The 24 best players in Boston Red Sox history

Ted Williams is perhaps the greatest pure hitter in the history of our sport, and his achievements are even more impressive when you consider he missed three full years while serving in the military. In the 19 seasons he did play for Boston, Williams slashed .342/.482/.634 with over 500 home runs and better than 1800 RBI. He won the batting title an astonishing six times, was a two-time MVP and two-time Triple Crown winner, and made the all-star team 19 times. To this day, he’s the last big leaguer to hit over .400 for a full season, and he was easily elected to the Hall of Fame in 1966. 

‘Sox fans were rather spoiled in that their team essentially went from one all-time great to another with no in-between time. Left-handed slugger Carl Yastrzemski debuted in 1961, and it didn’t take long for him to morph into one of the most dangerous hitters in the game. In the 23 years that followed, Yaz would win MVP and the Triple Crown, take home seven Gold Gloves and three batting titles, and participate in 18 all-star games. He’s Boston’s all-time leader in hits, runs, RBI, and doubles and was selected to the Hall of Fame in ’89. Today his unique family name lives on in the big leagues, as his grandson, Mike, is an outfielder for the San Francisco Giants. 

Right-hander Roger Clemens starred for three American League East teams, but he spent more time in Boston than in any of his later stops. Clemens debuted in ’84 as a 21-year-old phenom, and while this team has had a lot of excellent pitchers, he’s on the short list of their best ever. With the Red Sox the Houston native won three of his seven Cy Young awards, and even won the MVP award in 1986. He wore a Red Sox jersey in five all-star games, and is the franchise’s all-time leader in wins, strikeouts, and shutouts. 

Third baseman Wade Boggs is another Red Sox’ great who would later go on to star for their arch-rivals in New York, but that shouldn’t discount what he was able to accomplish in New England. In 11 seasons in Boston, Boggs slashed .338/.428/.462 with 85 homers, 687 RBI, and 422 doubles. He won four consecutive Silver Slugger awards from ’86-’89, was an all-star eight straight years, and won the batting title five out of six seasons in the ’80s. Boggs was a member of Boston’s American League champion team in 1986 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005. 

You have to be pretty damn good for them to name an award after you, and predictably, that’s exactly what Cy Young was. The righty only pitched eight seasons in Boston, but he incredibly won 192 games during that timeframe. Awards and all-star games came later as baseball evolved at recognizing its best players, but this is the best way to put Cy Young’s career in perspective. He retired as the sport’s all-time leader in starts, wins, losses, and innings pitched. He was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1937. 

Outfielder Dwight Evans spent all but one of his 20 big league seasons in Boston, and while he wasn’t threatening to win MVP awards every season, what he was was a steady and reliable presence on this team for nearly two decades. In just over 2500 games in Boston, Evans slashed .272/.369/.473 with 379 homers and 1346 RBI. He was selected to three all-star teams and won two Silver Sluggers while also taking home an impressive eight Gold Glove awards. Evans was a member of the Red Sox team that came within an eyelash of winning the World Series in 1986, and his legacy is undoubtedly all over this organization. 

Center fielder Tris Speaker debuted for Boston as just a 19-year-old in 1907, but within just a few seasons, he had blossomed into one of the better sparkplugs in the game. Speaker won a batting title and two World Series championships with the Red Sox. The 267 stolen bases he accumulated in Boston are second to only Harry Hooper in club history. Speaker was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1937. 

Boston has had a lot of great players, pitchers, and personalities, but I think it’s fair to say they haven’t ever had another guy like Pedro Martinez. The righty had just won the ERA title in Montreal in ’97 when the Expos traded him to the Red Sox, and he instantly became a New England favorite. Over the next seven seasons, Martinez would win 117 games and post a 2.52 ERA in 201 starts. He won four more ERA titles in Boston, took home back-to-back Cy Young awards, made four all-star teams, and led the league in strikeouts three times. Pedro is one of just a handful of baseball royalty that is identifiable by just their first name, and he was deservedly inducted into Cooperstown in 2015. 

