Boston Red Sox: Who Not To Blame for the Worst Collapse in MLB History

After the Boston Red Sox completed the worst collapse in MLB history last night with a ninth-inning loss to the Baltimore Orioles, it would be easy to hand out blame to everyone who took part in it.

Seven wins and 20 losses. The Red Sox' September record that killed a team that was picked to win the World Series by most "experts" in the sports media.

A team that looked sloppy, unfit and downright unmotivated at certain points has many people to blame for their collapse but here are the ones who you shouldn't blame.

Marco Scutaro

If it weren't for Jacoby Ellsbury being Superman for this Boston Red Sox team, Marco Scutaro, without a doubt, would be the team's most valuable player down the stretch.

This is a guy who was forced to give up his starting position for Jed Lowrie during the Red Sox' first bad stretch but boy did he come up big in September.

In 93 at-bats in September, Scutaro hit .387—yes, you read that right—with 21 RBI and two home runs to go along with a 1.019 OPS.

Without Scutaro, this team wouldn't even have been playing for anything last night because they would have died earlier.

Picking up Scutaro's option this offseason is one of the most obvious decisions Theo Epstein has to make. He showed a new side of himself in September and that, alone, should earn himself another year in Boston.

Jacoby Ellsbury

Jacoby Ellsbury could turn out to be the MVP of the American League and without a doubt was the MVP and heart and soul of the Boston Red Sox in September.

A guy who everyone was trying to run out of town, myself included, ended up being the biggest asset to the team throughout the season. 

In September, he hit .358 with eight home runs—yes, eight. He also knocked in 21 runs and scored 22 with an OPS of 1.067.

Just when you thought the Red Sox were down and out, Ellsbury would come through with a huge hit; it just didn't end up being enough for this team.

He proved to be an invaluable member of this team with a 7.2 WAR and heart that no one thought he had.

Another easy decision for Epstein should be signing this man to a long-term contract. I don't care if Scott Boras is his agent—get it done. If you can give $100 million to Carl Crawford, you can give it to someone who actually produces like Ellsbury. 

Jonathan Papelbon

This choice is going to get some flak but Jonathan Papelbon had one of his best seasons in his career, and just because he had two blown saves in September, he is going to get roasted and run out of town by Red Sox Nation.

The reality of the situation is that without Papelbon, you are nowhere. Daniel Bard's ERA in September was 10.64, and the only other guy in the bullpen who could do anything is Alfredo Aceves.

Papelbon went out there and gave it his all, day after day, even going two-plus innings multiple times. He showed the heart and determination that most of this team was lacking and if that doesn't earn him an extension with this team, I will be sad to see him go.

This team needs more guys like Pap and letting him walk would be a mistake. 

Alfredo Aceves

Alfredo Aceves was the ultimate warrior for this Boston Red Sox team. Without Aceves, they would have blown the nine-game lead much earlier than they did.

Whenever a starter couldn't go long, which was often, Aceves would come in and clean the mess up.

It didn't matter how many innings or how many days in a row he pitched, Aceves wanted the ball.

He was quoted saying that if he woke up in the morning, he could pitch.

With a 1.80 ERA in September, by far the best on the team, Aceves was easily the most valuable pitcher on this team and could make a case for the most valuable player of the Red Sox.

He could be hard to bring back next year because he is due for a hefty pay increase after what he was able to do this season but if the Sox can get him back they should not even blink. 

Terry Francona

In the game of baseball there is always a scapegoat when a team has high expectations and fails to meet them, and it is usually the manager.

In this case, that is Terry Francona, who will more than likely lose his job because of this historic collapse. 

Francona does deserve some blame for this collapse but not enough that it should cost him his job. I firmly believe that behind closed doors, Tito did everything he could to fire up this team and they just didn't respond. 

This realization came to me when in postgame interviews, according to Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe, Adrian Gonzalez refused to take any accountability for the loss and just said it wasn't in God's plan for them to win.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME GONZO?

All these guys seemed like they felt entitled all September and that making the playoffs was going to happen no matter what and that is not Tito's fault.

There is only so much a manager can do and I strongly believe he did everything in his power to get through to this team, and he deserves to come back next season.