Comments on: 26 Facts About No. 26: Wade Boggs http://boston.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/01/26/26-facts-about-no-26-wade-boggs/ Bringing BP-quality analysis to Boston Mon, 20 Aug 2018 04:19:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1 By: Walt in Maryland http://boston.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/01/26/26-facts-about-no-26-wade-boggs/#comment-5588 Wed, 27 Jan 2016 21:11:19 +0000 http://boston.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=3413#comment-5588 Jake, I had the great pleasure of covering Boggs when he played at Bristol in 1979 (I was with the now-defunct Bristol Press). It was amazing to me then, and even more now, how little the Red Sox seemed to think of him.

Part of it was his defense, I’m sure. Another was that he was a singles hitter playing a power position. But like lots of teams, the Sox didn’t seem to value his on-base skills.

Their 3B at the time was Butch Hobson, who never met a pitch he wouldn’t chase.

Boggs only hit below .300 in his first minor-league half-season, but he still had to spend two years at Double A and two at Pawtucket, even though he was one of the top hitters in the league each year.

Boston kept him only because he was out of options and no one claimed him. Then, Carney Lansford got hurt, Wade stepped in and batted .349 and never looked back.

]]> By: Jake Devereaux http://boston.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/01/26/26-facts-about-no-26-wade-boggs/#comment-5571 Tue, 26 Jan 2016 21:15:02 +0000 http://boston.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=3413#comment-5571 Walt,
This is awesome stuff! Thanks for adding these in. Its absolutely mind blowing that every team other than the Sox passed on him.

The left-footed kicker thing is funny, he could have ended up on a Belichick special teams unit with that skill.

Long Live The Chicken Man

]]> By: Walt in Maryland http://boston.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/01/26/26-facts-about-no-26-wade-boggs/#comment-5569 Tue, 26 Jan 2016 13:38:23 +0000 http://boston.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=3413#comment-5569 Let me add a few more for you.

27. Boggs was originally a switch hitter, giving it up in 1978.

28. As a high schooler in Tampa, Boggs received college football scholarship offers as a left-footed kicker.

29. Prior to his rookie season (1982) any team in baseball could have signed Boggs for the waiver price of $25,000. All passed.

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