Ranking the Greatest Boston Red Sox Since 2000

Since the calendars turned to 2000, the Boston Red Sox have broken an 86-year championship drought and been one of Major League Baseball's most successful franchises.

Thanks to a steady group of standout players, the purported Curse of the Bambino has become nothing but a memory.

But that's exactly what makes a top-10 ranking tricky.

Only the contributions made for the Red Sox since the beginning of 2000 were considered for the list. Pre-2000 stats are mentioned for a complete picture of a player's career in Boston, but only his post-1999 numbers affected his placement.

Honorable Mentions

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Josh Beckett

Soon after winning World Series MVP with the Florida Marlins in 2003, Beckett headed to the Red Sox in a November 2005 trade. He struck out 1,108 batters in a seven-year tenure, also making three All-Star teams and earning Cy Young Award runner-up status in 2007.

Derek Lowe

A two-time All-Star with Boston, Lowe was a pivotal contributor in the 2004 championship run. During that postseason, he finished 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA.

Curt Schilling

Best remembered for the Bloody Sock Game in the 2004 ALCS, Schilling spent the final four seasons of his career with the Sox. Though his effectiveness dipped after that campaign, he put together a 6-1 record in the playoffs and won two rings with Boston.

Kevin Youkilis

The corner infielder had a superb eight-plus seasons with Boston, making three All-Star teams and winning one Gold Glove. Youkilis ripped 961 career hits with the team and had 133 home runs, which is tied for the 19th-most in franchise history.

10. Nomar Garciaparra

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Career Marks (1996-2009): 1997 Rookie of the Year, six-time All-Star, 1997 Silver Slugger, two-time AL batting champ, .313 BA, 229 HR, 936 RBI, 44.2 WAR

While much of Nomar Garciaparra's damage with Boston happened before 2000, the shortstop was a star at the plate.

After winning his second straight AL batting crown in 2000, Garciaparra smacked an AL-best 56 doubles in 2002. He also drove in a career-high 120 runs that season, recording one of his three 190-hit campaigns that counts (six total).

Unfortunately for Garciaparra, a wrist injury in 2001 stunted the remainder of his career, and the Red Sox shipped him to the Chicago Cubs at the 2004 trade deadline.

9. Mookie Betts

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Career Marks (2014-Present): 2018 AL MVP, four-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove, two-time Silver Slugger, 2018 AL batting title, .299 BA, 123 HR, 430 RBI, 38.6 WAR

In six seasons, Mookie Betts has already cemented an outstanding Red Sox legacy thanks to his all-around excellence.

Betts put together a spectacular 2018 with an AL-high .346 average and .640 slugging percentage. He also collected 32 homers and 30 stolen bases while scoring a league-best 129 runs.

Even before his age-27 season, Betts owns a trio of top-six MVP finishes and started all 14 games of the 2018 World Series run.

8. Jonathan Papelbon

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Career Marks (2005-16): Six-time All-Star, 725.2 innings, 41-36, 2.44 ERA, 368 saves, 808 strikeouts, 23.5 WAR

Known for his high-energy appearances and blazing fastball, Jonathan Papelbon is far and away the most prolific Red Sox closer ever.

Ranked ninth in all-time saves, Papelbon recorded 219 of his 368 in a Red Sox uniform. He added seven postseason saves, three of which happened in the 2007 World Series. Papelbon didn't allow a run over 4.1 innings in a sweep of the Colorado Rockies.

Papelbon's 219 saves are the most in franchise history, leading second-place closer Bob Stanley by 87.

7. Jon Lester

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Career Marks (2006-Present): Five-time All-Star, 2,460.1 innings, 185-104, 3.51 ERA, 2,283 strikeouts, 45.8 WAR

A product of the Red Sox farm system, Jon Lester was a second-round pick in 2002 and made his MLB debut in 2006. He called Boston home for the first eight-plus seasons of his career.

Other than in 2012, he consistently performed like a front-line starter.

Lester won at least 15 games six times from 2008 to 2014, also posting a sub-3.50 ERA five times. The southpaw struck out 1,386 for the Red Sox, a total that is fourth in franchise history. Lester picked up three victories in the 2007 and 2013 World Series, too.

Boston traded him to the Oakland Athletics at the 2014 deadline, and Lester's 110 wins are ninth on Boston's all-time chart.

6. Tim Wakefield

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Career Marks (1992-93, 1995-2011): 2009 All-Star, 3,226.1 innings, 200-180, 4.41 ERA, 2,156 strikeouts, 34.6 WAR

Tim Wakefield tossed a knuckleball into the hearts of Red Sox fans over his long tenure with the franchise. Basically a failed position player, he reinvented himself with that pitch as a Pirates farmhand.

