Tag Archives: All-Time

The Worst Red Sox Ever

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https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2017/12/worst-starting-pitchers-red-sox-history

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2017/12/worst-relief-pitchers-red-sox-history

 

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2017/12/worst-catchers-red-sox-history

 

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2017/12/worst-first-basemen-red-sox-history

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2018/01/worst-second-basemen-red-sox-history

 

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2018/01/worst-third-basemen-red-sox-history

 

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2018/01/worst-shortstops-red-sox-history

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2018/01/worst-left-fielders-red-sox-history

 

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2018/01/worst-center-fielders-red-sox-history

 

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2018/01/worst-right-fielders-red-sox-history

 

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2018/01/worst-designated-hitters-red-sox-history

 

 

The Greatest Left Fielders in Red Sox History

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With the pitchers and infielders all covered, it’s time to head to the outfield. Who are the greatest players to ever roam left field in front of the Green Monster?

Ted Williams

The greatest hitter who ever lived. I could go on and on writing about his statistics, they are mind-boggling. The last player to ever hit .400, Williams batted .356 over his first four seasons. He then went to war and missed the next three seasons. Where many guys return from war and have a hard time readjusting, Williams came back and won the MVP Award in his first year back.

Williams was called back to service for the Korean War. He left early in 1952 and returned in August 1953. After over a year fighting overseas, Williams did one of the most superhuman feats in sports history. Over 91 at-bats, having not played baseball in over a year and fighting a war during that time, Williams batted .410 and hit 13 home runs! That’s one home run every seven at-bats. He then never batted lower than .345 over the next four years, topping out with a .388 batting average during his age 38 season in 1957. In 1960, at the age of 41, Williams posted his best HR/AB ratio of his career, hitting 29 home runs in only 310 at-bats. If the DH existed back then, he could have kept going for several years.

Williams had an OPS over 1.000 every year of his career except 1959, when he played injured at age 40. He rebounded to a 1.096 OPS the following season and retired. If he had not missed time to the war, Williams would have hit close to 700 home runs, at which point he may have kept going to try to surpass Babe Ruth. He would likely have 3500 hits coupled with somewhere north of 2500 walks. His career 162 game average was .344 with 37 home runs, 130 RBI, 188 hits, 143 walks and a .482/.634/1.116 slash line.

Williams won two MVP Awards and was robbed of three others thanks to biased media members. He finished 2nd in four MVP votes and had three other top five finishes. Williams won two Triple Crowns, leading the league in average six times, home runs four times and RBI four times. Williams also led the league in on base percentage 12 times, slugging nine times and OPS 10 times.

Carl Yastrzemski

Yaz would rank first for almost any team, but in Boston he has to contend with the greatest ever for that honor. He did an admirable job following in Williams’ footsteps though, having a Hall of Fame career and holding several franchise records. Yastrzemski batted .285 with 452 home runs and 1844 runs batted in. He banged out 3419 base hits, 646 of which were doubles. Yaz of course played some first base and designated hitter, but he made his hay as a left fielder. He had over 2000 hits and 1000 RBI while playing left field.

Yaz’ 1967 season was historic, and he was the last player to win the Triple Crown Award for years before Miguel Cabrera accomplished the feat in 2012. Yaz led the Red Sox from a 9th place finish in 1966 to the 1967 AL pennant by batting .326 with 44 home runs and a 1.040 OPS. He would hit 40+ home runs three times in four seasons. Interestingly, immediately after that stretch he failed to hit even 20 homers in any of the next five seasons.

Yaz won three batting titles and led the league in on-base percentage five times. He made 18 All-Star Games and won the 1967 MVP Award. In addition to his hitting talents, Yaz was just as good with the glove. He won seven Gold Glove Awards as a left fielder, including one after he had been moved to first base for a few years. He returned to left field in 1977 and didn’t make a single error while picking up 16 assists.

