Like all sweet dreams, it will be brief, but brevity makes sweetness, doesn’t it?
— Stephen King, 11/22/63

Two weeks ago, I posted a study of the top “one-and-done” positional players in Red Sox history and the player who rose to the top of every statistical category we studied – WAR and OPS+ – was Adrian Beltre. It was almost no contest, as the former third baseman prove himself valuable at the plate and in the field.

Today, I came across an article posted today at Sports On Earth written by Howard Megdal entitled “We should appreciate how good Adrian Beltre really is.” In between references to the multitude of injuries he has played through over his career and the theory that race is a reason that his grittiness has been overlooked by the mainstream baseball media when compared to white ballplayers, I found a few notable excerpts:

Using Baseball-Reference.com’s Wins Above Replacement, Adrian Beltre rates seventh among all third basemen. Ever. Here’s the list of third basemen better than Beltre, per WAR: Mike Schmidt, Eddie Mathews, Wade Boggs, George Brett, Chipper Jones and Brooks Robinson. All but Jones are in the Hall of Fame, and he will surely follow. All of them, including Jones, are household names among baseball fans…

For most of his career, his glove has been as impressive as anyone — third highest defensive WAR in baseball history by a third baseman, only trailing Buddy Bell and Brooks Robinson. A normal Beltre season will allow him to pass Bell this year, and leave only Robinson ahead of him.

At this stage, Beltre is not a lock for the Hall of Fame. Per Baseball-Reference.com, his Hall of Fame Monitor score is 89 and his Hall of Fame Standards score is 40; the average is 100 and 50, respectively. However, his JAWS score of 58.5 places him eighth among third baseman, and the average of 13 current Hall of Fame players at this position is 55.0. At age 35 and with least two more years guaranteed with the Rangers, so long as he continues to maintain his average OPS+ of 136 and raises his WAR another ten points, his chances should improve greatly.

Adrian Beltre’s time with the Red Sox proved brief, but that year was just a microcosm of what has been a truly remarkable baseball career, one that someday should culminate into election to the Hall of Fame.

To date, only one person has received this honor who has not met these criteria; Johnny Pesky, whose number 6 was retired in 2008, was recognized for more than 60 years of nearly uninterrupted time with the franchise as a player, a manager, coach, and instructor.

There is also one player who meets these criteria but whose number is absent from the façade in right field: former third baseman Wade Boggs.

Boggs so impressed the Red Sox organization during his rookie season in 1982 that they shipped third baseman Carney Lansford, who had won the American League batting title in 1981, to the Athletics after the season. He then proceeded to win batting titles in four of the next five seasons, amassing a team-record 240 hits in 1985. That year also marked the first of twelve consecutive All-Star selections for the Red Sox third baseman.

In franchise history, Boggs is third in career wins against replacement (WAR) behind only Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski and ninth in defensive WAR. His batting average is second behind Williams, his on-base percentage is third, and his OBP is ninth. More than two-thirds of his career 3,010 hits came with Boston. His average OPS+ with the Sox was 142, sixth in franchise history, and only once in 11 seasons with Boston (his last) was his OPS+ below 100.

Boggs went on to play another seven seasons, split between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. After calling it a career after the 1999 season, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2005 on his first ballot with 91.9% of all eligible voters selecting him for induction.

So why has one of the most prolific players in franchise not received the honor that only seven other players in team history have received? The team did honor Boggs in 2004 with induction into the Red Sox Hall of Fame and, for a time, no player wore his number 26 between 2005 and 2011. He has also made appearances for the team as recently as when the Red Sox invited all living former members of the team to take the field in honor of Fenway Park’s 100th anniversary in 2012.

According to Boggs, the team has told him explicitly that because he did not finish his career in Boston, he is ineligible. It is true that, at one point, the Red Sox also required a player to finish his career with the Red Sox for his number to be considered for retirement, but that rule was relaxed once Carlton Fisk, who finished his career with the White Sox, was elected to the Hall in 2000.

Some would believe that the Red Sox and Boggs did not part on good terms and that the relationship was further soured when he choose to accept a contract offer from the Yankees, a division rival. Others, including former teammates, would argue that he was more concerned with his personal statistics and less so with the success of the team, though he vehemently denies these allegations. In addition, his extramarital affair with Margo Adams and the resulting palimony suit  brought a lot of negative attention to him and the Red Sox.

