For lack of a better word, Mickey Gasper of the Boston Red Sox is a journeyman. He didn’t break into the major leagues until 2024, when he was 28 years old. Since then, he’s been up and down with the minors and with different organizations.
That’s what’s made Gasper’s recent performance so extraordinary. He’s playing like a Hall of Fame talent. At the end of August, Gasper was noted as having the third-highest OPS in a calendar month since 1901, sitting at 1.827 for the month. He trailed Ted Williams and Barry Bonds.
One Hall of Famer who did take notice was Red Sox legend Wade Boggs. He’d even praise Gasper on Twitter/X.
“What we learning about Mickey Gaspar is he is the real deal,” Boggs wrote, along with flexing, chicken, and baseball emojis.
Perhaps it’s only right, given the journeyman status for Gasper, that Boggs spelled his name wrong in the praise. However, he would make sure to follow that up and correct himself, writing, “Sorry Mickey I spelled your wrong Gasper my bad.”
Boston Red Sox Utility Man Mickey Gasper Reacts to Wade Boggs Praise
It’s hard to undersell the type of legend that Wade Boggs is for the Boston Red Sox. He’s one of 10 Red Sox players whose number the team has found fit to retire. That came after 11 phenomenal seasons in Boston, which saw him hit .338 with a .428 OBP, a .462 slugging percentage, and an .890 OPS. Boggs also was a six-time Silver Slugger with the Red Sox.
In other words, Boggs knows how to hit. So, his praise goes a long way, especially for Gasper himself.
“Get out of here,” Gasper said when told about Boggs’ praise. “Very cool.”
Gasper grew up in New Hampshire after being born in New Jersey. He would go on to play at Bryant and the Cape Cod League. With his deep ties to the region, he has long since known about the legend of Boggs.
“When I first got picked up in the Rule 5 (Draft) by the Red Sox, my dad always said you can make a living going to left field like Wade Boggs did,” Gasper said. “It’s just a guy with the epitome of a good approach, a complete hitter, a complete player. And that means a lot for somebody of that caliber to compliment who I am in the box.”
In a season where Gasper has been up and down from the minors, he’s been good when given a chance at the plate. He’s hitting .277 with a .379 OBP, a .503 slugging percentage, and an .882 OPS.
“I mean that’s why I play the game — for the past generations. I believe in myself as a baseball purist. I appreciate the history of the game,” Gasper said.
“To be recognized by someone of Wade Boggs’ caliber, you don’t really think that’s gonna happen. He’s just somebody who represented the Red Sox so well, somebody that represented the game of baseball so well, and just played in the era of baseball where it’s hard not to say that was the Golden Era of baseball. Those guys strapped it on day in and day out. Social media wasn’t a thing then. You just didn’t really hear about a whole lot of stuff other than those guys going out and playing the game the right way. I’m very appreciative and humbled.”
Wade Boggs Added Praise for Payton Tolle
It turns out that Boggs is keeping a fairly close eye on the Boston Red Sox this season. He’s even keeping tabs on the pitchers, and he also has some praise for Payton Tolle.
Following Sunday’s game, Boggs quoted a post with Tolle’s stats for the day. He wrote, “The Beast.” Again, he used flexing, chicken, and baseball emojis.
In fairness, Tolle had been a beast on Sunday. He finished throwing six innings while striking out 12 and only allowing a single run. Tolle also had a push-up on the mound, which he jokingly did after slipping.
The Red Sox hope to make a deep run this October, which they haven’t really done since 2021. They’ll need to have Tolle and Gasper playing like they have been to do that.
Red Sox Legend Wade Boggs Shares High Praise for Mickey Gasper