Bill Mueller - 11 - 3B
Week 21 - 22-28 August 2005

Quiet and reserved are two adjectives that might be used to describe Boston’s starting third baseman for most of this season, Bill Mueller. Playing his third full season with the team, Mueller has gone about his business as usual, relatively unnoticed except for when he makes those acrobatic plays and accurate throws to first to cut down frustrated batters. As for his work at the plate, though the 2003 American League batting champion has spent most of the season in the bottom third of the order, he has produced by showing patience at the plate and intelligence on the basepaths.

This past week was just a microcosm of his season. At the plate, he was 9-for-25 (0.360) with four doubles, a home run, five runs scored, and four RBI, with Sunday being the highlight not just of his week but perhaps of his season. He went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs scored, and two RBI. He also made some great plays at third base, twice diving for balls that batters tried to sneak down the line and then twirling and making quick throws to first for the out.

August has also been his best month at the plate; except for a pinch-hitting appearance at Detroit in which he grounded out while driving in a run, he’s had at least one hit in every game and currently rides an 11-game hitting streak. After ending July with a batting average of .283, he’s hit at a .378 clip to raise that total to .302; he also improved his slugging percentage 38 points to .449. At the moment, Mueller is in the final year of his current three-year deal and Boston will have a tough decision on their hands: whether to re-sign him to another deal or go with Kevin Youkilis, who has proven himself ready to become a full-time big leaguer. With the veteran’s play at his position and at the plate, he isn’t making it an easy one for Theo Epstein and company.

Born and raised in Winthrop, MA, bordering East Boston, Dick O’Connell never intended to make baseball his occupation; he attended Boston College and then took a job as a teacher and coach in New Hampshire. However, after joining the Navy and serving in World War II as an intelligence officer, he came home and got a job with the Boston organization after making a call to a former fellow officer, Jim Britt, who at the time had been the play-by-play announcer for the Red Sox. Britt introduced him to the minor league director at the time, George Toporcer, who found a job for O’Connell as his assistant. Thus began a tenure that would last nearly 30 years as he rose through the ranks to become one of the most successful general managers in Red Sox history.

Boston was three years removed from losing the World Series in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals when O’Connell began his tenure with the organization in 1949. While his stock rose, eventually leading to a position as an assistant general manager by 1961, the Red Sox suffered season after season, never finishing better than third place through the 1950s and then wallowing in the basement for the better part of the 1960s. By late in the season in 1965, the organization had seen enough; owner Tom Yawkey fired Michael “Pinky” Higgins and named O’Connell executive vice president and general manager on 16 September, the same day that Red Sox pitcher Dave Morehead threw a no-hitter at Fenway Park, the last one that would be thrown by a Boston pitcher at home before Derek Lowe repeated the feat in 2002.

Even before the decision was made to place a man who had never played an inning of organization baseball in charge of a major league club, O’Connell had been hard at work for years developing talented ballplayers at the minor league level. One of his first orders of business was to bring the best prospects into the fold and, for the first time ever, there were a number of minorities wearing a Boston uniform, including George Scott and Reggie Smith; it was a sign that someone in the Red Sox organization was finally ready to embrace diversity and recognize that talent stretched across all borders. After fielding what was, for the most part, a minor league team wearing a major league uniform in 1966, O’Connell hired minor league Dick Williams, who had just led Triple-A Toronto to the International League title, and 92 wins later, Boston’s “Impossible Dream Team” had won the American League pennant.

In turning the ball club around so quickly, Sporting News named O’Connell Executive of the Year for 1967, and he would continue to manage the club as one with the purpose of winning it all. Just like that, baseball became something that mattered in Boston again and expectations from the fans grew. Unfortunately, pennants still came at a premium and, even after the leagues were split into divisions after the 1968 season, Boston would often finish well out of contention despite winning records year after year. Twice, the Red Sox appeared on the verge of returning to the playoffs, both in 1972 and 1974, but Boston fell short each time. Finally, in 1975, O’Connell put the right elements together again and, with manager Darrell Johnson controlling the action on the field, finished the season as American League champions for the second time under his tenure. For his efforts, he would again be recognized as Executive of the Year.

