The Top Five Red Sox Players to Wear Number 15

If you have perused this site for even a moment or two, you will notice that there is a HUGE gap in writing. Suffice it to say, I had some major issues going on in my life. "Major" being an all-time understatement. I am now trying to get back into the swing and I thought I would start by reprinting a piece from an ongoing series I had (and will hopefully restart). This is from way back in 2008.

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The '15' has been around quite a bit. An astonishing 51 players have worn the jersey. More than once it has seen multiple holders in a single season. But it has seen some remarkable seasons and players in its time, including it's current owner.

5. Earl Webb (1931-32) - Webb was the original owner of the '15' jersey. He joined the Sox in 1930 when he was traded by the Senators to Boston for "Whispering Bill" Barrett, a native of Cambridge*. Webb had a decent season that year, hitting .323 with 16 homers and 66 RBI. But Webb busted out in a big way in 1931. He hit .333, had 14 homers and 104 RBI. His OPS was .932, he had 196 hits and led the AL with 67 doubles. That mark still stands as the all-time doubles record in one season for the Sox. And Webb did all that at the age of 33. He finished sixth in the AL MVP voting that year


Webb fell off in 1932, starting the season with a .281 average. After 52 games the Sox traded Webb to the Tigers for Dale Alexander and Roy Johnson. Alexander came and went but Johnson had a couple of decent years.


4. Kevin Millar (2003-05) - Cowboy up, indeed. The funny thing about Kevin Millar is that you think he didn't do all that much on the field. And then you look at his numbers and realize that wasn't the case. He hit 25 homers and had 96 RBI in 2003. In 2004 he was just shy of a .300 average (.297), knocked in 18 homers and 74 RBI, and had an OPS of .857. The man could swing the stick.


And he could field as well. Millar usually covered first. His worst fielding percentage over that three-year period was .989. That's not Youkilis good, but it isn't bad either. He was one of those guys who holds the team together and contributes in almost a stealth fashion. I still think the Sox made a mistake in not holding onto him.



3. Mike Nagy (1969-72) - A native of the Bronx no less, Nagy was a pitcher drafted by the Sox in 1966, and made his debut with Boston in 1969 at the age of 21. He proceeded to go 12-2 that year with a 3.11 ERA. Despite walking more batters than he struck out, he was still runner-up in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. Some no-name called Lou Piniella beat him. He was voted the AL ROY Pitcher of the Year, however.


And that was the high-point of Nagy's career. Thanks to arm troubles, over the next three years his numbers steadily declined** and, after the 1972 season, he was traded to Cardinals for Lance Clemons. Clemons appeared in six games for the Sox in 1974 and never played in the majors again. Nagy bounced around in the NL for a couple of years and retired. Another cautionary tale of expecting too much from young pitchers.


2. Dustin Pedroia (2007- Whenever He Damn Well Feels Like It!) - Pedroia has exploded onto the scene in his first two seasons as Boston's second baseman. He was AL Rookie of the Year in 2007. In his sophmore campaign he has improved his numbers across the board, putting himself into serious contention for the 2008 AL MVP award. He's a slick-fielding second baseman with a lifetime .990 fielding percentage. He's a run generator and hard to strike out***. And he does all this standing at just 5' 9".


In another year or so Pedroia would be the top name on this list. Hell, if he keeps this up he'll be the last guy to ever wear this jersey. But he just hasn't played long enough to take the top spot. But it's just a matter of time.


1. Joe Dobson (1946-50) - No, it's not that crazy Fundamentalist who keeps trying to ban television shows. Joe "Burrhead" Dobson**** started playing for Boston during World War Two after being traded from the Indians in 1940. He played decently during the war years (taking 1944-45 off to serve in the war himself) but didn't wear the '15' until the first post-war season of 1946. And then his talent took off.*****


Dobson went 13-7 in 1946 and followed that up in 1947 with the best year of his career. Dobson went 18-8 with a 2.95 ERA. He finished in the Top 30 for MVP voting and his WHIP was second-best in the AL. In 1948 his numbers were down slightly (16-10, 3.56 ERA) but Dobson earned his first and only trip to the All-Star game and finished 24th in the MVP voting that season. During his five years wearing the '15', Dobson had a cumulative record of 76-47, threw 64 complete games and was a solid, if not spectacular, pitcher. All together he won 106 games for the Sox.


But in 1950 the Sox made him part of a multi-player deal that sent him to the White Sox. He had three decent years there, came back to Boston for a cup of coffee and retired at the age of 37 in 1954.


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* He wasn't very good. He had two good years in 1925-26 for the White Sox and a lot of mediocre ones. Hell of a nickname, though.


** Nagy never had a single season where his strikeout total exceeded his walk total, which is bizarre to me. Two times he was able to match the totals. Otherwise he always walked more batters than he struck out. And you thought Daisuke had control issues.


*** And that is no exaggeration. He struck out 47 times in 2007 and only 48 times so far this year. What's odd is that his walk totals are practically identical. Pedroia plate discipline is amazing. He is almost always putting the ball in play or drawing a walk. Which I find impressive. (Update: This has remained the case across his career thus far. After the 2010 season, his Walk/K totals for his career are 215/184. Over his career, he has struck out (on average per season) 7.5% of the time and walked 8.7% of the time. The major league strikeout average per season, by contrast, is 17.6%)


**** Not only did Dobson have a great nickname, he was also handicapped. Literally; he blew two fingers off his left hand at the age of nine while playing with a dynamite cap. So Dobson put together a solid career in baseball and fought in a war missing half his hand. What did YOU do today?


***** Usually in that period you see players stats spike in the war years and then tail off when the regulars came back at war's end. Dobson did the reverse, which makes me admire him even more.