Boston Red Sox: Franchise Leaders by WAR and its Components

Rally's WAR database is my favorite baseball-related toy since I got that All Time Great Teams stats disc for Earl Weaver Baseball for the Apple II. Both provided me hours of playtime. It occurred to me a couple weeks ago that I could take the WAR CSV, sort the individual seasons by franchise code, use the "Subtotals" feature in OpenOffice (that I'm so glad I found), and come up with some all time franchise leaders. So, today I'm bringing you some all time WAR (and WAR component) leaders for my hometown team, the Boston Red Sox.

I know, I know. The Red Sox. You hear enough about them. Do I plan to do other franchises? Well, you tell me. Doing all thirty teams would be a bit much, but if there are specific franchises you'd like to see, let me know.

Okay, let's jump into it:

By total WAR:

Boston Red Sox Career WAR Leaders, Position Players

Rank	Name	PA	WAR
1	Ted Williams	9766	125.3
2	Carl Yastrzemski	13873	88.7
3	Wade Boggs	7239	71.5
4	Dwight Evans	10114	61.1
5	Tris Speaker	4449	56.2
6	Bobby Doerr	7913	47.7
7	Jim Rice	8959	41.5
8	Nomar Garciparra	4293	40.9
9	Harry Hooper	7150	39.1
10	Carlton Fisk	4308	37.7
11	Rico Petrocelli	6077	35.6
12	Jimmie Fox	3918	33.6
13	Reggie Smith	4225	32.6
14	Dom DiMaggio	6421	31.9
15	Manny Ramirez	4645	31.2
16	Johnny Pesky	4689	30.6
17	John Valentin	4193	30.5
18	Fred Lynn	3457	29.7
19	Larry Gardner	4329	27.8
20	Joe Cronin	4495	26.9
21	Jimmy Collins	3150	26.6
22	David Ortiz	4324	25.2
23	Freddy Parent	4092	25.1
24	Mo Vaughn	4418	24.0
25	Mike Greenwell	5122	23.5
26	Jason Varitek	5405	22.6
27	Babe Ruth	1308	22.2
28	Kevin Youkilis	2825	21.1
29	Trot Nixon	3770	20.5
30	Jackie Jenson	4456	20.4

Initial thoughts: You'd think Manny Ramirez (#15), David Ortiz (#22), and Mo Vaughn (#24) would be higher. Alas, WAR is all about total value, not just mashing. I expect these guys will do better in the Batting Runs component we'll look at in a bit. A pair of surprises for me were the high rankings of Reggie Smith (who I'm starting to see is severely underrated) and John Valentin (man, did he have some big years). Since Nomar Garciaparra announced his retirement, it has been stated a few times (including by our own Satchel Price) that he provided a ton of value while with Boston. That is evident here.

Boston Red Sox Career WAR Leaders, Pitchers

Rank	Name	Innings	WAR
1	Roger Clemens	2776	74.8
2	Cy Young	2728.4	56.3
3	Pedro Martinez	1383.7	47.6
4	Lefty Grove	1539.6	38.7
5	Luis Tiant	1774.6	34.0
6	Tim Wakefield	2711.2	31.5
7	Mel Parnell	1752.6	29.0
8	Joe Wood	1418.1	26.6
9	Tex Hughson	1375.6	24.4
10	Ellis Kinder	1142.4	24.2
11	Frank Sullivan	1505.4	23.1
12	Dennis Leonard	1361.3	22.8
13	Joe Dobson	1544.1	22.6
14	Bob Stanley	1707.1	21.5
15	Bill Monbouquette	1622	19.6
16	Dennis Eckersley	1371.7	19.4
17	Ray Collins	1336.1	19.3
18	Derek Lowe	1037	18.4
19	Babe Ruth	1190.3	18.3
20	Bill Lee	1503.3	17.8
21	Bruce Hurst	1459	17.7
22	Bill Dinneen	1501.1	16.4
23	Wes Ferrell	877.6	15.9
24	Fritz Ostermueller	1083.5	15.6
25	Dick Radatz	557.3	14.9
26	Carl Mays	1105	14.8
27	Jonathan Papelbon	297.9	14.7
28	Calvin Schiraldi	675	14.5
29	Howard Ehmke	989.7	14.3
30	Josh Beckett	792	14.1

Initial thoughts: Who are some of these guys? Seriously, 24 WAR gets you in the Top 10? That's what Mo Vaughn has and he ranks 24th among hitters. Wake may be closing in on the club win record, but he's still way behind in WAR. Papelbon will pass Radatz this year and can then focus his attention on Bob Stanley (though I wonder how much of Stanley's WAR came from his 85 career starts). Derek Lowe ranks nicely—he's #18 (ahead of some guy named Babe Ruth).

