I’ve attempted to come up with the best Red Sox player from each state. The only rules are: the player has to be born in that state (so Carlton Fisk counts as a Vermont person, not a New Hampshire one), and: he’s only judged on how he did while with the Red Sox (so Rickey Henderson loses out to Fred Lynn for Illinois). Of course, most of these are up for debate. We’ll do this alphabetically:
Alabama: This is a tough one. Butch Hobson is the most well-known, was a regular for a few seasons, and had big power numbers. But I’m going with Lou Feeney, outfielder from the 1940s. In almost as many at bats as Hobson, Feeney outdid Butch in average and OBP by leaps and bounds–and never made 43 errors in one season. Feeney’s teammate Jim Tabor also was considered–kind of a mix of the other two.
Alaska: Curt Schilling.
Arizona: Doug Mirabelli doesn’t win too many awards, but he gets this one, over Billy Hatcher and Shea Hillenbrand. The relative longevity, the special job, and the two rings helped Doug out.
Arkansas: Ellis Kinder was more of a solid pitcher than Gene Stephens was a hitter.
California: Ted Williams was born here. Case closed. Too bad for Dwight Evans, Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio, Nomar, Spaceman, etc….
Colorado: Is Dud Lee’s .238 average in 180 games better than Mike Trujillo’s over-5 ERA in 90 innings? I say it is. Mid-1920s shortstop Ernest Holford “Dud” Lee wins.
Connecticut (my home state): Son of my dad’s ex-colleague, Mo Vaughn, beats out two heroes from his childhood, Jimmy Piersall and Walt Dropo.
Delaware: George Pepper Prentiss was the only Red Sox player born in Delaware, pitching briefly in the team’s first two seasons–though in 1901 he went by George Pepper Wilson.
Florida: I got all the way to the Ws before I saw Tim Wakefield’s name. Too bad I didn’t think of him earlier.
Georgia: Willard Nixon was an average pitcher, but started for the Sox for much of the 1950s. Give JD Drew a couple more solid seasons, and he’ll take over, but for now, I’m going with Willard.
Hawaii: Benny Agbayani–the only guy born in Hawaii to ever play for Boston (13 games in 2002).
Idaho: Little-used pitcher from ’69-’73 Mike Garman wins the Idaho pageant uncontested.
Illinois: Sorry to Daubach, Sabes, Red Ruffing, Jake Stahl, and Lee Stange. I’m going with Fred Lynn.
Indiana: One of the team’s earliest superstars, Chick Stahl, beats out his teammate Lou Criger.
Iowa: I’m goin’ with Morgan Magic Maker Mike Boddicker here.
Kansas: In a battle of “dudes I don’t wanna talk about,” Johnny Damon beats Mike Torrez.
Kentucky: Jesse Tannehill pitched four great seasons a hundred years ago, and Carl Mays was dominant was four more a decade later, but I’ve gotta give this to Mike Greenwell, who spent his entire 12-year career in Boston, finishing with a .303 average.
Louisiana: Mel Parnell pitched his entire career in Boston, from ’47 to ’56, and was a solid starter with an ERA well below league average. Jon Papelbon only loses out because he’s only logged three full seasons–but he’ll soon be the man for Louisiana. If Lee Smith and Reggie Smith could combine to make one super-Smith who could pitch and hit, he’d be right there with Parnell. Maybe.
Maine: Bill Carrigan was an average hitter over his ten-year career in Boston, and led the team to three world championships, while acting as player/manager for two of those. But Bob Stanley went three years longer, and his ERA was way below league average. After much flip-flopping, I’m going with the pitcher who could rake, Bigfoot/Steamer.
Maryland: Babe Ruth did enough on the mound and at the plate in his five full seasons with the Sox so that we don’t need to look at the other contestants–sorry Jimmie Foxx and Lefty Grove.
Massachusetts: We can talk about this one. Bill Monboquette? Stuffy McInnis? Tony C.? Even my cult hero Rich Gedman is an option here. I think I’ll go with Jerry Remy, though.
Michigan: Jason Varitek is the one hitter out of the final five contestants–and much like how Willis Jackson got the entire guy vote while the girls were split four ways on that one Diff’rent Strokes episode, the captain takes the nod over Ed Cicotte, Derek Lowe, Rick Wise, and Dick Radatz.
Minnesota: I’m going Tom Burgmeier. Now there’s a sentence I’ve never written before.
Mississippi: Ellis Burks gets it over Oil Can Boyd and Boo Ferriss.
Missouri: The one and only Smoky Joe Wood.
Montana: Herb Plews had 12 at bats for Boston in 1959. No other guy from Montana had any. Or threw any pitches. Ever.
Nebraska: Wade Boggs.
Nevada: The other guy only played in six games, so 1930s pitcher Gordon Rhodes is your best bet.
