Your 1981 Red Sox Pt. 8: Dwight Evans

In this series, I will look at each player who played in 1981, the year I was born. Because, why not?

Dwight Evans is one of the most underrated players of all time.  A large part of this is the fact that he developed into a star much later in his career.  Evans was in his tenth year as a Major Leaguer in 1981.  He always had pop in his bat, and he was always an excellent fielder with a cannon for an arm, and he was also an All Star in 1978, yet he was just now starting to become a true star in 1981.

In 1981, Evans developed into one of the best players in the league.  He was named to his second All Star Game and won his fourth Gold Glove Award.  He also won the Silver Slugger Award, his first, though the award had only been around since the previous season.  He finished third in the AL MVP vote, and for very good reason.  

Evans developed his batting eye and drew 85 walks to lead the Major Leagues, while striking out 85 times.  He was also the league leader in plate appearances (504), OPS (.937), and total bases (215).  He also tied for the AL lead in home runs (22) with Tony Armas, Bobby Grich, and Eddie Murray.  Evans also led the league in WAR (6.2), though that stat would not be developed until much later.  He had a slash line of .296/.415/.522.  His batting average and on-base percentage represented career highs at the time.

This was the beginning of a terrific run of success for Evans.  He would end up being one of the best hitters in the 1980's.  He has a strong Hall of Fame case that is mostly overlooked because of his late career surge and being surrounded by teammates like Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice, Wade Boggs, and Roger Clemens who overshadowed Evans.  Some time soon his case will be re-examined and he may finally gain induction into the Hall of Fame. 

1991 Topps #155 Dwight Evans

In this series, I look at my first team set: 1991 Topps.  This was the set I started my baseball card collection with.

What a great shot of Dwight Evans on this one.  I still feel that Evans should get some more serious consideration for the Hall of Fame.  Maybe the Veterans' Committee will get him in.  I hope.  Evans was a very good player for a long time, but he possessed a skill set that was not as apparent at the time he played.  Evans was a terrific defensive player who drew a lot of walks.  

This is Evans's final base Topps card with the Red Sox.  He went on to spend his final season with the Orioles in 1991.  He had a bit of a down season in 1990, hitting only .249/.349/.391 with 13 home runs and 63 RBIs.  But he was 38 years old so it was not terribly surprising to see him slow down.

There are two versions of this card.  I only have the correct version.  The error version is missing the diamond next to his 162 games leading the league.  In fact I have four correct versions.  I am not one to try to track down errors so I have never sought out that version.

This is easily my favorite card from 1991 Topps.  I think the shot is just amazing.  

Feature: Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Lineups

Link.

This is one of my favorite baseball books. I can spend a long time on any given day just pouring over it. Unfortunately, it's a little out of date. It was released during the 2003 season and some of the information is even a little older than that. That said, it is a valuable resource.

Well, I recently dug it back out and reviewed the Red Sox information. Since it may be awhile before it gets updated, if ever, I figure I will add to it. I also have a couple of minor quibbles that I wanted to touch on.


ALL-TIME TEAM

DH: Neyer listed Jim Rice. At this point, I think the All-Time DH has to be David Ortiz. The most obvious reason is that Ortiz has played nearly twice as many games as Rice at DH. Of course, Ortiz being a regular DH for his entire career with the Red Sox also means that he has had his best seasons at DH, compared to Rice. I do not even need to discuss stats here, it is just obvious that Ortiz has taken over here.

RP: Neyer listed Dick Radatz here and I will make the argument that with Jonathan Papelbons first five seasons as a closer, that he may be taking over, assuming he continues to pitch well. Last year was not a good year, but Radatz was not nearly as good his last couple of years either. Papelbon was still at least decent last year. Provided he is not traded or continues to decline, it may be time to put Papelbon in this spot.


NUMBER TWO TEAM

DH: Neyer listed Carl Yastrzemski. Since Jim Rice fell off the All-Time Team, he will push Yaz back a spot.

C: Neyer listed Wally Schang. Schang was a great catcher, but played for a short amount of time for the Red Sox. I would list Jason Varitek, who has the Red Sox all-time record for games by a catcher and has beaten Carlton Fisk's club record for home runs by a catcher. Fisk was a better all around hitter and better defender, but Varitek is reasonably close, at his peak.