Carl Yastrzemski hitting home run as Tim McCarver and umpire Al Barlick watch at Fenway Park. 10/5/1967 CREDIT: (Photo by Neil Leifer/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)

Jim Rice

Jim Rice is yet another Hall of Famer who spent his entire career with the Red Sox. He only had a stretch of 12 good years, but during that stretch he may have been the best hitter in baseball. Rice had a swift decline in the late 80’s or he would have coasted into the Hall of Fame earlier. After batting .304 with 350 home runs during that 12 year stretch, Rice batted only .263 with 31 home runs over his final three seasons.

Rice batted .298 for his career, hitting 382 home runs out of 2452 base hits, all with the Red Sox. His home runs rank him 4th on the franchise’s all-time list, while his base hits rank third behind Williams and Yaz. Rice hit 39 or more home runs all three seasons from 1977-79, averaging a season of .320 with 41 home runs and a .972 OPS. His 406 total bases in 1978 were the most by a player since Stan Musial in 1948, and the most by an American League player since Joe Dimaggio in 1937. He led the league in hits, home runs, RBI and OPS that season on way to winning the MVP.

In addition to his MVP Award, Jim Rice finished in the top five for the MVP vote five other times. He made eight All-Star Games and won two Silver Sluggers during the eighties. Silver Sluggers were not an award before 1980 or he surely would have won a few more. Rice led the league in home runs three times.

Jim Rice of the Red Sox hitting a home run,

Manny Ramirez

Manny has some of the greatest offensive numbers in history among right-handed batters. About half of that production came in Boston. As a Red Sox, Manny batted .312 with 274 home runs. 868 RBI and 1232 hits. His rate numbers are better than Yaz and Rice, at .411/.588/.999, but his counting stats fall far short as those two spent their entire careers in Boston. Manny also played during a hitter’s era when offensive numbers were much higher.

Of course, Manny had his drawbacks. Although never testing positive as a Red Sox, Manny did fail two drug tests before his career ended. It is hard to know when he first started using performance enhancers. He also asked to be traded on multiple occasions. Manny was known to take stretches off with phantom injuries. Needless to say, Manny wasn’t always good for team camaraderie. In addition to him spending less time here, these are reasons Manny comes in fourth on this list.

Manny’s real strong stretch lasted for six seasons, from when he was signed in 2001 until 2006. His play had dropped off in 2007 and before he was traded in 2008. During that six-year stretch Manny batted .316 with an average of 39 home runs and 119 RBI per season. There is no doubt, he was an offensive force. Manny also won the 2004 World Series MVP. He made eight All-Star Games, won six Silver Sluggers and finished in the top six for MVP three times.

Manny Ramirez of the Boston Red Sox celebrates after connecting for a three-run home run to defeat the Los Angeles Angels, 6-3, in Game 2 of the ALDS at Fenway Park October 5, 2007 (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Mike Greenwell

“The Gator” wraps up the top five. Unfairly to him, Greenwell pales in comparison to the four above him on this list. The Red Sox have had quite the rich history in left field. Greenwell was no slouch, batting .303 for his career. When a career .300 hitter looks weak after the top four, that says something. Greenwell hit 130 home runs out of his 1400 career hits, all with the Red Sox. He missed a lot of time to injuries in the 90’s, holding back his stats, but Greenwell could hit. He had an excellent slash line of .368/.463/.831 for his career.

Greenwell started off his career hot, homering four times in 31 at-bats in September of 1985. He was one of the best young outfielders in the game during the late 80’s. He hit .328 with 19 home runs and a .956 OPS in 1987. Greenwell would follow that up with a .946 OPS in 1988, batting .325 with 22 home runs and 119 RBI. That season, Greenwell finished second in the MVP vote to Jose Canseco, which turned out to not be a very level playing field. In 1989 he batted .308 and drove in 95 more runs. Quite a stretch to begin his career, injuries are really what held him back later. His 162 game average for his career is a stellar .303 with 17 homers and 93 RBI.

