The Worst Red Sox Team of All Time Pt. 29: Gordon Rhodes

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.

Naturally, as with almost any player with the surname Rhodes, Gordon's nickname was "Dusty".  Rhodes was a right-handed pitcher from Utah who started his career with the Yankees.  He pitched in New York for the first three seasons of his career and started the 1932 season there, though he never pitched in more than 18 games.  He had his best season in 1931, looking like a potentially good player, and pitching to a 6-3 record with a 3.41 ERA (117 ERA+).  

Rhodes started the 1932 season with the Yankees and was in the midst of a 1-2 season with a 7.88 ERA in ten games (two starts) and 24 innings pitched.  In August he was traded to the Red Sox in a deal for reliever Wilcy Moore.  He finished the 1932 season primarily in Boston's rotation, going 1-8 with a 5.11 ERA (87 ERA+).  He threw 79.1 innings with 22 strikeouts and 31 walks.  His FIP was a much more impressive 4.23, meaning he was somewhat victimized by bad defense, which makes sense as I have been looking into this team.

Rhodes pitched another three seasons with the Red Sox, starting more often than not.  He was actually not too bad in 1933 and 1934, going a combined 24-27 with a 4.29 ERA (106 ERA+) in a high-scoring era and ballpark.  He threw 451 innings, striking out 164 and walking 191.  He was the team's top winner in 1933 (12 wins) and was third in 1934 (again, 12 wins).  He also had two saves in 1934.

1935 was rough for Rhodes and he ended up with a record of 2-10 and a 5.41 ERA (87 ERA+).  In 146.1 innings, he struck out 44 and walked 60.  It was the end of the line for Rhodes in Boston.  After the season, he was packaged in a deal along with a substantial amount of money for future Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx.  It was a hell of a deal for Boston, but did not do much for the A's.  Rhodes pitched one last season, losing a league high 20 games with a 5.74 ERA and was done.