Red Sox third baseman Wade Boggs – No. 45
Wade Boggs was a different type of hitter than most stars of his generation who were trying to slug their way to victory. While others aimed to swat the ball over the fence, Boggs made a priority of getting on base, which he did better than just about anyone from his era.
Boggs won five batting titles and hit .328 for his career, the third-highest batting average among qualified hitters after 1960. He led the league in on-base percentage six times and owned a career .415 OBP.
Just to prove he was capable of hitting homers, Boggs tallied a career-high 24 home runs in 1987. The extra power didn’t come at the expense of his batting average considering he still won another batting title that year. While his home run total was typically in the single-digits, Boggs racked up plenty of doubles, leading the league in that category twice.
The 12-time All-Star and eight-time Silver Slugger spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the Red Sox.
Boggs broke the hearts of Red Sox fans by joining the Yankees in 1993. He spent five seasons in the Bronx, winning a World Series in 1996.
He wasn’t known as a great defensive third baseman for the Red Sox but Boggs improved in the field later in his career, earning a pair of Gold Glove awards with the Yankees.
The Hall of Fame third baseman ranks 30th all-time with 3010 hits. He wasn’t much of a home run hitter but naturally, he became the first player to record his 3,000th hit with a homer.