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By WAR used as a rate stat

Of course, total WAR doesn't tell the whole story. Here are the WAR leaders compared to their playing time.

Boston Red Sox Career WAR per 700 Plate Appearances Leaders, Minimum 2000 PA

Rank	Name	PA	WAR/700 PA
1	Ted Williams	9766	8.98
2	Tris Speaker	4449	8.84
3	Wade Boggs	7239	6.91
4	Nomar Garciparra	4293	6.67
5	Carlton Fisk	4308	6.13
6	Fred Lynn	3457	6.01
7	Jimmie Fox	3918	6.00
8	Jimmy Collins	3150	5.91
9	Reggie Smith	4225	5.40
10	Kevin Youkilis	2825	5.23
11	John Valentin	4193	5.09
12	Vern Stephens	2868	4.91
13	Pete Runnels	2971	4.71
14	Manny Ramirez	4645	4.70
15	Dustin Pedroia	2086	4.70
16	Johnny Pesky	4689	4.57
17	Larry Gardner	4329	4.50
18	Carl Yastrzemski	13873	4.48
19	Freddy Parent	4092	4.29
20	Dwight Evans	10114	4.23

Initial thoughts: Wow, look at Yaz (#2 to #18) and Evans (#4 to #20) drop. This is where guys like Fred Lynn (#18 to #6) and Vern Stephens (off the list at #31 up to #12) can jump up the list. Also of note is that Babe Ruth doesn't have the plate appearances to qualify (1308), but still posted 11.88 WAR per 700 PA.

When talking about Wins Above MVP Level, we decided that 6 WAR was a good baseline for an MVP season. During their time in Boston, Ted Williams, Tris Speaker, Wade Boggs, Nomar Garciaparra, Carlton Fisk, Fred Lynn, and Jimmie Foxx averaged an MVP performance every season. Jimmy Collins was right behind them. The next three are (again) the underrated Reggie Smith, the active Kevin Youkilis, and the previously mentioned John Valentin. I also find it interesting that Youk appears ahead of Manny Ramirez, who happens to be tied with Dustin Pedroia. I love you, total value metrics.

Oh, and where the heck is Jim Rice?

(Answer: Way down the list with 3.24 WAR per 700 PA.)

Boston Red Sox Career WAR per 200 Innings Pitched Leaders, Minimum 200 IP

Rank	Name	WAR/200 IP	Innings
1	Jonathan Papelbon	9.87	297.9
2	Pedro Martinez	6.88	1383.7
3	Roger Clemens	5.39	2776
4	Dick Radatz	5.35	557.3
5	Lefty Grove	5.03	1539.6
6	Jon Lester	4.70	557.9
7	Frank Viola	4.68	452.7
8	Calvin Schiraldi	4.30	675
9	Ellis Kinder	4.24	1142.4
10	Cy Young	4.13	2728.4
11	Daisuke Matsuzaka	3.98	431.7
12	Tom Burgmeier	3.94	411
13	Mike Boddicker	3.93	528.7
14	Luis Tiant	3.83	1774.6
15	Buck O'Brien	3.77	413.7
16	Joe Wood	3.75	1418.1
17	Wes Ferrell	3.62	877.6
18	Josh Beckett	3.56	792
19	Derek Lowe	3.55	1037
20	Tex Hughson	3.55	1375.6

Initial thoughts: No, this does not mean that if they put Papelbon in the rotation he would produce 10 WAR seasons annually. He generally only pitches in high leverage situations, which gives those innings more value in WAR. Relievers Dick Radatz (4th) and Calvin Schiraldi (8th) ranks highly while Ellis Kinder (9th) pitched in both roles. Jon Lester (6th) surprised me in particular, the fact that he ranked so highly while Beckett was way down at #18. The fact that Dice-K slotted in seven spots above Beckett surprised me, too. Cy Young only ranks tenth. That looks low, but remember we're using per 200 IP here. He generally pitched about 1.2 million innings per season.

