BOSTON -- Mike Napoli showed the Boston Red Sox he could have a strong season despite a hip condition that delayed his signing a year ago. Max Kepler Jersey . So they rushed to re-sign the first baseman who general manager Ben Cherington described Friday as "a unique player." The World Series champions finalized a $32 million, two-year agreement Thursday with the slugging former catcher who turned into a surprisingly good defender. "It was clearly one of our priorities," Cherington said in a conference call. "When we pursued Mike last year and ultimately signed him we did that because we felt like his skill set would obviously help us on the field and we also heard a lot about his reputation as a teammate." After agreeing to a $39 million, three-year contract last December, the Red Sox heard about his avascular necrosis condition in both hips that can cause bone tissue to die because of poor blood supply. About six weeks later, in late January, a $5 million, one-year deal was reached. With performance bonuses, Napoli ended up making $13 million. His new contract has no provisions protecting the team against hip problems, Cherington said. The 32-year-old Napoli was eager to return to the city he excited with his homers and bushy beard. "After going through what I went through last year, it was definitely a relief to just go through this," he said. "Im happy to be back. I wanted to be in a place where I was comfortable and somewhere where we can win." Fears about his hips were unfounded, at least for last season. The eight-year veteran had career highs in at bats, run, hits, doubles, RBIs, walks and strikeouts and made just six errors in his first full season as a first baseman. He also had a good time bonding with his beard-tugging teammates. "As a player, its probably the best time Ive ever had being around a group of guys," Napoli said. "It was a lot of fun going to the park every day, seeing those guys, trying to see what was going to happen that day, see how we were going to mess around with each other." With fellow newcomers Jonny Gomes, Shane Victorino and David Ross, Napoli was part of a tight-knit group that changed the clubhouse culture from the previous year. "Having spent several months around him, it became very clear that he was not just an important part of the team on the field," Cherington said, "but, really, a particularly important guy in the clubhouse. Really, a lot of things that Mike does as a player and as a teammate are things that we believe in strongly. Hes accountable. Hes responsible. Hes prepared." Napoli said other teams were interested in signing him. He had been comfortable the previous two seasons in Texas but told his agent he wanted to stay in Boston. He batted .259 with 23 home runs and 92 RBIs then hit two key solo homers in the AL championship series against Detroit -- in a 1-0 win in Game 3 and a 4-3 win in Game 5. The Red Sox won that series in six games. In the post-season, Napoli drove in seven runs as Boston also beat Tampa Bay in the division series and St. Louis in the World Series. "Were confident that Mike is healthy," Cherington said, "and we feel that hes going to be a great part of our team for the next couple of years and, hopefully, beyond." Napoli just wants to get started on his second season with Boston after winning the World Series in his first. "After going through this and being able to sit down and realize what happened for me, it makes me hungry," Napoli said. "I cant wait to get back on the field, be with my teammates again, and try to do it again." Bert Blyleven Twins Jersey . Crawford hit his slam off Pirates starter Edinson Volquez to give San Francisco a four run lead in the fourth and they never looked back. Brandon Belt had three runs batted in as well. Bumgarner pitched all nine innings and allowed just four hits. Tom Kelly Twins Jersey . The roster changes have been constant and continuous since late last year, but even with their 46-man roster set for the start of the season, the banged-up Bombers will be kicking off Week 1 with a handful of fresh faces and back-ups in the starting lineup. https://www.cheaptwins.com/772t-ian-miller-jersey-twins.html . Betancourt was 2-5 with a 4.08 ERA and 16 saves for the Rockies last season before tearing a ligament in his pitching elbow. He considered undergoing platelet-rich plasma therapy to fix his arm, but announced in August his decision to have Tommy John surgery.Salt Lake City, UT (SportsNetwork.com) - Dwight Howard scored 22 points with 10 rebounds and two blocks to lead the Houston Rockets to a 104-93 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. James Harden nearly contributed a triple-double, scoring 18 with 10 assists and seven rebounds, and Trevor Ariza finished with 20 points in the win. Houston, which opened the season with a win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, opened 2-0 for the third straight season. Alec Burks led the Jazz with 18 points, while Derrick Favors deposited 16 points with seven rebounds and Trey Burke added 15 points in the setback. Dante Exum, the No. 5 overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft, totaled five points with an assist and a steal in just under 10 minutes of action for Utah. The Jazz, who have lost six of their last seven against the Rockets, played tough in Quin Snyders debut as head coach for the club. The Rockets built a 75-62 lead late in the third, but Burke scored six points as ppart of a 10-0 run to close the frame. Cheap Twins Jerseys. The two teams traded a pair of buckets in the opening minutes of the fourth, then Houston put the game away with a 14-1 run. Harden opened the sequence with a pair of free throws and Terrence Jones followed with a 3-pointer to make it 84-76 with 8:48 to play. Patrick Beverley capped the surge with a layup, and Utah only got as close as nine down the stretch. The teams were tied at 27-27 through the first quarter, but the Rockets ended the first half on an 8-0 run to take a 58-50 lead into the locker room. Game Notes Houston rookie Kostas Papanikolaou scored all 12 of his points in the first half ... Utah scored 21 points off of 18 Houston turnovers ... Trevor Booker scored 14 points off the bench for the Jazz ... The Rockets went 14-for-27 from beyond the arc, while Utah made 3-of-18 shots from deep ... The Jazz outscored the visitors, 62-44, in the paint. ' ' '