The Red Sox Team of the Decade: 1970-1979

The Red Sox were a very good team throughout most of the 1970's and were in contention several years.  They appeared in the World Series in 1975 against the Cincinnati Reds, though they lost in a thrilling seven game series.  They famously lost a one-game playoff to the Yankees in 1978 after looking like a championship team for most of the season.  The Red Sox of the 1970's did have one of their most iconic looks in their history with the red caps in the late 1970's.  And they of course had a number of terrific players.

CATCHER - CARLTON FISK

It is very likely that Fisk is not just the best Red Sox catcher of the decade, he is the best Red Sox catcher of all time.  Fisk exploded onto the scene, winning the Rookie of the Year unanimously in 1972 and also picking up his only career Gold Glove.  He was an All Star six times in the 1970's and had one of the most iconic World Series moments of all time in Game 6 of the 1975 Series.  Fisk had some terrific seasons during the 1970's, including hitting .315/.402/.521 with 26 home runs and 102 RBIs in 1977.  Fisk is a Hall of Famer and wears a Red Sox cap on his plaque, due mostly to his work during the 1970's.  There really is no other choice at catcher than Fisk.

FIRST BASE - GEORGE SCOTT

We go from one of the easiest selections to one of the hardest.  I had a lot of difficulty deciding between George Scott and Cecil Cooper at first base.  Cooper had the better individual season in 1975, but it was in just 106 games, but Scott had significantly more power and played in more games at first than Cooper.  Scott had been with the Red Sox since 1966 and was traded after the 1971 season.  He won a Gold Glove in 1971 and hit .263/.317/.441 with 24 home runs.  He was traded back to the Red Sox after the 1976 season, oddly for Cecil Cooper.  He had his final great season in 1977, hitting .269/.337/.500 with 33 home runs and 95 RBIs in his return, but age slowed him down afterwards.  Cooper went on to have a terrific career with the Brewers.

SECOND BASE - DOUG GRIFFIN

Second base was rough for the Red Sox in the 1970's.  Only one player turned in an All Star season, and that was Jerry Remy who played just one full season with the Red Sox in the 1970's.  Denny Doyle had the best offensive season in 1975, but it was in just 89 games, as he was an in-season acquisition.  So we end up with Doug Griffin, who played the most games at second for the Red Sox during the decade and who was mostly valuable due to his impressive defense.  Griffin won a Gold Glove in 1972 and was fourth in the Rookie of the Year vote in 1971.  He was not much of a hitter, hitting .245/.299/.299 with just seven home runs during his career.  Remy and Doyle had better individual seasons as hitters, but Griffin was terrific with the glove.

SHORTSTOP - RICK BURLESON

One of the more underrated players of the 1970's was Rick Burleson.  The Rooster was a terrific defensive shortstop, who unfortunately was overshadowed by Mark Belanger.  He did manage to win his only Gold Glove in 1979.  He was also a decent contact hitter who did the little things to help win ball games.  Burleson was an All Star in three consecutive seasons from 1977 through 1979.  He finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year vote in 1974.  He had his best season for the Red Sox in 1976 when he hit .291/.365/.383 with seven home runs, 42 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases.  He also played his fairly typical great defense.  Burleson was named the Red Sox Team MVP in consecutive years in 1979 and 1980.  Burleson's career was unfortunately shortened by significant injuries after being traded to the Angels prior to 1981.    

THIRD BASE - RICO PETROCELLI

After several seasons as the Red Sox starting shortstop, Petrocelli was moved to third base for the 1971 season to accommodate the acquisition of future Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio.  He had his last great season in 1971 when he hit .251/.354/.461 with 28 home runs and 89 RBIs as the Red Sox third-baseman.  He had a few more decent seasons with the Red Sox from 1973 through 1975, hitting around 15 home runs and generally being a league-average hitter.  Petrocelli did have an impressive performance in the 1975 World Series, hitting .308.  He played great defense at third base, with a .970 career fielding percentage at third.  Butch Hobson comes in as the runner-up, mostly due to the strength of his 1977 season when he hit 30 home runs and drove in 112.  

