Boston Red Sox All-Time Team
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DRAFT BOOK CHAPTER (last updated 5/30/2010)
By Thomas Ryan Stone
Boston Red Sox All-Time Team
The Red Sox history is rich with talent, while lacking in post-
season success until The Curse was dispelled in 2004. The franchise began
in 1901, the year the American League was born. It didn't always carry the
nickname "Red Sox", variously using Americans, Somersets, and Pilgrims
during its first few seasons. All told they've managed to capture twelve
pennants and seven World Series titles.
As longtime Fenway hopefuls would expect, this team is loaded
with power and high-average hitters, but pretty thin on speed. The
pitching staff has two great aces, but the bullpen is less impressive than
many other long-time franchises.
1st Base:
Carl Yastrzemski (1961-83) will play here, even though he
logged more games in the outfield (2076 at OF, 765 at 1B), because the
outfield is even more crowded (like most All-Time teams). He not only
had a great career, he also had some outstanding peak performances,
including an MVP Triple-Crown year in 1967. The awards piled up for
Yaz over time, as he was an All-Star 18 times and nabbed seven Gold
Gloves. He even excelled in the post-season, batting .369 with 4 home
runs and 15 Runs in 17 games.
But after Yaz there is a problem. I'm going to go with Jimmie
Foxx (1936-42) who played most of his games at 1B 807, while catching a
few dozen as well. He had a near triple crown in 1938: he led the league
with a .349 average and 175 RBIs, and his 50 home runs were 16 more
than the next guy, but unfortunately Hank Greenberg chose that year to
crank out 58. I have to find a spot for a guy with his numbers, even if he
only played part of his career for the Sox.
Sadly, this means that Mo Vaughn (1991-98) misses out. The
1995 MVP averaged 36 homeruns and 111 RBIs from 1993-98 (which
includes strike-shortened seasons). You could certainly make a case for
Vaughn over Foxx, but he too didn't play particularly long for Boston
either.George Scott (1966-71, 77-79) had two stints in Boston and
played more games at 1B than anyone else has. He had some power, and
won three Gold Gloves, but his other numbers don't measure up.
Kevin Youkilis (2004-09) has also won a Gold Glove for Boston,
and has emerged as a consistently good hitter for the club. Since I doubt
his peak numbers will ever approach those of Foxx or Vaughn, he’ll need
to have a long, productive career for the Sox to make it onto this roster.
And although he has played mostly DH and only a little at 1B, I’ll
mention David Ortiz (2003-09) here as he clearly has had several
explosive seasons for the Sox. His first five seasons provided HR totals of
31, 41, 47, 54, 35, and he paced the AL in RBIs with 148 in 2005 and 137
in 2006.
2nd Base:
A standout second basemen of the 1940s, HOFer Bobby Doerr
(1937-51) is the obvious starter. He was a power hitter at a position that
rarely provided power: he managed 100 RBIs six times –- which
amazingly is once more than Yaz did. He was named an all-star nine
times, and played nearly twice as many games at 2B as any other Red Sox.
The Red Sox are not deep here, so the backup is Billy Goodman
(1947-57), a utility man who played most of his games at 2B, but also
played some 1B, OF, and 3B, and cumulatively deserves a roster spot. He
led the league in batting in 1950 with a .354 mark, the only player in
history to do so while not having a regular position: OF (45), 3B (27), 1B
(21), 2B (5), SS (1).
I’ll also note that Pete Runnels (1958-62) played five years with
Boston at 2B and 1B, hitting over .300 every season. He even won two
batting titles (.320 in 1960 and .326 in 1962), but that isn’t quite enough to
make this all-time roster in my view.
3rd Base:
One of the two best high-average hitters of the 1980s, Wade
Boggs (1982-92) is the clear choice to start at the hot corner. He had 200
or more hits seven times, 100 or more runs eight times, and won five
batting titles. After the 1992 season, and after 1520 games at 3B (most
ever for the Sox), he left Boston for New York and eventually Tampa
Bay.
The backup spot, however, is a tougher call. Johnny Pesky
(1942, 46-52) had an outstanding rookie campaign in 1942, then returned
2to the Sox after WWII and was a high average hitter for Boston for over
7+ full seasons. He led the AL in hits three times, and six times scored
over 100 runs. He split his time at SS (549 G) and 3B (457 G), but I'll
choose him here because SS is an even tougher spot to crack. If he hadn't
lost several years, his resume would be even stronger. And you could
certainly add to his case if you include his additional contributions to the
Red Sox, including work as a coach, announcer, and general manager.
One can also make a good case for Frank Malzone (1955-65),
who was good defensively (three Gold Gloves) and steady with the bat as
well, consistently providing 15 home runs and between 80-100 RBIs a
year. And he played 1335 games at 3B, just behind Boggs.
Hall of Famer Jimmy Collins (1901-07) was the first 3B for this
franchise, and managed the club for their first six seasons as well, which
included their winning the first World Series ever. He provided great
defense and was often amongst the league leaders in several offensive
categories.
As mentioned earlier, George Scott played both a solid 1B and
some 3B for Boston, but he can't quite crack the roster at either position.
Others worth mentioning include Jim Tabor (1938-44) who manned the
hot corner for several years before and during World War II, and Larry
Gardner (1908-17) who was the regular at the position during the dead-
ball era.
