100 Greatest Red Sox >> #41 Vern Stephens

Vern Stephens, #5, SS (1948-1952)

660 G, 721 H, 449 R, 122 HR, 562 RBI, .283 Avg, .363 OBP, .492 SLG, All-Star (1948-1951)

Vern Stephens was a capable shortstop, but it was his bat that made him a star and almost a Hall of Famer. If it weren’t for the knee injuries that reduced him to a part time player by the time he was 31 and forced him out of baseball entirely by the age of 35 he’d have his plaque in Cooperstown. Some will argue that he belongs anyways, citing his superior numbers to Phil Rizutto and Lou Beadreau, two shortstops of Stephens’s era that made it into the Hall.

Stephens stormed through the minor leagues and broke into the majors with the St. Louis Browns (now the Baltimore Orioles), a perennial basement dweller and laughing stock of the league. With Stephens leading the team they won their only pennant in Browns history. He played with them for six years and managed to turn a laughingstock into a semi-respectable team.

After the 1947 season the Browns were strapped for cash and even with Stephens they had no hope of competing. They traded Jack Kramer (who went 18-5 in his first season with the Sox before fading into obscurity) and Stephens to Boston in exchange for six prospects, none of whom ever panned out, and $310,000, a big chunk of cash in those days. Stephens was thrilled to be going to Boston. He wanted the chance to win and loved how inviting the Green Monster was, so close to home plate.

Stephens made an immediate impact on the Red Sox hitting 29 HR and 137 RBI in 1948, his first season with the team. He combined with Ted Williams (25 HR, 127 RBI) and Bobby Doerr (27 HR and 111RBI) that year to become the most feared threesome in any line up in baseball. The next year Stephens was even better hitting .290 with 39 HR and 159 RBI. He helped the league’s MVP, Ted Williams, lead the team to a 96 wins and a 2nd place finish that year. 1949 was a peak year for the slugging shortstop, but he still had one more fantastic year in him when he hit .295 with 30 HR and 144 RBI in 1950. With Walt Dropo (34 HR and 144 RBI) added to the mix the Red Sox scored 1027 runs, the most in team history. Eight members of that lineup scored at least 80 runs, five of them scored at least 100. It was an unbelievable lineup, even better than the beloved squads of 2003 and 2004, and their shortstop, Vern Stephens was a huge part of that.

In 1951 Stephens was putting together another typical season hitting .300 and slugging .501, but then his knees started to slow him down. He played just 109 games that year and would never be a full time player again. After a 1952 season in which Stephens hit just 7 HR in 92 games, he was traded to the White Sox for 3 role players. He was released by the White Sox in his first year with the team.

Was he a Hall of Famer? It’s tough to say. And, as the old saying goes, if a guy is a borderline Hall of Famer, he’s not a Hall of Famer. But was he a better player than Phil Rizzuto and Lou Boudreau, two shortstops of his era already in the Hall? I’m comfortable with answering yes on that one. He gave the Red Sox 3 and a half amazing seasons. Despite his short time with the team he still is 20th all time on the team’s RBI list with 562 and 22nd on the list with 122 HR, just 2 fewer than Fred Lynn.

100 Greatest Red Sox >> #44 Tex Hughson

Tex Hughson, P, #21 (1941-1949)

96 W - 54 L, 17 Saves, 225 G, 99 CG, 693 K, 2.94 ERA, All-Star (1942-1944)

He was a tall, lanky righthander from the state of Texas. He wore number 21, like another tall Texan would also at Fenway four decades later. Cecil Carlton Hughson first arrived at Fenway Park in April of 1941. He was a power/control pitcher who went to the University of Texas at Austin, and was known to all his friends in Boston as "Tex." He would have some sensational years for the Red Sox in the early-to-mid 1940s, and it looked like he would anchor the Red Sox staff for years to come and maybe was on his way to the Hall of Fame.

But fate would intervene.

Tex Hughson was born in Buda, Texas on February 9, 1916. He was the cousin of Jack Creel, who pitched briefly for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1945. He was best known as a fearless competitor on the mound who was not adverse to throwing inside on hitters, mixing in a hard fastball and an overhand curveball. He would also at times mix in a knuckleball to his repetoire, and was known to throw maybe four or five in a game. He starred at the University of Texas at Austin, and first made it to the majors with the Red Sox at the start of the 1941 season.