To fans of today’s generation, there is not a single player more identifiable with the Red Sox than David “Big Papi” Ortiz. Ortiz arrived in Boston in ’03 after several lackluster campaigns as a Minnesota Twin and, simply put, developed into the most dangerous hitter in the American League. With the Red Sox, Ortiz made it to ten all-star teams, won seven Silver Slugger awards, and was a home run derby winner. But most importantly, he led Boston to three World Series championships and was the MVP of the 2013 Fall Classic. Ortiz is probably the greatest designated hitter in baseball history and was rightfully inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022. 

Second baseman Dustin Pedroia was a teammate of Ortiz’ for over a decade, and the two were able to accomplish some incredible feats in a fantastic sports city. After a short cup of coffee in ’06, Pedroia got a chance to start from the outset in 2007 and promptly won AL Rookie of the Year. The following year he was the league’s MVP, and his career was off and running. The Arizona State product would win four Gold Gloves, and a Silver Slugger and play in four all-star games. He helped Boston earn World Series rings in both ’07 and ’13, and it’s unfortunate that injuries kind of derailed his career at the end. 

Like Dustin Pedroia, Bobby Doerr is another scrappy second baseman who spent his entire career in Boston. Doerr had the prime of his career interrupted by a year of military service in 1945, but he did not show any signs of rust when he returned. All in all, in 14 seasons with the Red Sox Doerr slashed .288/.362/.461 with 223 home runs. He was selected to play in nine all-star games, and the veteran’s committee voted him into Cooperstown in 1986. 

In his prime right-handed slugger, Jim Rice was as dangerous a power hitter as there was in the American League. Boston selected Rice 15th overall in the 1971 draft out of a high school in South Carolina, and the team was rewarded heavily for their faith in him. In 16 seasons calling Fenway Park home, Rice slashed .298/.352/.502 with 382 homers and 1451 RBI. He led the AL in homers three times, RBI twice, and even triples once. He was the 1978 AL MVP, was selected to eight all-star teams, took home two Silver Slugger awards, and was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2009. 

Outfielder Mookie Betts presence on this list is assuredly bittersweet for most ‘Sox fans who still hold a grudge against the team for the way they handled the end of his tenure with the team. Betts spent six seasons in Boston and was an all-star in four of them. He won four straight Gold Gloves from ’16-’19, took home three Silver Slugger awards, and was the 2018 American League MVP when he won the batting title with a .346 average. He led the AL in runs twice and SLG % once and was a huge reason Boston won the World Series in ’18. In the end, Boston didn’t want to pay Betts the massive contract he was due and dealt him to the Dodgers, a move Boston sports fans will never agree with. 

Lefty Grove won five ERA titles and an MVP award with the Philadelphia Athletics, but he was far from over the hill when he arrived in Boston in 1934. The southpaw would pitch the next eight seasons for the Red Sox and rack up 105 fans–the last of which landed him exactly at 300 for his career. He posted a 3.34 ERA in 214 games with Boston, won four more ERA titles, and averaged over 192 innings per season. Grove was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1947. 

At a time when the Yankees had Derek Jeter, and the Mariners had Alex Rodriguez, Boston possessed the third of what most perceived as the three elite shortstops in the American League. Nomar Garciaparra was an instant star, as in his first full season he hit .306 with 30 homers and 98 RBI while leading the league in hits and triples. He easily was selected AL Rookie of the Year and his career was off and running. During the next six years, Garciaparra would make five all-star teams, win a Silver Slugger, and won back to back batting titles in ’99 and ’00. At the deadline in 2004, Garciaparra was sent to the Cubs as part of a blockbuster four-team trade. 

