Favorite Red Sox Players Ever

Randy Booth, of Red Sox Haven has given a guest column to Fire Brand, which is below.
I’ve only been alive 17 years, that’s arguably 10-12 years of sports knowledge that I could actually remember. Some players I remember watching are guys like Phil Plantier, Scott Cooper, and Jeff Reardon. Pretty old, huh? Yeah, I know. Most Sox fans can remember guys like Carl Yaztremski, I can’t because his last season was 1983 and I was born in 1987, so obviously I never watched him. Does that mean he wasn’t one of my favorite Sox? Nope, but nevertheless he isn’t on my list because there is a couple of guys ahead of him on my list. Here’s it is:
Catcher: Jason Varitek …………………97-Present
The catcher for my team was originally Tony Pena but after a long debate I decided that I would put Varitek in there because he is one of my favorite Sox right now, and comparing him to Pena then I like ‘Tek a bit more.
1st Base: Mo Vaughn ………………….91-98
Big Mo. How could you not love Big Mo when he was a Red Sox? All that power and that big body swaggering in the batters box. He was fun to watch and he was great in the Boston community. There was just money problems that sent him out of Boston. Would I like to have him now? No. Probably not even if he was completely healthy. But he will always be a favorite of mine.
2nd Base: Jerry Remy …………………78-84
Here was a tough choice. I could’ve put JohnnyPesky at the 2B spot, he did play 157 games there, but I like Remy. For what he has done on the field and plus he is a great announcer and is pretty fun to listen to. He keeps a game interesting.
3rd Base: Tim Naehring ………………..90-97
When I was growing up there were a few guys that I really liked. Three of those guys that I really liked are on this list. Tim Naehring, a dependable, but injury prone, third baseman was a great person and a great ball player on top of that. It’s a shame he only played 8 seasons because if he stayed healthy he might be still playing, or atleast up to a couple of years ago.
Shortstop: John Valentin ………………92-01
Here is my second guy that I’ve always liked. It doesn’t matter if he is a Sox or a Met, or a color commentator, I like this guy. He was a good player and a nice person. I’ve never heard a bad word about Valentin, and that’s rightfully so. Valentin only played 9 real seasons, but still ‘technically’ isn’t retired. I’m pretty sure he’s still on the New York Mets payroll.
Left Field: Ted Williams ………………..39-60
There isn’t much to say about Ted Williams. He is the greatest baseball player that ever lived and I will stand by that for the rest of my life. He is the definition of an American Ballplayer.
Center Field: Fred Lynn ……………….. 74-80
I’ve seen some footage of Lynn before but most of it has been stories. He was a really good centerfielder and won the AL Rookie of the Year and MVP award in 1975 after hitting an impressive .331. Then he was traded in 1981 to the Angels for Frank Tanana, Jim Dorsey, and Joe Rudi. He had some solid years as an Angel but nothing compared to his 1975 MVP season — the same season he won the ROY award. He was a great player that wasn’t, and hasn’t, really been recognized.
Right Field: Mike Greenwell …………..85-96
The Gator, Mike Greenwell. I remember that baldhead diving and jumping into walls trying to catch the ball. It was great to see such effort like that out of a player. Not only that but he is a lifetime .303 hitter and was second in the MVP voting in 1988 behind Jose Canseco, who took all 28 first place votes. Not bad for a guy that probably won’t be a Hall of Famer.
Starting Pitcher: Cy Young ……………01-08
The greatest pitcher ever. I obviously never saw him pitch but his numbers are crazy and I like the guy so much because of what he accomplished in baseball. He is one baseball player that I wish I could have seen pitch.
Randy Booth
June 27, 2004