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5 Greatest Boston Red Sox Shortstops of All Time

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Zach Kaplan | Last updated Mar 23, 2026 10:44 AM ET

The Boston Red Sox are one of the most historic franchises in baseball history, beginning with Fenway Park, the oldest stadium in the majors, and filled with stories about Ted Williams, the Curse of the Bambino, Pedro Martinez, Carlton Fisk, and so much more.

Those names appear throughout our rankings of the five best Red Sox hitters and five best Red Sox pitchers ever. But let's dig deeper into positional rankings, starting with shortstops.

The nine-time world champion Red Sox are firmly embedded in the folds of New England sports, and with that visibility necessitates great leaders at shortstop: players who are humble, hard workers who elevate the teams that they play on with their on-field and off-the-field contributions.

Here are the five greatest Sox players to take the position.

5. Rico Petrocelli (1965-76)

Petrocelli was a key piece of the "Impossible Dream" Red Sox team in 1967 and the squad that won the AL pennant in 1975 (also the cultish Fisk-led team that pushed Johnny Bench's Reds to seven games in the Fall Classic).

Petrocelli saw his best results in 1969, posting a .992 OPS and 168 OPS+, and thrived at home with the Green Monster looming at left field.

In a franchise that has also had Vern Stephens and Rick Burleson (who actually started at short in the '75 World Series) take the position, Petrocelli narrowly makes the cut.

4. Johnny Pesky (1942-52)

Pesky was a fixture on the Ted Williams squads of the mid-40s and early 50s, and was practically living on base ahead of Williams and Bobby Doerr. Pesky missed the 1943 to 1945 seasons as he served in World War II, but became the first Major League player ever to tally 200 or more hits in his first three big league seasons.

In 1946, his second season, he tallied 208 hits and 43 doubles as that year's Sox won 104 games in the regular season. Pesky, nicknamed "Mr. Red Sox," stayed around the organization after his retirement and had his No. 6 retired in 2008.

And, if his name sounds familiar, his walk-off home run into short right field in 1948 coined the "Pesky Pole" moniker for Fenway's unique right field dimensions.

Xander Bogaerts reacts after hitting a double at Fenway Park.Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

3. Xander Bogaerts (2013-22)

Bogaerts' marriage in Boston ended far too early, as the Sox failed to retain the fan-favorite following the 2022 season, and the sweet-swinging Aruban departed for San Diego on an 11-year deal.

In 2020, MLB.com's Ian Browne said that Bogaerts, who at that point was locked up for Boston until 2025, "will have a strong chance to eventually vault to the top spot among Boston shortstops."

One can only imagine what a full career in Boston would look like for Bogaerts, who posted the best offensive WAR (25.5) among MLB shortstops from 2015 to 2019. Bogaerts was instrumental for two World Series-winning Sox teams, and joined franchise royals David Ortiz, Wade Boggs, and Manny Ramirez as the only Sox players to win three Silver Slugger awards.

Bogaerts, had he stayed in Boston, could have easily passed Cronin for the silver medal among Sox shortstops, but his time at Fenway came to a close before he could do so.

2. Joe Cronin (1936-45)

Many Sox fans would have Cronin as the 2nd best shortstop in franchise history, and he certainly earned that right with his play over a 10-year career that he followed up with two years as Sox manager.

Cronin was on the Ted Williams and Jimmie Foxx teams of the 1930s and '40s, but Cronin was as pivotal in the middle of the order for those teams as anyone. In 1941, the year that Williams famously hit .406 over a full season, Cronin posted a .914 OPS. He was a top-10 player in the American League from 1938 to 1941 in terms of offensive WAR.

A 1956 Hall of Fame inductee, Cronin was also a five-time All-Star for the Red Sox, and has his story forever written in franchise history.

1. Nomar Garciaparra (1996-04)

As is the case with most teams, there is a consensus top shortstop in history. For the Yankees, it's Derek Jeter, for the Dodgers, it's Pee Wee Reese, and for the Red Sox, it's Nomar.

Garciaparra, the 1997 AL Rookie of the Year, also won consecutive back-to-back batting titles in 1999 and 2000.

Garciaparra hit to a .372 average in 2000, which is the best mark by a right-handed hitter in franchise history - Ted Williams and Tris Speaker are the only Sox players to hit to a higher batting average in a single season.

The California native had an unfortunate and sudden downfall in a Sox uniform, quickly falling out of love with Boston after they tried to acquire Alex Rodriguez after the 2003 season, and was controversially traded to the Cubs at the 2004 deadline as he battled through an Achilles injury.

The trade netted the Sox Orlando Cabrera from Montreal, and Cabrera's defense ended up solidifying the Sox defense for their 2004 World Series-curse-ending win. Still, it can be argued that no one Red Sox shortstop had a more torrid pace in their prime than Nomar.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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