While Babe Ruth is perhaps best known for what he did as a Yankee, let’s not forget just how good he was in Boston before heading south to the Bronx. In parts of six seasons with the Red Sox Ruth slashed .308/.413/.568 and 49 of his incredible 714 home runs came with the Boston stitched across his chest. Ruth is arguably the biggest name in baseball history, and the Red Sox selling him to the Yankees may be the single biggest event that changed the trajectory of our sport.

New Hampshire-born Carlton Fisk was unquestionably one of the best catchers in the history of our game, and while he spent more time in Chicago with the White Sox, his best days probably came in New England. With the Red Sox, Fisk won a Rookie of the Year award, was selected to six all-star games, won a Gold Glove, and provided a historic baseball memory when he leaped up and down waving a walk-off home run fair in the 12th inning of game six in the 1975 World Series. Fisk was voted into the Hall of Fame in 2000. 

Infielder Rico Petrocelli was born in New York but would go on to star in Boston as a member of the hated Red Sox, where he never seemed to get nearly enough national attention. In 14 seasons with Boston, Petrocelli slashed .251/.332/.420 with 210 homers and 773 RBI. He was surprisingly selected to only two all-star teams and never finished higher than 7th in the MVP voting–even that came in a year where he hit 40 homers and drove in 97 runs. 

Outfielder Harry Hooper was never really a household name, but what he was was the linchpin and table setter on several really good Red Sox teams. In over 1600 games for Boston, Hooper slashed just .272/.362/.367 and hit only 30 home runs. But he stole 300 bases for this team–which is the most in Red Sox history–and scored over 90 runs five different times. Hooper was a member of three Boston World Series winners and was put in the Hall of Fame by the veteran’s committee in 1971. 

Right-hander Luis Tiant pitched only eight of his 19 seasons in Boston, but he sure made an impact with this fan base. With the Red Sox Tiant won 122 games with a 3.36 ERA while making two all-star teams and winning an ERA title in 1972. He won over 20 games in three out of four seasons in the 70s, and when he joined the Yankees in 1979, it quickly became apparent he’d left his best seasons in New England. 

While ‘Sox fans are still processing this organization’s Mookie Betts debacle, this wound is even fresher. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts was the heart and soul of the Red Sox for a decade, and after being lowballed and insulted by extension offers for several years, just a couple of weeks ago signed a huge free-agent contract with San Diego. New England sports fans are outraged over how the team treated its star, and understandably so. In 10 seasons in Boston, Bogaerts slashed .292/.356/.458 with 156 homers, 683 RBI, and 308 doubles. He helped the Red Sox win two World Series championships, took home five Silver Slugger awards, and participated in four all-star games. Certain players mean more than just the numbers to a team and its fans, and over time I’m confident the Red Sox will regret not ponying up to keep Bogaerts in Boston. 

Switch-hitter Reggie Smith played for four different teams, but he began his career in Boston, where he was able to make a name for himself as an essential player for the Red Sox. In just over 1,000 games in Beantown, Smith slashed .281/.354/.471 with 149 home runs. He was selected to two all-star teams and won a Gold Glove, and drove in over 90 runs for Boston twice. 

Before there was Shohei Ohtani there was Smoky Joe Wood…or something like that. In the early part of the last century, Wood was a two-way player for the Red Sox, who earned two World Series rings in Boston. On the mound, he once won 34 games in a single season and overall earned 117 victories with a 1.99 ERA with the Red Sox. He won the ERA title in 1915 and astonishingly hurled complete games in 121 of his 157 starts. Offensively he was not nearly as effective but still slashed .244/.304/.351 in 496 at-bats for Boston. 

Everybody has heard of Joe DiMaggio, but not enough people talk about his brother Dom who was a very underrated player for the Red Sox in the 40s and 50s. Like his brother, Dom was a center fielder, and while he enjoyed a terrific career, it’s fair to wonder how much more he would have accomplished had he not missed three full seasons of military duty. All told, DiMaggio played 11 seasons and 1399 games for Boston, in which he slashed .298/.383/.419 and was selected to seven all-star teams.