Mike Greenwell of the Boston Red Sox watches the flight of his ball during an MLB game circa 1995 at Fenway Park.(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

Honorable Mentions:

Duffy Lewis & Troy O’Leary

Duffy Lewis is buried not far from where I live. I visited his grave last fall.

Greatest Right-Handed Pitchers

Greatest Left-Handed Pitchers

Greatest Relief Pitchers

Greatest Catchers

Greatest First Basemen

Greatest Second Basemen

Greatest Third Basemen

Greatest Shortstops

 

Barry Bonds Needs to Be in the Hall of Fame

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Barry Bonds belongs in the Hall of Fame. Whether you believe he is the legitimate home run king, or you hate how he helped make a mockery of the game, or you think he is a jackass, he remains one of the greatest outfielders to ever play the game. He was one of the best all-around players in the game without steroids and was already a slam dunk for the Hall.

Pre-Steroids

Barry Bonds’ career began in 1986. By 1990 he had broken out and won the MVP Award. He then proceeded to win two more MVPs and finish 2nd in the other vote over the next three seasons. Bonds presumably played clean through the 1998 season. At that point he already had three MVPs, eight Gold Gloves and seven Silver Sluggers. Bonds had also slugged 411 home runs and stolen 445 bases, making him the first player ever to hit that many homers and steal that many bases. Oh, he was also 34 years old and at the top of his game.  He had plenty of time to add to those stats. He had achieved all-time great  status, a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame.

Not even going back to his days in Pittsburgh, the picture on the right is Barry Bonds circa 1996. The one on the left is in 2007.

Steroids

Bonds’ ego probably led to his steroid use. With McGwire and Sosa chasing home run records and getting all the attention, Bonds likely looked at them with disgust thinking “I’m better than those guys.” Bonds was also coming back from injury that season, missing the season’s first couple months. He could have taken some substances to come back from injury faster. That season, turning 35 in July, Bonds posted his best home runs per-at-bat ratio of any season during his career. During each of the next six seasons he posted an even lower HR/AB ratio. Steroids made guys like McGwire and Sosa and others home run machines. Barry Bonds had reached all-time great status; steroids made him a video game character. From 2000-2004, Bonds batted .339 and averaged 52 home runs per season. His 174 walks per season aided in giving him an outrageous slash line of .535/.781/1.316. That’s just absurd. In 2004, at the age of 40, he racked up a .609 on base percentage. He really did make a mockery of the game and the record books, but he illustrated the problem with steroids and what it can help guys accomplish.

Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hits his 714th career home run, tying Babe Ruth for second place on the all time home run list. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Conclusion

Would Bonds be the all-time home run king if he had played clean?  No. Would he have a .444/.607/1.051 slash line? Again, no. But during the first nine years of the 90s he had a .438/.600/1.038 slash line while averaging 36 home runs and 36 stolen bases per season. And those seasons I bet he played clean. He would probably still own 500-500 club solo, while winning plenty of awards along the way. I don’t think he gets in this year with such a crowded ballot. However, the Hall of Fame exists for the greatest players to ever play, and you cannot have that without Bonds.

The Greatest Shortstops in Red Sox History

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The Red Sox have had a rich history at the shortstop position. On this list are five Red Sox Hall of Famers and some worthy candidates in the honorable mention category. Placement of the players after the top couple was difficult, but one thing is for sure; I had no trouble finding five qualified candidates at this position.

Nomar Garciaparra

Nomah was the greatest shortstop to ever play at Fenway Pahk! Going to a Sox game in the late nineties and early 2000s one could hear “Nomaaahhhh” yelled all over the ballpark. The 12th overall pick in 1994, Nomar had no trouble climbing through the minors before debuting in 1996. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1997, then placed 2nd in the MVP vote in 1998. He proceeded to win the batting title in each of the next two seasons, batting .357 and .372. Nomar was getting better and better, spraying line drives all over the yard.