RIGHT FIELD - DWIGHT EVANS

One of the many young stars during the 1975 season for the Red Sox, Evans actually went on to have one of the best careers among Fisk, Lynn, Rice, and Burleson.  That he is not a Hall of Famer yet is a mistake.  Evans did not fully develop into a star right away, though he was named an All Star in 1978.  He showed off some power, hitting more than 20 home runs in 1978 and 1979, but he was mostly just a good hitter during the 1970's.  He was a great defensive player though, winning three Gold Gloves and showing off a rocket for an arm.  He made a terrific catch during the 1975 World Series.  Evans spent the vast majority of the decade as the Red Sox right-fielder, but the best was yet to come from him. 

CENTER FIELD - FRED LYNN

The first player to win the MVP and the Rookie of the Year Awards in the same season, Lynn had one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time.  He was a terrific five-tool player.  He led the league in doubles (47), runs (103), slugging (.566), and OPS (.967).  He hit .331/.401/.566 with 21 home runs, 105 RBIs, and ten stolen bases and also won the Gold Glove.  Lynn was an All Star every season he played for the Red Sox and actually had his best season in 1979 when he won the batting title by hitting .333/.423/.637 with 39 home runs and 122 RBIs.  He led the league in average, OBP, and slugging, yet finished just fourth in the MVP vote.  Lynn also won four Gold Gloves with the Red Sox.  Unfortunately, he was traded to the Angels after the 1980 season and was just very good for several seasons, instead of great.  Lynn was one of the most dynamic players on the team in the 1970's.  Reggie Smith had a few good seasons in the early part of the decade too.

LEFT FIELD - CARL YASTRZEMSKI

I could have complicated the first base position even more than it already was.  Yaz played a lot of first base during the 1970's and was actually the primary first-baseman from 1973 to 1976.  But he also still played a lot of left field, winning Gold Gloves in 1971 and 1977.  He had his last terrific power season in 1970 when he hit .329/.452/.592 with 40 home runs and 102 RBIs and led the league in runs, OBP, and slugging.  He was still a very good hitter after 1970, though age started to take its toll on the legendary player.  He was still an All Star every season in the 1970's, but he was not the Yaz of 1967.  He was still a very good, even great player.

DESIGNATED HITTER - JIM RICE

The designated hitter position was created in 1973 and Boston had the first winner of the Designated Hitter of the Year Award.  But Jim Rice was the first huge Red Sox star that spent a significant amount of time at DH.  He played a lot at the position in the early years as Yaz was still a better defensive player than Rice for a few years.  But Rice's bat was far more powerful, so he needed to be in the lineup somehow.  Rice was the runner-up to Lynn for the Rookie of the Year in 1975 when he hit .309/.350/.491 with 22 home runs and 102 RBIs.  He was an offensive force from 1977 through 1979 and won the MVP with a terrific 1978 season when he hit .315/.370/.600 and led the league in most offensive categories.  While Rice played a lot of left field, he played the most games at DH of any Red Sox player in the 1970's.

STARTING PITCHER - LUIS TIANT

Another of the big stars of the team during the 1975 season, Luis Tiant was captivating to watch as he had a truly unique windup and threw a number of different pitches from a number of different arm angles.  Formerly a power pitcher for the Indians, Tiant was forced to reinvent himself as a crafty, finesse pitcher after suffering a serious arm injury.  Boston picked him up off the scrap heap, and after a rough 1971 season, he led the league in ERA in 1972 with a 1.91 mark.  He won 20 games three out of four seasons from 1973 through 1976 and was the big pitching star for Boston in 1975.  Tiant is another member of this team that should be re-examined for the Hall of Fame.

STARTING PITCHER - DENNIS ECKERSLEY

Although Eckersley only spent two seasons with the Red Sox in the 1970's, they were quite possibly his best seasons as a starting pitcher.  He was acquired from the Indians in a lopsided deal prior to the 1978 season and he was the big winner for Boston that season.  He had his only 20 win season that year, going 20-8 with a 2.99 ERA and struck out 162 batters.  He had another great season in 1979, going 17-10 with an identical 2.99 ERA and struck out 150 batters.  Somehow he did not make the All Star team in either season, though he did receive some Cy Young votes both years.  Eckersley is in the Hall of Fame, though this is mostly due to his exceptional work as a closer.  He was just not good enough for long enough as a starting pitcher.

