Ted Williams
Year Inducted: 1966
Ted Williams is the greatest hitter in franchise history and arguably the greatest MLB has ever seen.
The Splendid Splinter is MLB’s all-time leader with a .482 OBP and 20.6 BB%. His .634 SLG, .493 wOBA, and 188 wRC+ trail only Babe Ruth in major league history. He’s also seventh with a .344 career batting average and 20th on the all-time home runs list with 521.
Williams won six batting titles, including one in 1941 when he hit .406, making him the last qualified major league hitter to hit .400+ in a season.
The 19-time All-Star would have piled up even more career accomplishments if not for a three-year absence due to military service. Williams won the Triple Crown by hitting .356 with 36 home runs and 137 RBI in 1942, his final season before he went off to join the war. He didn’t miss a beat after three years away, capturing the AL MVP award in his first year back.
Williams secured the second Triple Crown of his career the following season in 1947 yet didn’t win the MVP. Twice he was a Triple Crown winner who finished as the runner-up in the MVP race.
He won his second MVP award in 1949 and finished top-five on the ballot on seven other occasions yet it feels like he should have taken home the hardware more often. The MVP is voted on by sports writers and Williams always had a prickly relationship with the media. He wasn’t as beloved as some of the Yankees greats who played on more successful ball clubs and that cost Williams more often than it should have in the eyes of voters.
In 1946, Williams blasted a 502-foot home run to right field that still stands as the furthest ball ever hit at Fenway. One red seat in right field sits in a sea of green to highlight the spot where the record-setting home run landed.
Teddy Ballgame is the Red Sox’ all-time leader with 130.4 fWAR and he’s seventh in MLB history. His No. 9 is retired at Fenway.