Shortstop:
Like Doerr at 2B, Rico Petrocelli (1963-76) provided Boston
with power at a position that rarely demonstrated it during that time
period. He regularly hit double-digit home runs, and cranked out 40 in
1969 after the leagues once again expanded. He split his time evenly
between SS and 3B, but he'll make this team as the starting SS.
Although Nomar Garciaparra (1996-04) was traded as part of a
four-team exchange in the middle of the 2004 season, he was the
supertstar in town for enough years to warrant this selection. In all of his
six full seasons he hit over .300, with 20+ HR, and 95+ RBI. He led the
league in batting in both 1999 with .357 and 2000 with .372.
You could make a case for Joe Cronin (1935-45) to be the
backup, as he was a player-manager for Boston for many years. Although
his best seasons were with Washington, he managed a .300 average and
three times had over 100 RBIs, and another three times had over 90,
while playing for the Sox. If you thought he should be on this team, but
3not in place of Nomar, then you could also shift Petrocelli to be the
backup at 3B (so that decision then comes down to Cronin vs. Pesky).
Vern Stephens (1948-52) had three incredible seasons in Boston
from 1948-50 with homer totals of 29, 39, and 30, and RBI totals of 137,
159, and 144. But then he only played parts of 1951-52. He was named an
all-star four times during those years, but just didn't play long enough to
qualify for this squad.
John Valentin (1992-01) had several fine seasons, in the late 90s,
splitting time at SS, 3B, and a little 2B, but not doing enough to earn a a
spot on this roster. Everett Scott (.246) and Rick Burleson (.274, 3 AS, 1
GG) were both good fielders, and they are 1-2 on the list for games
played at SS, but both were rather light hitters. Burleson is the only Red
Sox SS to ever win a gold glove, and was an All-Star three times, but
doesn't compare well offensively.
Catcher:
Starting will be Carlton Fisk (1969, 71-80), who had some key
seasons in Bean Town before taking off for Chicago. He is most
remembered for post-season heroics, but he also hit 20 or more homers
four times. He was named an All-Star seven times, and was both a Gold
Glover and Rookie of the Year in 1972.
Jason Varitek (1997-09) took over the bulk of the catching
duties in 1999 and he has been a key part of their success since. A three-
time All-Star, he has also three times hit 20+ HR.
Until Varitek came along, the backup would have been a choice
between Rich Gedman (1980-90) and Sammy White (1951-59). These two
would have been considered based largely on having played at the
position more than any others, which is not a ringing endorsement. White
could be counted on to produce .260+ and 10+ HR, and was an All-Star
once. Gedman had a little more pop (three times hitting 15+ HR), and
was an All-Star twice.
Outfield:
This is where some truly good players will not make the cut (and
that is with Yaz already shifting to 1B to make more room). The starting
three are lifetime Red Sox of high merit. Words don't do justice to the
greatness of Ted Williams (1939-42, 46-60). He had two Triple Crowns
('42 and '47) and two MVP awards ('46 and '49). The amazing thing here
is that he didn't win the MVP in either of his Triple Crown seasons! Joe
4Gordon took the award in 1942, and Joe DiMaggio in 1947 (by just one
vote.) And then there is 1941, when Williams batted over .400, but failed
to win the MVP (DiMaggio took it riding on his 56-game hitting streak).
On the down side, anyone who thinks Williams was swift afoot is not
basing that opinion on his stolen base numbers (only 24 in his entire
career). And he managed only 5-25 with no home runs in seven post-
season appearances. But these are minor blemishes on a stunning career in
which he took home six batting titles and led the AL in HR four times,
RBI four times, runs six times, and on-base percentage an insane 12 times.
Next are two stars who played alongside each other for many
years in the 70s and 80s, Dwight Evans (1972-90) 3 AS, 8 GG) and Jim
Rice (1974-89) 8 AS). Evans played a bit longer and was a much better
fielder (taking home 8 Gold Glove awards), but Rice had superior peak
offensive seasons. Take his MVP 1978 season for instance: .315, 46 HR,
121 R, 139 RBI, and 15 triples giving him 406 total bases (the Red Sox
record). He was an All-Star eight times, and Evans was All-Star three
times. Evans was consistent, as he hit 20+ HR eleven times, but in the
end Rice is remembered and honored more (note his 2009 election to the
Hall of Fame, while Evans remained on the ballot for only three years.)
The fourth spot has to go to high-average HOFer Tris Speaker
(1907-15), who split most of his career with Boston and Cleveland. In
1912 he had his best year, batting .383 with 222 hits, 136 R, 52 SB, and 53
doubles. He adds speed to this rather slow team: he has 3 of the top 10
single season SB totals for Boston. He never won a batting title while in
Boston, largely due to playing during the Ty Cobb era.
Dom DiMaggio (1940-42, 46-53) had little power and only
moderate speed (he led the league in SB once, but with only 15). But "The
Little Professor" had several productive seasons, scoring 100 or more
runs six times, and was an All-Star seven times. And like Williams and
many others, he missed three of his prime years to WWII.
The final OF spot has recently become a close call, but I’ll go
with dead-ball era hitter Harry Hooper (1909-20), whose speed made
him a consistent, if not a flashy run scorer. He had between 75-100 runs
in each of 11 full seasons with the Red Sox (though he never managed
more than 53 RBIs). And for many years he was a part of a trio (with
Speaker and Duffy Lewis) who for a some time after were considered by
some to be the best outfield assembled on one team.
