Red Sox historic trials and tribulations at third base
By Rick McNair
THE HITTERS
Before there was Brock Holt there was Billy Goodman. I’ll put Goodman on this list since in 1950 he won a batting title hitting .354. Goodman played everywhere, but the lefty hitter did play 27 games at third. A favorite of mine when I started following the Red Sox in the early 1950’s.
Carney Lansford won a batting title for the Red Sox in the strike shortened 1981 season by hitting .336. Lansford followed that up with another season .300 season in 1982 by hitting .301. His reward? Traded to Oakland at the tender age of 25. Why is simple our next entry.
Wade Boggs captured five batting titles while playing for the Red Sox. In 1983, as a replacement for Lansford, Boggs topped the league at .361. Boggs had hit .349 in 1982 and would have won that title if he had accumulated enough at-bats.
Bill Mueller played three gritty seasons for Boston on knees that were like bald tires. His first season the switch-hitter won a batting title with a .326 average and the next season was 2004 – we all know how Mueller did that year.
I have always regretted that the Red Sox passed on Adrian Beltre. Now Beltre has 3,000 hits and 189 of them were delivered to the Red Sox. Beltre would swing hard and hit hard and led the American League with 49 doubles in his lone Boston year. A great glove and stinging bat.