2B: Neyer listed Pete Runnels. Runnels was a better contact hitter than Dustin Pedroia, but Pedroia is pretty great himself and is a better fielder. I think Pedroia takes over here, due in major part to his 2008 AL MVP.

RP: Neyer listed Ellis Kinder. If Papelbon dethrones Radatz on the All-Time Team, then Radatz moves to the No. 2 team and knocks Kinder down a spot.


SINGLE-SEASON TEAM

DH: Neyer listed Jim Rice 1977. Pick a David Ortiz season. I think I will go with 2006, when Ortiz hit 54 home runs and drove in 137 RBIs. His slash line was .287/.413/.636/1.049. 2005 and 2007 are also great choices.

RP: Neyer listed Ellis Kinder 1953. I am inclined to go with Jonathan Papelbon's 2006. 0.92 ERA. Rookie year. Enough said.


ALL-ROOKIE TEAM

2B: Neyer listed Jody Reed 1988. Boston has not had a ton of great rookie second-basemen, but Pedroia did win the Rookie of the Year in 2008 and clearly deserved it. Automatically qualifies based on that.

SS: Neyer listed Johnny Pesky 1942. I have always considered this a bit of a mistake. Pesky had a great 1942, hitting .331 and leading the league in hits with 205. But Nomar Garciaparra also lead the league in hits in 1997, his rookie year, with 209. He also lead the league in triples and whereas his .306 average was not nearly as high as Pesky's, Garciaparra hit 30 home runs, drove in 98 runs, and stole 22 bases. Garciaparra's 1997 season was one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time, it should have been listed.


HOMEGROWN TEAM

2B: Neyer listed Jody Reed. For obvious reasons, Dustin Pedroia has taken over here.

RP: Neyer listed Sparky Lyle. I think Papelbon could eventually knock Lyle off the list. I am not sure he is there quite yet though.


TRADED AWAY TEAM

I do not have any changes to this team.


GOLD GLOVE TEAM

RF: Neyer picked Trot Nixon. I never agreed with this one either. I think Dwight Evans was one of the greatest defensive right fielders ever, and Nixon did not have nearly the arm strength Evans had. I think even Neyer has come to change his mind on this.


IRON GLOVE TEAM

I do not have any changes to this team.


ALL-BUST TEAM

C: Neyer listed Marc Sullivan. I am not sure Sullivan was a bust. He was never really expected to be a great player. John Marzano was selected in the first round of the 1984 draft, 14th overall, and never developed into even a regular catcher. Javy Lopez was brought in during the 2006 season to bring some stability to the position after Varitek went down with an injury and tanked. I think Marzano should be listed here because of the big expectations and near total letdown. Sorry Mr. Marzano. R.I.P.

CF: Neyer listed Carl Everett. I do not totally disagree, as Everett had a world of talent, but he was great in 2000. He was bad in 2001 and traded for Darren Oliver due to his personality clashes with management. However, Coco Crisp looked to be a big star when he was acquired and never came close to matching his expectations. At least Everett was great one year. Crisp was never even a good player for Boston, outstanding catches notwithstanding.


USED-TO-BE-GREAT

LF: Neyer listed Al Simmons. I have to go with Rickey Henderson here. Simmons was also a Hall of Famer, but Henderson was one of the greatest of all time.


ALL-NAME TEAM

2B: Neyer listed Pete Runnels, whose first name was really Thomas. Poor Runnels has been completely driven out of this book, because I am going with "Laser Show" Dustin Pedroia.

Hall of Fame Worthy? Pt. 5: Dwight Evans

The Hall of Fame has inducted many players who were borderline choices, and many players who deserve induction have been on the outside looking in. I want to look at some players to determine if they deserve to be in the Hall of Fame.
DWIGHT EVANS
When I first started getting into baseball, Dwight Evans seemed to me like a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame. Of course this was the early 1990's, before the huge offensive explosion that made many great players from the 1980's look quaint. I still believe Dewey belongs in the Hall.

Dwight Evans played for a long time for the Red Sox. He came up in 1972 and stayed with the team through 1990. Then, he spent one year with the Baltimore Orioles. He never quite looked right in that uniform though. Evans played in 2,606 games in all, including 2,505 with the Red Sox. That is number two all time for the Red Sox.

Evans hit .272/.370/.470/.840 for his career. Very good numbers. He also drew a lot of value from his ability to take a walk, which was an underrated skill for the time that he played. He lead the league in walks three times. He also lead the league in runs once and home runs once. Evans hit 385 home runs in his career and drove in 1,384 runs. His numbers would have been even better though, if he had not developed into such a great hitter so late in his career.