Contemporary fans might wonder about Manny Ramirez (2001-
08). Manny signed as a free-agent from the Indians after the 2000 seasons,
and had many outstanding seasons in Beantown. In 2002 he paced the AL
with a .349 average, and then in 2004 led the league with 43 HR. Not a
5good runner, and definitely a liability in the field, I just don’t consider his
.312 average, 274 HR, and 8 Red Sox all-star appearances to be quite
enough to usurp Hooper for the sixth OF spot on this roster. But I can
certainly see the argument for him, so I wouldn’t be offended if you made
the switch.
The next OF left off the team after Ramirez is Fred Lynn (1974-
80) .308, .520 SLG, 6 AS, 4 GG). Not only did he have a famous Rookie
of the Year campaign in 1975 (winning the MVP), but in 1979 he belted
39 homers and 122 RBIs while batting .333. He ended up his short Red
Sox career with a .308 average, 4 Gold Gloves, and was an All-Star six
times, but he only played about half as many games for the Sox as Hooper
did.
Jackie Jensen (1954-61) had seven good seasons with Boston,
including six with 20 or more homers and five with 100 or more RBIs
(three times leading the league). He took home one Gold Glove award
and was an all-star twice.
Also considered were:
Mike Greenwell (1985-96) who batted .303 and was an all-star twice,
but had only moderate power or speed.
Duffy Lewis (1910-17), the third part of the great trio with Speaker
and Hooper.
Reggie Smith (1966-73) who regularly hit 20+ HR for Boston, took
home a Gold Glove award and was an all-star twice.
Tony Conigliaro (1964-70, 75) who led the AL with 32 HR in the
light year of 1965, and later belted 36 HR with 116 RBI in 1970.
Buck Freeman (1901-07) who led the league in RBI twice with 121 in
1902 and 104 in 1903, and was regularly amongst the league leaders in
HR (during an era when 10 dingers was enough to be in such
contention).
Chick Stahl (1901-06) Freeman’s teammate who led the league in
triples in 1904 with 19, and had several fine seasons before his suicide
in 1907.
Starting Pitching:
This team's pitching staff starts out with two all-time greats: one
whose name is on the top award for the position, and another who has
won that award more than anyone else. Roger Clemens () had many of
his best years in Boston, including a 24-4 record in 1986. He took home
6three Cy Young Awards: 86, 87, and 91. His last four years with Boston
were unremarkable before leaving for Toronto and New York — and a
revitalized career. But in the seven years before that he posted 17 or more
wins and 200 or more Ks.
Cy Young's (1901-08) almost unbelievable career began in 1890
with the Cleveland Spiders. But many of his best seasons were spent in
Boston, where he pitched for eight seasons, anchoring the first dominant
team of the junior circuit. During those years Denton True Young posted
the following ERAs: 1.63, 2.15, 2.08, 1.97, 1.82, 3.19, 1.99, 1.26. His
average W-L record during that time was 25-15. And he completed 275 of
his 297 starts. No wonder the award is named after him.
Pedro Martinez (1998-04) was electric during his seven seasons
in Boston. You could argue about where he belongs on this roster, but I'll
give him this third spot. His 1999 and 2000 seasons, for which he won Cy
Young awards, are arguably two of the very best pitching seasons in the
history of the game, especially if you consider his numbers relative to the
rest of the league:
23-4, 2.07 (vs. 5.07 lg. avg.), 213.3 IP, 160 H, 313 K, 37 BB
18-6, 1.74 (vs. 4.97 lg. avg.), 217.0 IP, 128 H, 284 K, 32 BB
The fourth starter is Mel Parnell (1947-56), a Red Sox hurler
from the 40s and 50s. He twice won 20+ games, and two other times had
18. The highlight of his career was going 25-7 with a 2.77 ERA in 1949.
Next is Luis Tiant (1971-78), who had his most dominating years earlier
in his career (with Cleveland), but also had many fine seasons for Boston.
These included three 20-win seasons, and a 15-6 campaign in 1972 in
which he posted a 1.91 ERA.
The sixth starter is HOFer Lefty Grove (1934-41). He had a
simply awesome career, though most of his most dominating seasons
were spent for the Athletics. During his time in Boston he had only one
20-win season, but did capture four ERA titles.
Old-timer Smokey Joe Wood (1908-15) makes the team in this
seventh spot. He had an incredible 34-5 record in 1912, and overall
compiled a 116-56 record with an amazing 1.99 ERA while in Boston.
Now at this point there are some tough decisions to make. As
you will later see, there are four relievers I seriously considered for this all-
time team, but in the end I only selected two for this roster. So that means
there is one more spot for a starting pitcher. And unless you disagree with
any of my first seven selections, I see two very different candidates – in
7fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find two pitchers that are harder to
compare with each other: Tim Wakefield and Babe Ruth.
After a lot of head-scratching, I’m going to go with knuckleballer
Tim Wakefield (1995-09) for the eighth spot. This is clearly a nod to
longevity and accumulated numbers, as through 2009 Wakefield ranks
third in Red Sox history in wins, second in innings pitched (barely behind
Clemens), second in strikeouts, first in games started, and on the negative
side first also in losses, hits allowed, base-on-balls allowed, homeruns
allowed, earned runs allowed, wild pitches and batters hit. He has usually
been a part of the Sox rotation, but has also spent some time as a long-
relief man. In terms of single season accomplishments, he has won 17
games twice and 16 games twice, but has never led the league in any
(positive) statistic.