New Hampshire: Rob Woodward and Phil Plantier were up for it, but Kevin Romine wins, pretty much because he played the longest of the three.
New Jersey: Doc Cramer, who hit above .300 for us over five seasons in the late 1930s.
New Mexico: Vern Stephens, easily.
New York: Carl Yastrzemski. Another one where you don’t even need to see the rest of the list. Bill Dinneen would make a good silver medalist, though.
North Carolina: Both Rick and Wes Ferrell vied for the crown, but Trot Nixon gets it.
North Dakota: No person born in NoDak ever played for the Red Sox, the only such state.
Ohio: Good thing Cy Young was born here or I would’ve had to come up with an excuse not to give it to Roger.
Oklahoma: Steve Crawford edges Lou Clinton.
Oregon: Mr. Red Sox is Mr. Oregon, though Johnny Pesky’s got some up and coming competition in Ellsbury and Lowrie.
Pennsylvania: Buck Freeman of the first world champs beats out Herb Pennock and Sparky Lyle.
Rhode Island: Ken Ryan and Chet Nichols each pitched for a few seasons in Boston, but I think Ryan was a tad better.
South Carolina: Hall of Famer Jim Rice.
South Dakota: Keith Foulke.
Tennessee: Gonna go out on a limb here and say Bob Montgomery.
Texas: Tris Speaker.
Utah: Bruce Hurst didn’t have to try very hard in this race.
Vermont: Much like I’m “from” one town but born in another since mine didn’t have a hospital, Carlton Fisk is “from” New Hampshire. But he was born in Vermont. Had he just been born in New Hampshire, he’d have won that state easily, while Larry Gardner would’ve taken Vermont no question. Instead, it gets messy, and Fisk edges out three-time world champ Gardner for the Vermont title, leaving Gardner out in the cold.
Virginia: 1920s pitcher Ted Wingfield beats John Wasdin in a sloppy race.
Washington: One day, Jon Lester. For now, 50s catcher Sammy White beats 40s pitcher Earl Johnson.
West Virginia: Three-way race between Dick Hoblitzel, Del Gainer, and Chuck Stobbs. I’ll take Hoblitzel.
Wisconsin: Fabian Gaffke. I guess.
Wyoming: Only two options. It’s Dick Ellsworth over Mike Lansing.
Washington, DC: 1930s pitcher Johnny Welch.
Of course, the Red Sox have had many great players born outside of the United States. But that’s another list for another time.
Topics: boston, red sox united states state birth
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this is great. I would nominate Mark Bellhorn for Massachusetts, if only because of that 8th inning homer in the ’04 ALCS. I believe he was born there, and then grew up elsewhere.
If you do an international list, Dave Roberts wins Japan!
Now that you mention Bellhorn, I’m realizing making a “favorite by state” list would be good, too. And probably more fun, with each person having a completely different list.
Really great list. I feel richer today knowing that no Red Sox player has ever come from North Dakota. Also, how about Maryland for supplying us Three Greats Who Were Great for Us But Even Better Elsewhere?
As a guy who grew up in Vermont, I have struggled for years over the Gardner-Fisk thing. To me, it hinges on self-identification. It’s similar to another issue I pondered at Cardboard Gods while compiling an all-time all-Jewish team: at catcher, I selected Steve Yeager, who converted to Judaism, over Mike Lieberthal, who unlike Yeager had at least on Jewish parent but has been failrly adamant about not being identified as a Jew. Similarly, Carlton Fisk has always adamantly identified himself as being from New Hampshire. Meanwhile, Larry Gardner was born in Vermont, played for UVM, and after winning three chamionships with Boston (and another with Cleveland) died in Vermont. For that reason, I gotta go with him over a guy who would probably glare at you if you said he was a Vermonter.
“I’m going Tom Burgmeier. Now there’s a sentence I’ve never written before.”
I’m saying this off the top of my head, but I think you might find yourself writing that sentence again if you compiled an all-time Red Sox roster and needed to fill in the “lefty relief specialist” slot (assuming you don’t cheat when compiling those rosters by using starters in the bullpen). Burgmeier had some excellent seasons in that role.
I know what you mean about Fisk–but by the rules of my list, he’s ineligible for the New Hampshire role. I’d never say I’m from the town I was born in either, and I’m sure a lot of people born on military bases feel the same–but I had to have that rule as a starting point. I also assumed Greenwell was born in Florida. And Boggs is more associated with Florida, too–and Damon didn’t spend too much time in Fort Riley, I’m guessing. Also, Papelbon went to college in MS and HS in FL but was born in LA.
About Burgmeier–well, I did give him the nod. But, yeah, looking at his career, he was a lot more solid than I gave him credit for as a kid, when I just thought of him as a non-star with a funny name anda position that hadn’t been invented yet. He was the type of guy who made the All-Star team but didn’t get a foil sticker in the sticker book.
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