The Top 10 Best/Worst Red Sox SS Seasons (1961 - 2010)

by BobZupcic on May 13, 2011 12:10 PM EDT

This post was inspired by a piece on www.baycityball.com regarding the worst SS seasons in their history. I decided to look at only the past 50 years and will look at both the Top 10 Worst Seasons and the Top 10 Best Seasons.

In order to qualify a Shortstop had to play the majority of his games at SS and have the most for the team for that season, for a few seasons this allowed a less than stellar "non-regular" into the mix (2004/1987).

Metrics show are www.baseball-reference.com WAR with both oWAR/dWAR shown and OPS+

The lists after the jump

Top 10 Worst SS Seasons (by WAR)

#	Year	Player	WAR	oWAR	dWAR	OPS+	G/SS
1	1984	Gutierrez, Jackie	-2.7	-0.3	-2.4	63	150
2	1985	Gutierrez, Jackie	-1.8	-1.2	-0.6	41	99
3	1982	Hoffman, Glenn	-1.4	-1.1	-0.3	53	150
4	1990	Rivera, Luis	-1.2	0.0	-1.2	70	112
5	1986	Romero, Ed	-1.0	-0.3	-0.7	51	75
6	1981	Hoffman, Glenn	-0.9	-0.4	-0.5	56	78
7	1992	Rivera, Luis	-0.4	-0.4	0.0	51	93
8	1974	Guerrero, Mario	-0.4	0.0	-0.4	58	93
9	2001	Lansing, Mike	-0.3	0.3	-0.6	76	76
10	1971	Aparicio, Luis	-0.3	0.8	-1.1	62	121

Comments: Julio Lugo justs missed the cut at #11 with his 2008 offering. 1984 must have been one interesig season. I remember Gutierrez (I had like 15 of his cards - they seemed to come in every pack), but man - 150 games at a prime defensive position and a -2.4 dWAR!! Wow. I mean its not like he rakes with the bat. The Sox then let the same guy play the majority of the 85 season. I also remember Romero as the super-sub in the mid-80s. I guess super-subs just kinda sucked back then. Lansing is horsehoed in between excellent SS seasons as you'll see later.

Top 10 Worst SS Seasons (by OPS+)

#	Year	Player	WAR	oWAR	dWAR	OPS+	G/SS
1	1985	Gutierrez, Jackie	-1.8	-1.2	-0.6	41	99
2	2004	Reese, Pokey	1.6	-0.6	2.2	46	71
3	1986	Romero, Ed	-1.0	-0.3	-0.7	51	75
4	1992	Rivera, Luis	-0.4	-0.4	0.0	51	93
5	1982	Hoffman, Glenn	-1.4	-1.1	-0.3	53	150
6	1981	Hoffman, Glenn	-0.9	-0.4	-0.5	56	78
7	1974	Guerrero, Mario	-0.4	0.0	-0.4	58	93
8	1971	Aparicio, Luis	-0.3	0.8	-1.1	62	121
9	1984	Gutierrez, Jackie	-2.7	-0.3	-2.4	63	150
10	2007	Lugo, Julio	0.4	0.4	0.0	65	145

Comments: So there is mister Lugo! and lo and behold the 2007 version. Wait, didn't we win something that year? Check #2 on the list - Pokey gets credit for 2004 due to Nomar/Cabrera not playing enough individually to qualify. Plus you got to love a guy who can post a 1.6 WAR with a 46 OPS+. Glenn Hoffman, well you just sucked. Aparicio gets a pass because he was like 70 when he played for us.

On to the good stuff.......

Top 10 Best SS Seasons (by WAR)

#	Year	Player	WAR	oWAR	dWAR	OPS+	G/SS
1	1969	Petrocelli, Rico	9.3	7.8	1.5	167	153
2	1995	Valentin, John	8.5	6.3	2.2	138	135
3	1998	Garciaparra, Nomar	7.3	6.2	1.1	140	143
4	2000	Garciaparra, Nomar	7.3	6.5	0.8	155	136
5	2003	Garciaparra, Nomar	6.7	5.4	1.3	121	156
6	2002	Garciaparra, Nomar	6.7	5.1	1.6	127	154
7	1999	Garciaparra, Nomar	6.5	7.4	-0.9	153	134
8	1997	Garciaparra, Nomar	5.9	5.0	0.9	123	153
9	1993	Valentin, John	4.8	2.6	2.2	107	144
10	1962	Bressoud, Eddie	4.7	3.2	1.5	104	153

Comments: Petrocelli, man you were just sick in 69 relative to your peers. I mean come on, 40 HR from the SS position in the 60's?? and to think you only managed 7th in the MVP voting. I'd forgotten just how good Valentin was prior to Nomar. Sox fans were drooling over that infield combo in the late 90s and BOOM injuries derail Johnny's career - shame. Nomar - you were just so darn awesome.