Now try to compare that resume with Babe Ruth’s (1914-19)
accomplishments during his short time in Boston. Ruth was a dominating
pitcher, posting an 89-46 record and a 2.19 ERA, letting batters hit only
.207 against him. He had two 20+ win seasons, with ERAs of 2.01 and
1.75 (led league), and a few other good pitching years as well. Each year
he batted more and more, being used on some off-days in the field at 1B
or OF. In 1919, his last year in Boston, he exploded for 29 home runs,
which was only the tip of the iceberg of course. But getting back to his
pitching numbers, upon digging deeper some of those stats are a bit
misleading. Take his low ERA for instance – a 2.19 ERA during those
years, when considered relative to his era, is actually the same as Parnell’s
3.50 ERA (both rate a 125 on the ERA+ metric). So in the end, do his
two outstanding seasons, and his two other good seasons (plus one big
hitting year), warrant a spot on this roster, in place of Wakefield or any of
the others I chose? I say no, but I’ll listen to your arguments for yes.
As for others I considered, Dutch Leonard (1913-18) was another
old-timer who played for Boston only a short while, but who compiled a
fine 90-63 record with a 2.13 ERA. In 1914 he went 19-5 with a
microscopic 0.96 ERA, and he was versatile in that he was effective
coming from the bullpen as well as starting games. Tex Hughson (1941-
44, 46-49), a lifetime Red Sox, ended his short career with a 96-54 record
and a 2.94 ERA. A three-time all-star, his best season was his first full
one, when he went 22-6 with a 2.59 ERA in 1942.
Beyond those two, a few others I looked at briefly were (listed in
chronological order): Joe Dobson (1941-43, 46-50, Frank Sullivan (1953-
60), Tom Brewer (1954-61), Bill Monbouquette (1958-65), Bill Lee (1969-
78), Dennis Eckersley (1978-84, 98), and Bruce Hurst (1980-88).
8Relief Pitching:
Relief pitcher for this all-time team is not their deepest position.
After seriously looking at four candidates, I decided to only select two
(thereby allowing me eight starting pitchers earlier). First up I will again go
with longevity, and select Bob Stanley (1977-89) a lifetime Red Sox for
13 years. He pitched a few seasons as a starter, and others as a middle-
reliever or set-up man. But he was also the closer for a few years,
providing 33 SVs in 1983 and 22 SVs in 1984. And until recently, he had
accumulated more saves than any other Red Sox.
Then in 2006 Jonathan Papelbon (2005-09) took over the closer
duties, and in his first four Red Sox seasons he has posted save totals of
35, 37, 41, and 38, with ERAs of 0.92, 1.85, 2.23, and 1.85. He has
averaged more than a strikeout per inning each season, and in my view –
given the lack of depth at this position to select from – already deserves
this second roster spot.
One of the others I considered was Ellis Kinder (1948-55), who
was initially a starter and even went 23-6 in 1949, but then became a short
reliever for the club. In 1953 he had his best relief season, saving 27
games (led the AL) with an ERA of 1.85. The other I looked at was the
dominating Dick Radatz (1962-66), whose numbers in his first three
seasons are noteworthy:
9-6, 24 SV, 2.24 ERA, 124 2/3 IP, 144 K
15-6, 25 SV, 1.97 ERA, 132 1/3 IP, 162 K
16-9, 29 SV, 2.29 ERA, 157 IP, 181 K
The Red Sox have had some other high quality closer names in
their recent history, but none stuck around very long. This list includes:
Jeff Reardon 3.41, 153 IP, 88 SV
Sparky Lyle 2.85, 331 IP, 69 SV
Tom Gordon 4.45, 495 IP, 68 SV(team record 46 saves in 1998)
Lee Smith 3.04, 168 IP, 58 SV
9The only other reliever worth mentioning is Derek Lowe (1997-
04), who pitched his first five seasons in Boston as a reliever (three as
closer) and his last three as a starter. In 2000 he tied for the league lead in
saves with 42, and then in 2002 he went 21-8 with a 2.58 ERA. But his
resume as a whole isn't quite good enough to earn him a spot on this
roster.
Extra Spot:
I think the strongest candidate here has to be Manny Ramirez,
but it is quite close. High honorable mention goes to Mo Vaughn, David
Ortiz, Babe Ruth, , and to a lesser extent Joe Cronin, Jimmy Collins, Fred
Lynn, and Jackie Jensen.
Team Captain:
Choosing the captain for this team is pretty easy. The only
realistic possibilities are lifetime Red Sox Ted Williams and Carl
Yastrzemski. Though Yaz played longer, his average season performance
is nowhere near that of Williams, and neither are his peak performances.
For instance, Williams led the league in major offensive categories a
whopping 44 times, while Yaz did so only 21 times. And the gap is even
greater when you consider that Williams lost 3 full prime years to WWII
and part of seasons to the Korean War. Ted is arguably the greatest hitter
of all time, while Yaz would be in the 20-40th spots in such a ranking, at
best.
