Loyalty and Longevity Pt. 13: Dustin Pedroia

In this series, I look at players who played their entire Major League career with the Red Sox, as long as said Major League career lasted at least ten years.

It truly is a shame the way that Dustin Pedroia's career ended.  He had a very real chance of becoming a one-team Hall of Famer, something Boston has not had since Jim Rice.  

Pedroia was drafted by the Red Sox in the second round of the 2004 Draft.  He was the team's top pick as a result of losing their first-round pick to the Athletics as compensation for signing Keith Foulke as a free agent.  His cards had a bit of a strange start.  He appeared in the 2004 Donruss Elite Extra Edition set.  Sort of.  Cards with his name appeared, but the picture was actually of fellow draftee Cla Meredith.

This is NOT Dustin Pedroia

Pedroia moved quickly through the Red Sox system and made his Major League debut just two years after he was drafted.  Pedroia played in 31 games down the stretch in 2006, hitting .191/.258/.303 with two home runs and seven RBIs.  Nevertheless, Boston management seemed comfortable starting the 2007 season with Pedroia at second base.  He started extremely slowly and, after the first month of the season, fans were calling for him to be replaced.  Manager Terry Francona kept with the kid though, which eventually paid off.

Pedroia got going as the season went on, and ended up having a terrific rookie season that won him the Rookie of the Year.  His final numbers were .317/.380/.442 with eight home runs, 39 doubles, 86 runs scored, 50 RBIs and seven stolen bases.  He played steady defense and was the team's primary leadoff hitter.  He also hit two home runs in the postseason, including homering in his first World Series at-bat.  It was an impressive rookie season for the second-baseman, and the best was yet to come.

2008 saw Pedroia be named the A.L. MVP in his second season.  He is one of just two Red Sox players to win both the Rookie of the Year and MVP (Fred Lynn did it in the same season).  Pedroia led the league in runs scored (118), hits (213) and doubles (54).  He came in second in the batting race and hit .326/.376/.493 with 17 home runs, 83 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.  He was named to the All Star game for the first time and won both the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards.  He also hit three more home runs in the postseason, all of them in the ALCS against the Rays.  

Pedroia's numbers dipped a bit in 2009, but he still led the league in runs scored (115) and was named to his second All Star team.  He hit .296/.371/.447 with 15 home runs, 48 doubles, 72 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.  Still, it felt like a disappointing season.  Then, injuries struck for the first time in 2010, limiting Pedroia to just 75 games.  He still made the All Star team and hit .288/.367/.493 with 12 home runs, 41 RBIs and nine stolen bases.

He bounced back in a big way in 2011 and had what was likely his greatest season.  In 2011, Pedroia hit .307/.387/.474 with 195 hits, 102 runs scored, 37 doubles and a career-high 91 RBIs.  He also had a 20/20 season, which was overshadowed by Jacoby Ellsbury's 30/30 season (a first for a Red Sox player).  His 21 home runs and 26 stolen bases were also a career high.  Pedroia won his second Gold Glove Award and finished ninth in the MVP vote, but was somehow not an All Star.

2012 was a bad year for the Red Sox, but Pedroia was still a consistent contributor, hitting .290/.347/.449 with 81 runs scored, 15 home runs, 65 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.  The team was pretty bad though, so his contributions went largely unnoticed.

The Red Sox shocked the baseball world when they went from worst to first in 2013.  The team was built on good chemistry and solid role players.  Pedroia was one of the few stars on the team and he had a good season.  In a career-high 160 games played, Pedroia led the league in plate appearances (724) and hit .301/.372/.415 with 193 hits, 91 runs scored, 42 doubles, nine home runs, 84 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.  He was an All Star (his fourth) and won a Gold Glove (his third) and finished seventh in the MVP vote.

In 2014, injuries really began to take a toll on Pedroia.  His slight frame and tendency to play the game like he was on fire started to wear on him a bit.  He played in just 135 games in 2014 and his numbers suffered.  It was the only full season he had less than 100 OPS+ on the season (it was 99, so it was not a horrible season).  Pedroia hit just .278/.337/.376, his worst rate stats in a full season.  He had 33 doubles and seven home runs while stealing just six bases.  He still won his fourth Gold Glove though.