Evans was a fantastic defensive right-fielder, one of the best ever. He won a Gold Glove eight times, and deserved them. He made several sparkling defensive plays over the course of his career and had a rocket for an arm. He was also a three time All Star and won two Silver Sluggers.

Dwight Evans for his career was worth 61.8 WAR. That is higher than many Hall of Famers, including Harmon Killebrew, Dave Winfield, Richie Ashburn, Willie Stargell, Billy Williams, Andre Dawson, Hank Greenberg, Enos Slaughter, longtime teammate Jim Rice, and many more.

Evans received precious little support for his Hall of Fame candidacy, mostly due to the era he played in. He was off the ballot entirely after three years. Hopefully he can still make it in through the Veteran's Committee, because Dewey deserves it.

THE VERDICT
He should be in. And now.

Baseball Card Spotlight: 2001 Fleer Red Sox 100th Anniversary

Of course I was going to cover this set eventually on this blog. The set featured 100 cards and there were a series of inserts, game-used, and autograph cards as well.

BASE SET
The base set featured 100 cards with a couple of subsets. Players included such Hall of Famers as Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Bobby Doerr, stars like Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Martinez, and Mo Vaughn, and regional favorites like Pumpsie Green, Gene Conley, and Bill Lee.

Cards 78-92 were a subset entitled Beantown's Best and included All Stars and favorites.

YAWKEY'S HEROES
The first insert set was Yawkey's Heroes, which featured some of the favorite players in Boston since Yawkey took over the team. It features players like Ted Williams, Tony Armas, Dennis Eckersley, Tony Pena, Johnny Pesky, and more.

SPLENDID SPLINTERS
The other insert set was named after Ted Williams's nickname and featured some of the best hitters in Red Sox history. There was also a game-used parallel featuring game-used bat pieces of most of these cards, including Ted Williams and Babe Ruth. I have Wade Boggs and Jim Rice.

RED SOX THREADS
The jersey card insert set featuring players like Pedro Martinez, Carl Yastrzemski, Roger Clemens, and others. I have Dwight Evans and Don Zimmer.

BOSOX SIGS
The autograph set featuring a number of tough signers like Carl Yastrzemski, Roger Clemens, and Nomar Garciaparra. I have Bernie Carbo, Jim Lonborg, and Rico Petrocelli.

Obviously, this is my favorite set of all time, but I wish they would have had a larger base set and more players. Or at least updated it later on. I bought the set itself and a few retail boxes. I bought the set to get all of the base cards and the retail boxes to get some of the inserts and hopefully a relic or autograph. It was only after I started on ebay that I was able to compile the relics and autos I own, as well as finish off the insert sets. Great cards. Wish there were more.

Baseball Card Spotlight: Donruss Diamond Kings

One of my favorite subsets as a kid just getting into baseball cards was the Donruss Diamond Kings. I started collecting in 1991 which was the last year that the cards were a part of the main set. In 1992 they became inserts. The way the Diamond Kings worked was this: each team would have one player who had a good year the year before. Donruss apparently had some rule though that individual players should not be Diamond Kings too often or consecutively, which lead to some really bizarre picks sometimes. Boston was relatively lucky with this though and only had a couple of headscratchers.

Here's the complete list and brief analysis of Donruss Diamond Kings for the Red Sox, through 1996, when they became significantly more complicated.

1982 Dwight Evans. Evans had basically become the best player on the team by this point and lead the league in walks and total bases and tied for the league lead in home runs the year before. He was also an All Star, Silver Slugger, and won the Gold Glove.

1983 Carl Yastrzemski. This was more of a tribute to an aging superstar. Yaz was still pretty decent in 1982, even appearing in the All Star Game, but I believe this was more meant to pay tribute to the player. Not really a headscratcher when you consider that reason.

1984 Wade Boggs. In 1983, Boggs won the first of five batting titles and had the first of seven straight 200 hit seasons. He was certainly worthy.

1985 Jim Rice. Rice did not have a great season in 1984, but the star slugger still hit 28 home runs, drove in 122, and had a .280 batting average. Tony Armas probably should have gotten this one.