Starting Lineup
A mythical starting lineup for this squad might look like this:
Wade Boggs 3B
Bobby Doerr 2B
Carl Yastrzemski 1B
Ted Williams OF
Jim Rice OF
Dwight Evans OF
Carlton Fisk C
Rico Petrocelli SS
Roger Clemens SP
10Prospects for Current Players:
What are the prospects of current Red Sox players making this
all-time team? Varitek, Wakefield, and Papelbon are already on the roster.
David Ortiz seems to be slowing down, so I doubt he’ll pass Foxx by to
grab the backup 1B spot. As a fine a player as Youkilis is, I don’t see him
passing Foxx either. Dustin Pedroia is young but off to a great start,
having already taken home Rookie of the Year and MVP awards, so if he
stays in Boston a while I could see him at least taking Goodman’s spot as
backup 2B. Same for Jacoby Ellsbury, who is running wild in Boston
already, but has a lot tougher challenge to crack this lineup in the outfield.
As for pitchers, I consider it far more likely that Beckett won’t stay in
Boston for the rest of his career than he pitches well enough to crack this
roster. We'll see...
Red Sox Retired Numbers (players only)
Bobby Doerr (1), Joe Cronin (4), Johnny Pesky (6), Carl Yastrzemski (8),
Ted Williams (9), Jim Rice (14), Carlton Fisk (27)
Selections From Other Authors and Fan Surveys
1958 Sport magazine, February issue
As part of a running series, Sport magazine reported on all-time
all-star teams picked by "big league publicity departments and the writers
covering the clubs." Here is what they had to say:
First Base: Jimmy Foxx, old "Double X," who played in Boston
from 1936 through 1942. He is in Baseball's Hall of Fame.
Second Base: Bobby Doerr, one of the most popular players
Boston has ever had. Bobby played there from 1937 through
1951.
Shortstop: Joe Cronin, who came to the Red Sox from
Washington for $250,000 in 1935 and played there until he retired
in 1945. He was the team's manager during that time, too, and he
held the job until he moved into the front office after the 1947
season.
11Third Base: Jimmy Collins, called by many fans the best third-
baseman of all time, arrived in Boston in 1895, and remained
there until 1907. He is a member of the Hall of Fame. Collins
managed Boston for six years, 1901-1906.
Left Field: Ted Williams. Even the Boston writers (well, anyway,
most of them) put Ted on the team.
Center Field: Tris Speaker, possibility the greatest of all time and
a member of the Hall of Fame. Tris began his big-league career
with the Red Sox in 1907 and was traded to Cleveland in the
winter of 1915-1916.
Right Field: Harry Hooper, who played with the Sox from 1909
to 1920.
Catcher: Bill Carrigan, who played with the Sox from 1906
through 1916 and managed them in his last four active seasons.
He returned to Boston as a manager in 1927-1929.
Righthanded Pitcher: Cy Young, another Hall of Famer, who
played in Boston from 1901 through 1908. Cy won 510 big league
games, a record that no one else has come close to.
Lefthanded Pitcher: Lefty Grove, the great fireballer who came to
Boston from the A's in 1934 and retired in 1941. Lefty is in the
Hall of Fame, too.
Back in 1959 this is an entirely reasonable roster. A case could
have been made for Pesky at SS or 3B, but Cronin and Collins are good
choices.
1969 The Sporting News Fan Poll
The July 5, 1969 issue reports the results of a fan poll for the
long-standing franchises of the day. The results for Boston were:
Jimmie Foxx (1B), Bobby Doerr (2B), Frank Malzone (3B), Joe Cronin
(SS), Birdie Tebbetts (C), Ted Williams (LF), Tris Speaker (CF), Carl
Yastrzemski (RF), Cy Young (RHP), Lefty Grove (LHP).
For 1969, all of these are good choices, except at the weakest
position of catcher, where I think White is more deserving than Tebbetts.
Birdie played only parts of four seasons for the Sox (although he was an
All-Star for them twice).
12 1982 Fan Vote, as reported in The Boston Red Sox Fan Book, by David
S. Neft, Michael L. Neft, Bob Carroll, and Richard M. Cohen
The fans in 1982 chose Foxx and Scott at 1B, Doerr and Remy at
2B, Petrocelli and Malzone at 3B, and Burleson and Pesky at SS. I
seriously question giving spots to contemporaries Remy and Burleson,
over the likes of Goodman, Runnels, Cronin, and Collins. Fisk and
Tebbetts are the catchers. The starting OF is Williams, Yastrzemski, and
Evans, with the backups being Rice, DiMaggio, and Lynn. That isn't bad,
though Speaker is missing. Right-handed pitchers are Young and Tiant,
and Lefties are Ruth and Grove. The relievers are Radatz and Lyle.
1990 The Baseball Research Journal
In an interesting article, Robert C. Berlo used Thorn and Palmer's
TPR (Total Player Rating) system to choose all-time teams. He selected
players based on their best 800 consecutive games for the franchise, with
a minimum of five years played. His results:
1B Jimmie Foxx 18.7
2B Bobby Doerr 21.2
SS Joe Cronin 16.3
3B Wade Boggs 27.3
RF Ted Williams 41.5
CF Tris Speaker 30.6
LF Carl Yastrzemski 23.1
C Carlton Fisk 22.6
SP Cy Young 24.1
SP Lefty Grove 22.7
SP Joe Wood 22.0
SP Mel Parnell 19.1
RP Bob Stanley 12.1
Interesting results. Presumably Pesky and Petrocelli don't trail
Cronin by very much at SS. And I suppose Roger Clemens hadn't done
quite enough for the Sox at the time this analysis was done.
