The World of Baseball

As a lifelong New York Yankees fan, it has been second nature to despise everything about the rival Boston Red Sox.  Even though I would never root for the Red Sox, I have always respected their history.  From Ted Williams to David Ortiz, Boston has always had stars like the Yankees.  There is one player they had who is very underrated for the era he played in. I am referring to Dwight Evans, who played for the Red Sox from 1972 to 1990 before ending his career with the Baltimore Orioles in 1991.  Evans was the primary right fielder for two decades playing half the games at the legendary Fenway Park.  I will argue that he belongs in what I call the heaven of baseball, The National Baseball Hall of Fame.

            Dwight Evans was more known for his defense than his offense the first part of his career.  He had one of the best outfield arms in Major League Baseball.  For his defensive excellence, he won eight Gold Glove Awards (1976, 1978, 1979, 1981-1985).  Once the 1980s arrived, Evans became a dangerous offensive player.  One of his best seasons was in the strike-shorted 1981 season.  He led the American League (AL) in plate appearances (504), walks (85), and on base plus slugging percentage (.937).  Evans was tied for the AL lead in homeruns (22).  If the season was not stopped, his numbers would have been greater.  Dwight continued to excel in 1982 with 32 HR and 98 RBI, playing in all 162 games.  He led the AL in on-base percentage (.402).  I was shocked that he only made three All-Star Games (1978, 1981, 1987).

            While Dwight Evans was not regarded as one of the best players in the game of baseball, he produced like a perennial All-Star in his 30s.  He played with great players like Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice, Wade Boggs, and Roger Clemens.  His overall numbers may not scream a Hall of Famer.  He finished with 385 career homeruns, 1,384 runs batted in, 1,470 runs scored, and 2.446 hits.  The career average is .272.  I think what helps his case is that he led the league in a category at least once.  Evans led the AL in walks three times (1981, 1985, 1987), on-base plus slugging twice (1981, 1984), and on-base percentage once (1982).  He also led the AL in runs scored in 1984 with 121.

            I realize the Baseball Hall of Fame is for the best players who ever played.  I am smart enough to know that Dwight Evans is not on the same level as a Hank Aaron or Mike Schmidt.  However, a closer look at his numbers suggests that he is a borderline candidate.  As someone who has watched highlights of him on YouTube, his superior defense convinced me that he is one of the greatest defensive right fielders of all time.  One can argue that his best season with the bat was in 1987, when he hit 34 HR and knocked in 123 runs with a .305 batting average in his age 35 season.  Evans had a really good World Series in a losing effort to the New York Mets in 1986. He hit over .300 (.308) with 2 HR and 9 RBI in 30 plate appearances.

            I can rationalize why someone would not vote Dwight Evans into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  My opinion of him has changed over the years.  If he had produced more offensively early in his career, he probably would have over 450 career homeruns, and he would already be enshrined in Cooperstown.  The numbers are the numbers.  Dwight Evans is now 73 years old.  I wonder what he thinks about this debate.  He should be proud of the fact that he is in the Red Sox Hall of Fame.  It would be icing on the cake if he ever gets elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Evans has got a vote here despite being a Yankees fan.