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Boston Red Sox: Most overrated players in franchise history (part 2)

By Drew Athans

BOSTON, MA - CIRCA 1963: Manager Johnny Pesky #22 of the Boston Red Sox talks with first baseman Dick Stuart #7 during an Major League Baseball game circa 1963 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. Pesky managed the Red Sox from 1963-64 and 1980. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - CIRCA 1963: Manager Johnny Pesky #22 of the Boston Red Sox talks with first baseman Dick Stuart #7 during an Major League Baseball game circa 1963 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. Pesky managed the Red Sox from 1963-64 and 1980. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /
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Mike Greenwell of the Boston Red Sox unsuccessfully bunts against the Detroit Tigers in the 4th inning, yet hit a three run homer to tie the game, with the next pitch, at Fenway Park in Boston, MA, 06 April 1994. The Sox won 5-4. (Photo by JOHN MOTTERN / AFP) (Photo credit should read JOHN MOTTERN/AFP via Getty Images)
Mike Greenwell of the Boston Red Sox unsuccessfully bunts against the Detroit Tigers in the 4th inning, yet hit a three run homer to tie the game, with the next pitch, at Fenway Park in Boston, MA, 06 April 1994. The Sox won 5-4. (Photo by JOHN MOTTERN / AFP) (Photo credit should read JOHN MOTTERN/AFP via Getty Images) /

Mike Greenwell

As with all of the players I’m calling “overrated,” Mike Greenwell was still a very good player. He had the unfortunate distinction of being the next left fielder in unbroken succession after Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, and Jim Rice, all Hall of Famers with their numbers retired by the team. Mike Greenwell had a solid career and gets the benefit of the doubt for the tough position he was in, but he also tends to get overrated by many fans.

First coming up to the big leagues in 1985 and spending his entire career in Boston until he retired in 1996, Greenwell in actuality had one great season (1988), a few very good seasons, and otherwise was a bit disappointing. During the great season in question (1988), he hit .325 with 22 home runs and 119 RBI while finishing second in the AL MVP voting to Jose Canseco.

For his entire career, Greenwell hit a very nice .303 with 130 home runs and 736 RBI in 1269 games. Digging into his stats a bit deeper, though, shows that the only season he topped 20 home runs was in his career-best 1988 season; the same is true for topping the 100 RBI mark. He reached double-digits in home runs seven times and played in 125 games or more seven times in his twelve seasons while making two All-Star teams (1988 and 1989) and winning a Silver Slugger award (1988).

Mike Greenwell had a nice career and was a good player for the Red Sox. Red Sox fans always sympathized with Greenwell, acknowledging the pressure he was under as the team’s left fielder after Jim Rice and admitting that while he didn’t continue the Hall of Fame legacy of the position, he held it down admirably. However, over the last couple of decades, the consensus has seemed to be that “Greenwell wasn’t as good as Ted/Yaz/Rice, but he was still a great player.”

“Great” is too strong a word (and I say this as someone who grew up watching Greenwell play). He was good (oftentimes very good), reliable, dependable, consistent, but not “great” and because of that, he’s become (through no fault of his own) a bit overrated in the years since he retired.

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