Your Red Sox Blind Spot

Red(s)HawksFan

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PaulinMyrBch said:
I was going to say Brian Daubach, but I just checked his B-R page and he didn't suck as much as I thought. Short career, but 4 seasons in Boston with 20+ HR's doesn't scream out suck.
 
I did the same thing with my first thought...Jody Reed.  He had very good on-base skills but little in the way of pop, though he led the league in doubles in 1990.  Maybe my recollection that he wasn't all that good comes from the fact the Sox left him unprotected in the expansion draft prior to 1993.  The Rockies grabbed him then immediately flipped him to the Dodgers for Rudy Seanez (that Rudy Seanez).  I was devastated they let him go.  That was a dark dark off-season, as it was also when they let Boggs and Burks walk, traded Phil Plantier, signed the rotting corpse of Andre Dawson, and traded for the rotting corpse of Ivan Calderon. Ugh.
 

deanx0

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The immortal Doug Griffin. Apparently he was my first favorite Red Sox. The crazy thing is that I was 2 in his 1971 season when he was 4th in Rookie of the Year voting, so it couldn't be that.
 
Perhaps it was his 7 career home runs or his matching .299 lifetime OBP and SLG.
 

E5 Yaz

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It was only half a season in the majors, but the first name that came to mind was Rey Quinones. It was completely irrational that I thought he was going to be the answer at shortstop, but I just started rooting for him from the start, and was bummed that they sent him to Seattle for Spike Owen and that useless Dave Henderson guy
 
Of the other names mentioned here, Eddie Jurak and Gary Allenson also would be on my list.
 

m0ckduck

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glennhoffmania said:
Coco.  I know he was never a bad player, but I was so sure he'd become a star.  And every time the evidence showed that he wasn't, I kept thinking it was just a matter of time.  When the Sox acquired him I was psyched.  When there was talk that they'd include him in a Santana deal I was bummed out.
 
I remain irrationally convinced to this day that his career with the Sox would have gone in a different direction if he hadn't broken a finger sliding into second in the first week of the season. He'd had a great spring training and was hitting /333 with .458 SLG (through five measly games, admittedly) before the injury. He then spent forever recovering, couldn't hit for any power once he returned, and then seemed to lose confidence thereafter (at least, according to my myth-making-- maybe he just wasn't very good). 
 
Josh Beckett was good overall, but so dominant in flashes then I had a hard time coming to grips with the extended phases of mediocrity (basically every even year). Also: Carl Everett-- he was so fantastic for half a sea on (and so good in Houston the year before) that I had a hard time conceding the evidence that he was both crazy AND a mediocre talent. 
 

Rovin Romine

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Joe Kerrigan.  He was great in getting guys like Pat Rapp  to sputter into effectiveness for us, and I had hopes he'd be an exceptional manager.  Seems like he was doomed from the get go.
 
I'll second Marty Barrett, Nava, and Greg Harris. 
 
Honorable mention to all the maybe-bat guys like Pentagne, Alcantara and Burkhart that Jimy Williams let rot on the bench.  
 

Mike F

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No doubt all those mentioned above are worthies but my favorite was "Popeye". Any manager who would start all 3 runners on a 3-2 count with no outs to see what would happen has to get a vote.
 

Laser Show

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TheShynessClinic said:
 
I believe this is it. August 2nd against the Indians.
 
https://secure.mlb.com/media/player/mp_tpl_3_1.jsp?w_id=509487&w=2006/open/tp/archive08/080206_clebos_pena_hr_tp_350.wmv&pid=mlb_tp&gid=2006/08/02/clemlb-bosmlb-1&mid=200608021590496&cid=mlb&fid=mlb_tp350&v=2
 
Hit tracker says the true distance was only 407', with a speed of 116mph off the bat.
 
I don't think I believe that.
Is that link working for you? The video player just reads error when I try to load it.
 

curly2

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Win beat me to Juan Pena, but they didn't "bury" him in Triple-A after his initial success. He was hurt and never recovered. Occasionally there would be a "Juan Pena is throwing pain-free" report to get my hopes up, but it never lasted.
 