STARTING PITCHER - RICK WISE

Wise led the Red Sox in wins in the 1975 season.  Not Tiant.  Not Lee.  Rick Wise.  He was originally acquired in a somewhat regrettable trade with the Cardinals in which Boston sent athletic outfielder Reggie Smith to St. Louis, but that is largely made up for when Wise was later traded for Eckersley.  Wise was known for being involved in poor deals as he was also once traded for Steve Carlton.  He was not great in his time with the Red Sox, but he did have a very good 1975 season when he was 19-12 with a 3.95 ERA and struck out 141 batters.  He never won as many games with the Red Sox again, but he was at least a decent starting pitcher for two more seasons.  He is mainly here for his 1975 season.

STARTING PITCHER - SONNY SIEBERT

Siebert was the Red Sox ace during the early years in the 1970's, though he was not really among the elite pitchers in the league.  He was acquired in the trade that sent popular outfielder Ken Harrelson to the Indians.  That trade did work out well for Boston over time as Siebert had some nice seasons.  In 1970, he was 15-8 with a 3.44 ERA and 142 strikeouts.  He was an All Star in 1971 when he went 16-10 with a 2.91 ERA and 131 strikeouts.  He had a surprisingly good season with the bat that year as he hit a shocking six home runs and batted .266.  He had never hit more than two before.  The next year though he was just 12-12 with a 3.80 ERA and was traded early in the 1973 season.

PITCHER - BILL LEE

After a few years in the bullpen, Bill "Spaceman" Lee was moved to the rotation in 1973.  He was decent out of the bullpen, including a very good 1971 season in which he was 9-2 with a 2.74 ERA.  But the outspoken southpaw really came into his own when he was given a chance to be a regular starting pitcher.  He won 17 games three seasons in a row from 1973 through 1975.  He had his lone All Star season in 1973 when he was 17-11 with a 2.75 ERA and struck out 120.  Lee was famous for being a great quote and having some wild ideas.  He was unconventional to say the least, but he was also a fiery competitor and a talented pitcher.  He had some injury problems in the late 1970's and did not get along with Boston manager Don Zimmer, which led to his eventual trade to the Expos.  Gary Peters and Mike Torrez were considered for the team as starting pitchers.

PITCHER - ROGELIO MORET

Moret spent just over half of his 116 games pitched for the Red Sox as a starter.  He had a couple of exceptional seasons which he split as a starter and reliever.  After a few seasons of appearing in just a handful of games, Moret made it to the big leagues to stay in 1973.  That season, he was 13-2 with a 3.17 ERA and struck out 90 in 156.1 innings.  After a decent season in 1974, Moret put together a 14-3 record in 1975.  He had an ERA of 3.60 and struck out 80 that season, but off-the-field problems led Boston to trade him to the Braves.  Unfortunately, Moret was never again the pitcher that he was in Boston.

PITCHER - BOB STANLEY

"The Steamer" emerged as a great relief pitcher in 1978, his second season in the Majors.  He was decent in 1977, while pitching primarily out of the bullpen.  In 1978 though, he was a workhorse, appearing in 52 games, all but three of which were out of the bullpen, and throwing 141.2 innings.  He was 15-2 with a 2.60 ERA and picked up ten saves.  In 1979, Stanley started 30 out of 40 games and was 16-12 with 3.99 ERA and appeared in his first All Star game.  Stanley would pitch several more seasons with the Red Sox, with varying degrees of success.

RELIEF PITCHER - BILL CAMPBELL

The first major free agent that the Red Sox signed was Bill Campbell.  He was coming off of a season in which he was 17-5 with a 3.01 ERA and 20 saves, all as a relief pitcher, and teams were beginning to gravitate toward having a designated relief ace, which would eventually move toward the one-inning closer.  Campbell was great in his first season with the Red Sox in 1977, putting up similar numbers to Cy Young Award winning reliever Sparky Lyle.  He was 13-9 with a 2.96 ERA, a league-leading 31 saves, and 114 strikeouts versus 60 walks in 140 innings.  Unfortunately, the huge workload took its toll on Campbell and he was never quite as good.  But his 1977 season was the best season of the decade by any Red Sox relief pitcher by a wide margin.  Bobby Bolin and Dick Drago were also considered for the team.   

