Failure is often even more fascinating than success. I am definitely intrigued by the 1932 Boston Red Sox, the worst Red Sox team of all time. The team finished with a record of 43-111, for a winning percentage of .279 and very little went right.
Tom Oliver had a four-year Major League career and was the primary center fielder for the Red Sox every year, including 1932. He arrived in the Majors in 1930 at the age of 27 and led the American League in games played (154) and at-bats (646). He was a decent contact hitter with virtually no power whatsoever. He did not hit a single home run in his Major League career and had a career slugging percentage of .340. In 1930, he hit .293/.339/.351 with 189 hits, 86 runs scored, 34 doubles, 46 RBIs and six stolen bases.
Despite the somewhat promising start to his career, Oliver's numbers would decline each year after that. By the time 1932 came around, he hit just .264/.305/.327 with 120 hits, 23 doubles, 39 runs scored, 32 RBIs and one stolen base.
Oliver's best tool was his fielding. He led the league in fielding percentage in both 1930 and 1931 and was regularly in the top ten in most fielding categories. Unfortunately, his hitting was not enough to keep him in the Majors long-term, especially as it declined.
Partway through the 1933 season, Oliver's contract was sold to a minor league team and he never made it back to the Majors.
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