I never expected Wily Mo to be anything than the Cerrano-like player he was, but I was at Camden Yards when he MURDERED a grand slam to put the Sox ahead in the eighth. I was hoping to find video, but all I could find was the game story. It says it was 430 feet. It seemed like even more,
 
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2007-04-26-194450706_x.htm 
 

The Talented Allen Ripley

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Let me clarify that by blind spot I don't mean a player you thought was going to be great who then fell on his face.
 
Blind spot means you still hold him in some regard even though mountains of evidence says you should not.
 

Mighty Joe Young

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Another vote for Mark Clear. The Cleaver was the single most devastating pitch I can ever remember seeing. Sadly it was for the Umps as well as they just couldn't call it for strikes. In '84 , in 60 odd innings he had an ERA around 4 and 70 walks !
 
Man he was fun to watch.
 

grimshaw

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I'm convinced Tony Fossas can still roll out of bed and get Robinson Cano out.  And then replace my timing belt.
 

pokey_reese

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I'm going to slip Troy O'Leary in here, only because he was another very average player (8.5 WAR according to Fangraphs, for his entire career) who I was sure not only would be a star, but actually was, and I don't just mean in his 1999 season (after which he promptly fell off a cliff).  I loved him almost as much as Nomar on those late 90s teams, which is the very definition of 'irrational.'
 

Archer1979

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I had soft spots for guys that were good but lost it. I like Bellhorn in 05, Yza for the last few years of dubious value.
 
I thought Todd Benzinger was a good player for a while.
 
This disappoints me, because one of the first names I thought of was... Reggie Cleveland.  Had a reputation for being a Yankee Killer in the mid-70's.  At 12 years old, that was good enough for me.
 
80's: Marty Barrett for me as well.  As Mike Barnicle once wrote, "glib, articulate, and batting .220".  But I appreciate smart play.  Loved that he batted behind Boggs.
 
All-time: Tim Wakefield.  Should be in the HOF as far as I'm concerned (all though the metrics don't really support it).  I've used his career as an example when coaching.  Picture of perseverance in that he wasn't going to make it as a hitter and reinvented himself to the point where he almost led the Sox all-time in wins.  2004 Game 3 put him on my Mount Rushmore.
 

Harry Hooper

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Savin Hillbilly said:
 
I'm pretty sure he did express an interest in doing it with the Sox, and the idea was scotched on the grounds that it would "make a travesty of the game" or some such claptrap. It's hard to remember now what a hidebound, harrumphing old franchise this used to be in the Yawkey/Harrington days.
 
 
yes, he wanted to do it, but was held back by the Sox. I believe Harris was also known for taking the T to Fenway games.
 

Dick Drago

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Chuck Rainey, Lance Clements.  I always had a thing for  washed up stars the Sox took a flyer on...Juan Marichal and Ramon Martinez (who I was convinced after his playoff run in '99 would be solid), Bret Saberhagen who had flashes of brilliance wrapped around DL stints.  I was convinced Andy Hassler would blossom as well.
 

Hee Sox Choi

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In 2005, Hee Seop Choi "went on a tear at the plate, hitting .365 over a 23-game stretch..."
 
Then Jim Tracy BENCHED him for a while.  Then, in mid-June, Tracy decided to play him again and he hit 6 HRs in 3 games.  Then Tracy SAT HIM AGAIN.  Vs. Rs.  Ugh.
 
It's almost like no one would give him a chance after that.  It never made sense to me.  He hit .253/.336/.453 for a 108 wRC+ in '05 for the Dodgers at age 26 (coming from Korea, I'm sure he was a little behind the development curve).  Tracy kept starting 34-year old OLMEDO SAENZ over him!
 
Now that we have advanced stats, it's interesting to see Choi's AAA Pawtucket experience in '06:  he had a .238 BABIP with a 17% walk rate and hit .207/.347/.361.  If that normalizes, you have an OBP machine.  He had a good eye and power.  In MLB:  Lifetime 108 wRC+.  .349 OBP.  Choi never played MLB again after that season in Pawtucket.  Choi has been out of the game for NINE years ---> he's still only 35 years old today.  
 