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By WAR components (for position players)

Many different components go into WAR—everything from hitting to baserunning to range. Let's take a look at the leaders for some of the components.

Boston Red Sox Career Batting Runs Above Average

Rank	Name	Bat
1	Ted Williams	1077
2	Carl Yastrzemski	460
3	Wade Boggs	406
4	Dwight Evans	341
5	Tris Speaker	328
6	Manny Ramirez	309
7	Jimmie Fox	286
8	Jim Rice	279
9	David Ortiz	229
10	Mo Vaughn	225

Initial thoughts: Really hits home how incredible Ted Williams was. Otherwise, not a ton of surprises here, really. There's Manny, Rice, Ortiz, and Vaughn—four of the guys who take a beating in most of the remaining components. Yaz and Evans still stand up big. That's important since both were not one trick ponies. In fact, Yaz was anything but as you're about to see.

Boston Red Sox Career Baserunning Runs Above Average

Rank	Name	BSrun
1	Dom DiMaggio	25
2	Johnny Damon	23
3	Johnny Pesky	22
4	Harry Hooper	16
5	Carlton Fisk	14
6	Jacoby Ellsbury	14
7	Tris Speaker	13
8	Reggie Smith	13
9	Tommy Harper	13
10	Billy Goodman	11
11	Billy Werber	11
12	Billy Klaus	11
13	Coco Crisp	11

Initial thoughts: Ranking the greatest baserunners in Red Sox history is similar to ranking the best slap shot among Red Sox players. It just hasn't traditionally been a focus of the franchise. Jacoby is already tied for fifth (with a catcher! Ha!). Tommy Harper, a name Red Sox fans know for his longtime (albeit modest) club stolen base record, ranks right behind him in a 3-way tie. Johnny Damon is impressive, ranking right at the top with DiMaggio and Pesky.

Boston Red Sox Career Total Zone (Range) Runs Above Average

Rank	Name	TZ
1	Carl Yastrzemski	131
2	Jimmy Piersall	88
3	John Valentin	74
4	Wade Boggs	73
5	Everett Scott	65
6	Harry Hooper	62
7	Rico Petrocelli	62
8	Hobe Ferris	58
9	Tris Speaker	55
10	Jimmy Collins	50
11	Nomar Garciparra	50

Initial thoughts: Holy Yaz! That's quite the lead over Piersall. Valentin, already mentioned here a couple times, rates very well. He had three 20+ TZ seasons. Wade Boggs, though? I remember him getting no respect with the glove, then leaving and magically getting a Gold Glove with the Yankees. You know, Boggs was just really freakin' good. Nomar rounds out the list. Didn't he get traded partly because of diminished range (and a grumpy attitude)? Yes. Total Zone before 2004? +55. Total Zone from 2004 onward? –20.

Boston Red Sox Career Outfield Arm Runs Above Average

Rank	Name	OFarm
1	Carl Yastrzemski	54
2	Dwight Evans	51
3	Jimmy Piersall	24
4	Reggie Smith	21
5	Rick Miller	14
6	Jim Rice	13
7	Fred Lynn	12
8	Manny Ramirez	10
9	Gary Geiger	7
10	Mike Greenwell	6
11	Gene Stephens	6
12	Ellis Burks	6

Initial thoughts: Yaz again. This time, Evans is right there with him. Piersall again ranks well, but there's quite the gap between him and Evans. Rice and Ramirez actually rate pretty well here. So, basically when there's power involved, they do well. Greenwell rating as a positive arm surprises me. I remember him being Damon-esque. For the record, Damon's arm is worth –49 runs for his career. With the Red Sox, he was –15.

