Enmanuel Valdez will not have a long and productive Red Sox career. He likely will not have a long and productive career with any team. No number retirement nights are in his future; there probably won’t even be bobblehead nights. Such is life for a Quad-A backup-type.
But in a lot of ways, the Enmanuel Valdezes of the world are the players who make being a baseball fan so fun. Enmanuel Valdez is a member of your Red Sox family. And like any family member, he has the capacity to frustrate and annoy you; you didn’t choose him to be your second baseman any more than you chose your siblings.