Certain MLB players have had an outsized impact on the game. As far as pure hitters are concerned, few did it better than Wade Boggs, who did it for 18 seasons (1982-1999).
Wade Boggs made his MLB debut with the Boston Red Sox in 1982. His average was .349 in 381 plate appearances in his rookie season. Boggs won his first American League (AL) batting title the next season in 1983, hitting .361. He also led the AL in on-base percentage (OBP) at .444. Surprisingly, he did not make the All-Star team.
1983 wasn’t a one-off. Rather, it was the beginning of an impressive run, a list that in hindsight boggles the imagination. It continued when he won his second AL batting title in 1985 with a .368 average and led the league that season with 240 hits.
The Great Wade Boggs (photo courtesy MLB)
But much more was to come ….
Boggs won three more consecutive batting titles and added a career high of 24 home runs in 1987.
Boggs led the AL in On-Base Percentage (OBP) six times (1983, 1985-1989), in On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage (OPS) twice (1987, 1988), in runs scored twice (1988, 1989), and also twice in doubles (1988, 1989).
Boggs had the AL’s highest Wins Above Replacement (WAR) three times (1986-1988).
Boggs ended his career winning five AL batting titles (1983, 1985-1988).
Boggs had a .328 career batting average, won a championship with the New York Yankees in 1996, got his 3,000th hit (an HR) as a member of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.
Wade Boogs, although underrated by some, is regarded by many as one of the best hitters in baseball history.
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This article was initially published on Anthony’s blog.