Boston Red Sox Career Catching Runs Above Average, Minimum 3 runs

Rank	Name	Catch
1	Carlton Fisk	26
2	Rich Gedman	15
3	Lou Criger	12
4	Gene Desautels	6
5	Roxy Walters	5
6	Marc Sullivan	4
7	Tony Peña	4
8	Rick Ferrell	4
9	Hick Cady	3

Initial thoughts: Wow, there are really only three catchers with any significant value behind the plate. Fisk is obvious while Gedman always had a good reputation as well. Where the heck is Varitek? Varitek is at the break-even point for his career. What does that mean for his reputation or for the statistic itself? Well, Varitek is popular for a lot of things you just can't measure. If his preparation makes a pitcher's performance better, the value goes to the pitcher, not to him. If he helps position an outfielder, the value goes to the outfielder's total zone, not Tek's. The Red Sox traditionally have ignored the stolen base. This really hurts Varitek's catcher rating.

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By WAR in a single season

Boston Red Sox Single Season WAR Leaders, Position Players

Rank	Name	Year	WAR
1	Carl Yastrzemski	1967	12.2
2	Ted Williams	1946	11.8
3	Ted Williams	1941	11.3
4	Tris Speaker	1912	11.0
5	Ted Williams	1942	11.0
6	Babe Ruth	1919	10.6
7	Ted Williams	1947	10.3
8	Carl Yastrzemski	1968	10.1
9	Tris Speaker	1914	10.0
10	Ted Williams	1957	9.9
11	Ted Williams	1949	9.5
12	Rico Petrocelli	1969	9.3
13	Wade Boggs	1987	9.1
14	Carl Yastrzemski	1970	9.1
15	Ted Williams	1948	8.9
16	Wade Boggs	1988	8.7
17	Wade Boggs	1986	8.6
18	Wade Boggs	1985	8.5
19	John Valentin	1995	8.5
20	Fred Lynn	1979	8.4

Initial thoughts: Not terribly surprising, we see Williams, Yaz, Boggs, and Speaker here an awful lot. Yaz's MVP & Triple Crown year (1967) takes the cake while Williams' famous .406 year is bested by his 1946 MVP campaign. Williams other MVP year, 1949, ranks 10th while his Triple Crown years (1942 and 1947) rank 5th and 6th, respectively. The list also features single seasons by Babe Ruth, Rico Petrocelli, John Valentin, and Fred Lynn. You would expect Lynn's MVP/Rookie of the Year campaign of 1975 to appear. Instead it was his 1979 season. The 1975 year was worth 7.1 WAR.

How about the worst performances by a hitter?

Boston Red Sox WORST Single Season WAR Leaders, Position Players

Rank	Name	Year	WAR
1	George Scott	1968	–2.9
2	Jackie Gutierrez	1984	–2.7
3	Shano Collins	1923	–2.4
4	Billy Hatcher	1992	–2.1
5	Rabbit Warstler	1932	–2.0

Initial thoughts: After being worth +27 runs with the bat in 1967, Scott dropped to –23 in 1968 (thanks to a line of .171/.236/.237—from a first baseman!—for an OPS of .473 and an OPS+ of 39). Oof. In 1984, Gutierrez combined a –24 at the plate with a –17 range at short (and also –5 in turning two).

Boston Red Sox Single Season WAR Leaders, Pitchers

Rank	Name	Year	WAR
1	Cy Young	1901	11.2
2	Pedro Martinez	2000	10.1
3	Joe Wood	1912	9.6
4	Roger Clemens	1990	9.5
5	Lefty Grove	1936	8.9
6	Cy Young	1902	8.9
7	Roger Clemens	1987	8.4
8	Pedro Martinez	1999	8.4
9	Cy Young	1908	8.2
10	Cy Young	1904	8.1
11	Lefty Grove	1937	8.0
12	Mel Parnell	1949	8.0
13	Roger Clemens	1986	7.9
14	Roger Clemens	1992	7.9
15	Dutch Leonard	1914	7.9
16	Roger Clemens	1996	7.7
17	Lefty Grove	1935	7.7
18	Roger Clemens	1991	7.5
19	Luis Tiant	1974	7.5
20	Pedro Martinez	2003	7.4
21	Babe Ruth	1916	7.4

Initial thoughts: Like the hitter list, a lot of repeat performers. This time, it's Cy Young, Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens, and Lefty Grove. Smokey Joe Wood has a single season appear on the list (his remarkable 1912 season) and it's all the way up at #3. Mel Parnell, Dutch Leonard, Luis Tiant, and Babe Ruth also appear on the list once. Roger Clemens' Cy Young seasons (1986, 1987, and 1991) rank at #13, #7, and #18, respectively. Pedro's Cy Young years are #7 and #2 (1999 and 2000). Cy Young, of course, holds the record for most career wins without ever winning a Cy Young Award.

