One-Card Wonder Pt. 7: Jim Corsi

For whatever reason, sometimes I am only able to find one card of certain players. To be considered a One-Card Wonder, a player must have been active since 1991 (when I started paying attention).

JIM CORSI
This one is a 1998 Pacific Online card, a great set for team collectors because it featured a bunch of cards of guys that had few, if any, other cards. You'll see this set again in this series.

I am not totally sure why Jim Corsi has no other Red Sox cards. He was a major part of the Red Sox bullpen for two years in 1997-1998. He also pitched in 1999 and accumulated 134 games over the course of the three seasons for Boston. Corsi went 9-7 with two saves. He pitched to the tune of a 3.35 ERA for the Red Sox. He also struck out 103 in 147.1 innings.

EDIT:  I just recently picked up one of the parallels of this card.

One-Year Wonder Pt. 8: Pokey Reese

Every once in awhile, the Red Sox pick up a veteran player for a year, or just the stretch run that was a star at one point that I become fascinated with. It's a player that is basically only a role player at that point in their career, but may show flashes of their old brilliance. It's so unusual to see them as a member of the Red Sox, that I try to find as many of their cards as possible. This series will be about some of those players.

POKEY REESE
Pokey Reese was never really a great player, but I always liked him anyway. Reese was a very good defensive middle infielder with great speed. He came up with the Reds and was a highly rated prospect. He was rated so highly that Cincinnati balked at including him in the deal with the Mariners for Ken Griffey Jr. He never really developed into that great of a player, but he had his valuable abilities.

The Red Sox originally acquired Reese prior to the 2002 season in a trade with Colorado for Scott Hatteberg. They non-tendered him though to try to re-sign him for a lower salary. The Pirates though swooped in and got him, so he never played a game in his first stint with the Red Sox.

Reese spent two seasons with the Pirates before signing with the Red Sox before the 2004 season. He was a great defender with the Red Sox, compiling a defensive WAR of 2.2. He was valuable as a replacement for Nomar Garciaparra that year and contributed an inside-the-park home run among his three for the year, as well as making highlight reel catches. He was not much with the bat that year, but his speed and defense helped a great deal.

Unknown Heroes Pt. 8: Rod Beck

Rod Beck was cool. With a fu manchu mustache and a mullet, Beck looked more like a Hell's Angel member than a baseball player. He was also a great closer for several years for the Giants and Cubs. However, in 1999, just a year removed from a 51 save season for the Chicago Cubs, Beck's career looked to be in jeopardy. He was dealing with injuries and was traded late in the season to the Red Sox for Cole Liniak and Mark Guthrie. Beck was able to resurrect his career with the Red Sox, though he would not be a closer again.

Beck spent the rest of 1999 and the next two full seasons with the Red Sox. In 1999, he was 0-1 with a 1.93 ERA, three saves, and 12 strikeouts in 14 innings. The next two seasons, he became the team's main setup man and pitched well. For his Red Sox career, Beck went 9-5 with a 3.46 ERA, nine saves, and 110 strikeouts in 135.1 innings.

The best moment involving Beck though was at a time he was not pitching. The Red Sox were in Toronto and Beck was sitting in the bullpen seats, on top of the outfield wall when Manny Ramirez connected for a home run. Beck nonchalantly reached up and caught the ball with his bare hand. Cool indeed.

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. 6: Reggie Smith

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.

REGGIE SMITH
I missed Reggie Smith's career, but I get the feeling that he was a very underrated player. I base that almost entirely on the fact that I do not hear much about him and he was only an All Star seven times in 17 seasons, despite a career OPS+ of 137. Also, there's the fact that he dropped off the Hall of Fame ballot completely after just one year, in which he only received three votes. That seems like voters completely missed the mark.

Smith did not have dazzling home run or RBI numbers, but he was a very good, often great, complete player. Smith finished his career with 314 home runs, 1,092 RBIs, and a slash line of .287/.366/.489/.855. He was worth 63.4 WAR, even more than the last player I covered: Dwight Evans. Smith won one Gold Glove Award, and possibly deserved more. In his early years, he was quite fast, but his stolen base numbers dropped dramatically after he turned 28. Smith was also a very dangerous switch hitter.

Reggie Smith played for the Red Sox from 1966 through 1973, mostly in center field. He finished second in the Rookie of the Year vote in 1967 after going .246/.315/.389/.704 with 15 home runs, 61 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases. He improved on those numbers with the Red Sox. He lead the league in doubles twice while with the Sox and total bases once. His best season was his last in Boston when he went .303/.398/.515/.913 with 21 home runs. Smith also contributed a 30 home run season and a 20 stolen base season with the Red Sox.