A Trade for a Hall of Fame Autograph

No, it's not Ted Williams, though I wish it were.  It's not Carl Yastrzemski, though that would be nice too.  But it is a Hall of Famer and it is an autograph, so I am certainly not complaining.  It is not often I get one of these in a trade, so I am perfectly happy with that.  

1.  2017 Topps Heritage Chrome Purple David Price.  I got this card in the same trade.  Price is starting the season on the disabled list, but if he comes back strong, he gives Boston three aces at the top of their rotation.

2.  2016 Topps Tribute Autographs Green Jim Rice.  This is my second autograph of Rice.  I feel like I have been writing about Rice a lot lately.  He will likely appear in a post I am working on for this weekend too.  He is a Red Sox legend, so there is a good reason for his frequent appearance on this blog.

Ebay Bucks Purchase

I love Ebay Bucks.  It is nice to know that spending money on Ebay will get me some money back.  As I said previously, I have not been buying much lately, and that showed with the rather paltry amount I had to spend from my Ebay Bucks.  So I decided to make them count by picking up something unusual.  These two cards are from the new game card set Honus Bonus Fantasy.  Both of these players are pretty small in my collection so they were the two that most appealed to me so far.

1.  Robbie Ross Jr.  Previously, I only had one card of Ross.  He was such a big part of the last two years' bullpen, but he has yet to really appear on many cards.  Both of my cards are from game card sets like this.  Hopefully Topps will find a way to add him to more sets this year, particularly if he keeps pitching the way he has.

2.  Sandy Leon.  Leon has been pretty good this year so far.  He hit a walkoff three-run home run in the second game of the season.  Maybe he won't be a fluke.  But, it is still pretty early.  Nevertheless, he is quickly becoming one of my favorite under-the-radar players.

A Package from Dan

I received a surprise package from Dan, a fellow Red Sox fan Monday.  Included in the package were a number of cards from my wantlist, always something exciting.  Here are the spoils:

1.  2016 Bowman Platinum David Ortiz.  We are now underway on the post-David Ortiz era.  Now we wait for his Hall of Fame candidacy.

2.  2016 Bowman Platinum Top Prospects Anderson Espinoza.  Espinoza was Boston's top pitching prospect, but for some reason he was sent to San Diego for Drew Pomeranz, a trade that continues to look worse as Pomeranz is starting the season on the DL.

3.  2016 Bowman Platinum Top Prospects Rafael Devers.  Devers will take over as Boston's top prospect in a couple of weeks when Andrew Benintendi graduates from prospect status.

4.   2016 Topps Archives Snapshots David Ortiz.  This is my first card from this set.  There are a few random Red Sox in it that I am interested in, including a rare Jose Canseco in a Red Sox uniform card.

5.  2016 Topps Spring Fever David Ortiz.  Ortiz is once again leading Pedro Martinez for the third-largest player in my Red Sox collection with these three cards.

6.  2016 Topps Chrome Brian Johnson.  Johnson will try to make it back to the Majors after pitching just one game in the Majors to date, back in 2015.

7-8.  Craig Kimbrel.  Unfortunately both of these are duplicates.

Thanks for the cards Dan!  I will work on getting something together for you.

Your 2017 Boston Red Sox on Opening Day

Here we are on Opening Day.  It has been a long winter, but I am excited for the season.  I thought I would do something a tad different and introduce the 25 man roster going into the first game.  So without further ado, here are the 2017 Boston Red Sox:

FERNANDO ABAD

One of a small handful of players that have yet to appear in my Red Sox collection, Abad is one of three lefties out of the bullpen.  He was acquired in a trade deadline move last year, which did not work out real well.

MATT BARNES

Barnes emerged as a major contributor in the Red Sox bullpen last season and showed an aptitude for striking batters out.  He will play a similar role with Boston this season and could be one of the main setup men.

ANDREW BENINTENDI

Largely considered the #1 prospect in all of baseball, Benintendi is coming into the season as one of the favorites for the AL Rookie of the Year.  He had a nice stint in Boston at the end of the season and only a minor injury prevented him from losing his rookie eligibility.