Top 10 Best SS Seasons (by OPS+)

#	Year	Player	WAR	oWAR	dWAR	OPS+	G/SS
1	1969	Petrocelli, Rico	9.3	7.8	1.5	167	153
2	2000	Garciaparra, Nomar	7.3	6.5	0.8	155	136
3	1999	Garciaparra, Nomar	6.5	7.4	-0.9	153	134
4	1998	Garciaparra, Nomar	7.3	6.2	1.1	140	143
5	1995	Valentin, John	8.5	6.3	2.2	138	135
6	1994	Valentin, John	4.3	3.2	1.1	128	83
7	2002	Garciaparra, Nomar	6.7	5.1	1.6	127	154
8	1964	Bressoud, Eddie	4.4	4.6	-0.2	125	158
9	1997	Garciaparra, Nomar	5.9	5.0	0.9	123	153
10	2003	Garciaparra, Nomar	6.7	5.4	1.3	121	156

Comments: Bats alive, the Sox have had some pretty good offensive SS in the recent past. You'd be hard pressed to find a better 3 year run than Nomar's 1998-2000....wait how the hell did we not win a championship on the back of Nomar & Pedro alone?? oh well.

-BZ

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Comments

I really liked the Pokey Reese pickup

And I don’t know how the stats work exactly, and salaries have changed alot over the last 3 decades, but is there any doubt that Lugo was our Least Valuable SS ever?

Theo-trade John Lackey for a used condom and a punch in the nose. Remember, it's all about value.

by LesterJohn on May 13, 2011 1:53 PM EDT reply actions

On a value-per-dollar basis, I bet that's accurate.

Galactus does as he pleases. Because Galactus is drunk.

@#$%ing Twit: @blogtard

by Bloggy on May 13, 2011 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Reese gives good reason for Iglesias to have a future

especially with the changing landscape of the league to an emphasis on defense over lumbering giants

by BobZupcic on May 13, 2011 2:20 PM EDT reply actions

I look forward to Jed's placement on this list.

Galactus does as he pleases. Because Galactus is drunk.

@#$%ing Twit: @blogtard

by Bloggy on May 13, 2011 4:50 PM EDT reply actions

On the latter two lists of course right?

DFA Rev Halofan
I'm a 7 WAR player in bed.
Official Baker of Red Sox Nation
Fear the Roar.

by TheLoneDavid on May 13, 2011 7:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Natch. ;)

Galactus does as he pleases. Because Galactus is drunk.

@#$%ing Twit: @blogtard

by Bloggy on May 14, 2011 7:28 AM EDT up reply actions

1968 was known as the year of the pitcher

It was so bad the AL had only one batter hit .300. In response, the Major Leagues lowered the mound and the strike zone was reduce, essentially taking away the high strike that existed before (This was the last significant change in the Majors). In addition, ’69 was an expansion year, which essentially takes 20 minor league pitchers and gives them jobs in the majors.

As a result, offense exploded in ’69. Rico is not the only player to have a a career year in ’69. Three guys hit over 47 homers that year – which is why he finished 7th.

Still – a great year by a great player.

It was one of those years (’87 was another, and there are all sorts of rumors why). where people did things they

by flasoxfan on May 14, 2011 9:17 AM EDT reply actions

Yeah, but I bet not many of those 40+ homer guys played SS

by BobZupcic on May 14, 2011 4:19 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah none of them were SS

Killebrew, Frank Howard and Reggie Jackson.

But Killebrew drove in 140 runs that year with 49 dingers, so he had some pretty big numbers in the more popular statistical categories of that time vs. Rico’s 40/97. Using a more modern stat, Rico was a 9.3 WAR accoring to baseball reference that year, whereas Reggie J. was a 9.7 and Killebrew was a 6.1. Kind of interesting.

by The Name is Dalton on May 16, 2011 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions