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The Greatest Red Sox Legends by Uniform Number: 46-50

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The players stay strong as we move through the end of the forties and into the fifties.  The best players to wear the uniform numbers between 46 and 50 all played key roles on some good Red Sox teams.  One is the franchise all-time leader in games pitched, another is the franchise leader in innings pitched.  Take a look.

Number 46 – Bob Stanley

Born in Portland, Maine, Bob Stanley spent 13 seasons with the Red Sox, and is the franchise leader in games pitched with 637.  He started a healthy amount the first few seasons of his career before moving full-time to the bullpen (aside from 1987).

1978 was Stanley’s second season in the bigs, and he had an excellent year.  Stanley was 15-2 with a 2.60 ERA and saved 10 games on that famous team.  The next year he made 30 starts, made the All-Star Game, and won 16 games.  In 1980 he won 10 games and saved 14, while pitching to a 3.39 ERA.  He was 49-29 with a 3.55 ERA and 28 saves after four seasons, making 63 starts and 122 more relief appearances.

Moving to the pen, Stanley won 22 games over the next two seasons.  Becoming the full-time closer in 1983, Stanley saved 33 games and made his second all-star team.  From 1981-85, working in relief, Stanley had a 3.20 ERA and saved 79 games while winning 45.  He had a mediocre 1986, and despite not allowing a run in 6.1 innings in the World Series, he is remembered very negatively for his crucial wild pitches in game six.

The Red Sox oddly moved Stanley back to the rotation in 1987 after six years of relief work; it did not go well.  Stanley was 4-15 with a 5.01 ERA.  With the experiment over, Stanley had one more good season in him, going 6-4 with a 3.19 ERA over 101.2 innings in 1988.  In total, he won 115 games, and saved 132, over his 13 seasons in Boston.

Honorable Mentions: Craig Kimbrel, Jacoby Ellsbury (2007-09)

Number 47 – Bruce Hurst

Bruce Hurst was a solid pitcher for the Sox in the eighties.  He had an excellent 1986, and was good in 1988, but aside from that was largely average before going to San Diego.  With that said, he is easily the best number 47 in team history.

Hurst spent some time with the Sox in 1980, but didn’t do much before 1983.  He was 7-9 with a 6.17 ERA by the end of 1982.  At age 25 he made some strides, going 12-12, and throwing over 200 innings in 1983.  He was 12-12 again in 1984, and got his ERA below 4.00 for the first time, despite a very high 1.47 WHIP.  His strike outs and WHIP improved in 1985, but his ERA rose back up.  Over that three-year stretch, he was 35-37 with a 4.18 ERA and 1.42 WHIP.

Hurst had his best season yet in 1986.  He was 13-8 over 25 starts that year, posting an excellent 2.99 ERA.  He then went 3-0 in the postseason, including 2-0 in the World Series.  Had the bullpen not choked away game six, Hurst may have won World Series MVP.  Hurst won 15 games in 1987, and made his first All-Star Game despite a high ERA (his ERA was much better in the first half).  1988 would be the final season of his Red Sox career, and he posted a career best 18-6 record.  Hurst placed fifth in the Cy Young vote with his 3.66 ERA and 18 wins.

He was largely much better towards the end of his time with the Sox, going 46-27 with a 3.76 ERA over the final three seasons.  In total, he won 88 games as a Red Sox, and posted a 4.23 ERA and 1.40 WHIP.

Honorable Mentions: Rod Beck, Jason Varitek (1997-99)

Number 48 – Lee Smith

The recent Hall of Famer did more of his work with the Cubs than anyone else, but his two-plus seasons with the Sox contributed to his case.  Acquired in the offseason between 1987 and 1988 for Al Nipper and World Series goat Calvin Schiraldi, Smith was brought in to give the team a legitimate closer.