"I had to do it or finish school and get a job," Wakefield said in 2009, per Jack Curry of the New York Times. "I had to take it seriously."

Thousands of knuckleballs later, no Red Sox player pitched more innings or started more games than Wakefield, whose 186 wins ranks third in Boston history. He also struck out 2,046 over his 17 years with the team, only trailing Roger Clemens in the category.

Wakefield was a part of the 2004 and 2007 World Series-winning clubs.

5. Jason Varitek

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Career Marks (1997-2011): Three-time All-Star, 2005 Gold Glove, 2005 Silver Slugger, .256 BA, 193 HR, 757 RBI, 24.2 WAR

Jason Varitek was rarely a powerhouse at the plate, but the catcher's leadership and defense made him a household name.

The first backstop to ever record 1,000 appearances at the position for the Red Sox, he celebrated two World Series championships with the franchise (2004, 2007). Varitek spent all 15 of his MLB seasons in Boston, and his most prolific individual campaigns came in 2003 and 2005.

Varitek, who caught four no-hitters, ended his career with a franchise-record 1,488 games at catcher, including 1,272 after 2000.

4. Pedro Martinez

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Career Marks (1992-2009): 1999 AL Triple Crown, three-time Cy Young winner, eight-time All-Star, 1999 MLB wins leader, five-time MLB ERA leader, three-time AL strikeouts leader, 2,827.1 innings, 219-100, 2.93 ERA, 3,154 strikeouts, 86.1 WAR

This is the ultimate test of excellence versus qualifying seasons.

One brief look at what Pedro Martinez accomplished over 18 MLB years, and it's readily apparent why he was a first-ballot Hall of Fame choice in 2015. Only five of his seasons count for this ranking, yet Martinez was absolutely dominant.

During that brief stretch from 2000 to 2004, he posted a 75-26 record and a 2.53 ERA. Martinez claimed the third and final Cy Young of his career in 2000 and helped win the 2004 World Series.

Based on his overall achievements, Martinez unquestionably merits a higher spot. Post-1999 longevity simply boosts three others.

3. Dustin Pedroia

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Career Marks (2006-Present): 2008 AL MVP, 2007 Rookie of the Year, four-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove, 2008 Silver Slugger, .299 BA, 140 HR, 725 RBI, 51.7 WAR

Since injuries have plagued Dustin Pedroia lately, casual baseball followers might not remember just how dynamic he was.

During his Rookie of the Year season in 2007, the second baseman hit .317 with 48 extra-base hits. Pedroia followed that campaign in style, winning the AL MVP while batting .326 and leading the league in hits (213), runs (118) and doubles (54).

Though he didn't play in the 2018 World Series, Pedroia was a full-time starter on the 2007 and 2013 championship-winning clubs.

Pedroia holds top-10 franchise rankings in hits (1,805, eighth), total bases (2,649, eighth), runs (922, 10th) and stolen bases (138, sixth).

2. Manny Ramirez

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Career Marks (1993-2011): 2004 World Series MVP, 12-time All-Star, nine-time Silver Slugger, 2002 AL batting title, 2004 AL home runs leader, .312 BA, 555 HR, 1,831 RBI, 69.4 WAR

Following an excellent stint with the Cleveland Indians to open his career, Manny Ramirez signed with the Red Sox before the 2001 season and thrived.

The outfielder continued his trend as a perennial MVP threat, rattling off five of his eight straight top-10 MVP finishes after his move to Boston. Ramirez led the AL in on-base percentage three times during that stretch.

Ramirez's crowning moment was when he won the 2004 World Series MVP after he hit .412 with four RBI in a four-game sweep of the Cardinals. That season also included one of his eight All-Star appearances and six Silver Slugger awards as a member of the Red Sox.

In 2007, he added a second World Series ring.

1. David Ortiz

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Career Marks (1997-2016): 2013 World Series MVP, 10-time All-Star, seven-time Silver Slugger, 2006 AL home runs leader, .286 BA, 541 HR, 1,768 RBI, 55.3 WAR

After leaving the Minnesota Twins for the Red Sox in 2003, David Ortiz rattled off a five-year streak of top-five MVP finishes. Although he never secured the American League's top individual honor, Ortiz claimed All-Star and Silver Slugger recognition in four of those seasons.

That stretch was merely the beginning of a legendary 14-year tenure.

Ortiz climbed the organization's record book in every major category, retiring with the second-most homers (483) in Boston history. He also ranks third in RBI (1,530), fifth in runs (1,204), fifth in total bases (4,084) and sixth in hits (2,079).

The only player to win the World Series in 2004, 2007 and 2013, Big Papi assembled a scorching postseason during his final title run. He totaled 19 combined hits and walks in 25 plate appearances during the 2013 World Series, swatting two homers during the six-game win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR. Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference unless otherwise noted.