He missed even more time in 2015, playing in just 93 games, but his numbers improved markedly.  That year, he hit .291/.356/.441 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs.  

Pedroia had his last great, full season in 2016.  He was completely healthy for the first time since 2013 and played in 154 games.  He played well too.  He hit .318/.376/.449 with 201 hits, his second time with more than 200 hits, 105 runs scored, 36 doubles, 15 home runs, 74 RBIs and seven stolen bases.  He was no longer fast, but his defense was still strong.  He did not win the Gold Glove though and was also not an All Star.

He was playing reasonably well in 2017, but played just 105 games due to nagging injuries to his wrist and knee.  He hit .293/.369/.392 with seven home runs and 62 RBIs on the season and then had surgery on his knee in the offseason.  He was to start the 2018 season a little late.  Unfortunately, he was never able to fully get back to health.  Pedroia ended up playing in just nine games over the next two years.  He looked like he might be back in 2019 until he was spiked in the knee in a game against the Orioles (I still can't stand Manny Machado to this day).  He played just one more game.  He tried to make it back until deciding to retire in 2021.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Dustin Pedroia's Hall of Fame candidacy.  He was certainly one of the premier second-basemen in the American League during his career, even moreso after Robinson Cano's steroid suspension.  Had he been able to continue to play for a few more years at a reasonable pace, he likely would have a strong case.  As it is, his career spanned 14 seasons and he hit .299/.365/.439 with 1,805 hits, 394 doubles, 922 runs scored, 140 home runs, 725 RBIs and 138 stolen bases.  He was an All Star four times, won four Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger, the Rookie of the Year and MVP.  As it is, Pedroia is the best second-baseman in Red Sox history.  I still think he has a borderline shot at the Hall of Fame.  It's just a shame his career ended the way it did.

Loyalty and Longevity Pt. 12: Jason Varitek

In this series, I look at players who played their entire Major League career with the Red Sox, as long as said Major League career lasted at least ten years.

Technically, Jason Varitek is not really a career Red Sox.  He was drafted and spent most of his development in the Mariners system.  He spent his entire Major League career with the Red Sox however and that is why he is here.

Varitek was acquired in a trading deadline deal in 1997 along with Derek Lowe.  The Red Sox gave up Heathcliff Slocumb.  The deal worked out great for the Red Sox, having two major parts of the team that eventually won the World Series in 2004.  It did not work out quite so well for the Mariners as Slocumb was a rollercoaster at the best of times.  He spent very little time in the Red Sox minor league system and made his Major League debut, singling in his only at-bat, in 1997.

He became the primary backup catcher in 1998, playing in 86 games and hitting .253 with seven home runs.  Because he was so much better defensively than incumbent catcher Scott Hatteberg, Varitek became the starter in 1999 and hit 20 home runs and led the league in putouts and range factor.  Unfortunately he took a step backwards in 2000.

Varitek was on the verge of breaking out in 2001 until he suffered a season-ending elbow injury prior to the All Star break.  He was slow to get back in 2002 and rumors began to swirl regarding his future with the organization.  But he finally had the true breakout season in 2003, knocking 25 home runs and driving in 85 runs while making the All Star team for the first time.  He was even better in 2004, hitting .296/.390/.482 with 17 home runs and helped the team to the World Championship.  

2005 was the best season of Varitek's career as he hit .281/.366/.489 with 22 home runs and 70 RBIs.  Prior to the season, he signed a four-year deal with the Red Sox and was named Captain of the team, the first official team captain in years.  He was elected to start the All Star game and won both the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards.

Unfortunately, he slumped badly in 2006 and also dealt with injuries.  He bounced back somewhat in 2007 before slumping again in 2008.  That season he made his third All Star team despite a .220 batting average.  2009 was the end of the road for Varitek as a starting catcher as his average dipped further and Victor Martinez was acquired to become the starting catcher.

Varitek took the demotion in stride and produced off the bench.  He became the mentor to Jarrod Saltalamacchia in 2011.  Varitek officially retired after the 2011 season, having spent his entire 15-year Major League career with the Red Sox.  He hit .256/.341/.435 with 193 career home runs and 757 RBIs.  He set several career positional records for the team, such as home runs and games caught.  He was a part of two World Championships and caught a record four no-hitters.  

