Red Sox: Top five left fielders in franchise history
The BoSox Injection staff ranks the top handful of players in Boston Red Sox history at each position. Up next is left field.
Aug 23, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi (40) looks on from the bench before the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
When evaluating the position players that have graced the field in a Boston Red Sox uniform, left field is undoubtedly the position loaded with the most talent.
Dominant production in left field can be traced all the way back to the days of Babe Ruth, who started drifting away from his role as a starting pitcher to become a regular in the outfield during his final years in Boston. Ruth spent little more than a full season’s worth of time in the outfield before he was sold to the New York Yankees. That wasn’t long enough to warrant inclusion on this star-studded list, but Red Sox fans of the early 20th century were fortunate to catch a glimpse of his path to becoming one of the greatest hitters ever.
In 2017, the Red Sox will turn the starting left field spot over to rookie Andrew Benintendi, who impressed during his brief stint in the majors late last season. The 22-year old has a bright future with the potential to develop into a star.
Perhaps one day we’ll discuss Benintendi was one of the top left fielders to play for the Red Sox, but it won’t be easy to crack this group.
When Greenwell broke into the league he had the unfortunate task of following in the footsteps of the trio of Hall of Famers that preceded him at the position. While he wouldn’t reach the lofty heights of those that came before him, Greenwell still had a very good career by most standards.
In his first full season in the big leagues, Greenwell would finish fourth in the Rookie of the Year race behind a .328 average and .956 OPS. He would actually never top those numbers in any season for the rest of his career, but would improve in many other categories along the way.
His sophomore campaign in 1988 resulted in a second place finish on the AL MVP ballot. Greenwell hit .325/.416/.531 with a career-high 22 home runs and 119 RBI, only to finish behind Jose Canseco for the award. The MVP race that year remains a controversial decision given Canseco’s now well publicized association with performance enhancing drugs.
He was robbed of an MVP that year, but Greenwell did earn the first of two consecutive All-Star appearances and a Silver Slugger.
Greenwell also holds a rather distinct place in major league history. On September 2, 1996, he drove in nine runs in a 9-8 victory over the Seattle Mariners to set a record for the most runs batted in by a player that accounted for all of his team’s RBI’s.
Over his 12 year career, all of which was spent in Boston, Greenwell hit .303/.368/.463 with 130 home runs. He also ranks fifth at the position in Red Sox history with 25.7 WAR, per FanGraphs.
May 5, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox hall of famers Jim Rice and Carl Yastrzemski stand in left field as part of the pregame ceremony before the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Rice broke into the big leagues with a stellar first full season in 1975 that would have garnered much more attention if not for being overshadowed by Fred Lynn, his fellow Red Sox outfielder who captured the Rookie of the Year and MVP award that season. Rice would finish as the runner-up to his teammate in the Rookie voting and took third place in the MVP race.
The promising start foreshadowed a prolific career that stretched 16 seasons, all of which were with the Red Sox. Rice made eight All-Star teams and finished in the top five in MVP voting six times. His best season would come in 1978, when he won the MVP by batting .315 with a league-leading .970 OPS, 46 home runs and 139 RBI.
Among Red Sox left fielders, Rice ranks third all-time with 50.8 fWAR, 382 home runs and 1451 RBI. He finished his career with a .298/.352/.502 slash line.
Rice was inducted in the the baseball Hall of Fame in 2009, a somewhat controversial decision that irked a small percentage of the baseball community that felt his numbers were borderline at best. Critics point to his relatively low WAR total – the result of below-average defense and spending about a quarter of his career as a DH. Some also feel that his peak wasn’t long enough, which seems crazy when you consider he finished as high as third in MVP voting over a decade apart.
Rice’s production fell off a cliff after his age 33 season, but he was a dominant force in the lineup for a dozen years and worthy of being considered among the best at his position.
May 28, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox former player Manny Ramirez throws out the first pitch before the game against the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Manny Ramirez will be remembered for a lot of things in Boston, much of which revolves around his goofy antics and head-scratching decision making. It’s all part of the “Manny being Manny” package, which for better or worse will be a part of his legacy. What we can’t forget is that for nearly eight seasons with the Red Sox, Ramirez had the best right-handed swing in baseball.
Ramirez was an All-Star in every season that he spent in Boston and finished within the top 10 on the MVP ballot in each of his first five seasons with the franchise. He mashed at least 33 home runs per year through his first six seasons with the Red Sox, topping 40 three times.
