Now, I have been a Red Sox fan my whole life. I have been through the greatest of times and the worst of times. Now, I don’t want to make it seem like I was alive for Buckner or any of those debacles, but I was alive for Boone, and all of those tough Red Sox teams in the ’90’s. My friends and I have always joked around and made a goofy type of All-Time Red Sox Lineup and thats what I’m going to do here today.
SP: Pedro Martinez
Pedro was with the Sox from 1998-2004 and was arguably the greatest Red Sox pitcher of all time. He had a career ERA of 2.49, with his lowest ERA being 1.74 in 2000 ad his highest ERA being 3.90 in his last year with the Sox. Some people may remember Pedro for being left in too long against the Yankees in 2003, but I remember him for many other things. He was an All-Star 4 times, won the Cy Young Award twice, and finished in the top 5 in voting for the Cy Young 4 times. He was a stud and won a World Series with the Sox, he is absolutely the starter.
SP: Tim Wakefield
The world famous knuckleballer is my all-time favorite pitcher. Wakefield was one of those guys who either let up about a dozen runs, most of them that haven’t landed yet or he threw a gem and stifled batters with the knuckler. Wakefield was with the Red Sox from 1995-2011, with ’95 being his best year. He finished 3rd in the Cy Young voting and 13th in the MVP voting. I always loved Wake because he was a true Red Sox player, he just went out and pitched, almost like he didn’t care about the outcome. Plus, he had one of the greatest catchers ever, who we will talk about in a little bit.
RP: Rich Garces
“El Guapo” as he was once called was a heavy set relief pitcher for the Sox from 1996-2002. He was a steady reliever, who surprisingly had a very solid ERA with the Sox. I just remember him blessing himself after every strikeout, and my Dad making the joke he was praying to the “Sub God”. He was a big, lovable guy, nicknamed, The Handsome, which he was not. You have gotta love a guy like that.
C: Doug Mirabelli
He was the only man in baseball who could catch the knuckleball, and that’s what made him famous. He also was one of the only players in the MLB to not wear batting gloves. Mirabelli was with the Sox from 2001-2007. The greatest moment of his career was when he was traded for in the middle of the day from the San Diego Padres, just so he could catch for Wakefield in the playoffs. They showed him being driven into Fenway Park moments before the players were heading onto the field.
1B: Mo Vaughn
The “Hit Dog” is a legend in my book. With one of the most awkward batting stances of all time, he used to drop bombs at the plate. He was with the Red Sox from 1991-1998. He had a career batting average of .304 with the Sox (which I did not know it was that high) and had 230 homeruns with 752 RBI’s. In 1995, he was AL MVP and won the Silver Slugger award. He was an All-Star 3 times and was top 15 in MVP voting 5 times. Mo Vaughan was also known for wearing the number 42, and wearing it throughout his career.
2B: Mark Bellhorn
Known for his double-flap helmet, Bellhorn was a solid second baseman. He hit a huge homerun in Game 7 of the miracle comeback over the Yankees in 2004. He was only with the Sox for two years, hit .250, had 24 homeruns and 110 RBI’s. Doesn’t seem like much but he was a clown, I mean who wears a double-flap helmet in the MLB.
SS: Nomar Garciaparra
Nomar is the greatest shortstop of all time, so it only fits for him to be the best Sox shortstop of all time. Nomar was an All-Star 5 times, won Rookie of the Year in 1997, and finished top 10 10 in MVP voting 5 times. Nomar batted a career average .323 with the Sox, had 178 homeruns, with 690 RBI’s. To say the least, Nomar was a great ballplayer and should have his number retired with the Sox.
3B: Bill Mueller
Mueller was a sure handed third baseman with a great bat. He hit for average and he could hit for power. in 2003, Mueller won the Silver Slugger and was 12th in MVP voting. Mueller was on the World Series winning Sox in 2004 and made a huge impact for them that year.
OF: Troy O’Leary
He was with the Sox from 1995-2001. He was on those classic ’90’s teams that could never get over the hump, or beat the Yankees. He hit a career average of .276, with 117 homeruns and 516 RBI’s. O’Leary was known for being the best at navigating the “Green Monster” out in left field and did it for a number of years.
OF: Carl Everett
Known for his temper, you never knew when Everett was going to strike. Although he only played for the Sox for two years, he made his presence be known. The famous head butt to umpire Ron Kulpa, after arguing balls and strikes, was just one of his most famous incidents. Another was when he grabbed his balls and spit at Pitcher Jamie Moyer after he hit a bomb off of him. He hit .281 with 48 homeruns and 166 RBI’s.
OF: Trot Nixon
The “Dirt Dog” was a staple in the Sox lineup for 10 years (’96-’06). The lefty was the protector of Pesky’s Pole in right field and was known for always giving his best effort. The best part about Trot was just how dirty and gross both his hat and helmet were. I don’t know if it was a ritual or just laziness but it made him who he was. He had a pure lefty swing that led him to hitting .278 with 133 homeruns and 523 RBI’s.
DH: Kevin Millar
“Cowboy Up!” was his famous moniker in 2003 as the Sox were fighting through the playoffs. He brought great energy and was a great clubhouse guy. He was known for always joking around and having fun, but he was serious while he played. He hit .282 with 52 homeruns and 220 RBI’s. Millar may be one of my favorites on this list just because of his personality, he was a great addition to the Sox while he was there.
I know this is a pretty goofy list, but these are just some guys I remember playing for the Sox. They may not have been the greatest at their positions, but they made watching the Sox fun.
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