Jason Varitek is my favorite player of all time and the largest player in my Red Sox collection (I have more cards of Sandy Alomar Jr., but he is helped out by having a lot of cards with other teams). 

Loyalty and Longevity Pt. 11: Mike Greenwell

In this series, I look at players who played their entire Major League career with the Red Sox, as long as said Major League career lasted at least ten years.

When I was first getting into baseball (1991), the Red Sox had two major superstars and a few other star players.  Mike Greenwell was one of those star players, a mainstay in left field and a two-time All Star at the time.  Unfortunately, the rest of his career from that point on was a little more ordinary.

Greenwell was selected in the third round of the 1982 draft and moved through the system fairly quickly.  He already made his Major League debut in Boston in 1985 and made an instant impact, hitting four home runs in just 17 games.  Unfortunately, the Red Sox outfield was tough to crack (Dwight Evans, Tony Armas, and Jim Rice), particularly on the corners where Greenwell would have fit in.  That meant that he was back in the minors to start the 1986 season and did not come back up until July.  At that point he was there to stay, though in a part-time role.  He played in just 31 games, with a similar batting line, but no home runs.  He played in two games in the ALCS against the Angels and four against the Mets in the World Series, but had just one hit in five at-bats.

1987 saw Greenwell become a regular player, mostly in right field with Evans moving to first base for part of the season, but he also began playing in left, the position he would play for most of his career.  He finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year vote in a deep rookie class.  He had an impressive batting line of .328/.386/.570 with 19 home runs and 89 RBIs.  

Greenwell had his best season in 1988, a year in which he finished second in the AL MVP vote to Jose Canseco.  He rang up career highs in hits (192), doubles (39), triples (8), home runs (22), RBIs (119), stolen bases (16), and walks (87, versus just 36 strikeouts).  His line was a very impressive .325/.416/.531.  He was named to the All Star team for the first time and won his only Silver Slugger.  Unfortunately, Canseco's 40/40 season was too much to top.  

That was his peak, and even though Greenwell was just 25 in 1988, he would never have another season like it.  He was still plenty good in 1989 as he hit .308/.370/.443 with 14 home runs and 95 RBIs in his second All Star season.  He declined further in 1990, hitting .297/.367/.434 with 14 home runs and 73 RBIs.  He bounced back to .300 the next season, but his power numbers dipped even further.  Injuries then limited him to just 49 games in 1992.

Greenwell had his last really good season in 1993, hitting .315/.379/.480 with 13 home runs and 72 RBIs.  The next three seasons, Greenwell was slightly above average, never quite hitting .300 again and with no more than 15 home runs.  He played in just 77 games in his final season in 1996, but had one very interesting game on September 2 when he hit two home runs and a double and drove in all nine runs the team scored that day, a record.

A number of veteran players left Boston after 1996, including Roger Clemens and Jose Canseco, and Mike Greenwell followed suit.  He went to Japan, but played in just a handful of games and there was talk of him returning to play in the U.S., though he never did.  He finished up his twelve-year career hitting .303/.368/.463 with 130 home runs and 726 RBIs.  Decent numbers, but he was never quite the star he was expected to become after 1988.  He was still one of my favorite players.

Loyalty and Longevity Pt. 10: Bob Stanley

In this series, I look at players who played their entire Major League career with the Red Sox, as long as said Major League career lasted at least ten years.

Bob Stanley is the longest tenured pitcher to have spent his entire career with the Boston Red Sox.  The veteran of 13 Major League seasons retired holding team records for appearances and saves, though both team records have since been eclipsed (Tim Wakefield and Jonathan Papelbon respectively).  

Stanley was the seventh overall pick in the 1974 Draft and moved fairly quickly through the minors for a high school pitcher.  He was in the Majors by 1977 and not just as a September call-up either.  He appeared in 41 games that season, starting 13.  He had an 8-7 record with a 3.99 ERA.  Stanley quickly became known as a pitcher who could come in and pitch a lot of innings.  In his 41 games in 1977, he pitched 151 innings.

