A member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame
Defensively, Mike Lowell was outstanding and could certainly hit, but I will drift well back into Red Sox history and take Frank Malzone. The bandy-legged Malzone was amazing going to his right or left and with an arm that was strong and accurate. Malzone won three Gold Gloves with the Red Sox and would have picked up a few more but Brooks Robinson came along to become the defensive gold standard.
Malzone was as consistent with the bat as he was with the glove. A six-time All-Star who would bang out 15+ home runs and 85+ RBI with regularity. A dangerous right-hand pull hitter that was a perfect fit for Fenway Park. Malzone played 12 MLB seasons and 11 with Boston and retired with a career .274 average.
A former Red Sox manager with dubious behavior patterns ranks number one on how awful can your defense be list. Butch Hobson was a fielding disaster and he could do it all – lousy throws, juggled baseballs, and the matador approach to ground balls.
Hobson could be a danger to anyone even close to first base on his throws across the diamond. From 1977-1979 Hobson made 69 errors. Rafael Devers and Pablo Sandoval could be considered. Hobson did have one dynamic season with the stick hitting 30 home runs and bagging 112 RBI in 1977. Oh…Hobson also led the AL with 162 whiffs.