The next season, Hughson led the American League in wins, posting a 22-6 record with a 2.59 ERA, and also leading the league in strikeouts (113), complete games (22), and innings pitched (281.0). It would be his finest year in the majors, and he finished sixth in the AL MVP voting. In 1943, he won 12 games with 114 strikeouts, a 2.64 ERA, and again led the league in complete games (20). He had an 18-5 mark in 1944, topping the league in winning percentage (.783) and also reached a career-best ERA of 2.26. He was selected to the AL All-Star team three straight years, from 1942-1944.

Hughson spent 1945 in military service, but when he returned for the 1946 season, he picked up from where he left off. Hughson won 20 games in 1946, led the league in fewest walks per nine innings (1.65), set a career high in strikeouts with 179, and completed 30 of 35 starts. He and Dave "Boo" Ferriss, who won 25 games, were a tremendous 1-2 starting combination in leading the Red Sox to their first American League championship in 28 years.

Hughson pitched in three World Series games against St. Louis that fall, with mixed results. He started very well in Game 1 and got a no-decision in a game the Sox won in extra innings, 3-2; he got hit hard and left in the third inning and got the loss in Game 4 as St. Louis won, 12-3; and he relieved in Game 6, in a game the Cardinals would tie the series (and go on and win the next day).

But throughout the height of his big league career, Tex Hughson pitched in pain. Finally by 1947, arm and shoulder problems caught up with him. He made just 26 starts that year, going 12-11 with a 3.33 ERA in 189 innings. In 1948, Hughson was limited to just 15 relief appearances, and the next season he would make just 2 starts in 29 appearances. He threw less than 100 innings combined those two years. After that 1949 season, he forced to retire at the age of 33.

In an eight-year career, Hughson posted a 96-54 record with 693 strikeouts and a 2.94 ERA in 1375.2 innings. His control was so good, and he recorded an effective 1.86 K-to-BB ratio (693-to-372).

After retiring from baseball in 1949, Hughson returned to his native Texas became a real estate developer. He lived in San Marcos until his death on August 6, 1993, from kidney failure, at the age of 77. He was survived by his wife, three children and six grandchildren.

His career was one of those many "what could have been if he stayed healthy" stories. Tex Hughson may not have made it to baseball's Hall of Fame, but he was selected to the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2002.

John Quinn is a writer who lives in New York City and runs the web site, "The Mighty Quinn Media Machine," and writes for the Red Sox fan site, Bornintoit.com, as "Brooklyn Sox Fan."

100 Greatest Red Sox >> #52 Ellis Kinder

Ellis Kinder, P, #16 (1948-1955)

86 W - 52 L, 91 Saves, 365 G, 89 GS, 45 CG, 557 K, 3.28 ERA

Ellis Kinder's complete biography will be posted once it is complete.

100 Greatest Red Sox >> #54 Joe Dobson

Joe Dobson, SP, #15, #17 (1941-1950, 1954)

106 W - 72 L, 3.54 ERA, 90 CG, 690 K, 604 BB

Joe Dobson was born on January 20, 1917 in Durant, OK. In his childhood at the age of nine he lost 2 of his fingers on his left hand while playing with a dynamite cap.

He was signed, some would consider mysteriously, by the Indians where I he played for 2 seasons. He was then shipped off to Boston in December of 1940. During his play for Boston he went on military service leave from 1944-45. He also registered his best numbers while playing for Boston.

He switched his Sox from Red to White when Boston traded him to the White Sox in December of 1950 where he played the 1951, 52, and 53 seasons. His final winning season was 1952. He went back to Boston for his final season in 1954.

He died of cancer at 77 in Jacksonville, FL.

This 100 Greatest Red Sox biography was written by the Amazing Mander.

100 Greatest Red Sox >> #56 Dave 'Boo' Ferriss

Dave Meadows 'Boo' Ferriss, SP, #33 (1945-1950)

65 W - 30 L, 3.64 ERA 144 G, 67 CG

Dave Meadows Ferriss was born December 5th in 1921. He came from a small town in the Mississippi Delta called Shaw. His childhood nickname 'Boo' came from his early inability to pronounce the word 'brother'.


Ferriss was the first baseball player ever to receive a full scholarship to Mississippi State University. He pitched there successfully on the 1941 and 1942 teams.

Dave's collegiate heroics caught the eye of the Red Sox front office and he was drafted in 1942. Obviously those were stormy times worldwide and before he had time to reach the major leagues Dave joined the armed forces to serve his country in World War Two. He served in the Army Air Forces for 26 months from 1942 to 1945 until he was discharged due to asthma.