1978 was Stanley's breakout season as he went a remarkable 15-2 with a 2.60 ERA, mostly out of the bullpen (he only started three games).  He picked up ten saves.  He was so good, he finished seventh in the Cy Young vote and even received some down-ballot votes for MVP.  1979 saw him elected to the first of two career All Star games.  He was used as a starter a lot more often, starting 30 of the 40 games he appeared in, and finished with a career-high 16 wins and a 3.99 ERA.  

He was back to being primarily a reliever in 1980 and would be for the next several seasons.  1982 saw him finish seventh in the Cy Young vote again and also receive some MVP votes for his 12-7 record, 3.10 ERA, and 14 saves, all out of the bullpen.  He was named to his second All Star team in 1983 and received some more MVP votes when he set a team record with 33 saves.  He had an 8-10 record with a 2.85 ERA.  He would settle in as the team's primary late-inning weapon for the next few years.  

Stanley started to draw the ire of fans in 1986 with a less than impressive season.  That was compounded when he uncorked a wild pitch and then allowed the dribbler by Mookie Wilson that won Game 6 of the World Series.  Things did not improve when he had his worst season in 1987, going 4-15 with a 5.01 ERA.  He was primarily a starter that season and even started on Opening Day, but took the loss.

He had his last decent season in 1988 then struggled once more in 1989, his final season.  Stanley finished his career with a 115-97 record, team records in games (637) and saves (132).  He was known for his sinking fastball that frustrated hitters and led to a ton of ground balls.

Loyalty and Longevity Pt. 9: Jim Rice

In this series, I look at players who played their entire Major League career with the Red Sox, as long as said Major League career lasted at least ten years.

I feel like I just wrote about Jim Rice recently.  It has actually been a little while longer than I thought but I do not have a ton of new information about him in this post.  This post is mostly about the fact that Rice spent his entire playing career with the Red Sox.  He has also done a lot of work with the team in the years since his playing career.

Rice was the 15th overall pick in the 1971 draft.  He was the first true superstar selected by the Red Sox in the first round of the draft, which had only been around since 1965 (though Ken Brett and Billy Conigliaro had their moments).  He skyrocketed through their system and was able to make his Major League debut in the 1974 season.  He did not show a whole lot in his 24 game stint, but did manage to hit his first home run.

The Red Sox in 1975 were a revelation and a big part of their success was their "Gold Dust Twins" in the outfield, the rookie duo of Rice and Fred Lynn.  Lynn was the better all-around player and ended up winning both the Rookie of the Year and the MVP award.  Rice was the runner-up for the Rookie of the Year and third in the MVP vote.  He ended up hitting .309/.350/.491 with 22 home runs and 10 RBIs.  Unfortunately, a broken arm late in the season shelved him for the playoffs.  Boston might have won the World Series if Rice had been healthy.  His numbers declined a bit in 1976, likely due to lingering injury issues.

From 1977 through 1979, Rice was undoubtedly the most dangerous power hitter in the game.  He led the league in home runs (39) and slugging (.593) in 1977 while hitting .320.  In 1978 he won the MVP by leading the league in hits (213), triples (15), home runs (46), RBIs (139), slugging (.600), and total bases (406) while hitting .315 and helped lead Boston to a one-game playoff for the postseason.  He had numbers similar to his 1977 season in 1979.  It was a truly impressive three-year run.

His numbers declined for a few years after that, but he remained a very productive offensive force.  He would still have the occasional terrific season, such as 1983 when he led the league in home runs (39), RBIs (122), and total bases (344).  He was an All Star from 1983 through 1986.  But after his 1986 season, his numbers declined significantly and he retired at the age of just 36 in 1989.  Rice was named Red Sox captain in 1985 until his retirement.

After his playing career ended, Rice remained in Boston, serving a couple of seasons as a hitting coach, and also working as an analyst for the New England Sports Network.  Rice was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2009.  His number 14 was retired by the Red Sox that same year.

Loyalty and Longevity Pt. 8: Bob Montgomery

In this series, I look at players who played their entire Major League career with the Red Sox, as long as said Major League career lasted at least ten years.

Bob Montgomery is easily the most obscure player that will be covered in this series.  Montgomery was a backup catcher for his entire career, never appearing in even 90 games with the Red Sox.  He did spent his entire ten-year career with the Red Sox though, so he just barely qualifies for this list.  But he still qualifies, so that is all that matters.