O’Connell for remain GM for another two seasons and, despite winning 97 games and finishing just 2-1/2 games behind New York in 1977, he was fired following the season and replaced by Haywood Sullivan, a former major league catcher and Boston reserve who had come under favor of Jean Yawkey after the passing of her husband in 1976. Still, the Massachusetts native had helped turn the franchise from a weak sister to pennant contenders, enjoying 11 winning seasons under his watch that included three finishes with 90 or more wins. In five of those winning seasons, the Red Sox also lead the American League in attendance and, to this day, Boston continues to be a baseball town. Later inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1997, O’Connell passed away in 2002 at the age of 87.

Jonathan Papelbon - 58 - RHP
Week 20 - 15-21 August 2005

Unlike the rival Yankees, the Red Sox are fortunate to have a strong farm system, restored after being ravaged for years under the previous residents of the front office; one of those prospects, Jonathan Papelbon, is already making his mark this season. A 2003 fourth-round draft selection, the 6-foot-4, 220 pound righthander is already drawing comparisons to Roger Clemens, another former Boston prospect, with a fastball that has been clocked in the mid-90s as well as a splitter that he added to his arsenal this past spring, thanks to veteran starter Curt Schilling.

With Wade Miller back on the disabled list, the young gun got two starts last week. On Tuesday in Detroit, he pitched five full innings and allowed just two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out six, including three in the first two innings as the coaching staff limited his young arm to just 84 pitches. Sunday against Los Angeles, he last 5-2/3 innings and yielded just five hits and three walks while allowing just one runner past second base. Unfortunately, Papelbon earned a no-decision in each start as Boston failed to provide any run support (only two runs total) but the Red Sox managed to win in both starts. With three starts under his belt this season, Papelbon has no record, a 2.25 ERA, and 15 strikeouts to his credit.

With Curt Schilling moving back to the starting rotation this week, it’s likely that, barring a demotion back to Triple-A Pawtucket to make room for Trot Nixon, the club will move the 24-year-old from Mississippi State into the bullpen to work as a middle reliever. While three starts do not make a career, he is already impressing the club as well as Red Sox fans everywhere and, for the moment, his future looks bright.

Legendary broadcaster Curt Gowdy once said of Luis Tiant: “He comes everywhere except between his legs.” That was perhaps the most colorful way to describe the Cuban-born right-hander’s delivery style, in which he twisted away from the plate during his motion, his left knee nearly hitting him in the chin, before uncorking his pitch to the batter. The son of Luis Sr., perhaps one of his homeland’s greatest pitchers who once struck out Babe Ruth in an exhibition match, he was signed by the Cleveland Indians midway through the 1964 season after he impressed scouts who has seen him pitch in the Pacific Coast League. There was immediate success as he went 10-4 in a shortened rookie season; four years later in 1968, he won 21 games, posted a 1.60 ERA with Cleveland, and seemed destined for greatness as he made his first All-Star appearance.

At the request of the Indians, Tiant avoided playing winter ball as he had for years and the results were disastrous; he went 9-20 and was traded after the season to Minnesota. A hairline fracture in his shoulder caused him to miss two months of the 1970 season and the impatient Twins released the 30-year-old at the end of training camp before the start of the 1971 season. After a brief stop in Atlanta’s minor league system, Tiant joined the Red Sox and was immediately assigned to Triple-A Louisville. With a call-up by the club from the minors in June of 1971, he went just 1-7; however, well aware of his success with Cleveland, the organization was willing to give him the opportunity to prove himself.

Tiant did just that the following season, going 15-6 with a 1.91 ERA and nearly pitching Boston into playoff contention, enough to earn him Comeback Player of the Year honors from the Sporting News. It only got better from there for Boston and “El Tiante” as he won 20 games in 1973 and 22 games in 1974, though neither effort was enough to bring home a championship. Regardless, Red Sox fans grew to love him; on the mound, he showed only focus and determination on the mound - one player said that he pitched with “bulldog competitiveness” - but in the clubhouse, he was often photographed smoking a fat cigar while sporting a generous grin, most likely after pulling a prank on an unsuspecting teammate.

