Greatest Boston Red Sox Outfielders in History

Evans and Rice were partners in crime for the Red Sox in the 1970s and '80s. And while Rice was the more dominant of the two in the first decade, Evans’ consistently carried him into the second with skill.

Evans played 20 years in the majors (19 with the Red Sox) and was a model of consistency, leading the American League in nine different offensive categories at least once throughout those seasons.

He made just three All-Star Games, but won eight Gold Gloves, providing the defense to Rice’s bop. But it’s not as though Evans didn’t have a bat. He’s fourth in Red Sox history in doubles and home runs and fifth in total bases and RBIs.

3. Tris Speaker (1907-1915)

Speaker’s career in Boston was finishing up about the time Babe Ruth’s was beginning, so if you haven’t heard of him, that’s probably why. But in the dead-ball era (pre-1920), few were better. Few were better after, either, actually.

Speaker started with Boston in 1907 as a 19-year-old. By 1909, he was hitting .309 and carried a WAR above 6. By 1912, he was the MVP after slashing .383/.464/.567. The slugging percentage too low for you? Consider that his 10 home runs led the entire American League.

Besides, Speaker was still knocking in runs (90) and clubbing 53 doubles. The folks over at BaseballEgg.com called him Ty Cobb Lite, and we agree. A monster who is only this low because he played the back half of his career elsewhere.

2. Carl Yastrzemski (1961-1983)

Before Rice and Evans came along, Boston was led by the man they called "Yaz." He was hardly alone, but Yastrzemski was considered the best Red Sox player of the 1960s. He hardly stopped there.

Over the course of his 23-year career, all with Boston, the man made 18 All-Star Games, won seven Gold Gloves, three batting titles, and finished top 10 in MVP voting five times.

"Yaz" won the award in 1967 when he hit for the Triple Crown, leading all of baseball in WAR (12.5), home runs (44), RBIs (121), on-base percentage (.418), and slugging (.622) while his .326 batting average led the AL. He was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1989, picking up almost 95% of the vote.

1. Ted Williams (1939-42; 1946-60)

Williams played for the Red Sox in four different decades, debuting in 1939 and retiring in 1960. In between, he was perhaps the best baseball player in MLB.

The only season in which Williams played - he missed three years for military service during World War II - that he didn’t earn MVP votes was in 1952. He played six games and was hitting .400. He finished fourth as a rookie after collecting 145 RBIs. He was second in 1941 and 1942, leading the bigs in homers, RBIs, runs, hits, and slugging.

Williams’ first year back from the war, he won MVP, a feat he would repeat in 1949. He or Yastrzemski led the Red Sox in nearly every measurable offensive category, though Williams’ 121.8 WAR towers, ranking 14th in Major League history.