PSP: Yaz, King

For this edition of the Phillies Series Preview, we look to the Red Sox to find the single best MLB season of the modern era by a position player (according to bWAR) by anyone not named Babe Ruth…

Tuesday, May 12 at 6:45p – Zack Wheeler vs Jovani Moran (L)
Wednesday, May 13 at 6:45p – Andrew Painter vs Sonny Gray (R)
Thursday, May 14 at 6:45p – Jesus Luzardo vs Ranger Suarez (L) 😦
Fenway Park – Boston, MA

If you had to guess, you might think Barry Bonds (11.9 – 2001), Aaron Judge (10.9 – 2024), or Mike Trout (10.5 – 2012) had the best position player season ever. Maybe you go back a little further and think Ted Williams (10.6 – 1946), Mickey Mantle (11.3 – 1956 and 1957), or Willie Mays (11.2 – 1965). Nope. All of them trail the incredible 1967 season of Red Sox left fielder Carl Yastrzemski where he put up an outrageous 12.5 WAR.

First, let’s get those caveats out of the way for completionist-sake. There is only a single player ahead of Yaz who wasn’t born in the 1800s. That would be Doc Gooden and his absurd 13.3 WAR 1985 season when he was just 20 years old. Hell, the only players ahead of Yaz who even debuted in the 1900s were Doc, Ruth and Walter Johnson.¹ While Gooden and Johnson were pitchers, Ruth’s 14.1 in 1923, 12.8 in 1921, and 12.6 in 1927 top the modern position player list. Now let’s get to it.

Teddy Ballgame

The Impossible Dream

To set the scene, Yaz was already established as a pretty good player by the time 1967 came around but nothing to think he was about to explode into one of the best players of all time. His career started in 1961 and had while he had posted some solid doubles-filled seasons with a low-end batting title on his resume, 1967 was much different.

The Red Sox as a team were going on around 20 years of mediocrity. Following a World Series appearance in 1946, the rest of the Ted Williams era had simply been Ted Williams and Ted Williams only. Despite baseball first integrating with Jackie Robinson in 1947, it wouldn’t be until 1959 with Pumpsie Green that Boston would finally roster its first black player. Was that the reason they were so uncompetitive? Well, it certainly didn’t help! In 1966, the Red Sox finished 72-90 for their 8th consecutive losing season. To say that no one saw 1967 coming is an understatement.

1967

The season started out ordinary enough. Through the season’s first 25 games (May 13th), Yaz was sitting on 2 HRs and a .281 average. By the end of May though that had climbed to 10 HRs and .300…then he got hot. In June, Yaz hit .381 with 8 HRs and 22 RBI and he just kept hitting from there.

Going into the final weeks of the season, not only were the Red Sox in the thick of a pennant race, but Yaz was legitimately vying for the Triple Crown. Entering September, his numbers were 35 HRs, 95 RBI, and a .308 average, neck and neck with Harmon Killebrew in HRs and RBI while Frank Robinson had a pretty heavy lead in average. The Red Sox were 76-59 and essentially in a 4-way dead heat with the White Sox, Twins, and Tigers for the AL pennant.

How did he do in September? Oh, I don’t know. He only hit .417 with 9 HRs as the AL came down to a final series showdown against Killebrew and the Twins. The Red Sox won both games to take the AL Pennant while Yaz went 7 for 8 to take the batting title. He and Killebrew both homered to tie for the league lead. Since Yaz had run away with the RBI title, this meant a hitting Triple Crown. He would be the last player to reach the mark in the majors until Miguel Cabrera 45 years later.

As for the Impossible Dream Red Sox (as they were known), they ended up facing Bob Gibson and the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Yaz hit .400 with 3 HRs in 7 games. Unfortunately, Gibson pitched 3 times with 3 complete games and only 3 earned runs. He was named MVP as the Cardinals won.

Friday Fun (late): MLB Without Relocation AL Edition

Season Totals

Right to the very end, Yaz absolutely crushed the 1967 season. Statistically, it wasn’t just amazing for him, he damn near lapped the field. Yaz ranked first in almost every American League statistical category with many by a huge margin:

12.5 WAR (1st) – 4.8 WAR ahead of 2nd Brooks Robinson
112 Runs (1st) – Only Killebrew also finished over 100
189 hits (1st) – 16 ahead of 2nd place Cesar Tovar
31 doubles (3rd) – Tony Oliva had 34
44 HRs (T-1st) – With Killebrew, the two were 8 ahead of Frank Howard and 14 ahead of the next best Frank Robinson
121 RBI (1st) – Again, only Killebrew also finished over 100
.326 AVG (1st) – Frank Robinson finished 2nd at .311
.418 OBP (1st) – Al Kaline finished 2nd at .411
.622 SLG (1st) – Almost 50 points ahead of 2nd place Frank Robinson
1.040 OPS (1st) – 61 points ahead of Frank Robinson
193 OPS+ (1st) – Frank Robinson was no slouch at 187 (Frank Robinson was pretty damn good btw and had won the Triple Crown the year before)
360 Total Bases (1st) – 55 ahead of Killebrew in 2nd and 84 ahead of Robinson in 3rd

For his efforts, somehow, he did not finish as a unanimous MVP because one voter voted for Tovar of the Twins. Voters can be dumb sometimes.

I’m sure I’m not doing Yaz justice with this short look at the stats from his great season. He’d go on to play 23 seasons, all with Boston, and be inducted into the Hall of Fame. It’s crazy to think this year isn’t talked about very much outside of Boston. It’s on the short list of greatest seasons of all time.

Stats: Baseball Reference