Tiant began the 1975 season by winning an emotional opening game against Milwaukee at Fenway, a complete game effort in which he allowed just two runs despite nine hits. At the end of April, however, he was just 1-3 in five starts with a 4.14 ERA. Five more starts the following month improved his record to 5-5, and from 19 May through 26 June, he was nearly unstoppable, going 8-1 in nine starts with five complete game efforts. By the All-Star break, he was 12-8 with a 3.96 ERA.

Although he was not especially dominant through July and August, alternating wins and losses, Tiant continued to help pace Boston towards a division title. As the season rolled into September, he caught fire again, going 3-1 with a 1.47 ERA to finish at 18-14 and a 4.02 ERA. By far, the highlight of his season came in an afternoon contest at Fenway Park on 16 September as his parents watched from the stands after being granted permission to leave Cuba only for this occasion. With Baltimore’s Jim Palmer matching him nearly pitch-for-pitch and Boston trying to keep the second-place Orioles at bay, El Tiante yielded just five hits and issued one walk while striking out eight. His effort, along with solo home runs from Rico Petrocelli and Carlton Fisk, helped the Sox cruise to a 2-0 win and just about guarantee the division title.

Tiant would pitch three more seasons in Boston and finish his 122 wins in a Red Sox uniform before the fan favorite was released as a free against following the 1978 season. Tiant would play four more seasons, including the first two with rival New York, before hanging up his cap with 229 wins and a 3.30 career ERA.

David Ortiz - 34 - DH/1B
Week 19 - 08-14 August 2005

It’s hard to believe that, with just seven weeks to go in the season, David Ortiz has not already been selected at least once as our Player of the Week. Heck, with numbers like he has, one would think that he had been named even twice like his teammate, Manny Ramirez. Perhaps we are just use to him doing such great things that his typical week seems normal for a player of his ability. Still, it’s easy to argue just how valuable he is to this team, even if he has appeared almost exclusively as the designated hitter this season; after all, he gives New York manager Joe Torre fits every time he gets another hit off a Yankees pitcher, so what’s not to like?

Well, the wait is over. After batting a modest 2-for-12 with three walks, driving in three, and scoring a run in each game against the Texas Rangers early last week, “Big Papi” turned his game up a notch over the weekend in a rain-shortened series against Chicago. On Friday night, Ortiz went 4-for-5 with two home runs, driving in a career-high six runs, and crossing the plate three times himself. Saturday, his hot streak continued as he started the game with three hits and a walk to run his consecutive hit streak to seven before striking out in his final at-bat. Even without driving home a run, he still managed to finish the week with nine RBI to his credit as well as three home runs, seven runs scored, and a .429 (9-for-21) average to raise his season totals to 28 home runs, 99 RBI, and a batting average just north of .300 (.301). He also now has his slugging percentage to .577 and his on-base percentage at an impressive .400, both good for fourth in the American League.

If the Red Sox manage to make the post-season for a third straight year, something the franchise has never done in its history, it may have something to do with having number 34 in the lineup. Although he is off his pace from last season, when he finished with career highs of 41 home runs and 139 RBI, everyone on the team knows that they can count on Ortiz in the clutch and expect him to help the team finish strong.

When Major League Baseball held its inaugural free-agent draft of college, high school, and sandlot players in 1965, Bernardo Carbo was selected in the first round by Cincinnati, who then selected future Hall-of-Fame catcher Johnny Bench in the next round. Bench would make the big leagues sooner, playing his first full season in 1968 and getting named the National League Rookie of the Year that season, but the young outfielder also made his mark in 1970 by batting .310 with 21 home runs and 63 RBI while drawing 94 walks. He also played well in the field, making eight outfield assists and just four errors, statistics that were good enough to gather eight first place votes for Rookie of the Year; unfortunately, he lost out to right-hander pitcher Carl Morton of the last-place Expos, who went 18-11 with a 3.60 ERA and received 11 votes. The Reds would also fall short that season of a World Series title, losing in five games to the Baltimore Orioles.

