Forgettable and some memorable
Some players arrive five years too late and that was Bob Bailey. Bailey hit just .191 in 41 games for Boston and that was the end of his career. Earlier in his career, Bailey was a productive right-hand power bat, but that was long gone when he came to Boston.
Dante Bichette was 36-years-old when he came to Boston. The best years for Bichette were in Colorado, where he took full advantage of the rarefied air in Denver. The power numbers were gone (19 HR in two seasons) and so was Bichette.
Jack Clark could collect two things in life – home runs and cars. The first allowed him the fiscal resources to buy the second – all of which eventually went on the auction block when the “Ripper” went bankrupt.
Clark signed a three-year deal with Boston late in his career to provide that potent right-hand bat that the Red Sox consistently attempt to locate. In his first season, Clark did not disappoint hitting 28 home runs while bagging 87 RBI. The downside was a .249 average and that was a vision of things to come.
In 1992, the average deteriorated to .210 and there was a power outage with only five home runs and 33 RBI in 81 games. Clark was given his release and never played MLB again.
The Red Sox signed 30-year-old Jose Canseco to be their DH. By this stage of what became a flawed career Canseco was viewed as a liability in the field so Boston and Fenway Park were the perfect landing spot. Jose did not disappoint.
In his two seasons, Canseco slashed .298/.389/.571 while hitting 52 home runs and accounting for 163 RBI. In 1996, Canseco had a tremendous first half with 26 home runs by the All-Star break before back woes affected his performance.
Jose was traded in the off-season for John Wasdin and that finished his Boston legacy.