MOOKIE BETTS

The runner-up for the 2016 AL MVP enters this season as one of the brightest young stars in the game.  He does everything well.  Here's hoping for more of the same and a contract extension.

XANDER BOGAERTS

Coming off of his second straight Silver Slugger Award, Bogaerts struggled greatly in the second half but could put everything together this season.  Even after a disappointing half, he was still one of the best shortstops in the league.

JACKIE BRADLEY, JR.

JBJ emerged as a top player for the Red Sox in 2016.  He had the longest hitting streak in the game, but also faded badly down the stretch.  His defense still makes him a terrific player.

HEATH HEMBREE

Like Barnes, Hembree emerged as a major piece of the Red Sox bullpen and was even better at piling up the strikeouts.  Still, he bounced between the Majors and Minors frequently.  He should be up for the entire season this year and should get some new cards.

BROCK HOLT

The utility-man extraordinaire is coming off of a rough season.  Not playing him as a regular should help him out somewhat.  Holt's versatility is his greatest asset.

JOE KELLY

Finally, Boston appears set to leave Kelly in the bullpen.  His stuff keeps making the team think that he could be a decent starter, but the results have been ugly.  He should be effective in relief.

CRAIG KIMBREL

He had a rough first season in Boston, but Kimbrel still racked up saves and strikeouts.  Hopefully he will be back to his old ways in 2017.

SANDY LEON

Leon had a terrific start to his 2016 season, but cooled off significantly.  He still had the best season of his career, but it seems unlikely he will have that good of a season again.  If he struggles, Blake Swihart will be there to take over.

MITCH MORELAND

I have not been able to add Moreland to my collection yet, but it is just a matter of time.  He won the Gold Glove Award and will be the primary first-baseman this season.

DUSTIN PEDROIA

Now the longest tenured Red Sox player, Pedroia has been with the team since late 2006.  He is building up his Hall of Fame resume at this point.

RICK PORCELLO

The 2016 AL Cy Young Award Winner will be the Opening Day starter.  He struggled a bit in the Spring, but he did last season too.

HANLEY RAMIREZ

Ramirez will take over at DH for the now-retired David Ortiz.  His power stroke came through in a big way in 2016 and he will be looked to for more power in 2017.

EDUARDO RODRIGUEZ

Boston received Rodriguez as return when Andrew Miller was traded to the Orioles.  He looks poised to take a step forward in 2017 and could be a major part of the Red Sox rotation for years to come.

ROBBIE ROSS, JR.

Another emerging member of the Red Sox bullpen, Ross is the major lefty for Boston.  Hopefully he will get some more cards this year.  He has proven to be a decent pickup.

CHRIS SALE

He cost Boston a lot of young talent, but Sale is one of the best pitchers in the league.  Along with David Price and Rick Porcello, Sale gives the Red Sox three top-flight starting pitchers to head their rotation.

PABLO SANDOVAL

He's back.  Sandoval looks ready for a new start.  He had an impressive Spring Training after losing a bunch of weight.  Hopefully he proves to be worth the big contract.

ROBBY SCOTT

I do not have this card either.  Scott is the last of the three lefties in the Red Sox bullpen and had an impressive Spring after making his Major League debut in 2016.

STEVE SELSKY

Selsky was a surprise addition to the Red Sox roster, likely making it in order to play first base against lefties in order to give Moreland a rest.  Hanley Ramirez is unable to play in the field.

BEN TAYLOR

Another surprise addition to the Red Sox roster, Taylor will be making his Major League debut in 2017.  He was a 7th round pick in 2015 by the Red Sox.

CHRISTIAN VAZQUEZ

An incredibly talented defensive catcher, Vazquez's offense has left a lot to be desired.  If he could be even a slightly below-average hitter, his defense would make him a good player.  He is not even at that point yet.

STEVEN WRIGHT

Hopefully Wright will prove that last season was not a fluke.  He had always shown flashes of being a good pitcher, but no one expected an All Star appearance.    

CHRIS YOUNG

Young mashes lefties.  That is his primary skill.  And it makes him a terrific bench bat.  He will do more of the same in 2017.

