The Boston Red Sox acquired Caleb Durbin from the Milwaukee Brewers in the offseason, and his former team is now headed to the World Series.
Durbin helped lead the Brewers to the National League Championship Series last year, but they were swept. This year, he had to watch his former teammates finally overcome the Los Angeles Dodgers without him.
"A little bit bittersweet," Durbin said of the feeling of watching his old team reach the Fall Classic, per The Boston Globe's Alex Speier. "It’d be more bitter if I wasn’t super happy with where I was."
Durbin had a very rough start to the year, but was able to turn his season around. From late May through the end of the year, he was a very good player for the Red Sox. He played great defense and played through a pinky injury for most of the year.
Durbin is still a young player, and the Red Sox will want to see him continue to grow as a hitter. However, he will be the clear every-day third baseman going into next season.
As for the organization, it has to sting a little to see David Hamilton play a huge role for the Brewers in the postseason. Hamilton was one of the players the Red Sox gave up in the Hamilton deal. He was a huge factor on the basepaths in the National League Championship Series, stealing three bases in just two games. He had two RBIs, four hits, scored five runs and hit an important solo home run in Game 4 to give the Brewers some insurance.
Overall, Durbin was a much better player than Hamilton this year, even with the terrible start. Durbin will hope to do what his former team did in next year's postseason and help the Red Sox get to the World Series.
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