And the worst:

Boston Red Sox WORST Single Season WAR Leaders, Pitchers

Rank	Name	Year	WAR
1	Ray Caldwell	1919	-2.9
2	Jerry Stephenson	1968	-2.5
3	Fred Anderson	1913	-2.4
4	Hugh Bedient	1914	-2.3
5	Emmett O'Neill	1945	-2.2

Initial thoughts: 1968 has both a hitter and a pitcher ranked highly on the list. Stephenson managed to be 2.5 runs below replacement in less than 70 innings. He had an ERA+ of 24 to go along with a WHIP of 1.791. Caldwell's 1919 total wasn't actually a full season. He spent 1910 to 1918 with the Yankees, picking up 23.5 WAR. Then he went to Boston and coughed up a –2.9 WAR in 86 innings. His raw numbers didn't look that bad—7–4 with a 3.96 ERA and 70 ERA+. What really hurt him was that weird "X" component in Rally's pitcher WAR (otherwise he was more or less replacement level). That's defined as:

X - Runs saved or allowed beyond measurable impact of hits, homers, walks, strikeouts, and HBP. This is a catch-all category that includes holding and picking off runners, defensive support including the DP, errors in the field, timing of events (pitching better or worse with runners on base), or any other explanation you can think of.

Caldwell ended up departing for Cleveland where he actually was worth 1.1 WAR (giving him a net WAR of –1.8 on the year). He then picked up 0.9 WAR in two more seasons for Cleveland (one of them a 20-win campaign). It's almost like he was sent to Boston to ruin them.

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Going through these numbers made me realize that the number of longtime, incredibly productive pitchers in franchise history certainly trails the number of hitters. Offensively, Ted Williams, Wade Boggs, Carl Yastrzemski, and Tris Speaker lead a pack of amazing hitters that also includes Dwight Evans, Nomar Garciaparra, and Carlton Fisk. Among the pitchers, it is clearly Cy Young, Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, and Lefty Grove. Papelbon and Radatz top the reliever list. This is beginning to look like an All-Time Red Sox team, so let's have at it:

• Catcher: Carlton Fisk (37.7 WAR, 6.1 WAR/700)
• First Base: Jimmie Foxx (33.6 WAR, 6.0 WAR/700)
• Second Base: Bobby Doerr (47.7 WAR, 4.2 WAR/700)
• Third Base: Wade Boggs (71.5 WAR, 6.9 WAR/700)
• Shortstop: Nomar Garciaparra (40.9 WAR, 6.7 WAR/700)
• Outfield: Ted Williams (125.3 WAR, 9.0 WAR/700)
• Outfield: Carl Yastrzemski (88.7 WAR, 4.5 WAR/700)
• Outfield: Tris Speaker (56.2 WAR, 8.8 WAR/700)
• Starting Pitcher: Roger Clemens (74.8 WAR, 5.4 WAR/200)
• Starting Pitcher: Cy Young (56.3 WAR, 4.1 WAR/200)
• Starting Pitcher: Pedro Martinez (47.6 WAR, 6.9 WAR/200)
• Starting Pitcher: Lefty Grove (38.7 WAR, 5.0 WAR/200)
• Relief Pitcher: Jonathan Papelbon (14.7 WAR, 9.9 WAR/200)
• Relief Pitcher: Dick Radatz (14.9 WAR, 5.4 WAR/200)

Beyond that squad, the offense has a lot more depth (Jim Rice, Fred Lynn, Harry Hooper, Rico Petrocelli, Reggie Smith, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, etc.) than the pitching staff (Luis Tiant, Tim Wakefield, Mel Parnell, Joe Wood, Ellis Kinder, etc.). But I'd certainly take the field with that lineup as my all time team.

So, what caught your eye? Any other franchises you'd like to see?

Update: Sharp reader mickeyg13 pointed out that I missed Babe Ruth's 1919 season (can you blame a Red Sox fan for being in denial over that one?). The post has been updated.