Smith’s first season with the team he had a 2.80 ERA and struck out over 10 batters per nine innings.  His 29 saves were the most by a Red Sox since Bob Stanley’s 33 in 1983.  In 1989 he was 6-1 and saved 25 games.  His 12.2 strike outs per nine innings pitched was the highest of the Hall of Famer’s career.

The Red Sox curiously acquired another closer in the offseason in Jeff Reardon.  This seemed to spell something was amiss. S mith had a 1.88 ERA and four saves early that season, before being dealt to the Cardinals for Tom Brunansky on May 4th.

Honorable Mentions: Javier Lopez, Tony Fossas, Scott Atchison

Number 49 – Tim Wakefield

The franchise’s all-time leader in starts and innings pitched, as well as some less desirable categories, Tim Wakefield is the only 49.  Picked up off the scrap heap in 1995, Wakefield had an epic season for the Sox.  He was 16-8 with a 2.95 ERA, finishing third in the Cy Young vote.  He started the year 14-1 with a magical 1.65 ERA, before teams started squaring up his knuckleball late in the year.  That was the start of a 17-year run in Boston for Wakefield, including two World Series championships.

Wakefield was a serviceable starter over the next few seasons, and won 17 games in 1998.  The following four seasons would be split between starting and relieving.  He made 17 starts three straight years from 1999-2001, and 15 starts in 2002.  Wakefield even saved 15 games in 1999 as he proved he could perform many roles.  2002 was his best season since his first in Boston, going 11-5 with a 2.81 ERA and 1.05 WHIP.

Wakefield moved back to the rotation in 2003 and had a solid season.  He was then excellent in the postseason before an ending that never should have happened.  He threw a career high 225.1 innings in 2005, and won 16 games, his most since 1998.  In 2007 he matched his career high with 17 wins.  Proving, at the age of 40, the knuckleball is ageless.  In 2009 he finally made his first all-star team, going 11-3 by the break.

After pitching two more seasons, Wakefield got to 200 career wins, 186 of them coming for Boston.  That total sits him third on the franchise list behind Roger Clemens and Cy Young.  He pitched in every role for the team, and proved himself a valuable commodity both on the field and as a teammate.

Number 50 – Mookie Betts

Who other than the MVP would be number 50?  Betts is the cornerstone of this current Sox team and coming off an MVP season.  At 26 years old he is already a three-time All-Star, a three-time Gold Glove winner, a two-time Silver Slugger, an MVP, a batting champion and a World champion.  Not too shabby.

Betts showed his potential immediately in 2014, batting .291 for the Sox in a season that began in AA.  The next year he batted .291 again, hitting 42 doubles, eight triples and 18 home runs.  Betts broke out in 2016, and nearly won the MVP, finishing second to Mike Trout.  He had 214 hits as he batted .318 with 31 home runs and 26 stolen bases.

Despite 2017 being a down year, Betts still homered 24 times and drove in 102 runs.  He doubled 46 times and stole 26 bases in 29 tries.  With a new hitting coach and new manager this past year, as well as some much-needed lineup protection, Betts put together a historic season.  He has now doubled over 40 times in all four of his full Major League seasons, giving him 189 total.  He has hit 110 home runs, as well as stolen 110 bases.  The future is bright for the always smiling Mookie Betts.

 

 

Featured picture taken from Science News

The Greatest Red Sox Legends by Uniform Number: 1-5

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One of my projects for the MLB offseason this year will be a series of articles covering the greatest Red Sox to wear each uniform number. My plan is to cover five uniform numbers at a time starting here with one through five. Right off the bat, we dig into a couple retired numbers. Before I begin, I would like to mention that Brandon Phillips became the first player in franchise history to wear the number zero this September. He didn’t play much, but he did pimp out this game-winning home run against the Braves.

Number 1 – Bobby Doerr

The greatest second baseman in franchise history, Bobby Doerr made the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986 and has his number one retired by the Red Sox. Doerr played on some great teams in the forties with pals Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky and Dom DiMaggio. He had a smooth glove at second base and was one of the finest offensive players at the keystone position the game had seen.

