1921-1940 Red Sox: Jimmie Foxx
This era of Red Sox baseball is by far the worst stretch in Red Sox history. The team was downright horrendous, breaking the .500 mark, barely, only six times during this period. This era can be viewed as the dark ages of Red Sox lore.
Finding a player worth noting during this era is hard because decent players were so few and far between; until the Philadelphia Athletics traded Jimmie Foxx to the Red Sox in the offseason of 1935. Foxx brought life to a team that so desperately needed it. With Foxx’s arrival, the Red Sox went from one of the worst teams in the majors, to consistently being above .500 and placing in the top five teams three out of five of those years.
From 1936-1940, Foxx was the MVP in 1938, placing in the top ten two more times, and was an All-Star in all five years. The slugging first baseman batted .325 in this frame with 198 home runs. He also had a 1.061 OPS.
Foxx’s days of significant impact ended in Boston in 1942 when he went to the Cubs midway through the season. He would go on to only play two more seasons, making zero impact with the Cubs and the Phillies.
Foxx’s career with Boston ended in 1942, which was when the emergence of the greatest Red Sox player of all time began.