Smith was traded to the Cardinals after the 1973 season, and continued to play well. He would later also play for the Dodgers and Giants.

The only real issues with Reggie Smith's candidacy for the Hall of Fame are his in-season durability and his counting stats. Smith was never a big home run hitter during his time, certainly not as much as teammates like Carl Yastrzemski, Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, and Dusty Baker. His career high was 32 home runs. Smith also had some problems staying healthy. Smith only played 150 games or more three times in his 17 year career. Finally, Smith was out of the Majors at 37, even though he was still playing well. If he could have continued a few more years, he may have gotten more notice.

THE VERDICT
With the new emphasis on non-counting stats, Smith has a chance. Hopefully, he will make an appearance on next year's Veterans Committee ballot and get in.

Red Sox Claim Jordan Parraz

Link.

I'm confused by this move. The issue is that now the Red Sox 40 man roster is full. So, if the Red Sox were to acquire anyone as a free agent they would have to release someone. Or trade them.

Anyway, Parraz is a career minor leaguer and is 26 years old. He spent the last few years in the Royals system. He hit .266/.350/.410/.760 for Omaha last year. Not bad numbers. If he makes the Majors, he would be an adequate fourth outfielder. But I would not count on it. With Daniel Nava, Josh Reddick, Eric Patterson, Darnell McDonald, and Ryan Kalish all under contract next year, plus starters J.D. Drew, Mike Cameron, and Jacoby Ellsbury still around, it looks like the outfield is pretty full. I think Parraz is the first to be cut if the Red Sox acquire someone.

This is a non-story.

Questionable All Stars Pt. 6: Shea Hillenbrand

The All Star selection process is such a subjective procedure that sometimes deserving players get left off. Then there are times when players who do not deserve to be All Stars are named to the team.

SHEA HILLENBRAND
Shea Hillenbrand was elected to start the All Star game in just his second season. Hillenbrand was a serviceable player and had some power, but he seemed allergic to taking a walk, which drove down his value significantly. 2002 was one of his better years, but to say that he deserved to start the All Star game is another story entirely.

In the first half of the 2002 season, Hillenbrand hit .298/.331/.490/.821 with 13 home runs. Certainly decent numbers, and he probably deserved to be an All Star, but not good enough to start. 2002 was a bad year for third basemen though. The real problem was that Hillenbrand only walked 11 times in that first half. In 370 plate appearances. His inability to occasionally get on base other than hitting was what eventually led the Red Sox to trade him, because he did not hit nearly often enough to make up for not getting on base.

At the end of the year, Hillenbrand's numbers were .293/.330/.459/.789 with 18 home runs and 25 walks. The next year, he was traded to Arizona for Byung-Hyun Kim and Bill Mueller took over at third base and won the batting title.

Busts Pt. 6: Steve Avery

Sometimes, offseason acquisitions work out. Sometimes they don't. Sometimes, they are spectacular failures.

STEVE AVERY
After Roger Clemens left as a free agent to Toronto, Red Sox GM Dan Duquette scrambled to find some pitching to make up for the loss. He signed Bret Saberhagen to a bargain-basement deal even though he was to miss most of the season while recovering from surgery. He signed Robinson Checo out of Japan, even though he was not ready for the Major Leagues. And he signed a former 18 game winner with the vaunted Atlanta Braves pitching rotation in the early 1990's.

The only problem was that Steve Avery had been on the decline every year since that time, possibly a product of too many innings at too young of an age.

Steve Avery is one of the major reasons the Red Sox were terrible in 1997. He was expected to be a replacement for Clemens, who was supposed to have been on the decline himself. Avery was a washout. In 1997, Avery went 6-7 with a 6.42 ERA and 51 strikeouts. He was injured often. Yet, for some reason manager Jimy Williams decided to pitch him often enough for his option to vest.

Avery was a little better in 1998. The pressure was off as Tim Wakefield had a good year and Pedro Martinez stepped into the ace role. Even Bret Saberhagen was making a successful comeback. Avery only had to be the fourth starter. He went 10-7 with a 5.02 ERA and 57 strikeouts. Adequate numbers for a number four. But he was not the pitcher he was expected to be.

Failed Prospects Pt. 6: Donnie Sadler

Since I have been a fan, there have been several players with huge expectations in the Red Sox minor league system. Some of these players, such as Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, Trot Nixon, Jon Lester, and others meet those expectations. Others are not as fortunate.