The Red Sox signed Montgomery as an amateur free agent in 1962.  It took him several years before he finally made it to the Major Leagues.  He was 26 when he made his Major League debut in 1970.  He played in 22 games for the Red Sox behind Jerry Moses and Tom Satriano.  He did not hit much, with just a .179/.244/.244 line and one home run and four RBIs, but he was pretty impressive defensively catching 47% of attempted base stealers.  In 1971, he became the primary backup catcher to Duane Josephson and hit .239/.300/.341 with two home runs and 24 RBIs.  He was not as impressive defensively though.

Still a backup in 1972, Montgomery now took a backseat to Rookie of the Year Carlton Fisk.  He played in just 24 games, but his line was a more impressive .286/.309/.377 with two home runs and seven RBIs.  He had the best season of his career in 1973 when he hit .320/.353/.563 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs.  The Red Sox had the best catching tandem in the league in 1973.  He was reasonably impressive behind the plate as well, catching 38% of attempted base stealers.  Due to injuries to Fisk in 1974, Montgomery was the primary catcher for the year, appearing in 88 games, the most of his career.  He hit just .252/.287/.339 with four home runs and a career high 38 RBIs.

The Red Sox made it to the World Series in 1975 despite injuries limiting Fisk to 79 games.  Montgomery played in 62 games, but his numbers declined to .226/.241/.318 with two home runs and 26 RBIs.  Boston also used Tim Blackwell quite a bit as the backup to Montgomery while Fisk was out.  Montgomery only made one plate appearance in the postseason and did not register a hit.  

Fisk became something of an Iron Man for a few years after 1975, limiting Montgomery's playing time.  He would play in just 31 games in 1976 hitting .247/.283/.398 with three home runs and 13 RBIs.  He was down to 17 games in 1977, but he hit .300/.370/.500 with two home runs and seven RBIs, and then further dropped to just ten games in 1978 with a .241/.290/.345 line with no home runs and five RBIs.  Montgomery's last season in 1979 saw him appear in 32 games with an impressive .349/.374/.419 line with seven RBIs.  He retired after the season.

For his ten year career, Montgomery hit .258/.296/.372 with 23 home runs and 156 RBIs.  He had a .983 career fielding percentage and caught 33% of attempted base stealers for his career.  Decent numbers, particularly for a backup catcher.  Boston has had a number of decent backup catchers over their history, and Montgomery was certainly among them.  For a few years, he formed a terrific catching tandem with Carlton Fisk.  Montgomery's lasting legacy though is that he was the last Major Leaguer to bat without a helmet.  MLB required batting helmets for players in 1971 but allowed currently active players to continue without them.  Montgomery held out for the rest of his career.

Loyalty and Longevity Pt. 7: Rico Petrocelli

In this series, I look at players who played their entire Major League career with the Red Sox, as long as said Major League career lasted at least ten years.

Rico Petrocelli spent 13 seasons with the Red Sox, mostly split between shortstop and third base.  He might have played longer, but after two seasons of declining numbers, he was given his release late in Spring Training prior to the 1977 season.  Petrocelli was a rare shortstop who could hit for a lot of power.

Signed as an amateur free agent in 1961, Petrocelli played a couple of seasons in the minors before making the Major Leagues for good in 1965.  He played one game in Boston in 1963 and had a double and an RBI in four at-bats.  His power showed up right away as he hit 19 home runs in AA ball in 1963.  He had some trouble making contact, but was also a very good defensive shortstop.

Petrocelli's rookie season in 1965 saw him hit .232/.309/.412 with 13 home runs and 33 RBIs.  Decent numbers, particularly his power numbers, for a shortstop at the time period.  He hit more home runs (18), doubles (20), and drove in more runs (59) in 1966, but his on-base percentage and slugging percentage both declined.  

It was the Impossible Dream season of 1967 that saw Petrocelli rise to stardom.  He was an All Star for the first time in his career as he hit .259/.330/.420 with 17 home runs and 66 RBIs.  His impressive year also led to him receiving some MVP votes.  He hit just .200 in the World Series against the Cardinals, but did hit two home runs in Game 6 which Boston won 8-4 to stay alive and take the Series to seven games.  His numbers in 1968 declined to .234/.292/.374 and 12 home runs.

