Which Red Sox could earn MLB’s special gold patch in 2025?
Major League Baseball has introduced a new gold patch on the back of the jerseys of players who won awards the year prior (e.g. Most Valuable Player (MVP), Cy Young winners, and rookie of the year honorees). The patch was debuted by reigning National League MVP Shohei Ohtani during a recent spring training game.
The question for the Boston Red Sox is: Which Red Sox players could earn a gold patch following the 2025 season?
Most Valuable Player Candidates
The most obvious Red Sox that could be awarded the MVP is Rafael Devers. He has received votes for the award in five of the last six seasons, and was 13th in voting in 2024. If Devers can progress again in 2025 he has the potential to win an MVP award.
Newcomer Alex Bregman also has MVP pedigree. Although he has not yet won the award, he came in second in voting in 2019 and fifth in 2018. Granted, Bregman is not quite the same player he was at that time, he still received votes for the MVP in 2022 and 2023, along with a Gold Glove award in 2024. He may be on the back-nine, but a stand-out Alex Bregman could certainly earn a golden patch.
Cy Young Candidates
The Cy Young award — like the MVP — has one truly clear option for the Red Sox, Garrett Crochet. Crochet is the Sox’ most notable offseason pitching addition, and has quickly been considered the team’s ace. He has never won a Cy Young but was an All-Star in 2024, and at just 25 years old it seems fair to assume he will continue to progress in 2025.
The other option could be Tanner Houck. Although he may not be quite as highly touted as Crochet, Houck had a breakout year in 2024. He was the Red Sox’ work horse and earned a spot on the All-Star team, but he did have a slight statistical downturn towards the back-half of the season. Nonetheless, Houck could also exceed expectations and get into Cy Young conversations.
Rookie of The Year Candidates
For the Red Sox, they have three options that should be expected to breakout once they enter the major leagues: outfielder Roman Anthony, shortstop Marcelo Mayer, and infielder Kristian Campbell. However, considering none of the three are in the majors yet, and there is really no telling when each player will get the call-up, ranking each player seems pointless.
What should be said, however, is once each of these players make the big league club, especially if it’s early in the season, they could each have a chance to make a run for the Rookie of The Year award.
Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore at Northeastern University studying communications and media studies. Read all his articles here, and follow him on X @LukeGraham05.
