Greatest Red Sox hitter of all-time

Beat me to it, Buck.

LOVE Bobby Doerr, perhaps one of my favorite Red Sox players ever. A buddy of mine got me the Condon Collection picture of him about 15 years ago. It hangs in my game room.

 

Anyway, if I'm compiling my all-time Red Sox lineup, here it goes:

1. Speaker, CF
2. Doerr, 2B
3. Williams, LF
4. Foxx, 1B
5. Ramirez, RF
6. Yaz, DH
7. Boggs, 3B
8. Cronin, SS
9. Fisk, C

 

Is Yastrzemski the DH simply because he played in the DH era and Williams did not?

 

Nah, that should probably be switched. I just think of Yaz more as the old first baseman he was in his later years. He was a pretty good left fielder until his legs went bad. Besides, I was mostly going for all-time lineup rather than all-around good team.

Otherwise, Speaker would have his work cut out for him with Teddy Ballgame and MannyBManny roaming the corners.

 

Manny in right field would be pretty brutal. I might DH him and put Yaz in the field.
Says something about the franchise (and, I guess about free agency) that there's only one player from the modern, World Series-winning era in that lineup. And only one other guy (Ortiz) who you might even argue for.

 

Manny's adventurous, but he's not nearly as bad as everyone says. He played a decent right field for the Indians for years, so he'd probably be more comfortable there than he is under the Green Monster anyway.

Actually, I wouldn't consider Ortiz anyway. I know RSN acts like he's the second coming, but he's only been productive for about five years. Varitek is the current player who I'd argue to include most, behind Fisk.

 

Nomar's best seasons would make the list, but he was only great for a short window.

 

Oh, I know Manny's a better left fielder than he's often given credit for. It's just that right field in Fenway is pretty spacious, and, while I'm not old enough to have seen Yaz roaming the outfield, I figure he (or Williams) probably had better range. Manny's skill in left field is, by now at least, as much about knowing the angles as anything.
I considered Varitek, too, but figured this list is more about offense. If you're talking the mental game of catching, Varitek has no rival.
I wouldn't put Ortiz on that list either, but he probably deserves a nomination based on heroics alone.

 

A pretty good left fielder? Pretty good? Say what you will about Yaz on the road, but he was possibly the best left fielder to roam the Fenway outfield.

Mr. Weaver, are you a large fan of saber?