Boston Red Sox: 30 Greatest Players in Team History
Apr 13, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Baseball fans make their way along Yawkey Way before opening ceremonies at Fenway Park for the Boston Red Sox home opener against the Washington Nationals. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Founded in 1901 as one of the original members of the American League, the Boston Red Sox have a long and storied history. While there was a major gap between the Red Sox early success, and their modern championship teams, the franchise has taken home eight World Series championship in their existence, which is tied for the fourth most of all-time.
That may not seem like much considering the Red Sox hated rivals, the New York Yankees, have the most World Series wins in MLB history with 27, but that has more to do with the Yankees dominating the field (the St. Louis Cardinals are the closest team with 11 championships).
Simply put, the Red Sox are one of the most successful MLB organizations of all-time. They have had many incredible teams, and of course, a stock of legendary Hall of Fame players.
With the announcement that David Ortiz is set to retire following the 2016 season, I had began to wonder where he fits in the history of the franchise. Ortiz has been an incredible player for many years in Boston, and his playoff success will undoubtedly make him among the best players in the history of the franchise in fan’s eyes.
To see where Ortiz truly ranks in the history of the Red Sox, I decided to make a list profiling the 30 greatest players in the history of the organization.
The list is simple, taking into account offensive and defensive performances, giving extra points for team success (especially in the post season) and only accounting for a player’s time with the Red Sox, I will rank the players from the 30th best player of all-time, all the way down until we decide on the greatest player in the history of the franchise.
Enough of this, let’s get to the list. Without further ado, here are the 30 greatest players in the long and storied history of the Boston Red Sox.
Next: Number 30