All that said, there is no denying that Boggs is one of the best players ever to wear a Red Sox uniform and, had he spent his last seven seasons in Boston and put up the same numbers, his number would have unquestionably been retired the same year that he was inducted into Cooperstown. It’s time to let bygones be bygones; Red Sox ownership, one that has done so much to mend fences with former players, should make it their mission this year, as the Red Sox bask in the afterglow of a world championship, to give Boggs the one final honor he deserves that is long overdue.

The Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame Class of 2014 is stacked with some impressive honorees, at least one who will be inducted into Cooperstown next year. Announced by the team this morning, this year’s class includes pitchers Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens, shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, and radio broadcaster Joe Castiglione. The team also selected one of Martinez’s greatest single game pitching performances as this year’s featured moment.

The Red Sox Hall of Fame, opened in 1995, honors players who spent at least three years with the Red Sox and have been out of uniform as an active player at least three years. Non-uniformed honorees and the memorable moment are chosen by a unanimous vote of the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame Selection Committee, a 15-member committee of Red Sox broadcasters and executives, past and present media personnel, and representatives from The Sports Museum of New England and the BoSox Booster Club.

Martinez, who played with Boston from 1998 through 2004, was one of the most dominant pitchers to ever play the game. With the Red Sox, the nearly-unbeatable Martinez won two of his three career Cy Young Awards. In 2000, he put together perhaps the best season ever by a modern era pitcher, with an adjusted ERA+ of 291, second all-time only to Tim Keefe, who finished at 293 in 1880; the year before, his ERA+ was 243, ninth all-time in that same category. Known for his strikeout totals, he averaged 10.9 strikeouts per game in 203 appearances with Boston, with a high water mark of 13.2 SO/9 in 1999, a single season mark second only to Randy Johnson, who struck out 13.4 per nine two years later.

Clemens spent 13 seasons with Boston between 1984 and 1996 and was the first pitcher to strike out 20 batters in a nine inning game; in fact, the imposing righthander was also the second pitcher to accomplish that feat a decade later in his second-to-last game pitched with the team. His 192 wins in a Red Sox uniform is tied with Cy Young for the most in team history, which helped him win the honor named after the legendary pitcher three times with Boston between 1986 and 1991. He leads all pitchers in team history in career WAR (81.3) and strikeouts (2590).

Garciaparra spent nine seasons with Boston between 1996 and 2004 and made an immediate impact as American League Rookie of the Year in 1997, collecting 209 hits in 684 at-bats to lead the league and set Red Sox rookie records. 2000 was far and away his best season, as he batted .372 and finished with an on-base percentage of .434 and an OPS+ of 156 while earning the third of five All-Star selections with the team. Not only was he difficult to keep off the base paths, he also showed power, finishing with a slugging percentage of .553 and an OPS+ of 133 during his Red Sox tenure; twice, he hit two grand slams in a single game and six times finished with 21 or more home runs.

Castiglione, who made his broadcast debut for Boston in 1983 partnered with the legendary Ken Coleman, will enter his 32nd season as the radio voice of the Red Sox in 2014. Castiglione was the team’s lead announcer between 1992 and 2010 and continues to do the play-by-play for the team for at least four innings every game, depending on his partner. He also serves as a lecturer at Northeastern University and has authored two books related to his tenure with the team.

As has been the case since the Hall opened in 1995, the Red Sox will also recognize a special moment in team history. This year, it will be Martinez’s one-hit, 17-strikeout performance against the Yankees on Sept. 10, 1999. The official ceremony is expected to take place at a dinner in August.

Proponents had lobbied for Rice based on the fact that, between 1975 and 1986, Rice was one of the most feared hitters in the American League as he averaged .304 with 29 home runs and 106 RBI each season. He also finished in the top five of the MVP vote six times during that stretch, winning his only award in 1978 when he stroked 46 home runs, led the league with 139 RBI, and batted .315, just twenty points behind league-leader Rod Carew. He also collected an amazing 406 total bases that season, the first to have 400 or more total bases in a single season since Hank Aaron in 1959 and a feat that’s been matched since only six times.