With the “Big Red Machine” in its infancy, expectations in Cincinnati were high the next season, with Carbo playing alongside players like Bench, the reigning league MVP, and veterans Pete Rose and Tony Perez, but the Reds stumbled, finishing tied for fourth in the NL West. The second-year left-handed hitter also suffered a sophomore slump of epic proportions, batting just .219 while hitting just five home runs and driving in 20, at one point getting benched for three weeks. A horrible spring and a slow start to the 1972 season made it all too easy for the Reds to finally trade him to St. Louis in May.

Following the 1973 season, he was packaged with Rick Wise and shipped to the Red Sox. Playing in the American League, where he had the opportunity to take some cuts as the designated hitter and at a hitter’s park like Fenway, the new settings seemed to improve his offensive production. Though he batted just .248 after averaging .286 the previous season, he stroked 12 home runs and drove in 61 runs. He also continued to play the outfield, nearly splitting his time between left and right field, and made just one error for a .996 fielding percentage.

At the start of his second season with Boston in 1975, Carbo started hot at the plate, batting .303 from the leadoff spot and nudging his average up to .311 by the end of May. He also produced at the plate, hitting eight home runs and driving in 18 by that point in the season. It also meant plenty of starts in left as he split time with teammate Juan Beniquez. However, a June slump dropped his average as low as .255 before he finished the first half at .271, but he continued to produce, on pace to match or surpass his rookie totals with 14 home runs and 42 RBI.

Unfortunately, the second half was a disaster for the seven-year veteran. He would hit just one home run and drive in just eight more runs over the rest of the season as he lost his position in left field to rookie sensation Jim Rice and toiled in right behind Dwight Evans, making just 27 starts after the All-Star Break and only seven appearances in September. Although he finished with numbers equal or better than his career average (.257, 15 HR, 50 RBI), it was a disappointing finish, though he would be remembered more after that season for other reasons.

With another shaky start the following season, Carbo would be traded to Milwaukee but make one last appearance in Boston in 1977 after getting traded back to the Red Sox. He would play another year and a half with the club before bouncing between three different teams over the last couple of years of his career, finally retiring after the 1980 season.

Rafael Palmeiro will be elected to the Hall of Fame, regardless of the fact that he was caught by Major League Baseball’s new drug testing policy, which showed that he took steroids to boost his numbers on the field. He is certainly not the first player in baseball to have used a performance enhancer to try and better himself at the plate, with Jose Canseco and Ken Caminiti both admitting in recent years of widespread use of steroids by themselves and former teammates that saw home run totals climb into the stratosphere. The latter paid the ultimate price last fall when a cocaine overdose, likely fueled by his reliance on illicit drugs to keep that high that he felt playing baseball all those years alive, took him from this earth at the tender age of 41.

Palmeiro’s career numbers are indeed impressive, having recently passed the magical 3,000-hit mark and the 500 home run mark in 2003. Given that he is signed to play through the end of next season, it is quite possible that he could manage to hit enough home runs to qualify as only the third player in major league history to have a minimum of 600 home runs and 3,000 hits, joining only Hank Aaron and Willie Mays in that respect. The numbers are impressive, especially when you consider that Palmeiro has never held a batting or home run title in his 20 seasons playing in the majors. Unfortunately, the recent ten-day suspension will hang over his head for years to come, tarnishing an otherwise unblemished record.

Of course, there are others in recent years whose names will someday show up on the ballots of the baseball writers whose reputation are modestly stained; Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, and Sammy Sosa come to mind, although there is no concrete evidence that they have used illegal performance enhancers. Although it’s true that McGwire admitted to using androstenedione during the 1998 season as he and Sosa chased Roger Maris’s 37-year-old home run record, at that time it was not a banned substance as it is now, so he essentially gets a get-out-of-jail free card. So don’t be surprised to see them get elected, either.

Being a Boston fan, I can’t help but think about former Red Sox slugger Jim Rice, a player that I admittedly only caught in the latter part of his career. It’s not hard to look at his numbers and be impressed. Had he not debuted in the same season as rookie teammate Fred Lynn, he would have easily walked away with American League Rookie of the Year honors and perhaps even the MVP as well after batting .309 with 22 home runs and 102 RBI. From 1977 through 1979, his numbers were almost equal in every season, averaging .320 with 41 home runs and 128 RBI. In 1978, he collected 406 total bases, the only American League player since the legendary Joe DiMaggio in 1937 to have more than 400 in a season; three times, he led the AL in home runs and twice finished number one in slugging percentage.