1992 The All-Time All-Star Baseball Book by Nick Acocella, and Donald
Dewey
13Some of their choices are in agreement with my own: C Carlton
Fisk, 2B Bobby Doerr, 3B Wade Boggs, OF Ted Williams, SP Roger
Clemens. They list Yastrzemski at his primary position of OF, and
therefore start Foxx at 1B. They went with Tris Speaker as their third
outfielder, which I think is a slight to both Evans and Rice, but not a huge
one. They chose Cronin at SS over Petrocelli, which I won't argue with
too much. Their honorable mentions are Jimmy Collins, Vern Stephens,
Harry Hooper, Jim Rice, Joe Wood, and Mel Parnell. I don’t understand
why they would mention Stephens, but not Petrocelli, Evans, Young, or
Grove.
1995 Baseball Ratings by Charles S. Faber
The Faber system as applied in 1995 creates a reasonable all-time
team. The Faber system lists Yastrzemski in the OF, at the position he
played at most (which leaves Evans out of the lineup, and has Foxx as the
starting 1B). The only odd result is Rick Burleson at SS, instead of
Petrocelli or Cronin. His five starting pitchers are solid: Young, Clemens,
Tiant, Grove, and Parnell. The top reliever is deemed to be Bob Stanley.
2000 Red Sox Century, by Glenn Stout and Richard A. Johnson
These authors chose two separate rosters: one for pre-World War
II and one for post-WWII. And since they don't seem to have a strict
limit per position, their combined rosters are much larger than mine.
For the Pre-WWII squad, Foxx and Doerr are the only 1B and
2B. Three shortstops are mentioned: Joe Cronin, Everett Scott, and
Heinie Wagner (who they noted played for four World Series champions).
At 3B they have Jimmy Collins who they write is "Acknowledged as the
greatest third basemen of his era", but who only played five full seasons in
Boston. He hit over .300 twice during that time, and had some speed.
They also chose Larry Gardner as a backup, a "steady performer", who
played from 1908-17 providing a good average, some speed, and triples
power.
Their outfield is split up by position: the starters presumably
would be LF Ted Williams, CF Tris Speaker, and RF Harry Hooper, so
that is fine. They list as backups LF Duffy Lewis, CF Chick Stahl, and RF
Buck Freeman. At C they mention Lou Criger, an extremely weak-hitting
defensive whiz, and Rick Ferrell a good-hitting Hall of Famer who played
parts of five seasons for Boston.
14The pitching staff includes many of my selections: Cy Young, Joe
Wood, Lefty Grove, as well as Babe Ruth and Dutch Leonard who I
considered. They also include Carl Mays, who only had a few good years
in Boston and so couldn't crack my roster. And lastly they include Bill
Dinneen who had three consecutive 20+ win seasons from 1902-04, but
ended up with an 85-86 lifetime Red Sox record.
For their post-WWII roster, most of their infield is sensible:
Vaughn at 1B, Jerry Remy at 2B, Pesky, Stephens, and Garciaparra at SS,
and Malzone and Boggs at 3B. Remy had some speed and hit for a pretty
good average, but really only had three full-time seasons in Boston, so I
think Runnels or Goodman should get the nod here. And what about
Petrocelli in place of Stephens?
Ted Williams makes it at LF here as well, and rightfully so. The
rest are all good choices: Yastrzemski and Rice in LF, DiMaggio and Lynn
in CF, and Evans and Conigliaro in RF. The same is true at catcher, where
Fisk and Gedman are recognized. The starting pitchers include Roger
Clemens, Mel Parnell, Luis Tiant, and Pedro Martinez. Jim Lonborg is
listed too, as he won the 1967 AL Cy Young award with a 22-9 campaign.
He was a mediocre starter in Boston otherwise. And Spaceman Bill Lee
makes the team, on the basis of his three consecutive 17-win seasons and
due to his "mastering the New York Yankees." The relievers are fine
chocies: Kinder, Radatz, and Stanley.
2001 Fan Ballots in Boston Globe Vote, as reported in The Boston Red
Sox Fan Book, by David S. Neft, Michael L. Neft, Bob Carroll, and
Richard M. Cohen
This time around the fans only chose a starting lineup. A fine
lineup is composed of Fisk, Foxx, Doerr, Boggs, Garciaparra, Williams,
Yastrzemski, and Rice. Four starters are listed: Young, Martinez, Clemens,
and Wood. And the reliever chosen was Radatz.
2003 Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Lineups, by Rob Neyer
Neyer goes with Foxx and Vaughn at 1B. He likes Runnels as the
backup 2B, which is understandable but I think a disservice to Goodman.
Nomar and Pesky are used at SS, which leaves Petrocelli and Cronin out.
Boggs is the starter at 3B, with Collins as the backup, which is reasonable
since Pesky was slotted at SS. Neyer chooses Wally Schang as the backup
C, even though he played only three years for the Sox. Through 2002,
Varitek hadn't yet done enough so I would have gone with Gedman or
White.
15The tough decisions continue in the outfield. Because he is
strictly distinguishing LF/CF/RF, Carl Yastrzemski is the LF backup to
Williams. Yaz is also listed as the second DH behind Jim Rice. Speaker is
in center, but I can't help feel something amiss by choosing Lynn over
Dimaggio as the backup here. He mentions that Lynn is more deserving
for the Hall of Fame than Dom, with which I can agree, but that doesn't
seem relevant to this selection, since Lynn played a lot elsewhere. Evans
in right field with Hooper as the backup is on target though.
