84 hits in 114 innings despite not having overpowering stuff as he whiffed 80 batters. Aceves really saved the bullpen for the Red Sox in 2011 as he worked often and he could handle throwing a lot of innings and pitches.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: This is a tie between 30-year old lefty swinging LF Carl Crawford and 32-year old righty starting pitcher John Lackey. Crawford was signed to a 7-year, $142 million dollar contract last winter by the Red Sox and he played like a $1 million dollar player in 2011. Crawford played in 130 games for the Red Sox in 2011 and he was 129 for 506 (.255 avg, .694 OPS) with 65 runs scored, 11 homers, 56 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. Not only did Crawford slump with the bat in his hands in 2011, but his speed and defense were nowhere to be found. He was a complete bust. John Lackey was supposed to give the Red Sox a very solid starter for the middle of the rotation but he sucked in 2011. Lackey pitched in 28 games (all starts) for the Red Sox in 2011 and he was 12-12 with a 6.41 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP. He gave up a stunning 203 hits in only 160 innings for the Red Sox this year! If Lackey was with almost any other team, he would have been like 4-15 with the ERA and WHIP he put up.