1986 Tony Armas. The first headscratcher. Yes, Armas should have been the 1985 Diamond King when he lead the league in home runs and runs batted in in 1984. But in 1985, Armas only played in 103 games with 23 home runs. I remember not knowing for a long time who was the 1986 Diamond King and trying to guess. My guesses were Rich Gedman, who had a great 1985 and Oil Can Boyd who won 15 games the year before. Either one would have been a better choice than Armas.

1987 Roger Clemens. Clearly deserving. Won the Cy Young Award and MVP the previous year.

1988 Dwight Evans. Apparently Donruss ran out of ideas, so they decided to repeat a player. Still, Evans was fantastic in 1987, one of his best seasons ever, as he hit .305 with 34 home runs, and 123 runs batted in, and lead the league in walks.

1989 Mike Greenwell. Seems odd now, but Greenwell was the runner-up in the AL MVP vote in 1988. He hit .325 with 22 home runs, and drove in 119. He also stole 16 bases and looked like a young superstar. Greenwell turned out to be a good, but seldom great player over the rest of his career.

1990 Ellis Burks. This is an odd one. Not that Burks never deserved to be a Diamond King, but he did not deserve it in 1990 for his 1989 season. He only played in 97 games with 12 home runs. But he did steal 21 bases and possibly could have had another 20/20 season if he stayed healthy. He also had a .303 batting average. He was good for the time that he played, but he did not play often enough. By Donruss's parameters of hardly repeating players, I would have picked Nick Esasky, who hit 30 home runs and drove in 108.

1991 Roger Clemens. Again, clearly deserving. He won 21 games, struck out 209 and lead the league in ERA with 1.93. He should have won the Cy Young, but voters were blinded by Bob Welch's 27 wins, even though his other stats were not nearly as impressive as Clemens's.

1992 Wade Boggs. The first year the Diamond Kings were an insert. Boggs had a very good season in 1991, right in line with his previous years. He was starting to look like a lock for the Hall of Fame. He did not do anything extraordinary, but it was not a great year for Red Sox players.

1993 Roger Clemens. Since the cards were inserts now, Donruss abandoned its preference for not repeating winners, although they still preferred not to make them consecutive. Clemens was basically the only player to have a good enough year for the Red Sox, leading the league in ERA and shutouts, while winning 18 games for a terrible Boston team. This is the first Diamond King card I do not own.

1994 Mo Vaughn. The young slugger had a breakout year in 1993, leading the team in home runs and RBI while posting a good batting average and ability to take a walk. He was clearly the best player on the team.

1995 Scott Cooper. Headscratcher #3. Cooper had mostly pedestrian numbers, .282 batting average, 13 home runs, 53 RBI, and only 30 walks. Sure it was a strike-shortened season, and Cooper had been an All Star each of the previous two years, but he was hardly a good player. He was an All Star by default and not really deserving of the honor. It should have gone to John Valentin, Mo Vaughn, or Roger Clemens.

1996 Mo Vaughn. Won the AL MVP in 1995 while leading the league in home runs. Justified.

So there you have it. Three headscratchers, three borderline calls, and the rest are fine. Even among the headscratchers, Armas and Burks deserved the honor in other years, just not the year chosen. Cooper is the only outright surprise. If I was making the decisions, here is what my list would have looked like, following Donruss's perceived parameters:

1982 Dwight Evans
1983 Dennis Eckersley
1984 Wade Boggs
1985 Tony Armas
1986 Rich Gedman
1987 Roger Clemens
1988 Dwight Evans
1989 Mike Greenwell
1990 Nick Esasky
1991 Ellis Burks
1992 Jack Clark
1993 Roger Clemens
1994 Mo Vaughn
1995 John Valentin
1996 Mo Vaughn

Still, the Red Sox have had better luck than other teams. The following is a list of players who were Diamond Kings for inexplicable reasons:

Len Barker
Mike Norris
Roy Smalley
Richie Zisk
Floyd Bannister
Britt Burns
John Castino
Jim Clancy
Matt Young
Charlie Lea
Rich Dotson
Rick Mahler
Chris Brown
Greg Walker
Keith Moreland
Rick Rhoden
Glenn Hubbard
Scott Fletcher
Shane Rawley
Dave Schmidt
Gerald Perry
Jeff Robinson
Bryn Smith
Chris Bosio
Dan Gladden
Ed Whitson
Jim DeShaies
Mike Bielecki
Pete O'Brien
Kurt Stillwell
Scott Sanderson
Greg Swindell