Doerr batted .318 in 1939, his third season in the big leagues. By the next season, he had surpassed 20 home runs and 100 runs batted in for the first time. He would make four straight All-Star Games from 1941-44 before joining the fight overseas in World War II and missing the 1945 season. After returning, Doerr made three straight All-Star Games and five times in six seasons to close out his career. He drove in more than 100 runs in four of the five seasons following World War II, finishing with 95 the season he fell short.

Unfortunately, Doerr was forced into early retirement due to a bad back. He had actually become more consistent at the plate later in his career, posting an OPS between .886 and .891 each year between 1948 and 1950. He still finished with a very solid .826 OPS in his final season. From his first full season in 1938 through his last in 1951, Bobby Doerr averaged a season of .289 with 17 home runs and 95 RBI.

Honorable Mentions: George Kell, Bernie Carbo, Billy Conigliaro, Joe Foy

BOBBY DOERR from the Boston Red Sox. (Photo by Sporting News via Getty Images)

Number 2 – Jacoby Ellsbury

Ellsbury’s career has spiraled, but that’s a good thing since he’s eating up the Yankees payroll to do nothing. With the Red Sox, he was a good player when healthy and helped the Red Sox win two World Series. Ellsbury came up that year and was so successful down the stretch that he was put on the postseason roster. He then batted .438 in the World Series. Ellsbury was solid again in the 2013 postseason, winning a second World Series with the Red Sox.

Ellsbury spent parts of seven seasons with the Red Sox, but only had four relatively full seasons. He led the league in stolen bases in three of his four healthy seasons. He batted .300 twice and stole 50 bases three times. In 2011, Ellsbury had a career season, finishing second in the MVP vote, winning a Gold Glove and the Silver Slugger. While the rest of the team collapsed down the stretch, Ellsbury was white hot and would have won the MVP if the team hadn’t fallen apart and missed the playoffs.

Honorable Mentions: Rick Ferrell, Xander Bogaerts, Jerry Remy, Mike Andrews

Number 3 – Jimmie Foxx

Foxx is one of the most powerful right-handed bats of all-time. The greatest first baseman in Red Sox history, Foxx won one of his three MVP Awards with the Red Sox and finished second in another season. He homered 35 or more times in each of his first five seasons with the team, averaging 40 home runs and 134 runs batted in per season. There is a reason Foxx was referred to as “The Beast.”

In 1938, his third season in Boston, Foxx won the MVP Award. That season he hit 50 home runs and drove in a league high 175 runs. His slash line that season was .349/.462/.704/1.166, leading the league in each category. The next season he batted .360 and led the league in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and home runs. Cumulatively, Foxx batted .320 with the Red Sox and is second in franchise history in on-base percentage and slugging percentage behind only Ted Williams.

Honorable Mentions: Pete Runnels, Jody Reed, Jeff Frye, Walt Dropo

Number 4 – Joe Cronin

Another retired number, as the Sox retired the number four in honor of Cronin. Cronin spent seven seasons as a full-time player before he started focusing more on managing the club and being limited to mostly pinch-hitting. Despite this role, Cronin batted over .300 with an OPS over .900 each of his first two seasons doing so.

Cronin made five all-star teams with the Red Sox and had two top ten MVP finishes. From 1937-41 he batted over .300 four times, posting a .307/.404/.504/.909 line during that time period. He averaged 19 home runs and 103 runs batted in during that time. He was the Red Sox manager from 1935-47. After, Cronin went on to become general manager, president and treasurer of the team before moving on to the role of American League president.

As a close second, Jackie Jensen deserves a few words. Jensen hit 20+ home runs in each of his first six seasons with the Red Sox, averaging a season of .285 with 26 home runs and 111 RBI. He was the 1958 MVP and won a Gold Glove the following season.

