Boston’s Jamie Westbrook connects for a single, his first MLB hit, during a game earlier this season against the Atlanta Braves in Boston. Westbrook, 28, has played in the minor leagues over the last 11 seasons. Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Thank the baseball gods for Jamie Westbrook.

No, not because the career minor leaguer filled in admirably for the Red Sox during one of their many injury ordeals this season, but because he ended my lengthy quest for a second baseman on my all-star team of Red Sox players who share the same names with Maine towns and cities. Trust me; it’s a lot harder than you think.

My only rules in creating this team are that no municipality can be used more than once; and any town, city, county, township or island is eligible.

With that out of the way, here’s the team, with position, name and 2020 U.S. Census population. And some of those populations could fit into a school bus and still have plenty of wiggle room.

Catcher: Haywood Sullivan (pop. 1,219) was a career backup in the 1950s who also gets triple duty on this team as owner and general manager (where he let a slightly superior catcher, Carlton Fisk, walk to Chicago as a free agent in 1981).

First Base: Rudy York (pop. 13,723) slashed .276/.371/.437 for the 1946 pennant-winning Red Sox.

Second Base: Jamie Westbrook (pop. 20,400) is one of a number of feel-good stories for this year’s surprising Sox.

Shortstop: Jody Reed (as in Reed Plantation, pop. 129) was more of a second baseman (where he led MLB in doubles in 1990), but he played short as a rookie for the Morgan Magic bunch in 1988.

Third Base: Mike Lowell (pop. 368), of course, was the 2007 World Series MVP. Not to be confused with the town of Lovell.

Left Field: Troy O’Leary (pop. 1,018) drove in 103 runs in 1999, back when people still cared about RBIs, and also came up big in the postseason that year.

Center Field: Jackie Bradley Jr. (pop. 1,532), who somehow won only one Gold Glove in his career.

Right Field: Lu Clinton (pop. 3,370) was a so-so player with the Sox in the early-mid 1960s, a dreadful era that makes the recent post-Mookie teams resemble Camelot. A line drive once bounced off the wall, then his foot and then over the fence for a home run, since the ball never touched the ground.

Designated Hitter: Reggie Jefferson (pop. 2,551) hit .347 in a platoon role for the 1996 Sox and .300 lifetime.

Bench: Manny Alexander (pop. 525) holds down the infield, while Jay Payton (pop. 4,620) can play all three outfield positions.

Pitchers: A pretty decent staring staff. Just cover your eyes if you have to turn to the bullpen.

Starter: David Wells (pop. 11,314) in a Sox uniform remains a weird sight nearly two decades later.

Although best known for throwing a perfect game as a member of the famed 1998 New York Yankees, David Wells wore a Red Sox uniform in 2005-06. Associated Press file

Starter: Dick Ellsworth (pop. 8,399) was a veteran pitcher who was 16-7 with a 3.03 ERA in his lone full season with Boston (1968), then went to Cleveland a year later in a trade that included ’67 Sox icon Hawk Harrelson.

Starter: Bill “Spaceman” Lee (pop. 922) was still “active” as of last year, participating in Savannah Bananas games.

Starter: Tom Brewer (pop. 9,672) was a solid starter from 1954-61, when there wasn’t always much to cheer about.

Starter: Raymond Culp (pop. 4,526) was also a solid starter, but from 1968-73.

Reliever: Ray Scarborough (pop. 20,352) was an effective Washington Senators pitcher who became an ineffective Sox pitcher in 1951-52.

Reliever: Mike Gardiner (pop. 5,961), who pitched from 1991-92, was one in a long line of highly hyped young pitchers who never really panned out. Can’t always trust those Donruss Rated Rookie cards.

Reliever: Jermaine Van Buren (pop. 2,038) had a career ERA of 11.77 in 13 innings with the 2006 Sox. That said, I couldn’t pass up the chance to use one of Maine’s northernmost towns.

Reliever: Jeff Gray (pop. 8,269) was a promising young pitcher in 1990-91 whose career was felled by a stroke.

Reliever: Ed Phillips (pop. 898) had a very short career (18 games, 23 2/3 innings in 1970), but he earns a spot since he grew up in Portland and pitched for Deering High and Colby College.

A 1970 Evening Express article discusses Ed Phillips’ chances at making the Red Sox.

Manager: I’m cheating here, but we’ll go with Eddie Kasko (as in Casco, pop. 3,646), who guided the Sox from 1970-73, a transition period between the ’67 Impossible Dream team and the ’75 pennant winners.

Coaches: John Cumberland (pop. 8,473) gets the nod as a native of Westbrook, but he’ll be ably assisted by fellow pitching coach Andrew Bailey (as in Bailey Island, pop. 400). 

And that bullpen’s going to need all the help it can get.