His first four starters are Clemens, Martinez, Young, and Wood,
elevating Pedro and Joe a bit based on their peak performances. The rest
of the staff is the same as mine, with the addition of Ruth in place of
Wakefield. And he has Radatz and Kinder as solid relief selections.
2004 The Red Sox Century, by Alan Ross
Mr. Ross selects a fine starting lineup composed of 1B Jimmie
Foxx, 2B Bobby Doerr, 3B Wade Boggs, SS Nomar Garciaparra, C
Carlton Fisk, OF Ted Williams, OF Carl Yastrzemski, OF Tris Speaker,
LFP Mel Parnell, and RHP Roger Clemens. I’d argue for Petrocelli over
Nomar, and either Evans or Rice over Speaker, but both of these spots
are disputable.
2004 Few and Chosen: Defining Red Sox Greatness Across the Eras, by
Johnny Pesky with Phil Pepe
As with each book in this fun series, the authors choose a top
five players at each position. For the Red Sox, their lists in order are:
Catcher: Carlton Fisk, Sammy White, Birdie Tebbetts, Rich
Gedman, Jason Varitek
First Base: Jimmie Foxx, Carl Yastrzemski, Mo Vaughn,
Cecil Cooper, Walt Dropo
Second Base: Bobby Doerr, Jerry Remy, Pete Runnels,
Billy Goodman, Chuck Schilling
Shortstop: Joe Cronin, Nomar Garciaparra, Rico
Petrocelli, Luis Aparicio, Vern Stephens
Third Base: Wade Boggs, Frank Malzone, Shea
Hillenbrand, Carney Lansford, George Kell
16Left Field: Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Manny
Ramirez, Jim Rice, Mike Greenwell
Center Field: Dom DiMaggio, Tris Speaker, Fred Lynn,
Ellis Burks, Jimmy Piersall
Right Field: Carl Yastrzemski, Dwight Evans, Tony
Conigliaro, Reggie Smith, Jackie Jensen
Right-Handed Pitcher: Roger Clemens, Cy Young, Pedro
Martinez, Luis Tiant, Tex Hughson
Left-Handed Pitcher: Babe Ruth, Lefty Grove, Mel
Parnell, Bruce Hurst, Bill Lee
Relief Pitcher: Dick Radatz, Bob Stanley, Ellis Kinder,
Sparky Lyle, Tom Gordon
With all due respect to Mr. Pesky, I do have some complaints
about his selections and the order in which he gives them in some cases.
But not at catcher, where as of 2004, after Fisk, I really would have had
no strong opinion about the order of the other four guys (by now Varitek
is the obvious #2).
Pesky decides to list Yastrzemski at three different positions,
which is a little confusing, but obviously he had to be listed #1
somewhere. I don’t understand his listing of Cooper at 1B over Scott, as
his write-up seems to emphasize Cooper’s career not just his few, early
season with Boston. And his listing of his teammate Walt Dropo I guess
is based on the incredible rookie year he had in 1950 (.322, 34 HR, 144
RBI.)
Regarding his choice of Remy as his second 2B, Pesky tells a
nostalgic story, describes Remy’s recurring knee problems, and then notes
―Because of what he could have done, and what he did, Remy is my
choice for number two on my all time list of Red Sox second basemen.‖
Personally, I much prefer recognizing Goodman or even Runnels on my
all-time roster than what could have been with Remy.
Pesky gives Petrocelli plenty of praise, even going so far as to say
―Petrocelli was as good a ballplayer as we’ve ever had in Boston.‖ So it is
confusing that he ranks him third in his list of shortstops, though it is
admittedly tough to slight Cronin or Garciaparra either. What I really
don’t get is including Aparicio here, since he only played three seasons in
Boston, at the very end of his career.
Boggs and Malzone are fine choices atop his 3B list. But by not
including himself, Mr. Pesky then lists ―three players who were in Boston
17just a short time but still made their mark.‖ These are Shea Hillenbrand,
Carney Lansford, and George Kell. I definitely think Jimmy Collins, and
also Larry Gardner, rate higher than these three.
Given that Ramirez didn’t stay in Boston, I’m thinking Mr. Pesky
might switch him and Rice in his LF list, since it seems he rated him
higher in part based on future expectations. Beyond that, my only OF
objection would be the omission of Harry Hooper, which Pesky addresses
by noting that because Hooper played ―long before my time‖, he knows
little about him and so will abstain from selecting him.
Pesky’s pitcher lists are generally fine I think. Old-timer Joe
Wood is an omission, but he does get listed along with many others in an
honorable mention list of sorts.
2006 The Team By Team Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball, by Dennis
Purdy
Purdy’s massive book includes sections listing his choices of
―significant‖ players for each franchise. He doesn’t arrange these as all-
time teams, with minimum players at each position. Nonetheless, I feel his
choices worthy of including here. For the Red Sox he included: Boggs,
Clemens, Cronin, DiMaggio, Doerr, Evans, Fisk, Foxx, Garciaparra,
Greenwell, Grove, Hooper, Jensen, Lynn, Martinez, Parnell, Petrocelli,
Ramirez, Rice, Ruth, Speaker, Stanley, Tiant, Vaughn, Williams, Wood,
Yastrzemksi, Young.