Honorable Mentions: Jackie Jensen, Butch Hobson, Tommy Harper, Carney Lansford

Number 5 – Nomar Garciaparra

During his time in Boston, Nomar was one of the most popular players the franchise had ever seen. Around Fenway Park, around the city, you could hear people yell “Nomaaahhh!” Arguably the greatest shortstop in franchise history, the uniform number five is synonymous with Nomar for an entire generation of fans.

Nomar came up with much fanfare and won the Rookie of the Year in 1997. He hit 30 home runs and led the league in hits that season. In year two, Nomar finished runner-up for the MVP Award. The following two seasons he was batting champion, hitting .357 and .372. Nomar was getting better and better, before an Al Reyes pitch hit him on the wrist, requiring surgery the following season. Nomar was still an excellent player when he came back, but wasn’t quite the same. His averages fell to .310 and .301 his next two full seasons. However, he did hit 52 home runs and drove in 225 runs over those two seasons. He also led the league with an astounding 56 doubles in 2002.

Things didn’t end on the best terms in Boston for Nomar, but he should be remembered for what he did with the team and for how much the fans loved him. He batted .323 with a .923 OPS during his time in Boston. Nomar hit 50 doubles twice and eclipsed 40 two other seasons. In his six full seasons with the Sox, Nomar hit over 20 home runs in all six. He is truly a Red Sox legend.

Honorable Mentions: George Scott, Vern Stephens, Jim Tabor

 

Featured picture from NBC News

 

Top Five September Call-Ups in Red Sox History

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September first; the day rosters expand. Today the Red Sox called several players up from the minor leagues to join the club for the final month. It is yet to be seen if any of them will make a big impact, or even be used much at all. Sometimes the call-ups get a lot of playing time, and some even have a big impact on the team down the stretch. In choosing the top five September call-ups in Red Sox history, I combine how well the player did in that final month with the impact they had on the club. I do not factor in future production, only what they did in the September they were called up.

Jacoby Ellsbury

Ellsbury was first called up at the tail end of June, 2007. He only made five starts before being sent back down. After spending just one day in August with the big club, Ellsbury was called back up when rosters expanded on September 1st. From that point forward, Ellsbury was a regular starter for the club despite them being in first place. During the final month, Ellsbury batted .361 with three home runs and drove in 17 runs. He was also a perfect eight for eight stealing bases.

With his stellar performance down the stretch, Ellsbury made the postseason roster despite not even having enough at-bats to remove his rookie status for 2008. Ellsbury appeared in 11 games that postseason, including all four in the World Series where he went 7-16 at the plate. Ellsbury drew two walks, doubled four times and stole a base during the World Series against the Rockies.

Jacoby Ellsbury at the 2007 World Series Parade. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Fred Lynn

The second half of the “Gold Dust Twins” was a September call-up in 1974, coming up a couple weeks after Jim Rice. Lynn got up to the plate 51 times that September and showed the fan base what was to come. Lynn had six multi-hit games, including a four hit performance against the Tigers that September. He batted .419/.490/.698/1.188 down the stretch, homering twice and driving in 10 runs.

Rudy Pemberton

Pemberton is not as well known as the others listed. By the 1996 season he was already 26 years old when he got the call. Pemberton raked after being called up in September of that season. Pemberton had logged 30 at-bats with the Tigers in the spring of 1995 before being sent down. The Red Sox acquired him early in 1996 and he batted .326 with 27 home runs and 92 runs batted in for Pawtucket. Pemberton continued to thrive, picking up 21 base hits in 41 at-bats for a .512 batting average! Pemberton homered, drove in 10 runs and posted a 1.336 OPS.

Despite his performance, Pemberton got off to a slow start in 1997 and wound up in Japan. He spent most of the rest of his career playing foreign baseball.

Dwayne Hosey

Dwayne Hosey is a similar one to Rudy Pemberton. Hosey was already 28 years old when the Red Sox gave him his first shot in the big leagues in September of 1995. Hosey had generally put up solid numbers in the minors but had never been given a chance. In 1994 Hosey batted .333 with 27 home runs and 27 stolen bases for the Omaha Royals in AAA, but was never called up.