After leaving the military Dave was sent to Sox minor league team in Louisville. After a very poor start by Boston that summer the Sox front office acted and Boo was called up. He made a stunning debut for the Sox on April 29, 1945, pitching a two-hitter. Ferriss was just 23 years old when he broke into the big leagues fresh out of the military, but for 1945 'Boo' Ferriss was the sensation of the American League. The 6'2" 208-lb rookie went 21-10 and defeated all seven opponent clubs the first time he faced them. He would then go on to set the major league record for scoreless innings to start a career, with an incredible 22 scoreless innings straight out of the gate.

Dave had plenty on his fastball but above all he was a smart pitcher.

"The main thing I learned about Ferris (sic) is contained in a remark made by an American League hitter. This hitter said: 'I know why I can't hit Ferris. He hides the ball behind his back and he uses his glove to shield the ball from the hitter. The glove screens the ball, and the hitter doesn't get a look at the ball at all, until it is almost on top of him.'" Author Bert Dunne in Play Ball! (1947)

For his rookie season Dave went a sensational 21-10. 1946 brought further glory. Supported by a powerful Red Sox lineup, he went 25-6, for a league-high .806 winning percentage, on the way to the 1946 pennant, and shut out St. Louis in World Series Game Three. Ferris started two games for the Sox in the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, winning one of them, but the Sox lost the series 4-3, Ferris getting a no-decision in the deciding game.

Ferriss would hit too. A .250 lifetime hitter, he had 19 RBI in both 1945 and 1947, and was used 41 times as a lefthanded pinch hitter.

Sadly, while Dave's star shone bright, it had a relatively short lifespan in terms of years in the majors. His record in 1947 was an average 12-11. Arm troubles and asthma restricted him to 9 games started in 31 appearances in 1948. Dave's final Game was on April 18 and with that, by 1950, his playing career was over.

Ferriss was pitching coach for the Red Sox between 1955 and 1959, before becoming head coach of the Delta State University baseball programme. Author John Grisham once tried out for a spot on Ferriss' team at Delta State University. He was cut because he could not hit a curve ball. Ferriss guided Delta State to a 639-387 record and three appearances in the NCAA Division II College World Series, before retiring in 1988. He is a member of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, the Mississippi State University Sports Hall of Fame, and the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. On November 14, 2002, he was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame.

This Top 100 Red Sox of all time profile was written by Cormac Eklof @ ''I didn't know there was baseball in Ireland?!''

100 Greatest Red Sox >> #57 Billy Goodman

Billy Goodman, UT, #10 (1947-1957)

1177 G, 1344 H, 14 HR, 464 RBI, .306 AVG, .381 OBP, .387 SLG

Long before Ryan Freel and Chone Figgins made being a utility player cool, there was Billy Goodman, a man of many positions for the Sox during the post-war era. Here’s a quick trivia question for you. Who was the last player to lead the league in batting average while playing at least 20 games at 3 different positions? Yup, Billy Goodman did it when hit .354 in 1950 while playing 45 games in the outfield, 27 games at third, and 21 games at first (as well as 5 games at second and 1 at short). Goodman played in Boston for 9 full years, played five different positions, and he played them all well. As a member of the Red Sox he played 578 games at second, 393 at first, 102 in the outfield (left and right field), 50 at third, and 1 at short.

Goodman broke into the league in 1948 as the team’s regular firstbaseman and was part of a powerful Red Sox line up that scored 907 runs and finished in second place. Goodman hit .310 with a .414 OBP as a rookie although he hit just 1 HR. It was the first of many typical seasons for the utility player. He would hit .293 or better in his first 11 years in the majors (9 of them in Boston). He had absolutely no power (19 HR in 5644 major league AB’s and his career SLG of .378 was just .002 points better than his career OBP of .376), but was always able to work the count and managed to walk more than twice as many times as he struck out.

His tenure with the Red Sox ended in 1957. The team had a regular player at every position and with no place to use Goodman he had managed just 16 AB’s by June 14th when they traded him to Baltimore as part of a 7 player deal. He played in the majors for 5 more years until the age of 36.

The year of Goodman’s batting title, 1950, was also his best season as he set career highs in HR (4), RBI (68), AVG (.354), OBP (. 427), and SLG (.455). He scored 100 runs just once and his career high in steals was 8. He hit .306 as a member of the Red Sox, 11th all-time, and his .381 OBP is good enough for 14th all-time.

Goodman died from cancer at the age of 58 in Sarasota, FL in 1984.