Rice was the classic power hitter in the lineup; though only 6-foot-2 and weighing in at just over 200 pounds, he used his short stroke and his strong wrists to drive balls all over the yard. From 1975 through 1986, he was one of the most feared sluggers in baseball as he averaged .304 with 29 home runs and 106 RBI. When he finally called it a career after the 1989 season, he had amassed 382 home runs, 2,452 hits, and 1,451 RBI; all three place him in the top 100 of all-time in MLB history. One would think that would be enough to get his plaque hung alongside the likes of Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski, two other Red Sox greats and among the only players he trails in several offensive categories in team history.

Yet Rice still waits outside the gates, perhaps silently wondering if the last few, injury-plagued seasons hurt his chances. Had he not tried to play through injuries to his knees in those seasons, he might have built on those numbers even more, finished on a high note, and found his way to Cooperstown in his first year of eligibility in 1995. However, when you consider that he put nothing more in his body other than perhaps a few vitamins, those numbers today are that much more impressive when compared to the baseball stars today that are pumped up on more than adrenaline. Rice is probably not the only star from his era that has been overlooked; Andre Dawson is one other player that comes to mind who put up great numbers but was nagged by injuries late in his career that probably hurt his chances.

Enshrinement in the Hall of Fame should not come easy; being a player of that caliber in any sport means that you were one of the best ever to play. For years, the baseball writers who voted for these ballplayers have generally turned a blind eye towards passing judgment on that player’s ethical conduct because, for the most part, the numbers have been all that mattered. Thus, Palmeiro and his contemporaries will be given a pass and honored among other past greats of the game, even with concrete evidence that they tampered with their bodies to give themselves an edge on the field. Yet, knowing that, perhaps players like Rice who were the power hitters of their era should be given a pass for, well, just being human.

Tim Wakefield - 49 - RHP
Week 18 - 01-07 August 2005

The easy choice for this week’s winner may have been Manny Ramirez, but overlooked was the work of one longtime member of the Red Sox organization, Tim Wakefield. When you think of some of the great pitchers in the history of the franchise, names like Young, Parnell, Clemens, and Martinez come to mind, but perhaps overlooked has been the work of a pitcher whose best pitch has always been his knuckleball and who was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an infielder. With two solid outings this past week, Wakefield quietly earned a spot among the leaders in the Boston record books.

On Monday night, Wakefield moved all alone into third place in Red Sox franchise history when he recorded win number 124 in a 6-4 Boston victory over Kansas City at Fenway Park. He allowed just four runs on six hits while striking out seven as he broke a tie with Parnell and now trails only Clemens and Young, who each have 192 wins in a Boston uniform. Then Sunday, Wakefield went out again and made easy work of the Twins at Minnesota, scattering four runs on six hits over eight innings of work for his eleventh victory of the season; those eight innings also propelled him to a total of 2001 innings pitched as a member of the Red Sox, joining only Clemens and Young again as pitchers who have accomplished this week in a Boston uniform.

Wakefield now sits at 11-9 on the season with a 4.13 ERA, tops amongst the starting rotation. With nearly 11 seasons under his belt, his numbers illustrate his value to this team over that time, though these days he is concerned more with helping him team make the playoffs for a third straight year. Thanks to a new contract that he signed in April, the humble knuckleballer should have at least another season to try and improve those numbers even more.

Born in Brooklyn, Americo Petrocelli was drafted by Boston just out of high school in the 1961 amateur draft; two years later as a 20-year-old prospect, “Rico” made his debut at Fenway Park in late September, hitting an RBI double in his first at-bat in his only appearance that season. Six foot tall and just a shade under 200 pounds, Boston recognized that he would add some pop to the lineup once he was ready to be an everyday major league ballplayer, so he spent 1964 playing at Triple-A Seattle before he finally made the team for good in the spring of 1965. In his rookie year, he managed just a .232 average on a team that lost 100 games but also clocked 13 home runs and knocked in 33 runs while maintaining a slugging percentage better than the league average. He also showed solid play at short; even with 18 errors and a .958 fielding percentage, the unusual combination of power and glove work normally uncommon among infielders made him a valuable commodity for the franchise.