Then Al Reyes happened. A Reyes pitch hit Nomar on the wrist and would later require surgery. When Nomar returned he was still a good player, but wasn’t the same. He popped the ball up more, hitting a few less line drives. Hard to complain with a .310 average, 24 home runs and 56 doubles in 2002 followed by 28 home runs in 2003 though. For his Red Sox career Nomar batted .323 with 178 home runs and a .923 OPS. He was something else in his prime.

Year Tm AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA OBP SLG OPS Awards
1996 BOS 87 11 21 2 3 4 16 5 .241 .272 .471 .743
1997 BOS 684 122 209 44 11 30 98 22 .306 .342 .534 .875 AS,MVP-8,RoY-1,SS
1998 BOS 604 111 195 37 8 35 122 12 .323 .362 .584 .946 MVP-2
1999 BOS 532 103 190 42 4 27 104 14 .357 .418 .603 1.022 AS,MVP-7
2000 BOS 529 104 197 51 3 21 96 5 .372 .434 .599 1.033 AS,MVP-9
2001 BOS 83 13 24 3 0 4 8 0 .289 .352 .470 .822
2002 BOS 635 101 197 56 5 24 120 5 .310 .352 .528 .880 AS,MVP-11
2003 BOS 658 120 198 37 13 28 105 19 .301 .345 .524 .870 AS,MVP-7
2004 BOS 156 24 50 7 3 5 21 2 .321 .367 .500 .867
BOS BOS 3968 709 1281 279 50 178 690 84 .323 .370 .553 .923

Joe Cronin

Joe Cronin was an extremely influential person in both Red Sox history and Major League Baseball history. He not only played for the Red Sox, he managed them and later became the General Manager. After his term as General Manager ended, Cronin became the President of the American League in 1959, a position he held for 15 years.

Cronin was a Hall of Fame ballplayer, and could have put up even bigger numbers had he not been managing. By 1942 he was a little used utility player while managing, despite the fact he was coming off a season during which he batted .311 with 16 homers and 95 RBI. He’d bat over .300 each of the next two seasons as well in limited playing time. For his Red Sox career Cronin was a .300 hitter, hitting 119 home runs and 1168 base hits. He had a beautiful slash line of .394/.484/.878. All three of those numbers rank second among Red Sox shortstops. Cronin made five All-Star Games while with the Red Sox.

Johnny Pesky

I think a lot of people remember Pesky as the lovable old man always hanging around the Red Sox dugout and don’t realize just how good of a player he was. Pesky led the league in hits during each of his first three seasons in the majors. He batted .331 during his rookie season, placing 3rd in the MVP vote. Following that, Pesky went to fight in the war and missed the next three seasons. When he came back he batted .335 and placed 4th in the MVP vote. The following year he again led the league in hits and batted .324. He was a great hitter and would have over 600 hits likely added to his career total had the war not occurred.

He was one of many guys who lost stats due to this time period that the Hall of Fame doesn’t seem to have taken into consideration. Had the war not happened, Pesky would be a shortstop who hit well over .300 with somewhere over 2000 career hits. Laughably, as an illustration to New York bias, Phil Rizzuto is in the Hall of Fame. Rizzuto batted .273 with a .351/.355/.706 triple slash playing the same position and during the exact same era as Pesky. Pesky batted .307 with a .394/.386/.780 slash line. Focusing on just his Red Sox career, Pesky batted .313 with 1277 hits and a .401 on base percentage. He twice finished in the top five for MVP voting.

Rico Petrocelli

Rico gets the nod fourth thanks to his counting numbers. He leads all Red Sox shortstop with 210 home runs and 1352 base hits. Of course, he moved to third base in the seventies so as just a shortstop he doesn’t rank first. While playing short, Petrocelli batted .259 while hitting 127 of his home runs. Rico made his first All-Star Game during the “Impossible Dream” season of 1967. He really broke out in 1969 though when he made his 2nd all-star team. That season Rico batted .297 with 40 home runs and a .992 OPS! Those 40 home runs stood as an American League shortstop record until 1998, when it took some foreign substances to likely surpass it.

