Red Sox: Top-5 left fielders in franchise history
By Sean Penney
For over two decades, Yaz was one of the biggest stars to wear a Red Sox uniform. No player in franchise history has appeared in more games or had more plate appearances than the totals Yastrzemski piled up over his 23-year career.
The 18-time All-Star won three batting titles and seven Gold Gloves over the course of his career. In 1967 he earned the AL MVP award by hitting .326 with 44 home runs and 121 RBI, capturing the prestigious Triple Crown for leading the league in each of those categories – an accomplishment so rare that it took 45 years before another AL hitter did it again.
Yastrzemski ranks at or near the top of the all-time franchise list in many cumulative offensive categories. His slash line figures would have been higher if not for a late career fade dragging those numbers down a bit – understandable considering the man played until he was 43. Yaz may not have roared into retirement the way David Ortiz did this past season, but he remained an above-average hitter to the end.
He finished his career hitting .285/.379/.462 with 452 home runs (third most in franchise history) and 1844 RBI (most in franchise history). The 94.8 fWAR he produced is not only second among left fielders, it’s the second highest total among Red Sox hitters at any position.
You can make the case that Yaz was the second best hitter to wear a Red Sox uniform, trailing only the man that ranks first on this list…