Hee Seop Choi would be in the HOF right now if not for Jim Tracy!  Alright, maybe that's hyperbole, but he'll be playing in a cornfield when I die and he'll wink at me and do that gun motion with the hand right before we play a game of catch.  
 

TeddyBallgame9

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Dave Stapleton. When he came up in 1980 I thought he was going to be very good for a long time (hey, I was only 15!). Second in the ROY voting, then proceeded to get worse every year after that. Somehow, Ralph Houk trotted him out for 151 games in 1983, most of them at first base, to the tune of a .661 OPS. Yikes!
 

keninten

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Thought Juan Beniquez was going to be something. Started in LF and CF the 1st four games in 1975. Also back to back 6 error games at SS in 1972. He did end up getting the Sox Fergie Jenkins and the Yankees Dave Righetti.
 

Philip Jeff Frye

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Mike Brown from the mid 1980s. I thought he and Oil Can Boyd would make a great 1-2 punch.  Instead, they found this guy named Clemens.  Actually, Oil Can would be a good one too - he had a good run from 1984 to 1986 (272 innings in 1985!) but was a disaster for us on and off the field afterwards.  I kept hoping he'd get it back together.
 

The Talented Allen Ripley

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Lurker kobayashis bail bonds has a blind spot for Mike Greenwell:
 
He had a perfectly fine career. He did not suck. But in 88, I decided that Mike Greenwell was the latest in a line of HOF left fielders stretching back to Williams. Hey, I was 12. Somehow, well into the late 90s, I held the position that he'd be a perennial AL MVP candidate. And if you catch me in a weak moment, I'll still just presumptively list him on par with those that surrounded him. Ted, Yaz, Rice, Greenwell, Manny. Rationally, I *know* who gets picked last, but the kid in me still wants to pretend that it's a difficult call.
 

benhogan

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Calvin Schiraldi...thought he'd  be an awesome closer.
 
0-2 in 1986 World Series...7 runs in 4 innings...enough said
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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Denny Doyle, for sure.  Dude gave me my first autograph.  I didn't care what he did on the field.  Butch Hobson too for reasons I cannot remember.
 
Another Denny too -- Oil Can Boyd.  Can't say he wasn't a useful player, but I continued to irrationally defend him against all comers after his useful period expired.
 

alydar

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Aaron Sele. First round draft pick, came up in '93 and went 7-2 with a sub-3.00 ERA. True 12 - 6 curveball that I fell in love with. I seem to recall that, essentially, he and Clemens were never healthy at the same time. Both in Boston and in the rest of his career, essentially WAR of 0, so definitely a blind spot for me.
 
Oddly, he received a vote for the Hall of Fame on the 2013 ballot. 
 
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Tommy Harper. I remember the summer of 1973, waiting on my front step in PA for the afternoon paper, so I could see the box scores from the previous night and whether: A) the Sox had won, and  B) if Tommy had a SB or a HR or both.
The Sox were in the hunt, and Tommy hit 9 HR's in July, but the team would fade and crush my hopes. 
 

changer591

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Jeff Frye and Darren Bragg.  For some reason, I feel like they were key to making 1996 more entertaining than it had every right to be...and one moment that stands out is when Bragg homered off of Randy Johnson.  And then I remember that Jamie Moyer was traded to acquire him.
 

Reverend

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The Allented Mr Ripley said:
Lurker kobayashis bail bonds has a blind spot for Mike Greenwell:
 
 
I've realized that for some reason, I have a blind spot for pretty much every left fielder of my lifetime who wasn't great since Jim Rice, which was all of them except Manny because he was great, I guess. Greenwell had good seasons but was never who I sometimes imagine him.
 
I'm pretty sure this is because Jim Rice broke a bat in the first game I went to and I interpreted this as a colossal feat of strength. From then on, I loved whoever played left field. And I loved Boggs too and have had a soft spot and great irrational hope for pretty much everyone they put at that corner.
 
Is rooting for positions weirder than rooting for laundry?
 

GaryPeters71

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On Friday, July 25, 1975, I saw the Red Sox play the Yankees at Shea Stadium, when the Pinstripes were refurbishing Yankee Stadium.
 
Light-hitting backup catcher Bob Montgomery played 1st base that night and got 2 hits, including an RBI.
 
