Right Fielder
Dwight Evans (with Red Sox from 1972-1990)
.272/.369/.473, 2505 G, 10240 PA, 127 OPS+ (with Red Sox)
With the recent Hall of Fame announcement, it should be remembered that Dwight Evans was almost ignored by the BBWAA when he was on the ballot. He got voting percentages of 5.9%, 10.4%, and 3.6% and then was off the ballot. This was more than 15 years ago. So many of the things Evans did well during his playing days are much more appreciated by voters now. It would be interesting to see how Evans might have done with the current electorate.
Based on Baseball-Reference WAR, Evans is the 125th best player in baseball history. His 66.9 bWAR is more than Hall of Fame outfielders Duke Snider, Goose Goslin, Andrew Dawson, Dave Winfield, Richie Ashburn, Billy Williams, and others, including his teammate, Jim Rice, who had 47.4 bWAR. Evans had a .370 career on-base percentage and won eight Gold Gloves in right field. He “only” had 2,446 hits, but he also walked 1,391 times, so he was on base by hit or walk 3,837 times in his career. First-ballot Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn got on base 3,931 times in his career.
In the field, Evans was a strong defender with a terrific arm. He made a great play on a fly ball off the bat of Joe Morgan in the top of the 11th inning of Game Six of the 1975 World Series. Morgan hit one deep to right with Ken Griffey on first base. Evans ran back to the fence, made the catch, and fired a laser to the infield. His throw was wide of first base by about 20 feet, but it was caught and relayed to Rick Burlson for the double play. This kept the game tied and allowed Carlton Fisk to hit his classic, game-winning home run off the foul pole in the bottom of the 12th.
After playing in the shadow of Carl Yastrzemski, Fred Lynn, and Jim Rice in the 70s, Evans was the Red Sox best position player for two years before Wade Boggs arrived for good in 1983. Evans’ best year was the strike-shortened 1981 season. He hit .296/.415/.522 with 22 HR and 71 RBI in 108 games. He finished third in the AL MVP voting behind Rollie Fingers and Rickey Henderson. Both Henderson and Evans were worth more than 2 WAR than Fingers.
Evans continued to be a productive player into the late 80s. He was the Red Sox’ most productive hitter in the heart-breaking World Series loss to the New York Mets in 1986. Evans hit .308/.400/.615, with four runs scored and nine RBI.
After hitting .249/.349/.391 in 1990, the Red Sox decided not to re-sign him. He was released in October and signed with the Orioles in December. He played one year with Baltimore before hanging his spikes up for good.
Having spent 19 years with the Red Sox, Evans is among the team leaders in many categories for hitters. He’s second to Carl Yastrzemski in games played and plate appearances. He’s third on the team in runs scored, fourth in hits, and fifth in RBI and home runs. Many longtime fans are still hoping Evans will get a chance at the Hall of Fame through the Veterans Committee at some point.