And there you have the 2017 Red Sox.

2017 Donruss Blaster Break

I am not buying cards much these days.  I have mentioned that before.  What would make that more bearable would be actually doing reasonably well pulling Red Sox when I do buy blasters.  That has not really happened much yet.  Take my haul from my recent Donruss blaster:

Yep.  One card.  Now granted, it is reigning Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello, who will be starting on Opening Day.  But I still would have preferred a few more cards.  I do like the homage to the 1990 Donruss design here.  Donruss was always one of my favorite brands and I still like picking it up even without the MLB license.  Still, it would have been nice to have a little more luck.

Oh Hey, Some New Cards

I've been in a slump lately.  Work has been incredibly busy and it is sapping my enjoyment of collecting.  I have been avoiding buying and I just can't seem to make much headway in trading.  But I did get this package in, and while there are not a lot of really exciting cards here, just seeing that package in the mail was enough to brighten my day, at least for awhile.

1.  2017 Donruss 1983 Retro Pedro Martinez.  The last couple of years, Donruss's retro set featured some amazing photography.  Unfortunately, what I have seen so far from this year's set is pretty disappointing.  This is a generic action shot for Pedro.

2.  2017 Topps Rediscover Bronze Dennis Boyd.  I like the buybacks, but it seems weird getting buybacks of cards from my own childhood.  That being said, I am still sucking up every Red Sox card and Sandy Alomar Jr. card I can find.

3.  2017 Donruss Xander Bogaerts.  I missed out on Mookie Betts in my fantasy draft, but I made sure to get Xander late in the second round.  We will see if that works out for me.  By the way, Nolan Arenado was my first round pick.

4.  2017 Donruss David Price.  Unfortunately, Price will start the season on the disabled list.  So much for that great three-headed rotation monster.

1991-2016 All-Underrated Team: Left Field

I have been watching baseball for 26 years now. In that time, I have been obsessed with under-the-radar players. These are my picks for an All-Underrated Team. I have picked one player for each position and their best season.

We went from a tough call in center field to a much easier one in left field.  Left field has historically been one of the strongest positions for the Red Sox.  With players like Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice, and Manny Ramirez playing the position over the years, it has been rare for a player to fly in under the radar.  Even Mike Greenwell had some terrific seasons in left during his career.  With all those stars, it was easier to find a player who had a good year but was never an All Star, and this one was easy for me.  Troy O'Leary in 1999.

I remember O'Leary's 1999 season very well.  He had been a favorite of mine since he quietly became the team's starting right fielder in 1995, stealing the job from the much more renowned Mark Whiten when he hit .308/.355/.491 with 10 home runs.  His batting average fluctuated over the next few seasons, but his power numbers kept increasing up to the 1999 season.  And that is when he had his best season from a power standpoint.

In 1999, O'Leary was a major offensive force in a lineup that really needed it since the home run leader each of the previous six seasons, Mo Vaughn, defected to the Angels as a free agent prior to the season.  O'Leary ended up leading the team in home runs (28) and came within one RBI of the team lead (103).  It was his career high in home runs and had 20 more RBIs than his second best season.  He also chipped in 36 doubles and scored 84 runs.  O'Leary was not a great defensive player, but he played well enough in left to not hurt the team and he did lead the league in putouts.

But as impressive as his regular season stats were, what really pushes him over the line for this pick was his postseason, in particular his clutch performance in Game 5 of the ALDS against the Indians.  That game featured the two teams at two wins apiece and the Red Sox fell behind after a shaky performance from Bret Saberhagen.  In the top of the third, with Boston behind 5-3, the Indians intentionally walked Garciaparra to load the bases for O'Leary to face Nagy.  O'Leary hit a grand slam to put Boston in the lead 7-5.  The Red Sox brought Pedro Martinez into a tie game, and it stayed tied until the seventh.  The Indians again intentionally walked Garciaparra to put two runners on for Paul Shuey to face O'Leary.  Again, he homered, and this time the Red Sox made it stick.  So that is twice the Indians tried to avoid having Nomar beat them, only for O'Leary to homer both times, driving in seven runs.

