The Greatest Rookie Hitter Tandem of All Time
Not Roman and Marcelo....yet
There has been quite a bit of discussion on the 50th anniversary of the 1975 Red Sox team that lost a heartbreaker of a World Series to the Cincinnati Reds. I was pretty young at the time, so my memory is a bit vague, but I do remember the Fisk home run clearly. I also remember the Bernie Carbo home run which may have been even bigger. The non call for batter interference on Ed Armbrister in game 3 was another event that set Red Sox fans off. The Curse was in full effect.
Two things that were not cursed that season were a pair of rookie outfielders, Fred Lynn and Jim Rice. They both played a handful of games in 1974, so fans knew who they were, but there was little fanfare when they made the big club in 1975. No social media to hype them. No analysis of their xBA, DRS, barrel rate, etc. Only articles by Peter Gammons and 5-minute spots on the local news stations. "These guys can hit!" was about the extent of the analysis. I don't think Eddie Andleman even knew who they were. What played out that season was something that had not been seen before and has probably never been seen since.
Lynn and Rice finished 1-2 in Rookie of the Year voting. Lynn slashed .331/.401/.566/.967 with 21 home runs, 105 RBIs, and a 7.4 WAR (a stat which was of course not yet invented). Rice slashed .309/.350/.491/.841 with 22 home runs, 102 RBIs, and a 3.0 WAR. Fred Lynn won the AL MVP, the first ever player to win both awards in the same season. Only Ichiro has accomplished the same feat (and let's face it, he was no rookie, but I digress). Jim Rice finished 3rd in MVP voting behind John Mayberry (who?).
Only 4 players have ever had a rookie WAR higher than Lynn's: Mike Trout (10.5), Dick Allen (8.8), Aaron Judge (8.1), and Ichiro (7.7). Other notable Red Sox rookies were Carlton Fisk (7.3), Ted Williams (6.7), and Nomar (6.6). But the real story here is what Lynn and Rice did as a rookie duo. Their combined WAR of 10.4 is the highest ever for a pair of rookie position players. The closest was the 9.2 in 1982 by Tom Brunansky and Kent Hrbek. Mark McGuire and Terry Steinbach put up a combined 8.6 in 1987.
Lynn and Rice went on to have another great season in 1979 when they both contended for the triple crown and MVP right up until the end of the year. Lynn won the batting title but not the MVP, even though he posted an 8.9 WAR. The winner (who will remain nameless) had a 3.7 WAR. This was possibly the greatest theft in Boston sports history, but I'm not bitter or anything. Jim Rice went on to play in the 1986 World Series and have a Hall of Fame career. Lynn was traded in 1981 and unfortunately his knee injuries hampered his playing time although he did play until he was 38.
Fred and Jim have been in the news lately as the Red Sox celebrated that 1975 team. They also made their feelings known regarding the quality of teams and pitchers today versus when they played. Podcasters, Twitter mavens, and other jamokes took the opportunity to paint them as bitter old men. Most of these people were born after Lynn and Rice retired. They never played a game in the majors or watched Lynn or Rice play, but they know better. I'll listen to the guys who actually played the game, and in the case of Rice, has been an analyst for 23 years.
Could Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer contend for the Rookie of the Year with 64 games left? I think they could. Anthony has been on fire at the plate in the last 20 games or so. Mayer has shown some flash in the field and also at the plate. Lynn and Rice set a very high bar for Red Sox rookies, but if this year's rookie class (including Narvaez and Campbell) perform at even half that level, they will have great futures with the Red Sox.