Boston lost the game 8-6, but I'll always remember being 12 years old on a family trip to NY and watching Monty deliver at Shea.
 
On Opening Day in 2005, I got to shake Monty's hand when he greeted incoming fans at Fenway.
 
Got to quickly relay my childhood memory to him...
 

Dahabenzapple2

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Also Juan Beniquez

He almost hit .300 maybe in 1975. I was 15 and I thought he was going to be something!

I checked - he finished at .291. Those days as a kid - if you hit .300....
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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There is no Rev said:
 
I've realized that for some reason, I have a blind spot for pretty much every left fielder of my lifetime who wasn't great since Jim Rice, which was all of them except Manny because he was great, I guess. Greenwell had good seasons but was never who I sometimes imagine him.
 
I'm pretty sure this is because Jim Rice broke a bat in the first game I went to and I interpreted this as a colossal feat of strength. From then on, I loved whoever played left field. And I loved Boggs too and have had a soft spot and great irrational hope for pretty much everyone they put at that corner.
 
Is rooting for positions weirder than rooting for laundry?
 
Third base is weird.  But the Fenway left fielder?  I mean, that little area is perhaps the most beloved piece of real estate in the world for many of us.  Those who stand in it bask in its glow.
 

bernardsamuel

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I'll select Frank Baumann who made his debut with the Sox mid-1955,  just before I would turn 8 years old.  I do remember how, from the very beginning of my interest in the team back in 1952, everyone was saying that all the Sox needed was a good shortstop and a good southpaw starter.  I just looked up to see that Baumann was with the Sox until 1959 and had a good, but not spectacular record.  But as a kid, I was always optimistic that he'd be the guy.
 

dwhogan

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Alex Gonzalez, both times he played for us. I always hated how they tried to find the next Nomad and spent years, millions and prospects when we could have just had Agon vacuuming up gbs and denting the monster.

Also, seconded on Carlos Quinnnnnnntana!
 

Yelling At Clouds

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I've got another one: Edgar Renteria. Always felt like he got a bum rap during his season and would angrily defend him whenever the topic arose. And I still believe he would have been a productive shortstop in '06 and '07. And it's not like he was replaced by anything better - his '05 was basically as good as anything Green, Gonzalez, Lowrie, and Lugo put up. He did indirectly bring back Coco, though, whom I also have a soft spot for.
 

Curll

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Pokey Reese.
 
I was so ready for Pokey to take over for Nomar. I wanted to extend him. I thought he was just the best player ever. But, no. He sucked. He was done in the majors after 2004.
 

chrisfont9

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Butch Hobson should be in the Sox Blind Spot Hall of Fame, for his hitting, defense and managerial skills. Hell, he should be on the side of the building.
 
Wes Gardner for me. Others mentioned here too (Matsuzaka esp), but Gardner was the one guy everyone else wrote off before I did. I had so much trouble being rational that I even liked Mark Gardner as a surrogate for what I was sure Wes would be.
 

brs3

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A lot of those teams in 97-01, I thought they had way more potential than they did. Bragg, Lewis, O'Leary, Jefferson, all the guys mentioned from that era. I was a teenager most of those years, so I think I naturally had too many blind spots. Mike Benjamin is probably the first guy that had me look at those blind spots. When he signed with the Pirates for 4 years, it was the first time I really thought 'maybe this guy isn't really that great'..but I had lots of binkies before him..and after him, who am I kidding. 
 
Anyone know what happened with Reggie Jefferson? I read somewhere he got into a shouting match with someone and that was the end of him. He didn't play anywhere after the Sox, his career just abruptly ended.
 

DavidTai

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Mark Portugal. I remember him being great in an abbreviated season one year and then being all pumped the Sox got him. Was convinced moving out of the Houston ballpark was gonna be good for him for some inexplicable reason.
 

pokey_reese

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Jose Offerman.  I was pretty convinced that he would put up huge numbers for us, but he never recreated that 98 season for us, even if he was pretty good in 99.
 
Also, probably more appropriate for this thread: Dwayne Hosey.  If I had understood anything like BABIP back then I wouldn't be so excited, but in a small number of games he really stood out to me in his first year.  Sadly, that was a mirage.