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Red Sox: Top 5 home run hitters in franchise history

By Sean Penney

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May 5, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox hall of famers Jim Rice and Carl Yastrzemski stand in left field as part of the pregame ceremony before the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
May 5, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox hall of famers Jim Rice and Carl Yastrzemski stand in left field as part of the pregame ceremony before the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /

Jim Rice

There were some that questioned Rice’s induction into the baseball Hall of Fame because they felt that his peak didn’t last long enough. That’s a load of rubbish.

Rice spent his entire 16 year career with the Red Sox. At least a dozen of those seasons were played at an elite level, starting with his first full season in 1975 when he finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting and third in the MVP race.

He would go on to make 8 All-Star appearances in a 10 year span from 1977-1986, winning an MVP and finishing in the top 5 four other times.

Rice hit at least 20 homers 11 times during his career, leading the league in that category in three of those seasons. That includes a career-high 46 that he smashed during his MVP campaign in ’78, when he also led the league in triples, RBI, slugging, OPS and total bases.

The 382 home runs Rice finished with puts him fourth on the Red Sox all-time list, just ahead of teammate Dwight Evans (379), despite that Evans played in over 400 more games with the Red Sox. If Rice’s career lasted anywhere near as long as the outfielders he shared the outfield with in Boston, he likely would have made a run at 500 home runs.

Next: Ted Williams

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