Red Sox: Top-5 shortstops in franchise history
Rico Petrocelli: 1963, 1965-1976
The two-time all-star spent his entire career with the Red Sox, playing more games at shortstop than any other player in team history. His 39.4 fWAR is also tops at the position, edging out greats like Joe Cronin and Nomar Garciaparra.
Petrocelli was part of the Red Sox’ “Impossible Dream” team in 1967, alongside hall-of-famer Carl Yastrzemski. During the World Series that year, he hit two home runs against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 6, though the team would go on to lose in 7.
Two seasons later, Petrocelli set the major league record for single-season home runs by a shortstop with 40. The record has since been broken, but his 1969 season stands out among his great career. His .297 average, .998 OPS, 92 runs and 159 hits were all personal bests.
His career with the Red Sox ended in 1976 after he retired at the age of 31, but his contributions hold up to this day – earning him a spot among the best shortstops in team history.