100 Greatest Red Sox >> #79 Doc Cramer

Doc Cramer, CF, #8 (1936-1940)

722 G, 940 H, 1 HR, 270 RBI, 22 SB, .302 AVG, .342 OBP, .378 SLG

Roger Maxwell “Doc” Cramer (July 22, 1905 – September 9, 1990) was an American center fielder and left-handed batter in who played for four American League teams from 1929 – 1948. A mainstay at the top of his team’s lineup for many years, he led the AL in at bats a record seven times and in singles five times. He batted over .300 several times, primarily with the Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox, and retired among the league’s career leaders in hits (10th, 2705), games played (10th, 2239) and at bats (5th, 9140). One of the few major leaguers to play regularly in center field at age 40, he also ended his career among the major leagues’ all-time leaders in games in center field (3rd, 2031) and outfield putouts (4th, 5412), and ranked seventh in AL history in total games in the outfield (2142).

Born in Beach Haven, New Jersey, Cramer was an elegant center fielder with a little speed and a powerful arm. He was nicknamed “Flit,” which was the name of a popular insecticide, by sportswriter Jimmy Isaminger for his great ability to judge fly balls; in other words, he was “death to flies.” Indeed, he led AL outfielders in putouts in 1936 and 1938. Cramer gained medical knowledge before playing pro ball by observing a local doctor, and was therefore dubbed “Doc.”

Cramer was a semi-pro pitcher when discovered by Cy Perkins and signed by the Athletics. Sent to Martinsburg of the Blue Ridge League in 1929, he was locked in a close race with Joe Vosmik for the league batting title. On the final day of the season, he pitched against Vosmik’s team and walked his rival four times. Cramer’s .404 won the title.

He began his major league career with the Athletics’ powerful championship teams of 1929–1931, breaking in gradually, though in the postseason he only made two pinch-hitting appearances in the 1931 World Series. After hitting .336 in 92 games in 1932, his place on the team was secure. On June 20, 1932, he tied a major league record by going 6-for-6 in a nine-inning game (and later became the only AL player to do it twice (on July 13, 1935)). He scored 100 runs in a season for the first time in 1933. He also hit for the cycle on June 10, 1934. In 1934, Cramer set a team record among left-handed hitters with 202 hits, and topped it in 1935 with 214 – still the Athletics franchise record for a left-handed batter; he finished eighth in the 1935 MVP voting. But the fortunes of the A’s declined just as Cramer was becoming a solid, everyday player, leading to the star players on the financially struggling team being sent to other teams. Al Simmons and Jimmy Dykes were sold to the Chicago White Sox on the same day in September 1932, and Lefty Grove and Mickey Cochrane were traded away after the 1933 season. Jimmie Foxx was traded to the Red Sox in December 1935, and Cramer joined him a month later.

Cramer was a spray leadoff hitter who mostly slapped singles and sometimes stretched singles into doubles — although he was a non-factor as a base stealer. He batted over .300 every year from 1937 – 1940 with Boston, scoring 100 runs in 1938 and 1939, and tied for the league lead in hits (200) in 1940. He was traded to the Washington Senators on December 12 of that year, and was sent to the Detroit Tigers exactly one year later after hitting .273. He was selected for the All-Star game five times (1935, 1937-40).

Two years after hitting over .300 for the last time with the 1943 Tigers, in 1945 Cramer played 140 games in center field at age 40 (albeit during World War II, when many regular players were in military service), and finally enjoyed significant play in the Fall Classic. In the 1945 World Series he led the team with a .379 batting average, scoring seven runs and batting in four, to help his team to win the Series 4-3 against the Chicago Cubs. He had two runs and an RBI in Game 5, and again in Game 7. Sent up six times for Birdie Tebbetts, Cramer came through four times, and when the Tigers traded Tebbetts to Boston in 1947, Cramer complained, “It’s like tearing up my meal ticket. A game is not official until the announcement goes out ‘Cramer for Tebbetts’.” In his final seasons he was often used as a pinch-hitter — he led the league with nine pinch hits in 1947 before ending his career with four games in 1948.

In his 20-season career, Cramer batted .296 with 2,705 hits, 1,357 runs, 37 home runs, 842 RBI, 396 doubles, 109 triples, 62 stolen bases, and a .340 on base percentage in 2,239 games. By team, he batted .308 for the Athletics, .302 for the Red Sox, .282 for the Tigers, and .273 for the Senators. Cramer rarely struck out, leading the AL four times in at bats-per-strike louts, and finishing in the top four five other seasons. His 2,031 games in center field placed him behind only Tris Speaker (2,690) and Ty Cobb (2,194) in major league history. His 2,705 hits are the most of any player retired before 1975 who has not been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

As a White Sox batting coach from 1951 to 1953, Cramer tutored the young second baseman Nellie Fox; frequently, Fox credited Cramer with making him a major league hitter.