If 1967 was his rise to stardom, 1969 saw him become an elite player for a few seasons.  He had a monster year hitting .297/.403/.589 with a then-American League record 40 home runs for a shortstop.  He also drove in 97 runs, hit 32 doubles, and walked 98 times.  He was an All Star for the second time and finished seventh in the MVP vote.  He might have been higher if Boston was in contention.  He had another good season in 1970 with a slash line of .261/.334/.473 and slugged 29 home runs.  He drove in a career-high 103 runs.  1971 was his last season as a shortstop and his last elite season.  He hit 28 home runs and drove in 89 runs with a line of .251/.354/.461.

Boston acquired future Hall of Fame shortstop Luis Aparicio prior to the 1972 season and moved Petrocelli to third.  As good a defensive shortstop as he was, he was even better at third and holds a lifetime .970 fielding percentage as a third-baseman, sixth highest of all-time.  He continued to be a steady performer at the plate for the next three seasons, hitting around 15 home runs each year , but he was no longer the elite player he was 1969-1971.  

The 1975 season saw the first major signs of decline as Petrocelli hit just .239/.310/.333 with just seven home runs.  But he performed quite well in the postseason, hitting .308 with four RBIs.  In his final season in 1976 he hit .213 with three home runs and lost his job at third to Butch Hobson.  He was released prior to the 1977 season.

Petrocelli's single-season home run record for AL shortstops lasted for many years.  He hit .251/.332/.420 for his career with 210 home runs and 773 RBIs.  He spent his entire career with the Red Sox and later managed in the minor league system.

Loyalty and Longevity Pt. 6: Carl Yastrzemski

In this series, I look at players who played their entire Major League career with the Red Sox, as long as said Major League career lasted at least ten years.

I have covered Yaz fairly extensively on this blog.  And with good reason.  It is hard to have a blog devoted to the Red Sox without covering a player like Yastrzemski.  He is after all the team leader in a ton of categories and the longest tenured player in team history.

Yaz was the son of a potato farmer who also played a lot of amateur baseball.  He was groomed for most of his life to be a baseball player and grew up a Yankees fan.  However, his father refused to allow him to sign a contract with the Yankees after the scout threw a pencil in disgust after his father suggested a signing bonus of $100,000.00.  Yaz ended up signing with the Red Sox for $108,000.00 in 1958 and was brought to Spring Training to learn from Ted Williams in 1960.  He did not play in the Majors that season and was originally brought up as a second-baseman, but Boston planned to move him to left field to replace Williams.

He played a full season in his debut season of 1961, but Yaz was not the best rookie on the team.  Pitcher Don Schwall won the Rookie of the Year and Chuck Schilling had a very good season as well.  It was a couple of years before Yaz started to look like the player he would become.  He started to show some power by hitting 43 doubles and 19 homers in 1962, but he had his first great season the next year.  That year, he led the league in hits, doubles, walks, batting average, and on-base percentage.  He was an All Star for the first time.

1967 was an iconic year for the Red Sox in general, and Yastrzemski in particular.  He won the Triple Crown and quite possibly had the best offensive season in team history.  He was incredible in the clutch, catching fire in the last week of the season and hitting .400 with three home runs in the World Series.  Yaz was the easy choice for MVP but he was not the unanimous choice.  For some baffling reason, a Twins player named Cesar Tovar received a first place vote, the only one Yaz did not get.

Yaz had a couple more dominant seasons and then entered a different phase of his career in 1971.  From then on, he was a very good, sometimes great player, but was the elder statesman of the Red Sox.  He started playing more first base and designated hitter and was still capable of hitting home runs, but he would never hit more than 30 again and he never again hit .300 after 1974.  He did continue to go to All Star Games (he won the MVP in 1970), and he racked up the hits.  

Carl Yastrzemski retired after the 1983 season.  He spent 23 seasons in the Major Leagues, all of them with the Red Sox.  He is one of the longest tenured players to spend his entire career with one organization.  He is the team record holder in a number of categories and remains the only Red Sox player to record his 3,000th hit with Boston.  He is one of the greatest players of all time and an easy choice for the Hall of Fame in 1989.