Drafted and signed by Boston in 1971, he earned Triple Crown, Rookie of the Year, and MVP honors as a member of the AAA Pawtucket Red Sox in 1974. The following season, Rice broke into the majors and, along with fellow rookie sensation and “Gold Dust Twin” Fred Lynn, helped Boston return the World Series for the first time in eight years (unfortunately, a wrist injury due to an errant pitch in September forced Rice to miss the remainder of the season as well as the 1975 Fall Classic between the Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds). Eleven years later, appearing for the only time in the playoffs, Rice hit a 3-run home run in the seventh game of the ALCS to help Boston win the AL pennant, then batted .333 and scored the lone run in a 1-0 Game 1 victory for Boston against New York in the World Series. He was also an eight-time All-Star and a Silver Slugger award winner in 1983 and 1984.

This is the seventh class to be honored since the Hall opened in 1995 and elections have been held every two years since 2000. Selections are made by a committee consisting of Red Sox executives and broadcasters, media members and representatives of the New England Sports Museum and BoSox club. To be eligible, a player must have played a minimum of three years with the club and been officially retired from baseball for at least three years, while non-uniformed honorees, like former inducees Curt Gowdy (broadcaster) and Dick O’Connell (general manager), are added only by a unanimous vote of the selection committee.

So, in no particular order, are five candidates for consideration:

1. Don Zimmer

Younger Red Sox fans might remember him more as the old guy who Pedro Martinez tossed to the side in the midst of an on-field melee at Fenway Park during the 2003 ALCS, but “Zim” led Boston over four years at the helm, taking over for Darrell Johnson after the latter was fired midway through a disasterous 1976 campaign. In 715 games as manager, he won 411 contests and finished with better than 90 wins in every season between 1977 and 1979 before being dumped unceremoniously seven games before the end of the 1980 campaign. He also served 2-1/2 seasons under Johnson as Boston’s third base coach and returned for one season in 1992 as Butch Hobson’s bench coach. Older fans often remember him as the manager who watched the Red Sox blow a 14-1/2 game lead in July of 1978, and then witnessed Bucky Freakin’ Dent hit a home run in a one-game playoff at Fenway to lose the AL East crown that same season, but that team also managed to win 99 games, the fourth-most wins ever in a season in franchise history. He was, in the words of Johnny Pesky: “…an innovator, a student of the game, and an excellent day-to-day manager.”[1]

2. Earl Wilson

Wilson owns the distinction of being the first African-American pitcher in Red Sox team history, breaking the color barrier by hurling a scoreless one-inning relief appearance in late July of 1959; three days later, he made his first ever start. He also threw a no-hitter at Fenway Park in June of 1962, helping his own cause with a home run, and becoming the first black major league pitcher to throw an American League no-hitter. In seven seasons with Boston, Wilson won 56 games for clubs that finished at or near the bottom of the league standings. After a trade to Detroit midway through the 1966 campaign, Wilson’s career took off as he further blossomed and won another 64 games with the Tigers. Wilson was also regarded as one of baseball’s greatest power-hitting pitchers, hitting 35 home runs during his career and all but two of them while in the game as a pitcher. He even hit two in one game with the Red Sox in 1965.

3. Dutch Leonard

Leonard pitched for six seasons in Boston between 1913 and 1918, posting 90 wins and a 2.14 ERA with 769 strikeouts in that span. He also won both of his World Series starts, once in 1915 and another in 1916, as the Red Sox won back-to-back world championships. He may be best remembered, however, for posting an amazing 0.96 ERA in 1914, the modern baseball record, while going 19-5 in 36 starts. He also threw two no-hitters in his Red Sox career, once in August of 1916 and again two years later in June of 1918. Unfortunately, due to shipbuilding and millitary obligations, he missed most of the 1918 season, losing out on the opportunity to be part of a third world championship.

