Red Sox: Top five center fielders in Boston’s franchise history
By Sean Penney
The “Little Professor” may have been overshadowed by his more accomplished brother, but the younger DiMaggio brother put together a spectacular career in his own right.
DiMaggio made seven All-Star appearances over an 11-year career, which would have been longer had he not missed three years of his prime to serve in the military. Despite those lost seasons, no Red Sox center fielder has appeared in more games than the 1399 DiMaggio played in, while his 6478 plate appearances are nearly 2000 more than anyone else to play the position in Boston.
He wasn’t much of a power threat, but DiMaggio did average 36 doubles and 7 triples over the course of his career. He spent most of his time hitting at the top of the lineup where he piled up 110+ runs six times, twice leading the league in the category.
DiMaggio was also an excellent defensive player. In 1948 he recorded 503 outfield putouts, which stood as the American League record until 1977. He also averaged 14.7 outfield assists in his career – for comparison’s sake, Jackie Bradley led all major league center fielders in 2016 with 13 assists.
These days fans can see DiMaggio immortalized as a statue outside Fenway Park alongside former teammates Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky and Bobby Doerr.