Two years later, baseball writers had picked the Red Sox to finish dead last in the American League after finishing ninth in the previous two campaigns. In fact, Boston had not finished better than sixth in the last seven seasons, but the Red Sox surprised everyone, perhaps even themselves, by winning the American League pennant for the first time since 1946. For his part, Petrocelli batted a respectable .259 average while hitting 17 home runs, driving in 66, and making the first of two All-Star appearances. He also managed a fielding percentage of .970 in 141 appearances while also assisting in 73 double plays; he even caught the final out of the season on a soft pop-up to shallow left that clinched the title. Unfortunately, despite forcing a seventh game after being down 3-1, the “Impossible Dream” team would lose in the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals, with the third-year shortstop batting just .200 with two home runs and three RBI.

Petrocelli continued to flex his impressive power at the plate; in 1969, he batted a career-high .297 while amassing 40 home runs, then a record for a shortstop, and driving in 97 runs while crossing the plate 92 times. He also improved defensively, too, committing just 14 errors, which tied a then-record at that position, and assisting in 103 double plays. Over the next two seasons, he would collect another 57 home runs and 192 RBI and also began a transition from short to third; when the Red Sox signed future Hall of Fame player Luis Aparicio prior to the 1971 season, Petrocelli became the full-time third baseman in Boston and responded by making just 11 errors and leading the league in fielding percentage at his new position.

Though he continued to perform well in the field, his numbers on offense suddenly declined the following season. In 1972, his home run total fell from 28 the year before to just 15, and his batting average was back down to just .240. Injuries over the next few seasons began to cost him appearances; elbow problems surfaced in 1974 and he missed time not only at the start of the season but near the end as well.

Though he made the most starts for the Red Sox at third in 1975, that season provided further evidence to the organization that those injuries were bring his career to a close. Petrocelli began the season hitting only .136 through the first month of the season and didn’t stroke his first home run until the middle of May. By the All-Star break, he had raised his average to a respectable .248, which nearly matched his career average, but had only hit four home runs and driven in 34 to that point. Halfway through August, a leg injury put him on the disabled list for better than two weeks; when the season finally ended, he had managed just seven home runs and 59 RBI, totals well below his career average.

Petrocelli would play just one more season with Boston and finished his 13-year career with 210 home runs, 773 RBI, and a .251 batting average along with the recognition as one of the best power-hitting infielders in Red Sox history.

John Olerud - 19 - 1B
Week 17 - 25-31 July 2005

Probably the only thing most fans knew about John Olerud when the Sox signed him to a minor-league deal at the start of May was that he wears a hard plastic cap in the field and that he played the latter half of last season for the Yankees, even hitting a two-run home run off Pedro Martinez in Game Two of the 2004 American League Championship Series against Boston. The 17-year veteran has had a relatively quiet but successfuly career, averaging .295 with over 2000 hits through the end of last season and winning three Gold Gloves at first base with Seattle in 2000, 2002, and 2003. Now, with just over two months under his belt in a Red Sox uniform, Boston fans are learning to appreciate what he has brought to the table for many years.

With a depleted infield corp and Kevin Millar shifted to the outfield over most of last week, Olerud saw action in all six games this past week with Boston and took full advantage of the opportunity. At the plate, he went 7-for-19, a .368 clip, while scoring three runs, hitting two home runs, and driving in nine base runners. On Friday night, with Boston clinging to a slim 4-3 lead in the eighth inning over Minnesota, Olerud provided plenty of insurance with a grand slam into the Red Sox bullpen, the 250th home run and eighth grand slam of his career. That was enough as Boston held out for an 8-5 victory, the first in a three-game sweep of the Twins. Saturday, he flashed the leather that won him those Gold Gloves when he snatched a low line drive off the bat of Twins pinch-hitter Terry Tiffee and doubled up Juan Castro off first to end a late-inning threat by Minnesota.

For better or worse, Millar will still get the majority of starts for the Red Sox as they head into the final two months of the season. However, in his time here, Olerud has proven to be, at the very least, a comparable back-up either as a late-inning defensive replacement or with one or two starts each week.