Rico’s newfound power extended into the early seventies, hitting 29 home runs in 1970 and 28 in 1971. That gave him a three-year total of 97 home runs. His 39.1 career WAR places him second out of guys on this list behind only Nomar. He was also a part of two Red Sox pennant winning teams.

John Valentin

John Valentin was an excellent and underrated player prior to knee injuries that hobbled him and shortened his career after he turned 30. Valentin hit 121 home runs and collected 1042 base hits as a member of the Red Sox. He was their shortstop from 1992-96 before Nomar arrived. After a brief move to second base, he became their third baseman after Tim Naehring’s injury and remained there for a few years. As just a shortstop, Valentin batted .292 with a .375/.470/.845 triple slash line. He had an 11.8 dWAR with the Sox, 2nd among the guys on this list.

In 1995 Valentin really busted out, batting .298 with 27 home runs, 102 RBI and 20 stolen bases. He led all American Leaguers in WAR that season. From 1994-97 he averaged a season of .303 with 17 home runs, 35 doubles and an .876 OPS. He still hit 23 home runs in 1998 but his average dropped as his knees started causing him discomfort. Despite a mediocre season in 1999, Valentin had a huge postseason. A clutch player, Valentin batted .347 with 5 home runs and a 1.046 OPS during his postseason career. He drove in 12 runners in the 5 game ALDS versus Cleveland in 1999 and was one of the few Red Sox players to hit in the ALCS that year. His clutch play is one reason he slots into the top five.

John Valentin of the Boston Red Sox watches his two-run home run in the first inning against the Yankees during game three of the ALCS at Fenway Park. The Yankees have a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.  AFP PHOTO/Jeff HAYNES

Honorable Mentions

Vern Stephens, Rick Burleson, Heinie Wagner, Everett Scott

Red Sox Greatest First Basemen Ever

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Continuing on with my series of articles, I make my way to the five greatest first basemen in the history of the franchise. After delving into the statistics, I found that picking the top five was not very difficult. The only arguments to be made, would be the order of the five, and the honorable mentions.

Jimmie Foxx

Foxx was a beast, hence his nickname, “Beast.” One of the most powerful right-handed bats of all-time, Foxx hit his 500th career home run by the age of 32. A decline in eyesight, drinking problems and a broken rib, aided in a quick decline from there. All that matters for this article, however, is his time spent with the Red Sox. Foxx batted .320, with 222 home runs and a 1.034 OPS, during his time with Boston. His 50 home runs in 1938, remained a single-season franchise record, until Big Papi broke it in 2006.

Jimmie Foxx spent six full seasons with the team, making the all-star team all six years. He led the league in batting average, home runs and RBI once each while leading in OPS twice. He won the MVP in 1938, when he hit .349, with 50 homers and 175 RBI. The next season he batted .360, and led the league with 35 home runs, finishing 2nd in the MVP vote.

Year Tm AB H HR RBI BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ Awards
1936 BOS 585 198 41 143 .338 .440 .631 1.071 155 AS,MVP-11
1937 BOS 569 162 36 127 .285 .392 .538 .929 127 AS
1938 BOS 565 197 50 175 .349 .462 .704 1.166 182 AS,MVP-1
1939 BOS 467 168 35 105 .360 .464 .694 1.158 188 AS,MVP-2
1940 BOS 515 153 36 119 .297 .412 .581 .993 150 AS,MVP-6
1941 BOS 487 146 19 105 .300 .412 .505 .917 139 AS
AB H HR RBI BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ Awards
BOS BOS 3288 1051 222 788 .320 .429 .605 1.034 156

Mo Vaughn

Big Mo, “The Hit Dog,” isn’t too far behind Foxx when talking about what they did for the Red Sox. Mo was the team leader in the 90’s, both at the plate, and in the clubhouse. A big power prospect, Mo Vaughn struggled for a couple years, before breaking out in 1993. He would go on to win the MVP Award in 1995, and place in the top five in two other MVP votes. His swing and hitting style were tailor-made for Fenway Park and the Green Monster. He never should have left.

