Red Sox Draft: Top-five 1st round picks in franchise history
By Sean Penney
Only one player on this list is currently enshrined in the Hall of Fame. That would be Jim Rice, the No. 15 overall pick in the 1971 draft.
Jim Ed finished second in the Rookie of the Year race behind teammate Fred Lynn in 1975. Lynn would also capture the MVP that year, with Rice finishing third on the ballot.
More from Red Sox Prospects
- Predicting top Red Sox outfield prospect Ceddanne Rafaela’s timeline to the majors
- Predicting Red Sox top prospect Marcelo Mayer’s timeline to the majors
- Red Sox risk repeating rookie mistake with Eric Hosmer release
- Red Sox invited group of players you’ve probably never heard of to Spring Training
- Jeter Downs’ official departure will continue to haunt Red Sox
Rice would win the MVP three years later when he led the league with a .600 SLG, .970 OPS, 213 hits, 15 triples, 46 home runs and 139 RBI.
He led the league in homers a total of three times, blasting 39 twice during his career. Rice finished with 382 home runs over 16 seasons, all of which were spent with the Red Sox. He ranks fourth on the franchise’s all-time home run and RBI lists.
Rice made eight All-Star appearances in his career. He won a pair of Silver Sluggers and finished top-five on the MVP ballot six times.
His 50.8 fWAR ranks 7th in franchise history, higher than any Red Sox position player drafted in the first round. Only Dwight Evans and Wade Boggs have a higher career fWAR among players selected in any round by the Red Sox since the amateur draft began in 1965.