Cramer died in Manahawkin, New Jersey at 85 years of age. There is a street there named in his honor (Doc Cramer Blvd.), as well as a youth baseball tournament, the Doc Cramer Invitational Baseball Tournament, held in Manahawkin every July.

The argument for electing Cramer to the Hall of Fame is debatable. His lifetime batting average of .296 is only a bit better than the .283 overall average of all the players against whom he competed in a high-average era. For example, Cramer’s 1936 season batting average of .292, consisting of 188 hits in 643 at bats, was actually below the overall American League average of .306 for that year. Cramer also did not draw many walks, so his lifetime on base percentage of .340 ends up being lower than the .357 overall percentage in the AL during his career. His lack of walks and his relative weakness on the basepaths (62 stolen bases in his entire career, against 73 times caught stealing) are drawbacks for a batter who hit at the top of the order. Given that Cramer was also not a power hitter (37 home runs, less than two per year), he was probably below average as an offensive force; that is true for almost every one of Cramer’s seasons as well as for his career in aggregate. (It should be noted that Fenway Park and Griffith Stadium, where he played the middle third of his career, were difficult home run parks for any left-handed hitter.) Cramer ranks as slightly better than average for 1932 and 1935 but not any other season; in most of his “peak” seasons, he was at best a dead-on average player offensively.

For these reasons, renowned baseball historian and statistician Bill James has stated that Cramer was easily the least outstanding outfielder in major league history among players who appeared in 2000 or more games (although only approximately 75–80 players who were primarily outfielders were good enough to have such long careers). James ranked Cramer as only the 91st best center fielder of all time.

Cramer’s fielding statistics support the anecdotal evidence and common belief that he was a fine glove man. His lifetime fielding percentage and range factor well exceed league averages for his time.

Player Biography by Karen

100 Greatest Red Sox >> #85 Jim Tabor

Jim Tabor, 3B, #5 (1938-1944)

806 g, 90 hr, 517 rbi, 64 sb/54 cs, .273 avg, .323 obp, .431 slg

It’s time for Jose Melendez’s KEYS TO THE TOP 100 RED SOX.

Jim Tabor
Rollin', rollin', rollin'
His throws he’s not controllin’
40 error years need consolin’
’Rawhide!

His hitting was much better
Though he din’ flash much leather
Sailing his throws so high and wide
His lifetime OP eh-hess,
It ain’t that great ya gu--hess,
740 don’t give him much pride

Men are on, Batter up
Batter up, men are on
Men are on, Batter up
Rawhide

Throw em out, drive em in
Drive em in, throw em out
Throw em out, drive em in
Rawhide!

Keep movin', movin', movin'
His swing it was improving
In ’41 he’s grooving
Rawhide!

Played well through ’44
‘Til the army wanted him more
That ended his good Boston ride.
He was sold to Philly .
His play was willy-nilly
At thirty six years old well, he died.

Men are on, Batter up
Batter up, men are on
Men are on, Batter up
Rawhide
Throw em out, drive em in
Drive em in, throw em out
Throw em out, drive em in
Rawhide!

Rawhide!

As you may have guessed by now, Jose loves the Blues Brothers. Also, Jim Tabor, who played third for the Sox from 1938-1944 was nicknamed "Rawhide." But what do we really know about the man from New Hope, Alabama, a little southern town named for the as yet to be produced fourth chapter of the Star Wars saga? While he debuted in 1938, he didn’t really make his mark as a true rookie until 1939, when his 14 home run 95 RBI debut season was cast into shadow by the far brighter light of fellow rookie Ted Williams. His career was respectable but by no means brilliant. For instance, his top comparable according to Baseball Reference is Aaron Boone, who, as we all know, has yet to do anything of note in his career.

Still, there are a few quirks that make Tabor more noteworthy than the typical .270 career hitter. First, he is one of the small fraternity of players to hit grand slams in consecutive innings, a feat he accomplished on July 4, 1939. Second, he is one of very few major league baseball players whose last name is actually an acronym. TABOR, of course, stands for the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, a controversial Colorado constitutional amendment that has, since 1992, greatly restricted the state’s ability to raise revenue. Among the other Major Leaguers who have an acronym for a last name is Melvin Mora, named for the Michigan Off-road Racing Association. Mora, curiously, is Baseball Reference’s third best comparable for Tabor.

Player biography written by Jose Melendez of Keys to the Game