Red Sox Memories: Greatest outfields in franchise history
By Rick McNair
The Boston Red Sox have been fortunate enough to have some great outfield groupings but just which was the best? Here is a look at three possible choices.
Just what were the greatest outfields in Boston Red Sox history? My approach is that the outfield had to remain in place and have a bit more life in baseball years than a mayfly.
The team would also – as one should and would expect – be reasonably successful. That would exclude a large chunk of Red Sox history. The 1920s and 1930s were not exactly the zenith of the franchise’s success. I used a five-year time frame and that certainly exceeds a mayfly and narrows it down. More on that later.
One specific area was the great post World War II Red Sox clubs that featured Ted Williams and Dom DiMaggio. DiMaggio is a player who one could argue is on the cusp of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, Williams and DiMaggio had little of substance to make it a trifecta in the outfield. Unless, of course, one desires to add in Sam Mele, Stan Spence, or George Metkovich.
Of the trio’s I actually saw some play and will squeeze Williams into one of the formidable groupings. That means the possible bias of actually having witnessed their exploits and things were better – or were they? Time has a way of coloring and framing the past in a more positive image.