Editor’s note: On Sunday, June 21 at 7 p.m. ET, NESN will air the “Red Sox Fantasy Draft.” Choosing from a pool of the top players at each position in Red Sox history, six of our MLB analysts will participate in a draft to build the best team they possibly can. In the lead up to that, we’ll be looking back at that top players at each position in franchise history. Today, it’s first basemen.
First base historically has been reserved for big-time sluggers, and the Boston Red Sox certainly have contributed to that trend over the years by deploying several offensive standouts at the position.
In some instances, those feared boppers spent just a few impactful seasons in Boston. However, a few other first basemen stuck around a bit longer and therefore maximized their overall footprints on the club.
Here are a few of the top first basemen in Red Sox history.
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David Ortiz
We’re going to recognize Ortiz as a first baseman for the purposes of this exercise, although he obviously spent most of his Red Sox career cementing himself as arguably the greatest designated hitter in Major League Baseball history. After all, he played first base occasionally throughout his 14 years in Boston, namely at the beginning of his tenure and during interleague play.
Really, what needs to be said? One could make the case Ortiz, a 10-time All-Star, is the most influential player the franchise has ever known, winning three World Series titles while providing a slew of iconic postseason moments. There’s perhaps never been a better clutch hitter. Big Papi was special.
Jimmie Foxx
Foxx, a Hall of Famer, spent parts of seven seasons in Boston after 11 with the Philadelphia Athletics and continued to rake at an exceptional clip. He was a Triple Crown threat every year, with his most impressive work coming in 1938, when he batted .349 with 50 home runs and 175 RBIs en route to earning American League MVP honors. Foxx totaled at least 105 RBIs and was named an All-Star in each of his six full seasons with Boston.
Mo Vaughn
The Hit Dog was one of the faces of the Red Sox throughout the 1990s, anchoring Boston’s lineup with elite offensive production. Vaughn, who clubbed 230 homers in a Sox uniform, earned three All-Star nods and won AL MVP honors in 1995, when he hit .300 with 39 dingers and 126 RBIs while guiding Boston to a division title.
Kevin Youkilis
Youkilis came up as a third baseman and transitioned across the diamond in 2006 after the Red Sox acquired Mike Lowell in a trade that also brought pitcher Josh Beckett to Boston. The position change proved seamless, as Youkilis won a Gold Glove in 2007 while also producing at a high level offensively thanks in large to his amazing plate discipline. Youkilis, dubbed the “Greek God of Walks,” was an on-base machine and earned three All-Star selections. He finished third in AL MVP voting in 2008, the year his teammate, Dustin Pedroia, took home the award.
George Scott
Scott burst onto the scene in 1966, earning an All-Star selection and finishing third in AL Rookie of the Year voting after totaling 27 home runs and 90 RBIs across 162 games. He continued to build on that success in subsequent seasons while also flashing some nifty defense, ultimately securing eight Gold Glove awards in his MLB career. Scott, known as “Boomer,” was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers before the 1972 season but returned to the Red Sox via trade prior to the 1977 campaign. In total, he spent parts of nine seasons with Boston. He was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2006.
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