There’s no doubt Ted Williams was a stellar ballplayer.
So much so, in fact, that MLB.com recognized him as the Boston Red Sox’s best left fielder in team history. We’re not surprised, considering the career the legend had during his time with the organization.
Check out their reasoning:
Key fact: His 121.9 fWAR ranks second in AL history to Babe Ruth
The Red Sox have three Hall of Famers at the head of their left-field class, but Williams easily stands out as the most dominant player in team history. He is the last player to hit .400 in a season — back in 1941. Williams not only had a .344 average for his career, but he also blasted 522 home runs despite missing nearly five full seasons serving in World War II and the Korean War. His lifetime OPS was 1.116, which would be a career season for nearly any other player.
There’s no arguing from us, that’s for sure.
Williams retired in 1960 and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. One of his most memorable post-retirement appearances was during the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park when Williams was brought to the pitcher’s mound in a golf cart, waved his hat to the crowd and threw out the first pitch.
He died in 2002, but certainly left his mark on the Red Sox and Major League Baseball forever.