Mo batted .304 during his time in Boston, while bashing 230 home runs. He had a stellar slash line of .394/.542/.936. From 1993 to 1998, when he left as a free agent, Mo Vaughn had an average season of .315, with 36 home runs, 110 RBI and a .974 OPS. He batted .300 with 39 home runs during his MVP season of 1995, but was arguably better during each of the next three seasons. 1996 was likely his best, batting .326 with 44 home runs and driving in 143 runners. His impressive hitting, combined with his presence, made Big Mo a fan favorite.

Kevin Youkilis

“The Greek God of Walks” comes in at third for me, in a tight race amongst the next three. Youkilis originally came up as a third baseman, but was shifted to first base by 2006, his first full season. He spent the next five seasons as their primary first baseman, before the team acquired Adrian Gonzalez for 2011. Coincidentally, Youkilis’ move back to third for 2011 coincided with his offensive decline.

From 2006-2010, as the Red Sox first baseman, Kevin Youkilis batted .297, while averaging 21 home runs per season. Youkilis also had a .396 on base percentage, and .507 slugging percentage during this time. Youkilis battled teammate Dustin Pedroia for the 2008 MVP Award, finishing third in the vote. He followed that up with a sixth place finish in 2009.

Youkilis was also a very good fielding first baseman. He set a Major League record for most consecutive errorless games, while manning the position. He didn’t make a single error in 2007, and won the Gold Glove Award. His career fielding percentage at first base was .997.

Kevin Youkilis celebrates as he rounds third base after teammate J.D. Drew hit a grand slam off pitcher Fausto Carmona of the Cleveland Indians in Game Six of the ALCS. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

George Scott

“Boomer” had some power, while flashing some Gold Glove leather at first base. Spending parts of nine seasons with the Red Sox, Scott batted .257, while hitting 154 homers. His offense was a little hit or miss, hitting over .290 twice, but under .250 three times. He even batted .171, with 3 home runs, in 1968. After spending five seasons with Milwaukee, Scott returned to the Red Sox, and hit 33 home runs in 1977. Boomer made two All-Star Games, and won three Gold Gloves with the Red Sox.

George Scott of the Boston Red Sox connects for a two run homer in the bottom of the night inning of All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, July 20, 1977. (AP Photo)

Carl Yastrzemski

Yaz is the little wrinkle thrown in at first base. Better known for his time in left, Yaz would be tops on this list if it were just for what they did in their Red Sox career. However, this is an article just on first base. As a first baseman, Carl Yastrzemski was definitely a top five first baseman in franchise history, but most of his stats came in left field. Yaz could still arguably be up a spot or two higher, but he slots in fifth on my list.

Yastrzemski was the Red Sox main first baseman in 1970, and again from 1973-76. He played 50 or more games at first base in seven different seasons. During his time playing first, Yastrzemski batted .277, and hit 101 of his 452 career home runs. His 752 base hits actually do place fifth all-time at the position, after the players I have above him. He had a nice .373 on base percentage, which helped him to an .813 OPS while playing first base.

Honorable Mentions:

Brian Daubach, Kevin Millar, Mike Stanley, Dick Stuart

Best Right-Handed Pitchers

Best Left-Handed Pitchers

Best Relief Pitchers

Best Catchers

 

The Greatest Teenage Superstars

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I have decided to create an all-time teenager team. This isn’t picking the best players who debuted as teenagers. This picks the players who performed the best while they were teenagers. It is an impressive feat to make the major leagues while most people are still in school, so let’s celebrate those who have.