The Red Sox acquired Hosey on August 31, 1995 after a season down in AAA for the Royals and put him on their big league club. Hosey played a bunch for the division winners, accumulating 68 at-bats that September. He batted .338 with 3 home runs and was a perfect six for six on the basepaths. Unfortunately, he was 0-12 with two walks in their postseason series with the Indians, but he had performed well enough to start in the postseason for the club.

Clay Buchholz

How can you leave off a guy who threw a no-hitter? Buchholz had made a start on August 17th, but was sent back to the minors until rosters expanded. On September 1st, 2007, Buchholz no-hit the Baltimore Orioles, striking out nine and walking three. That alone earns him consideration. He made two more appearances that September, one in relief and one more start. He finished that September with a 2-1 record, a 0.54 ERA and .113 opponent batting average.

Jason Varitek lifts Clay Buchholz after his no-hitter on September 1, 2007.

Honorable Mentions:

Mike Greenwell, Xander Bogaerts, Austin Maddox, Carlton Fisk, Scott Cooper, Ted Cox, Nomar Garciaparra

The Greatest Center Fielders in Red Sox History

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Center field is a position with a lot of competition. Picking the greatest Sox center fielder ever was easy. Selecting the next four, not so much. Two through four were obviously going to make the top five, but determining an order was difficult. Again, at number five there were a few guys vying for the one spot, so pay attention to the honorable mentions at the end.

Tris Speaker

Tris Speaker is not only the greatest center fielder in Red Sox history, he is one of the very best of all-time. Although he put up better numbers after being traded to Cleveland, Speaker was already one of the best players in baseball with the Red Sox. From his first full season in 1909 until he was traded following the 1915 season, Speaker batted .342 with a .909 OPS. During this time he averaged 34 doubles, 15 triples and 38 stolen bases per season.

Speaker’s best season with the Sox came in 1912, when he won the MVP Award. That season he batted .383, leading the league with 10 home runs and 53 doubles. Speaker had 222 base hits and stole 52 bases that season while scoring 136 runs. Always a huge extra base guy, Speaker followed that season with a .363 average and 22 triples in 1913. He put up a 55.5 WAR over his seven full seasons.

 

Rookie outfielder Tris Speaker of the Boston Red Sox poses for a photo in 1908. (Photo by Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images)

Dom DiMaggio

My choice for the second spot on the list goes to the underrated Dominic DiMaggio. Overshadowed his entire career by his big brother Joe, Dom was a great ballplayer. He was widely considered the best defensive center fielder in the game, running balls down 460 feet from home plate. In addition to his great reads off the bat and his range, DiMaggio had a cannon for an arm for such a small guy. DiMaggio averaged over 13 assists per season.

Overshadowed some by Ted Williams during his career as well, Williams realized how important DiMaggio was to the team. Williams trumpeted Dom DiMaggio’s Hall of Fame case until he died, even having a pamphlet available at his museum covering why he believed Dom should be in the Hall. When the greatest hitter of all-time believes so strongly in that, who is anyone else to argue? Part of what hurt DiMaggio’s case is that he missed three seasons to the war. He finished with just 1680 base hits, but if the war hadn’t happened that number would easily surpass 2000. Couple that with his great fielding and his .298 batting average, he certainly has a case.

DiMaggio was the catalyst atop some vaunted Red Sox lineups, scoring over 100 runs six times and leading the league in that category twice. He also led the league in triples and stolen bases in 1950, in what was an outstanding season. His career 162 game average came out to .298 with 10 home runs, 36 doubles, 195 base hits and a .383/.419/.802 triple slash. He made seven all-star teams in 10 seasons.