O'Leary had been a solid player for a few years, but he became a very good player in 1999 and then had a memorable performance in the postseason.  Unfortunately he would decline significantly and be pushed out after that.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Daniel Nava - 2013 (.303/.385/.445, 12 home runs, 66 RBIs)

Jonny Gomes - 2013 (.247/.344/.426, 13 home runs, 52 RBIs) 

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.

Slow Going on Heritage

I have not gotten very far on Heritage either.  I have been trying to cut back on spending money on cards.  Which means not as many boxes, and far fewer purchases on Ebay.  I did work out a trade which brought me a few Red Sox Heritage commons though:

1.  2017 Topps Heritage Brock Holt.  Holt had a bad year in 2016.  With the emergence of Marco Hernandez last season and this Spring, Holt's job could be in jeopardy.  I really like Holt, and it would be a shame to lose him, but Hernandez looks like a similar player.

2.  2017 Topps Heritage Henry Owens.  Topps is obsessed with Owens.  I have more than 40 cards of him, and I am not even really trying.

3.  2017 Topps Heritage Drew Pomeranz.  He was a little banged up to start the Spring, but Pomeranz is coming around and he should be a back of the rotation starter this season.  Hopefully he pays off, because he cost the Red Sox Anderson Espinoza.

2017 Topps Trade

I still have a long way to go with 2017 Topps Series 1.  This trade knocks off a bunch of the inserts that were on my wantlist though.

1.  2017 Topps Jackie Robinson Day Mookie Betts.  Betts is one of the brightest young black stars in the game today.  And he is the first superstar black player to be developed by the Red Sox since Mo Vaughn.  I was disappointed that Boston did not get him locked up to a long-term deal this last offseason.  Hopefully they will in the near future.

2.  2017 Topps 1987 Henry Owens.  I am pretty sure the "Future Star" label is misplaced on this card.  Owens struggled greatly last season and was not any better in Spring Training.

3.  2017 Topps Silver Slugger Xander Bogaerts.  One of three Red Sox to win the Silver Slugger Award in 2016, this was the second time for Bogaerts.  He will need to become more consistent if he is going to win any more though.

4.  2017 Topps 5 Tool Andrew Benintendi.  Benintendi is one of the players I am most excited about this season.  He was impressive in short work last year and he comes into the season as the favorite for the Rookie of the Year.

5.  2017 Topps Jackie Robinson Patch David Price.  One of the biggest disappointments of the Spring is Price, who is nursing a sore elbow.  He won't need Tommy John surgery, but he will likely miss the first month of the season.

I'm Back from Vacation

I went to San Antonio for a couple of days and have generally been inactive leading up to it.  Well, getting back, I had a few packages in the mail that I will get to.  They were all trades made before the trip.

1.  2010 Bowman Platinum Green Refractor Jose Iglesias.  I really liked Iglesias.  I was excited about him coming to the Majors and he was fun to watch while in Boston.  He had some speed which he utilized to rack up infield hits.  He never hit the ball terribly hard, but he got on base and he was terrific defensively.  It was disappointing when Boston traded him, but it opened the door for Xander Bogaerts.

2.  2017 Topps Heritage Baseball Flashback Carl Yastrzemski.  This flashback looks back at the 1967 season, which was of course, a huge season for Yaz.  The left-fielder led the Red Sox to the World Series on the strength of his Triple Crown season, yet oddly he was not a unanimous selection for the MVP that season.  Somehow, Cesar Tovar received a first place vote despite hitting .267 with six home runs.

3.  2017 Topps Salute David Ortiz.  This card features Ortiz in a Father's Day special uniform.  On Father's Day in 2016, Ortiz had one hit and one walk in four plate appearances.  The Red Sox beat the Mariners 2-1.

4.  2011 Topps Marquee Blue Kevin Youkilis.  The Topps Marquee set was underrated.  It had some terrific photography, including this awesome shot of Youkilis scoring a run in the 2007 World Series.

5.  2013 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks Teddy Stankiewicz.  Stankiewicz was a second round draft pick of the Red Sox in the 2012 draft.  Unfortunately, after an impressive 2014 season, he has struggled his last two seasons.  At this point he is not even among the team's Top 40 prospects.