Pitching Staff

Dwight Gooden #16 of the New York Mets poses for a season portrait. Dwight Gooden played for the New York Mets from 1984-1994. (Photo by Rich Pilling/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Dwight Gooden

The Doc headlines the staff, as he went 17-9 with a 2.60 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 276 strike outs during his age-19 season. Gooden won the Rookie of the Year Award, made the all-star team and placed second in the CY Young Vote. Gooden also led the league in both WHIP and strike outs. Doc had a chance at being an all-time great, but instead ruined his career with Darryl Strawberry by snorting cocaine constantly. Gooden had notched 154 Ws by the age of 28, yet would win just 40 the rest of his career.

Bob Feller

Feller broke into the majors at the age of 17, pitching almost three full seasons as a teenager. Placing him second on this staff is for the body of work, considering he pitched three different seasons. None of his seasons were the second best by a teen. In 1936, at 17 years old Feller went 5-3 with a 3.34 ERA and struck out 76 batters in only 62 innings. This feat is made even more impressive considering it was 1936, batters didn’t strike out much back then. The next season Feller won nine games against seven losses. He had a 3.39 ERA and again struck out more than a batter per inning. In 1938, at the age of 19, Feller won 17 games and struck out a league high 240 batters. He also walked a league high 208 batters!

Gary Nolan

Gary Nolan broke into the big leagues at the age of 18 in 1967, quickly turning 19 in May. He had a phenomenal rookie season, finishing 14-8 with a 2.58 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 206 strike outs. Unfortunately, pitching at such a young age may have caught up to Nolan, as he suffered arm problems and had a short career. By age 24, Nolan was 76-47 with a 2.83 ERA and was coming off a 1.99 ERA in 1972. Over the next two seasons he pitched only 10.1 innings. After two successful comeback seasons in 1975 and 1976, Nolan re-injured his arm and retired at just 29 years old.

Wally Bunker

Another young guy who had a short career due to arm problems. At the age of 19 in 1964, Bunker was the Orioles ace, going 19-5 with a 2.69 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and a league leading .792 winning percentage. However, he hurt his arm late that season and was never quite the same. He enjoyed some success the following season, but his career was over by the time he was only 26 years old.

Joe Wood

Tough call for the fifth spot, but I’ll give it to Smoky Joe. Wood was known for throwing as hard as anyone in the game, but his violent delivery did not allow him to sustain his velocity as late into games as Walter Johnson could. In 1909, Smoky Joe went 11-7 with a 2.18 ERA and 1.02 WHIP for the Sox. He would remain one of the very best pitchers in all of baseball up through 1915, despite pitching injured for those last couple seasons. Based on accounts of the pain, he probably suffered from a torn rotator cuff. However, in 1915, his final season as a pitcher before switching to hitting because of the pain, Wood led the league with a 1.49 ERA. At that point, at age 25, Wood was 117-56 with a 1.99 ERA and 1.08 WHIP for his career. He should be in the Hall.

Bullpen

 

Rube Bressler

Bressler had an interesting career. In 1914, making 10 starts and 19 relief appearances, Bressler won 10 games versus four losses while pitching to a 1.77 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. That’s why he’s on this team. However, over the rest of his career he would go 16-28 with a 4.01 ERA. So what did he do? He switched to hitting and batted .311 between 1921 and 1932.

Larry Dierker

Dierker pitched two seasons as a teenager, mostly starting, but he made 10 relief appearances while a teenager. In 1965 at 18 years old Dierker posted a 3.50 ERA. The following season he brought his ERA down to 3.18 while finishing with a 10-8 record. In both seasons he had a 1.17 WHIP. Dierker had himself a solid career, making two all-star teams and winning 20 games once.

Walter Johnson

I’m cheating a bit with this one, as Johnson made 12 starts versus only two relief appearances in 1907. Despite being 5-9 on a really bad Senators team, Johnson had a 1.88 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. As I said, really bad Senators team. The Senators were bad almost his entire career and yet he won 417 games. Imagine if he had pitched on a decent team.

