OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - 1978 Boston Red Sox

captaincarl · 12-30-2008, 12:10 PM

Meet the 1978 Red Sox

In 1977, the Red Sox were in a tight race to the end with the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles. Boston ended 1977 with a 97-64 record, 2.5 games behind the rival Yankees and tied for second place in the ALE with the Orioles. Maybe with just a few more tweeks, the Bosox could take the division from the favored Yankees. Several new players came on board to hopefully give the Sox a hand.

Let's take a look at the lineup.

1. Jerry Remy, 2b - One of the key offseason additions to the team. Acquired in a trade with the California Angels for pitcher Don Aase. Remy batted .252-4-44 with 41 stolen bases in 1977.

2. Rick Burleson, ss - "Rooster" had a good season in 1977 as he went .293-3-52 and 13 stolen bases. He also has a pretty good glove which helps the interior of the defense.

3. Jim Rice, dh - Rice is a yearly MVP candidate and 1977 was no exception. (.320-39-114). One of the "Gold Dust Twins" in 1975 along with Fred Lynn.

4. Carl Yastrzemski, lf - "Captain Carl". The man they call "Yaz" had a strong 1977 season with .296-28-102 numbers, not bad for a guy turning 38 this season. He was also 11/12 in stolen base attempts.

5. Carlton Fisk, c - "Pudge" has been a mainstay behind the plate since 1972, his rookie season. He continued to shine on both sides of the dish with .315-26-102 batting while showing a strong defense and arm.

6. Fred Lynn, cf - The other half of the "Gold Dust Twins" who was both the Rookie of the Year and the MVP award winner in 1975. When healthy, he is truly one of the hitting leaders of the team and shows good defense in center field. Fought through injuries during 1977 and only compiled .260-18-76 numbers in 129 games.

7. George Scott, 1b - "Boomer" returned to Boston after being traded to the Brewers in 1972 and completed a .269-33-95 season in 1977. He has saved plenty of errors with his defense around the bag.

8. Dwight Evans, rf - "Dewey" suffered a knee injury in 1977 and only played 63 games in the outfield while putting up .287-14-36 numbers. Was second on the team with a .526 slugging percentage. One of the best defensive right fielders in the game.

9. Butch Hobson, 3b - His .265-30-112 numbers are really good for a 9th place hitter in his second full season in the majors. A former quarterback at Alabama under Paul "Bear" Bryant.

Bench

Bob Montgomery, c - "Monty" is servicable behind the plate as the backup to Fisk, which wasn't too often. His .300-2-7 numbers in 1977 are a bit deceiving since he only had 40 at bats.

Jack Brohamer - Signed as a free agent during winter. Batted .257-2-20 while with the White Sox in 1977. Solid glove who will back up the middle infield.

Bob Bailey - Came over from Cincinnati during 1977 and will be the backup at the corner infield spots as well as possibly in left field.

Bernie Carbo - One of the heroes for the Red Sox in game 6 of the 1975 World Series against one of his former teams, the Cincinnati Reds. Will probably be the main backup in the outfield who had a fine .289-15-34 season with 228 at bats in 1977 coming off the bench.

Garry Hancock - Young outfielder rounds out the bench and will spend most of his time there or shuffling to triple-A. Acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Indians for backup outfielder/first baseman Jack Baker.

Pitching

Starting Rotation

Mike Torrez - Signed as a free agent over the winter. Was a combined 17-13 with a 3.88 ERA while pitching for the A's and the Yankees in 1977. Unfortunately, he will have frequent bouts with his control.

Dennis Eckersley - "Eck" had a 14-13 record with a 3.53 ERA while pitching for the Cleveland Indians in 1977. Teriffic command. Had a 3.54 K/BB ratio in 1977, striking out 191 in 247 innings while walking only 54. Acquired in a trade late in spring training with catcher Fred Kendall for Rick Wise, Mike Paxton, Ted Cox and Bo Diaz.

Bill Lee - "Spaceman" had a 9-5 record with 1 save in 1977. Unpredictable character who will keep things interesting in the club house.

Allen Ripley - Rookie who will begin the season as a co-fourth starter in 1978.

Luis Tiant - "El Tiante" will be the other co-fourth starter in 1978. Had three 20-win seasons since being rescued from scrap heap by Boston in 1972. Had a 12-8 record with a 4.52 ERA in 1977. Could get 200th win in major league career this season in 1978 (entering with 191 wins).

Bullpen

Reggie Cleveland - Canadian who had an 11-8 record with a 4.26 ERA while pitching for Boston in 1977. 29-year old veteran who will probably see some spot starts or be trade bait.

Tom Burgmeier - Signed as a free agent at the beginning of spring training. Was 6-4 with 7 saves while pitching for Minnesota Twins in 1977 but had a 5.09 ERA.

Bill Campbell - Had a 13-9 record with 31 saves in 1977. "Soup" will start as setup man in 1978.

Jim Wright - Rookie pitcher who has not pitched in major leagues. Will start season as mop up man and long reliever.

Bill Stanley - "Steamer" was 8-7 with 3 saves as a reliever/spot starter in 1977.

Dick Drago - Signed as a free agent over the winter to handle closing position. Drago was 6-4 with 5 saves while pitching for Angels and Orioles.

1978 Outlook
Revamped pitching staff plus other new faces could make things interesting if things gel. Should contend for division and league title based on solid lineup expectations. Will need to outslug opposition at times.

