The Boston Red Sox are one of the most popular and successful teams in the history of Major League Baseball. There has always been significant debate over who exactly are their best players of all time. I recently published The Top-5 of the Boston Red Sox: Ranking and Reviewing the Best Players by Position in Team History in both eBook and paperback form. This book will end all the arguing, as it definitively ranks and reviews the top-five players at every position in Red Sox history.
Here is an excerpt discussing the shortstop position.
Parent built his career off his superior defensive skills,
but he had a solid bat and was a solid all-around player for the inaugural Red
Sox and for a number of years afterwards. He played in the franchise’s first
413 games before taking his first day off, displaying his iron man side despite
barely being 150 pounds soaking wet.
His best season, which was in 1903, coincided with Boston
winning the pennant and ultimately the first World Series. That season he hit
.304 with four homers, 17 triples, 24 stolen bases and 80 RBIs.
Parent’s final major contribution to the Red Sox came when
he recommended that the team sign one of his teammates with the Baltimore
Orioles in 1914; a young pitcher named George Herman Ruth.
4… Rico Petrocelli:
Played with Boston 1963-1976, .251, 1,352 base hits, 210 home runs and 773 RBIs
Petrocelli played his entire big-league career with Boston.
Although he only played shortstop for the first half he did enough during those
years to merit placement on this list. He not only was an offensive force, but
had a stellar glove, leading the league in fielding percentage twice.
The right-handed hitter made his major league debut at the
age of 20 and was already an established regular for the 1967 Impossible Dream
that made it to the World Series. He peaked in 1970 when he hit .297 with a
then-record 40 home runs (for a shortstop) with 97 RBIs.
He shifted to third base in 1971 and played out the rest of
his career at the hot corner. After retirement he worked in announcing and in
minor league managing. He has also remained close to the Red Sox due to his
work with the Boston Jimmy Fund charity.
3… Johnny Pesky:
Played with Boston 1942-1953, .313, 1,277 base hits, 13 home runs and 361 RBIs
You know you’ve made an impact on a team when part of the
stadium where they play is named after you. The eponymous right field “Pesky
Foul Pole” at Fenway Park is named after the left-handed hitting shortstop for
his notoriety of wrapping home run(s) around it, which is ironic given how few dingers
he hit during his career. Of his 17 career home runs, six of them came at
Fenway. Only one of them wrapped around the pole, but it helped pitcher
teammate Mel Parnell win the game, who coined the name for the pole, which
caught on.
Despite the lack of power, Pesky was a cog in Boston’s
offense. He posted a .401 OBP during his time in Boston and scored at least 100
runs in every full season with them except one (when he had 93). He was also a
fine fielder, forming a double play partnership with second baseman Bobby
Doerr.
Pesky finished third in MVP voting his rookie season,
hitting .331 with a league-leading 205 hits, two home runs and 51 RBIs. He then
missed the next three seasons because of his military service in World War II.
He bounced back, despite the missed time, by hitting .335 and leading the
league in hits, on his way to finishing fourth in MVP.
After his retirement as a player, he served the Red Sox as
an announcer, coach and goodwill ambassador for decades leading up to his death
at the age of 93 in 2012. His number six was retired by the team in 2008.
2… Joe Cronin: Played
with Boston 1935-1945, .300, 1,168 base hits, 119 home runs and 737 RBIs
Cronin was a star wunderkind with the Washington Senators,
who became a player-manager at the tender age of 26 in 1933. Somehow, the Red
Sox were able to convince the Washington owner, who was Cronin’s father-in-law,
to send him to Boston in a trade for shortstop Lyn Lary and $225,000 prior to
the 1935 season.
Cronin played for the Red Sox until 1945 and managed them
through the 1947 season. During that time, he made five All Star teams, but
failed to take them to the postseason. His best year came in 1938 when he hit
.325 with 17 home runs, 94 RBIs and a league-leading 51 doubles. As a manager
he lead the team to a 88-61 record and second-place finish, which was a pretty
good effort for someone who was 31 at the time.
He was a strong defender earlier in his career but had
regressed significantly by the time he came to the Red Sox and had become a
little thicker physically. Following the end of his stint as Boston manager, he
assumed the role of team General Manager and eventually was named the American
League President. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1956 in his 11th
year on the ballot.
1… Nomar Garciaparra:
Played with Boston 1996-2004, .323, 1,281 base hits, 178 home runs and 690 RBIs
Like a meteor, Garciaparra burst on to the scene in a flash
of brilliance. In his first four full
seasons he won Rookie of the Year (1997), made three All Star teams, won two
batting titles and finished in the top-10 in MVP voting four times. Between
1998-2000 he hit .323, .357 and .372, crushing the ball all over Fenway Park
from the right side of the plate.
He also had power, hitting as many as 35 home runs in one
season (1998) and was a solid fielder with a strong arm. He particularly
enjoyed hitting at Fenway, as he dominated opposing pitchers to the tune of a
.338 batting average in 502 career games there. A fan favorite who caused fans
to scream “Nomah” every time he strode to the plate, he was well-know for his
constant adjustment of batting gloves between pitches and for his fastidious
approach to hitting.
Bitterly, his departure from the team in a 2004 mid-season
trade with the Chicago Cubs as he had declined with age and mounting injuries (he
played less than 100 games in a season five times in his career) was an ignominious
ending to the former icon. Ironically, the players brought back in the deal
were essential for the team winning the World Series later that year; the
franchise’s first championship in 86 years.
I have also authored a number of books (eBook and paperback) an topics of baseball that are available on Amazon.
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You can check me out on Facebook or follow me on Twitter @historianandrewI have also authored a number of books (eBook and paperback) an topics of baseball that are available on Amazon.
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