Jim Palmer

This one is actually not cheating, as Palmer was a reliever initially. In 1965 Palmer went 5-4 with a 3.72 ERA while mostly pitching out of the bullpen.  Of course, he had one of the best careers on this list.

Don Gullett

In 1970, Gullett went 5-2 with a 2.43 ERA and six saves pitching out of the Reds bullpen. Over the next eight seasons, Gullett would primarily start, and do it very well, receiving Cy Young votes in two separate seasons. He was forced to retire in 1978 at the age of 27 due to shoulder problems. He was 109-50 with a 3.11 ERA for his career.

Billy McCool

Who wouldn’t want a guy with the name McCool closing out games for them? McCool turned 20 in mid July in 1964, but spent enough time as a teenager before that to qualify. He was 6-5 that season with a 2.42 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and seven saves. He went on to save 39 games over the next two seasons, but flamed out quickly and was out of the league by the age of 26.

Billy McCool of the Reds.

Starting 9

Catcher

Del Crandall batted .263 with four home runs and 34 RBI during 1949. As one can imagine, there haven’t been many highly successful teenage catchers. Crandall would spend most of the next decade and a half as the Braves primary catcher and hit 179 career home runs.

First Base

Phil Cavarretta turned 19 in July of 1935, his first full season in the Bigs with the Chicago Cubs. He batted a very respectable .275 with eight home runs, 12 triples and 82 runs batted in. His 82 RBI were good for third most on the team. Cavarretta spent almost two decades with the Cubs,  through the 1953 season.

Second Base

Sibby Sisti is the only guy I even wrote down. Unfortunately, the other infield positions have several more worthy candidates than Sisti fighting with each other. Sibby batted .251 with six home runs and a .664 OPS in 1940, when he turned 20 years old in July.

Shortstop

Edgar Renteria gets the nod, which surprises me. I forgot he was a teenager when he broke in with the Marlins. In 1996, at age 19 (he turned 20 in August), Renteria batted .309 with a .757 OPS for the Marlins, also stealing 16 bases. So he gets the pick over some worthy competition.

Third Base

This one was close, but I am going with Freddie Lindstrom. He and Buddy Lewis had very similar batting numbers, but Lewis committed many more errors so the nod goes to Freddie. Lindstrom batted .287 with 12 triples and a .761 OPS in 1925, the highest OPS of any teenager who didn’t play the outfield. Lindstrom eventually made the Hall of Fame courtesy of the Veterans Committee.

Outfield

Mel Ott broke in at the age of 17 and batted .309 over 223 at bats during two partial seasons to begin his career. In 1928, at the age of 19, Ott was up for good and posted arguably the best offensive season a teenager ever has. That season Ott batted .322 with 18 homers, 77 runs batted in and a .921 OPS, the highest ever by a teenager. Standing at just 5’9” 170 pounds, Ott went on to win six home run crowns and bash over 500 career home runs.

Tony Conigliaro is one of the biggest ‘what ifs’ ever. Conigliaro homered in his first Fenway at bat (and later would homer in his first game back from his beaning). In 1964, at the age of 19, Tony C hit 24 home runs, the most ever by a teenager. He accomplished that in only 111 games. He also batted .290 and posted a stellar .883 OPS. The next season he would lead the league in home runs with 32 at just 20 years old. Conigliaro had 104 home runs in only 494 games at the time of his head injury at just 23 years old.

Bryce Harper didn’t disappoint in his first season. In 2012 he posted an .817 OPS while making the All-Star team and winning the Rookie of the Year Award. He batted .270 with 22 home runs and stole 18 bases at the age of 19.

Mel Ott, New York Giants Hall of Fame outfielder, practices his unusual swing in preparation for the upcoming World Series in 1936. This is the third image in a series of four. (Photo Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images)