In my view Mr. Purdy made great selections. If anyone was
snubbed I’d say it was Pesky, and I guess I question the inclusion of
Greenwell in this short of a list.
Win Shares
Amongst other things, Bill James’ innovative Win Shares system
is helpful in comparing players across eras. Using my data sources, and
listing players only at the position I considered and rated them at for this
book, the win shares for players while playing for the Red Sox are (100 or
more):
First Base:
1. 488 Carl Yastrzemski
182. 161 Jimmie Foxx
3. 149 Mo Vaughn
4. 148 David Ortiz (DH mostly)
5. 108 Kevin Youkilis
6. 107 George Scott
The Win Shares system is in line with how close I said Foxx, Vaughn, and
Ortiz are, and also with my selection of Foxx from this group.
Second Base:
1. 281 Bobby Doerr
2. 138 Billy Goodman
3. 108 Pete Runnels
No surprises here.
Third Base:
1. 301 Wade Boggs
2. 170 Johnny Pesky
3. 159 Larry Gardner
4. 134 Frank Malzone
5. 133 Jimmy Collins
This validates my selection of Pesky over Malzone. I was a little surprised
to see that Gardner earned this many Win Shares.
Shortstop:
1. 205 Rico Petrocelli
2. 175 Nomar Garciaparra
3. 158 Joe Cronin
4. 136 John Valentin
5. 129 Freddie Parent
6. 120 Rick Burleson
7. 112 Heinie Wagner
198. 102 Vern Stephens
This is fairly well in line with my expectations, with Stephens’ short time
for the Red Sox getting him over the 100 Win Shares mark (just barely).
Catcher:
1. 182 Carlton Fisk
2. 132 Jason Varitek
Neither Gedman nor White accumulated 100 Win Shares for Boston, so
this is a short list.
Outfield:
1. 555 Ted Williams
2. 337 Dwight Evans
3. 282 Jim Rice
4. 265 Tris Speaker
5. 241 Harry Hooper
6. 220 Dom DiMaggio
7. 194 Manny Ramirez
8. 171 Reggie Smith
9. 159 Duffy Lewis
10. 154 Fred Lynn
11. 146 Mike Greenwell
12. 140 Jackie Jensen
13. 125 Chick Stahl
14. 119 Buck Freeman
15. 108 Trot Nixon
16. 100 Tony Conigliaro
Interesting that Evans has 55 more Win Shares than Rice, but besides that
this is my same six top outfielders.
20Starting Pitcher:
1. 250 Roger Clemens
2. 247 Cy Young
3. 180 Babe Ruth
4. 160 Tim Wakefield
5. 146 Pedro Martinez
6. 143 Lefty Grove
7. 141 Mel Parnell
8. 139 Smokey Joe Wood
9. 138 Luis Tiant
10. 115 Dutch Leonard
11. 113 Tex Hughson
12. 112 Joe Dobson
13. 108 Frank Sullivan
14. 100 Bill Lee
I guess I was right in my sense that Clemens and Young were quite close
at the top of the list of all-time Red Sox starters. But I’m quite surprised
that Ruth’s short career rates him this high. Of his 180 Win Shares about
100 come from his pitching, with almost all of the rest coming from his
batting. His total of 180 comes up short compared to the top six
outfielders I selected, and his 100 from pitching come up short compared
with the eight starting pitchers. His 180 total Win Shares seem
compelling, but who from the eight SPs do you drop off the roster?
Relief Pitcher:
1. 149 Bob Stanley
2. 124 Ellis Kinder
No other reliever had over 100 Win Shares (Radatz had 80, and Papelbon
has 68 through 2009.)
21Pos. Name Key Career Red Sox Statistics 1B Carl Yastrzemski .285, 452 HR, 1844 RBI, 1816 R, 3419 H 1B Jimmie Foxx .320, 222 HR, .605 SLG, .429 OBP 2B Bobby Doerr .288, 223 HR, 1094 R, 1247 RBI 2B Billy Goodman .306 3B Wade Boggs .338, 1067 R, .428 OBP 3B Johnny Pesky .313 SS Rico Petrocelli .251, 210 HR SS Nomar Garciaparra .328, 178 HR C Carlton Fisk .284, 162 HR C Jason Varitek .259, 175 HR OF Ted Williams .344, 521 HR, 1839 RBI, 1798 R, .482 OBP OF Dwight Evans .272, 379 HR, 1346 RBI, 1435 R OF Jim Rice .298, 382 HR, 1451 RBI, 1249 R OF Tris Speaker .337, 267 SB OF Dom DiMaggio .298, 1046 R OF Harry Hooper .272, 130 T, 988 R, 300 SB SP Roger Clemens 192-111, 3.06, 2590 K in 2776 IP SP Cy Young 192-112, 2.00, 275 CG in 297 GS SP Pedro Martinez 117-37, 2.52, 1683 K in 1383.6 IP SP Mel Parnell 123-75, 3.50 SP Luis Tiant 122-81, 3.36 SP Lefty Grove 105-62, 3.34 SP Smokey Joe Wood 116-56, 1.99 SP Tim Wakefield 175-150, 4.36 RP Bob Stanley 115-97, 3.64, 132 SV RP Jonathan Papelbon 14-11, 1.84, 151 SV 22
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