DONNIE SADLER
After Garciaparra exploded into the Major Leagues, there was a lot of hype about a player that was supposed to fill the position next to him. Donnie Sadler was expected to be just as good of a contact hitter, steal a lot more bases, and play sparkling defense. Sadler was originally drafted as a shortstop but moved to second when he was blocked by the meteoric rise of Nomar.

Sadler rose through the minors quickly. He was drafted in 1994 and was already in AAA by 1997, but that's where he started to stall. He never really found his stroke there, although he did develop some power and he was stealing bases at a high rate.

Sadler made his debut in 1998 with the Red Sox, starting the year out with the team. However, he only hit .226/.276/.395/.671. He played only 58 games that year. He improved a bit at the plate in 1999, but still only played 49 games. He did the same in 2000. For his Red Sox career, Sadler hit .242/.283/.352/.635 with four home runs and nine stolen bases. Not the numbers he was expected to put up. Sadler was traded with Michael Coleman for Chris Stynes.

Sadler bounced around a few organizations, never playing regularly and never really learning to hit well. He last appeared in 2007.

News and Notes

1. The awards season has ended with only one piece of hardware being taken home by a Red Sox player. Adrian Beltre won the Silver Slugger for third base. Beltre finished in ninth place in the AL MVP ballot. Jon Lester finished fourth in the AL Cy Young balloting with Clay Buchholz finishing sixth. Terry Francona finished fourth in the AL Manager of the Year race. So, no one was particularly close, which is not really surprising.

2. Some news has been made about the Red Sox being in the hunt to trade for Justin Upton. This seems highly unlikely as it would cost the Red Sox a ton of young talent.

3. Fabio Castro, who spent the entire season in the Red Sox minor league system, signed with the Mariners as a minor league free agent. His strikeout rate was impressive, but he had a bad ERA and his height (5'7") seems to be a factor against him.

4. As expected, the Red Sox offered arbitration to Victor Martinez, Adrian Beltre, and Felipe Lopez, but declined to offer to Jason Varitek and Mike Lowell. Martinez has already agreed to a contract with the Tigers, so the Red Sox will receive a high draft pick, unless of course Detroit signs someone rated higher than Martinez. Beltre is supposedly Boston's priority. There is a chance Lopez will accept and return to the Red Sox, at which point he will probably be traded. Lowell has already retired and I expect at this point that the Red Sox will bring Varitek back yet again.

5. Marco Scutaro is being shopped with the emergence of Jed Lowrie last year.

6. Jonathan Papelbon is also expected to be shopped, though Boston would have to pick up a sizable chunk of his salary to move him.

Goodbye Victor Martinez

Link.

Victor Martinez is off to Detroit. He was a valuable pickup for the Red Sox at the trading deadline in 2009 and gave them a good year last year. Unfortunately, the team seemed to have cooled on him when they realized his defensive abilities were declining rapidly. His bat is fine, but he could not throw out runners. That said, now Boston must find a way to replace his offense.

I never totally warmed up to Victor until just recently either, as he moved my favorite player Jason Varitek into a backup role. I knew it was better for the team, but it still stung a little bit.

Next year's catching situation will be interesting. They have Saltalamacchia still, but he has not yet proven himself to be a starting catcher, though he does have high upside and is still just 25. I suspect he will be the starter and Jason Varitek may be brought back in a backup role to guide Saltalamacchia along. We'll see.

Hey, at least we have some more draft picks. No way does Boston not offer Martinez arbitration.

One-Card Wonder Pt. 6: Chris Hammond

For whatever reason, sometimes I am only able to find one card of certain players. To be considered a One-Card Wonder, a player must have been active since 1991 (when I started paying attention).

CHRIS HAMMOND
I hate doing these when I can not find a scan of the card. This one is a 1997 Ultra card. I do not currently own a scanner, so I can not add one myself. Oh well.

Hammond was a valuable member of the Red Sox pitching staff in 1997 until going down with an injury. He did not pitch particularly well, bu the was versatile, starting eight games, finishing six, and pitching in several additional games.

He went 3-4 with a 5.92 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 65.1 innings. Unfortunately, he was very wild and walked a lot of batters. After the season, he left as a free agent. He would later have a great year in the Braves bullpen in 2002.