Year Tm AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
1940 BOS 418 81 126 32 6 8 46 7 41 46 .301 .367 .464 .831
1941 BOS 584 117 165 37 6 8 58 13 90 57 .283 .385 .408 .792
1942 BOS 622 110 178 36 8 14 48 16 70 52 .286 .364 .437 .801
1943
1944
1945
1946 BOS 534 85 169 24 7 7 73 10 66 58 .316 .393 .427 .820
1947 BOS 513 75 145 21 5 8 71 10 74 62 .283 .376 .390 .766
1948 BOS 648 127 185 40 4 9 87 10 101 58 .285 .383 .401 .785
1949 BOS 605 126 186 34 5 8 60 9 96 55 .307 .404 .420 .824
1950 BOS 588 131 193 30 11 7 70 15 82 68 .328 .414 .452 .866
1951 BOS 639 113 189 34 4 12 72 4 73 53 .296 .370 .418 .788
1952 BOS 486 81 143 20 1 6 33 6 57 61 .294 .371 .377 .747
1953 BOS 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .333 .333 .333 .667
11 Y 11 Y 5640 1046 1680 308 57 87 618 100 750 571 .298 .383 .419 .802
162 162 653 121 195 36 7 10 72 12 87 66 .298 .383 .419 .802

Fred Lynn

Lynn should never have left the Red Sox. Fred Lynn spent the first six full seasons of his career in Boston and was on a Hall of Fame path. Fenway Park suited him perfectly. After leaving his production dropped off considerably. He was still a solid player, but no longer the potential Hall of Famer he had been.

Lynn came up late in 1974 and hinted at what was to come. He batted .419 with a 1.188 OPS in 43 at-bats. The next season he became the first player to ever win the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player Awards in the same season. Lynn batted .331 that season and led the league with 47 doubles and a .967 OPS. His best season however was arguably in 1979. Lynn was a monster that season, leading the league in batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. In addition to that he hit 39 home runs and won the Gold Glove Award.

Fred Lynn batted .308 as a member of the Red Sox, hitting 124 home runs. He had 944 base hits and a slash line of .383/.520/.902. In addition to his Rookie of the Year and MVP, Lynn won four Gold Gloves and made six All-Star Games.

Fred Lynn of the Boston Red Sox bats against the New York Yankees during an MLB baseball game circa 1976 at Yankee Stadium. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

Reggie Smith

Another player who had his best seasons after leaving the Red Sox. The Red Sox made a mistake trading him as Smith went on to have two top five MVP finishes. Smith had plenty of good seasons in Boston though, hitting over 20 home runs in five consecutive seasons and batting over .300 during three of them. An underrated player, I have Smith as a top 20 center fielder of all-time.

While with the Red Sox, Smith batted .281 and hit 149 home runs out of 1064 base hits. Over his final five seasons with the team, Smith averaged a season of .294 with 24 home runs, 81 RBI and an .867 OPS. He also led the league in doubles in both 1968 and 1971. Smith made two All-Star Games and won a Gold Glove Award with the Red Sox.

Reggie Smith of the Boston Red Sox.

Jacoby Ellsbury

Ellsbury was always good with the Sox when he was healthy. Since leaving, he has continued to do a wonderful job by eating up a bunch of the Yankees money to be a below average player. What a guy! Ellsbury came up late in 2007 and showed very well down the stretch. He earned his way onto the playoff roster and batted .438 during the World Series. It was the first of two World Series he would win with the team.

2011 was far and away his best offensive season. Ellsbury had a huge second half of the year and probably would have won the MVP had the team not collapsed in September. He had 212 base hits that season, batting .321 with 32 home runs, 46 doubles and 39 stolen bases. He ended up the runner-up to Justin Verlander for the MVP Award.

Ellsbury was always a huge threat on the base paths, leading the league in steals three times. He had a career high 70 stolen bases in 2009. In 2013, his final year with the team, Ellsbury stole 52 bases while only being caught four times. Ellsbury made one all-star team, won a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger Award.

Ellsbury slices a line drive the other way.

Honorable Mentions:

Ellis Burks, Johnny Damon, Chick Stahl, Ira Flagstead, Tony Armas, Jimmy Piersall