Boston Red Sox: Ranking top 10 players from the 1980s

Marty Barrett

Next on the list is the Red Sox second baseman during the 1980s, Marty Barrett. He played in the majors from 1982-1991 and spent all but his final season with the Red Sox. After appearing in limited action in 1982 and 1983, Barrett stuck for good in 1984 and held down second base for the rest of the decade before spending his last year in San Diego.

While not a power hitter by any stretch, Barrett was a very good contact hitter in the same vein as Boggs (although at not nearly as high an average) and compiled a .244 average with only 17 home runs and 311 RBI. However, he only struck out 206 times in his Red Sox career (in 3362 at bats!) and was also an excellent bunter, used frequently in high-leverage situations to move runners over.

With the glove, Barrett was an excellent fielder with a strong arm and a career .986 fielding percentage. He was adept at the hidden ball trick and managed to successfully pull it off three times with the Red Sox. Even though he wasn’t the most fearsome hitter, Barrett had a number of clutch hits during his Red Sox career and was the MVP of the 1986 ALCS.

A knee injury in 1989 slowed him down and he was never the same afterward, but Marty Barrett remains one of the most underrated Red Sox players in their history and belongs on this list of their best players of the 1980s.