One-Year Wonder Pt. 7: Carlos Baerga

Every once in awhile, the Red Sox pick up a veteran player for a year, or just the stretch run that was a star at one point that I become fascinated with. It's a player that is basically only a role player at that point in their career, but may show flashes of their old brilliance. It's so unusual to see them as a member of the Red Sox, that I try to find as many of their cards as possible. This series will be about some of those players.
CARLOS BAERGA
In the early to mid 1990's, Carlos Baerga looked like a future Hall of Famer. He had back to back 200 hit seasons, hitting well over .300 and averaging 20 home runs. He probably would have done the same in 1994 had the strike not interrupted the season. He had good power for a second baseman and appeared in three All Star games and won two Silver Sluggers. He was traded to the Mets in a trade for Jeff Kent. Baerga promptly declined. He later played for the Padres and returned to the Indians and then disappeared for a couple of years.

Baerga re-emerged in 2002 with the Red Sox, his first season in the Majors since 1999. He was extremely popular in the clubhouse and provided a spark as a backup infielder, designated hitter, and pinch hitter.

Baerga hit .286/.316/.379/.695 as a part-timer in 2002. He played in 73 games, hitting two home runs and driving in 19, and he stole six bases. He played most of his games at DH, but also played second and third.

Baerga resurrected his career with the Red Sox in 2002 as a solid clubhouse leader and decent bench bat. He went on to play for the Diamondbacks and Nationals before retiring for good after the 2005 season.

Red Sox Acquire Drew Sutton

Link.

Yet another low risk transaction for the Red Sox. Sutton, 27, has been with the Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, and Houston Astros organizations the last few years. He did hit 20 home runs in the minors recently. He has not been real successful in the majors though, hitting .229/.302/.381/.683 in 55 games. Not real exciting.

Unknown Heroes Pt. 7: Jeff Frye

I have always liked players who have the ability to play multiple positions. Jeff Frye was something of a super utility player who played every position during his time with the Red Sox except pitcher and catcher. Frye was not a great fielder, but he was versatile and that was extremely helpful to the Red Sox when they acquired him in 1996 as a free agent from the Rangers. Wil Cordero, the starting second baseman had gone down with an injury and the Red Sox needed someone to come in and pick up the slack. Frye proved very valuable that year and subsequent years.

Frye was never a great hitter, but he was good enough, going .295/.363/.392/.755. Pretty decent numbers for a second baseman really. His ability to back up any other position on the diamond added to his contact hitting ability to make him a nice little player. Frye hit nine home runs during his three plus seasons for the Red Sox. He also stole 40 bases, making him a rare player with speed on those Boston teams.

During the 2000 season, Frye was part of a big trade with the Rockies that brought Rolando Arrojo and Mike Lansing to the Red Sox. Nomar Garciaparra was known to be upset, Frye had been very popular with the Red Sox.

Feature: Race and the Red Sox

One of the biggest issues that I have being a fan of the Red Sox is their rather horrible history in race relations. To begin with, the Red Sox were the last team in the Major Leagues to have an African American player. That part is well-known. What is not as well-known is that they had numerous opportunities to make a big impact with an African American player.

JACKIE ROBINSON
The Red Sox were the first Major League team to give Jackie Robinson a tryout. The Red Sox held a tryout at Fenway Park in 1945 for Robinson and eventual NL Rookie of the Year Sam Jethroe, as well as Marvin Williams. It was clear that Robinson could play, the same went for Jethroe. However, the Red Sox did not intend to actually be the first team to integrate. The tryout was a complete sham, orchestrated to make the team look like they wanted to bring in an African American player. It has become widely known that Tom Yawkey, the Hall of Fame owner of the Red Sox was extremely racist and did not want an African American on the team at this time. Robinson went on to a Hall of Fame career with the Brooklyn Dodgers, debuting in 1947.

WILLIE MAYS
The Red Sox also passed on an opportunity to bring in Willie Mays. The team had a minor league affiliate in Birmingham. Birmingham's GM alerted the Red Sox GM Joe Cronin to the availability of Mays and the cheap cost it would take to sign him. Cronin passed.

PUMPSIE GREEN
In 1959, Green finally became the first African American player for the Red Sox. Green was not nearly the player that Jackie Robinson or Willie Mays were. Green spent four seasons as a backup middle infielder for the Red Sox, and played regularly at second base in 1960. Green hit .244/.353/.360/.713 for the Red Sox with 12 home runs, 69 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases. He was a switch hitter, increasing his value, but was not much of a fielder. He was later traded to the Mets with Al Moran and Tracy Stallard for Felix Mantilla, who would be an All Star for the Sox.