12-30-2008, 12:10 PM	#2
captaincarl Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2003 Location: Barrington, RI Posts: 4,363	Meet the 1978 Red Sox In 1977, the Red Sox were in a tight race to the end with the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles. Boston ended 1977 with a 97-64 record, 2.5 games behind the rival Yankees and tied for second place in the ALE with the Orioles. Maybe with just a few more tweeks, the Bosox could take the division from the favored Yankees. Several new players came on board to hopefully give the Sox a hand. Let's take a look at the lineup. 1. Jerry Remy, 2b - One of the key offseason additions to the team. Acquired in a trade with the California Angels for pitcher Don Aase. Remy batted .252-4-44 with 41 stolen bases in 1977. 2. Rick Burleson, ss - "Rooster" had a good season in 1977 as he went .293-3-52 and 13 stolen bases. He also has a pretty good glove which helps the interior of the defense. 3. Jim Rice, dh - Rice is a yearly MVP candidate and 1977 was no exception. (.320-39-114). One of the "Gold Dust Twins" in 1975 along with Fred Lynn. 4. Carl Yastrzemski, lf - "Captain Carl". The man they call "Yaz" had a strong 1977 season with .296-28-102 numbers, not bad for a guy turning 38 this season. He was also 11/12 in stolen base attempts. 5. Carlton Fisk, c - "Pudge" has been a mainstay behind the plate since 1972, his rookie season. He continued to shine on both sides of the dish with .315-26-102 batting while showing a strong defense and arm. 6. Fred Lynn, cf - The other half of the "Gold Dust Twins" who was both the Rookie of the Year and the MVP award winner in 1975. When healthy, he is truly one of the hitting leaders of the team and shows good defense in center field. Fought through injuries during 1977 and only compiled .260-18-76 numbers in 129 games. 7. George Scott, 1b - "Boomer" returned to Boston after being traded to the Brewers in 1972 and completed a .269-33-95 season in 1977. He has saved plenty of errors with his defense around the bag. 8. Dwight Evans, rf - "Dewey" suffered a knee injury in 1977 and only played 63 games in the outfield while putting up .287-14-36 numbers. Was second on the team with a .526 slugging percentage. One of the best defensive right fielders in the game. 9. Butch Hobson, 3b - His .265-30-112 numbers are really good for a 9th place hitter in his second full season in the majors. A former quarterback at Alabama under Paul "Bear" Bryant. Bench Bob Montgomery, c - "Monty" is servicable behind the plate as the backup to Fisk, which wasn't too often. His .300-2-7 numbers in 1977 are a bit deceiving since he only had 40 at bats. Jack Brohamer - Signed as a free agent during winter. Batted .257-2-20 while with the White Sox in 1977. Solid glove who will back up the middle infield. Bob Bailey - Came over from Cincinnati during 1977 and will be the backup at the corner infield spots as well as possibly in left field. Bernie Carbo - One of the heroes for the Red Sox in game 6 of the 1975 World Series against one of his former teams, the Cincinnati Reds. Will probably be the main backup in the outfield who had a fine .289-15-34 season with 228 at bats in 1977 coming off the bench. Garry Hancock - Young outfielder rounds out the bench and will spend most of his time there or shuffling to triple-A. Acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Indians for backup outfielder/first baseman Jack Baker. Pitching Starting Rotation Mike Torrez - Signed as a free agent over the winter. Was a combined 17-13 with a 3.88 ERA while pitching for the A's and the Yankees in 1977. Unfortunately, he will have frequent bouts with his control. Dennis Eckersley - "Eck" had a 14-13 record with a 3.53 ERA while pitching for the Cleveland Indians in 1977. Teriffic command. Had a 3.54 K/BB ratio in 1977, striking out 191 in 247 innings while walking only 54. Acquired in a trade late in spring training with catcher Fred Kendall for Rick Wise, Mike Paxton, Ted Cox and Bo Diaz. Bill Lee - "Spaceman" had a 9-5 record with 1 save in 1977. Unpredictable character who will keep things interesting in the club house. Allen Ripley - Rookie who will begin the season as a co-fourth starter in 1978. Luis Tiant - "El Tiante" will be the other co-fourth starter in 1978. Had three 20-win seasons since being rescued from scrap heap by Boston in 1972. Had a 12-8 record with a 4.52 ERA in 1977. Could get 200th win in major league career this season in 1978 (entering with 191 wins). Bullpen Reggie Cleveland - Canadian who had an 11-8 record with a 4.26 ERA while pitching for Boston in 1977. 29-year old veteran who will probably see some spot starts or be trade bait. Tom Burgmeier - Signed as a free agent at the beginning of spring training. Was 6-4 with 7 saves while pitching for Minnesota Twins in 1977 but had a 5.09 ERA. Bill Campbell - Had a 13-9 record with 31 saves in 1977. "Soup" will start as setup man in 1978. Jim Wright - Rookie pitcher who has not pitched in major leagues. Will start season as mop up man and long reliever. Bill Stanley - "Steamer" was 8-7 with 3 saves as a reliever/spot starter in 1977. Dick Drago - Signed as a free agent over the winter to handle closing position. Drago was 6-4 with 5 saves while pitching for Angels and Orioles. 1978 Outlook Revamped pitching staff plus other new faces could make things interesting if things gel. Should contend for division and league title based on solid lineup expectations. Will need to outslug opposition at times.