The Boston Red Sox have had a number of tremendous shortstops over the franchise’s history. Does Xander Bogaerts crack the top 5?
To answer that question right off the bat, no current Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts is not one of the franchise’s five best. At least not yet.
Bogaerts has the potential to crack this list in the future if he sticks around in Boston for years to come. It’s tough to crack any all-time list on franchise with such a storied history.
The Red Sox five greatest shortstops of all-time list includes players from all eras. Here, we break each down for you, beginning with number 5.
5. John Valentin (1992-2001)
.281, 121 HR, 1043 H, 266 2B, .972 FLD%, 1x Silver Slugger
John Valentin ushered in the pre-Nomar 90’s. He was a solid shortstop, who would have remained at the position if not for Garciaparra. With Boston, Valentin hit 121 career homeruns, tallied over 1,000 hits and played strong defense.
Many others could have taken this spot, but part of what gets him the #5 ranking is how he handled the turnover to Garciaparra. Nothing but class from the veteran at the time.
When Nomar won the shortstop position, Valentin moved to second, and then third.
4. Rico Petrocelli (1963, 1965-1976)
.251, 210 HR, 773 RBI, 1352 H, 237 2B, .969 FLD%, 2x All-Star
Rico Petrocelli was the Red Sox shortstop for most of the 1960’s before moving to third base in the 1970’s. He was an extremely talented fielder, but he was no slouch at the plate either. His .251 batting average may not seem all that impressive, but Rico was carrying his weight.
A member of the 1967 squad, Petrocelli will always be remembered in Boston. In Game 6 of that World Series, he belted two homers against the Cardinals.
In 1969, Petrocelli set the (now broken) record for home runs from a shortstop with 40 on the year.
3. Johnny Pesky (1942, 1946-1952)
.313, 13 HR, 361 RBI, 1277 H, .964 FLD %, 1x All-Star
Johnny Pesky hit only 6 home runs in Fenway Park over his career, but somehow the right field foul pole still bears his name. Pesky is a Red Sox legend, and his presence around the club in his post-playing career may have been even more impactful than his play in the 1940’s.
Pesky is one of just two Red Sox shortstops to have their number retired by the team. No one will ever wear the #6 again in Boston.
Unfortunately, Pesky passed away in 2012, during the 100th anniversary season of Fenway Park.
2. Joe Cronin (1935-1945)
.300, 119 HR, 737 RBI, 1168 H, 270 2B, .951 FLD %, 5x All-Star
The #4 is retired in Boston for Joe Cronin, who played 10 seasons for the Red Sox. His Red Sox affiliation actually spanned 24 years if you include his time as the manager and general manager.
In fact, Cronin is the all-time leader in wins as the Red Sox skipper with 1,071.
As a shortstop he was tremendous. Cronin earned five all-star selections, thanks in part to his .951% fielding percentage. Cronin could also knock the ball around, with 119 home runs and 270 doubles during his Boston career.
Cronin was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1956.
1. Nomar Garciaparra (1996-2004)
.323, 178 HR, 690 RBI, 1281 H, 279 2B, 50 3B, .968 FLD %, Rookie of the Year, 6x All-Star, 1x Silver Slugger
For many in my generation, when you think of the shortstop position at Fenway Park, Nomar Garciaparra still comes to mind. In fact, I wear my Nomar jersey to Red Sox games more often than not.
In the late 90’s and early 2000’s Nomar Garciaparra was the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees had Jeter, and we had Nomar, and that was just the way we liked it. With Boston Nomar was an animal.
Garciaparra hit .323 over his Red Sox career, while collecting the Rookie of the Year Award in 1997, a Silver Slugger, and multiple All-Star Game appearances.
Nomar made difficult plays look routine game after game. He was a tremendous fielder. Though he was traded in 2004 before the Red Sox won the World Series, there is no doubt that Nomar Garciaparra played a huge part in rebuilding the Red Sox franchise.
Next: Jason Varitek's Red Sox Career
Xander Bogaerts will look to become the Nomar of this generation, and he has a long career ahead of him to try to get there.