OTHERS
So, Green was the first, but he was not a star. Boston continued to have some problems with race relations as history went on. The Red Sox would begin to have some star African American players, beginning in 1959. Earl Wilson made history by being the first African American to throw a no-hitter, and was a damn fine hitter for a pitcher. George Scott arrived in the late 1960's and was a great defensive first baseman and power hitter. Reggie Smith was the first big African American star for the Red Sox. Jim Rice was a major star, MVP, and eventual Hall of Famer. Ferguson Jenkins was acquired to shore up the pitching staff in the late 1970's. Don Baylor was acquired in 1986 to add power to the DH position. Ellis Burks developed into a fine all around player in the 1980's. Mo Vaughn won the MVP in 1995. Carl Everett was an All Star in 2000. And there have been many more.

Unfortunately, the Red Sox still battle a perception of being racist. Several African American players in recent years have stated publicly that they would not play for the Red Sox because of the racist perception, including Barry Bonds, David Justice, Marquis Grissom, and others. Several times recently, articles are printed criticizing the Red Sox for not having many African American players. Right now, Mike Cameron is the only African American assured of a job with the Red Sox next year. This is most probably not due to the organization, but a trend in general where there has been a decline in African American players in the Major Leagues.

I am embarrassed by the Red Sox poor history of race relations, but hiding from that history is not the answer. It must be confronted and efforts made to change the problems of the past.

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.

Questionable All Stars Pt. 5: Jason Varitek

The All Star selection process is such a subjective procedure that sometimes deserving players get left off. Then there are times when players who do not deserve to be All Stars are named to the team.
JASON VARITEK
I hate doing this one because Varitek is my favorite player. Varitek has been a deserving All Star in the past. He deserved to be an All Star in 2003 and 2005 when he was selected. I would argue that he may have deserved it in 1999, 2004, and 2007 as well. However, Varitek did not deserve the honor in 2008, and that is why I am writing this blog.

Varitek hit .220/.313/.359/.672 in 2008. He hit 13 home runs and drove in 43. Those are not All Star numbers, even considering his position. And it is not as if he slumped badly in the second half. Varitek's first half numbers were .218/.299/.354/.653. He actually started hitting better in the second half. So no, Varitek was not a good selection to the All Star game in 2008. But he did deserve it in other years.

Busts Pt. 5: Kevin Mitchell

Sometimes, offseason acquisitions work out. Sometimes they don't. Sometimes, they are spectacular failures.
KEVIN MITCHELL
Kevin Mitchell was brought in to the Red Sox roster in 1996. At this time, the Red Sox were getting a lot of criticism for employing an individual known for his involvement with the formation of rotisserie baseball. One of the effects of his involvement was a lot of big-time hitters at every position, such as Wil Cordero, Jose Canseco, Mike Stanley, and more. The 1989 NL MVP had big power.

Kevin Mitchell played 1995 in Japan and came back to the states to play right field and designated hitter for the Red Sox. He only played in 27 games for the Red Sox though and did not show close to the kind of power that was expected from him. Mitchell hit only two home runs, but he did hit .304/.385/.413/.798, so it was not a total loss. However, Boston expected more. Mitchell was making a reasonably high salary and the Red Sox were not going anywhere, so he was shipped off to the Reds for Roberto Mejia and Brad Tweedlie, neither of whom ever made the Majors in Boston.

Failed Prospects Pt. 5: Michael Coleman

Since I have been a fan, there have been several players with huge expectations in the Red Sox minor league system. Some of these players, such as Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, Trot Nixon, Jon Lester, and others meet those expectations. Others are not as fortunate.
MICHAEL COLEMAN
Michael Coleman was expected to be an all-around talent. He could do anything on the baseball field, run, hit for power, play defense, etc. He even had the nickname "Prime Time", which was also Deion Sanders's nickname. He was expected to be a great player. It just did not work out that way.

Coleman was selected in the 18th round out of high school. He cracked the Top 100 prospects list in 1996 and made it to #51 in 1998. He had a 20/20 season for two minor league levels in 1997 and hit 30 home runs in 1999 for Pawtucket.

Coleman made his ML debut for the Red Sox in 1997, but only played in eight games. He played two more in 1999. He spent several seasons in AAA and the Red Sox eventually tired of him not being able to take the next step forward. Coleman was traded to the Reds along with fellow failed prospect Donnie Sadler before the 2001 season for Chris Stynes. He was traded again during Spring Training along with the whining Drew Henson to the Yankees for Wily Mo Pena, which turned into a hell of a trade for the Reds.

Coleman played 12 games for the Yankees that year and was released. He went back to the Red Sox where he again failed to make the Majors and bounced around the minors for a few seasons after that.