4. Bill Lee

“Spaceman” made a name for himself more due to his unique personality but few people remember that he was actually a great pitcher during the mid-1970s, winning 17 games in three straight seasons between 1973 and 1975. After beginning his career in the bullpen, Lee was made a permanent fixture of the rotation in 1973 and responded with 16 wins in 33 starts and an overall 17-11 record with a 2.75 ERA, enough to earn him his only All-Star appearance. After posting a 17-15 record the following season, he went 17-9 in 1975 during Boston’s pennant-winning season. 16 of those wins came between May and August to help the Red Sox distance themselves from their division rivals; he also enjoyed a stretch of eight straight appearances between early July and mid-August that included seven starts without a loss, including four straight complete game victories, and compiled a 6-0 record with a 3.14 ERA during that span. He would finish his Boston career with 94 wins and a 3.64 ERA to his credit, along with enough off-the-wall comments made during his career to create a Fenway Park legend.

5. Mike Greenwell

“Gator” became a Fenway Park fixture in 1987 and spent ten seasons with the club, averaging .303 at the plate while hitting 133 home runs with the only team he ever knew. An All-Star twice, he provided a solid and reliable presence in the team’s lineup during his tenure, perhaps best demonstrated with the fact that he averaged a strikeout only once every 3-1/2 games and posted a .368 career on-base percentage, twice recording an OBP of .400 or better. Greenwell finished fourth in his rookie season for American League Rookie of the Year honors and finished second a year later in the MVP race to Jose Canseco. In most years, he was the team’s everyday left fielder, following in the hallowed footsteps of legends like Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, and Jim Rice, and managed a respectable .982 fielding percentage playing in front of the wall at Fenway Park. He is also one of just 18 Red Sox players to hit for the cycle and hit an inside-the-park grand slam against the Yankees at home in September of 1990.

[1] Pesky, J. and Pepe, P. Few and Chosen: Defining Red Sox Greatness Across the Eras. 2004, Triumph Books, Chicago, IL. 170 pp.

(Note: This article was published by the author on another Red Sox web site prior to the establishment of this site.)

One cannot talk about the history of the Red Sox without included one of the most prominent figures in its history, Theodore Samuel Williams. Known as the Splendid Splinter, the Thumper, the Kid, and the self-proclaimed Greatest Hitter That Ever Lived, he was just a boy from San Diego who loved to swing a bat. With his mighty swing, he stormed through the record books and left behind marks that may never be reach again.

Besides being the last man to hit .406, he also had a lifetime on-base percentage of .482, best in the history of the game. He also had a slugging percentage of .634 (2nd), a career batting average of .344 (7th), 2654 hits, 2021 walks, 1798 runs, 1839 RBI, and 512 home runs, numbers that would be even more impressive, if not for the fact that he gave up nearly five years of his career to military service. He also won not one but two batting Triple Crowns, a feat that was last accomplished by another Red Sox legend, Carl Yastremski, in 1967.

As I never got to see him play (I was not born until nearly 12 years from the day he retired), I have only film reels, pictures, and reference material to teach me all there is to know about his baseball career. But there was more to the man as demonstrated by his commitment to his country in time of war when he could have opted to let his baseball career exempt him from service. It even happend during the prime of his career; his stint in World War II came just after completing his 1942 Triple Crown campaign. He also played a significant part in raising money for the Jimmy Fund, an organization he championed on behalf of former owner Tom Yawkey, to help support cancer research. He also made baseball realize that the Hall of Fame should recognize the records of those who played in the Negro Leagues of the past during his acceptance speech to the baseball shrine in 1966.

My one true memory of him will always be when he came onto the field to throw out the first pitch prior to the 1999 All-Star game. As he was carted onto the field to make what would be one of his last public appearances, he tipped his cap to the crowd, something he did not do when he homered in his final career at-bat in 1961. When he came to the center of the diamond, he was immediately surrounded by players past and present, those there to participate in the contest, and those who had been introduced on the All-Century team as Ted had. It was a magical scene that left not a dry eye in the house, not if you understood the significance of some great ballplayers of the present paying respect to arguably the greatest hitter who ever lived.

It will be hard to imagine that someone else will come along and make Williams look mortal in comparison. Williams stood tall in his time and he stands tall by today’s standards. Though he is gone now, it is not likely that he will be forgotten; even years from now, he will stick around in the hearts and minds of those who love the game of baseball.