Alright, let’s dive into this Red Sox home run deep dive I did. Wanted to nail down who really smacked the most dingers for Boston across the whole franchise history. Felt like there had to be some names missing from the usual talk.
Starting Out: Digging Through The Stats
First thing, I grabbed my laptop and fired up Baseball Reference. Searched for the Boston Red Sox career leaders, specifically filtering for home runs. Knew Teddy Ballgame would be up there, and Yaz… but who else?
Sorting that huge list took forever, man. Scrolled down like crazy past all the guys you kinda remember but didn’t quite make the cut. Was looking for the big dogs.
The Heavy Hitters Start Showing
Top popped up:
- David Ortiz: Bam! 541 homers. Expected Big Papi number one, feels right. That dude carried the team for years.
- Ted Williams: Next, The Kid himself. 521. Legend status, even with missing years for the war.
- Carl Yastrzemski: Yaz! All about that longevity. Piled up 452 homers over like a million seasons.
The Surprises Down The List
But then it got interesting. Further down:
- Jim Rice: Almost forgot how much power Rice had. 382 dingers. Consistent as heck.
- Mookie Betts: Wow. Only played parts of 6 seasons? Still blasted 139 homers. Makes you wonder what could’ve been if they’d paid the man.
- Bobby Doerr: An old-school name! Only hit .288 with runners in scoring position? But racked up 223 homers mostly in the 40s.
- Jason Varitek: Captain Tek! 193 homers catching every single day. Respect.
- Fred Lynn: The Fenway grace. Looked smooth doing everything. Hit 124 homers during his time.
- Rico Petrocelli: Another blast from the past. That 1969 season was nuts. 210 homers for his career.
Putting It Together & Seeing Patterns
The payroll stuff really hooked me. I copy-pasta’d those numbers into a Google Sheet – Papi’s peak pay versus Yaz’. Adjusted Papi’s contract for inflation and it was nuts! Modern stars clean up.
Then I saw the Red Sox don’t seem to hold onto position player superstars long-term. Betts gone. Boggs gone. Even Ruth ages ago. They pay pitchers or aging hitters sometimes, but man.
My Big Takeaway
Yeah, Papi and Ted Williams are the kings. No argument. But seeing Betts crack the list so quickly? That blew my mind. Talent like that… and he’s already higher than some franchise cornerstones? Just shows what a freak he is.
Ain’t over either. Betts keeps mashing for LA, and Devers is climbing that Sox list right now. Might be a new king someday.
