If there was any doubt left that the Red Sox have the best left side of the infield in the American League, there shouldn’t be anymore. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts and third baseman Rafael Devers were both named All-Star starters during the league’s announcement on Thursday night.

This will the third All-Star appearance for Bogaerts, who was elected as a starter in 2016 and reserve in 2019. Meanwhile, Devers will be making his debut in the midsummer classic.

So far in 2021, Bogaerts is hitting .330 – the third-best average in the AL. Devers’ 19 home runs and 64 RBIs pace the Red Sox, who after Thursday’s 15-1 drubbing of the Royals have scored the second-most runs in baseball. Both Bogaerts and Devers are tied for the AL lead with 24 doubles each.

With Bogaerts and Devers in the lineup, the Red Sox will have multiple starters at the All-Star game for the first time since 2018. The team had five All-Stars that year in total, with Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, and Chris Sale in the lineup, Mitch Moreland on the bench, and Craig Kimbrel in the bullpen.

The full All-Star starting lineups can be found at MLB.com. Pitchers and reserves will be announced Sunday afternoon. A number of Red Sox relievers, namely Matt Barnes and Garrett Whitlock, are candidates to be selected. Martinez and Alex Verdugo can make it as reserves after making it to the second round of fan voting. The All-Star game takes place Tuesday, July 13 at Coors Field in Denver.

Which Red Sox deserve more recognition for their performance through the first half of the season? Here’s a look at some of the team’s top players after 81 games.

• Xander Bogaerts

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  Through 81 games, Xander Bogaerts is the MVP of the team with the best record in the American League. He’s slashing .330/.391/.551 with 13 home runs and 48 RBIs. With 24 doubles, he’s tied for the AL lead in that category. The 28-year-old also has the sixth-best fielding percentage among AL shortstops.

• Rafael Devers

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  Who is tied with Bogaerts for the AL doubles lead? That would be Rafael Devers. Like many of the Red Sox hitters, Devers took a step back in 2020. However, he’s quickly proving that last year was an anomaly. His 24 doubles combined with a team-high 19 home runs give him the second-most extra base hits in the AL. It hasn’t just been a power surge for Devers either - his average is up almost 20 points from a year ago, and he has an OPS over .900.

• J.D. Martinez

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  Like Devers, J.D. Martinez has made it clear last year’s dip in production was a fluke. He’s second on the team in most major offensive categories including batting average (.302), home runs (16), and RBIs (54).
• Alex Verdugo

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  For better or worse, Alex Verdugo’s career in Boston will always be linked to Mookie Betts. So far this year, that’s been good news for the 25-year-old. His batting average is 20 points higher, and most advanced metrics lean his way as well.

• Christian Arroyo

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  Christian Arroyo was a sneaky good find by Chaim Bloom, who claimed him off waivers at the end of the 2020 season. A former first-round pick who bounced around with three teams in four years before coming to Boston, the 26-year-old seems to be finding his stride despite a pair of stints on the DL. His .264 average would be among the best for a major league second baseman if he had enough at-bats to qualify, and he had a couple of clutch hits in mid-June that helped the Sox out of a slump.

• Hunter Renfroe

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  After a slow start, Hunter Renfroe has quickly turned things around and is proving to be another key Bloom acquisition. Since the last week of May he’s hitting .343 with an OPS over 1.000. Just over the last two weeks, he has a hit in 12 of 14 games, with 18 total hits including five home runs and 16 RBIs in that span. He’s flashed the leather quite a bit as well, with some impressive plays in right field.
• Nathan Eovaldi

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  While the majority of the Red Sox rotation has spent the season in a state of wild fluctuation, Nathan Eovaldi has been the closest thing the team has had to a consistent presence. His 3.67 ERA is the lowest among the team’s starters, and his eight wins are tied for the third most in baseball. His last start was perhaps his best so far, allowing just one earned run in 7.2 innings on the road against the Yankees.

• Matt Barnes

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  Matt Barnes had been the 7th or 8th inning guy for the Red Sox for most of his tenure in Boston, but he has stepped into the closer role full time in 2021 and is having a career year. His 18 saves are the second most in the AL, with his 2.57 ERA and 0.829 WHIP among the best in the league as well.

• Adam Ottavino

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  What’s a good closer without a good setup man? Adam Ottavino has slid into that role ahead of Barnes and performed well, especially considering the Yankees paid the Red Sox to take him off their hands over the winter. His 1.303 WHIP is the second-best in the bullpen, behind only Barnes, and his 15 holds are the most by an AL pitcher.
• The rest of the bullpen

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  So the point of this post is to highlight the Red Sox best players through the first half of the season. However, that list would run long if it included every member of the bullpen that has pitched well, because they all pretty much have. Garrett Whitlock, Hirokazu Sawamura, Josh Taylor, and Darwinzon Hernandez all finished the first half with sub-3.00 ERAs. As a team, the Red Sox have a 3.44 bullpen ERA, good for third in the AL.

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