He won a batting title by hitting .349 in 2002 and a home run title two years later when he knocked 43 out of the park, while also leading the league with a .613 SLG and 1.009 OPS.
Perhaps his greatest accomplishment was his contributions to the 2004 championship team that ended an 86 year title drought for the franchise. Ramirez earned World Series MVP honors by hitting .412 with a 1.088 OPS in the four game sweep over the St. Louis Cardinals. He was also a vital part of the lineup in Boston’s 2007 title season. Ramirez will go down as one of the best postseason hitters ever, ranking at or near the top of a number of significant categories, with much of that damage coming during his time in Boston.
As much as he accomplished with the Red Sox, his stay in Boston would meet a bitter end in 2008. Ramirez’s attitude soured to the point that many believed he quit on his team. He butted heads with teammates and even scuffled with a team employee, stamping his ticket out of town.
A pair of suspensions for testing positive for PEDs further tainted his legacy after he left Boston, ultimately ending his MLB career. The scandalous ending to an outstanding career may cost him his chance to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame, despite putting up numbers that are clearly worthy.
Red Sox Nation witnessed the best and worst of Manny’s roller coaster career. There was never a dull moment with the enigmatic superstar, but the good outweighs the bad and there’s no doubt that his production places him among the top hitters in franchise history.
May 5, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox hall of famers Carl Yastrzemski (left) and Bill Lee share a moment as part of the pregame ceremony before the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
For over two decades, Yaz was one of the biggest stars to wear a Red Sox uniform. No player in franchise history has appeared in more games or had more plate appearances than the totals Yastrzemski piled up over his 23-year career.
The 18-time All-Star won three batting titles and seven Gold Gloves over the course of his career. In 1967 he earned the AL MVP award by hitting .326 with 44 home runs and 121 RBI, capturing the prestigious Triple Crown for leading the league in each of those categories – an accomplishment so rare that it took 45 years before another AL hitter did it again.
Yastrzemski ranks at or near the top of the all-time franchise list in many cumulative offensive categories. His slash line figures would have been higher if not for a late career fade dragging those numbers down a bit – understandable considering the man played until he was 43. Yaz may not have roared into retirement the way David Ortiz did this past season, but he remained an above-average hitter to the end.
He finished his career hitting .285/.379/.462 with 452 home runs (third most in franchise history) and 1844 RBI (most in franchise history). The 94.8 fWAR he produced is not only second among left fielders, it’s the second highest total among Red Sox hitters at any position.
You can make the case that Yaz was the second best hitter to wear a Red Sox uniform, trailing only the man that ranks first on this list…
April 20, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Fans line up at gate B and surround the statues of former Red Sox players Ted Williams (not pictured), Bobby Doerr (not pictured), Johnny Pesky (not pictured), and Dom Dimaggio (not pictured) before the start of the 100th anniversary celebration and the game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Forget being the top left fielder or even the top hitter in franchise history. Ted Williams is arguably the best pure hitter to ever play the game.
The Splendid Splinter captured six batting titles, including one in which he hit .406 back in 1941. No major league player that has qualified for the batting title has topped a .400 average since. He won the Triple Crown twice, yet somehow finished as the runner-up on the MVP ballot both times. That would become a common trend throughout his career, as he often finished behind a Yankee for the award based primarily on his Red Sox teams finishing behind New York in the standings. His prickly relationship with the media certainly didn’t help either.
Williams did manage to earn a pair of MVP trophies, the first of which came in 1946 when he made his only postseason appearance, falling to the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. That season followed a three year absence while Williams was off fighting in World War II. Think about that for a moment – Williams left the game for three years in his prime, served his country, then picked up right where he left off without missing a beat.
Even with those lost years, Williams still managed to smash 521 career home runs, tied for 20th in major league history and the most in a Red Sox uniform.
Teddy Ballgame made 17 All-Star appearances in 19 seasons, missing only as a rookie and in an injury shorted season where he played only 6 games. In his final year, at the age of 41, he hit .313 with a 1.096 OPS and 29 homers to set the bar for farewell seasons, at least until last year when Ortiz hurdled over it.
Williams finished his career with an absurd .344 average and a career .482 OBP that remains the best in major league history. His 130.4 fWAR is the highest total by a Red Sox hitter and 8th highest in major league history. He also has the highest walk percentage at 20.6% and is second all-time with 188 wRC+ and .493 wOBA.
Did I mention that he missed a significant portion of his prime? Imagine what his overall numbers would have looked like if had played those three seasons!
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