WHY I THINK FRED LYNN SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK FRED LYNN SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN 

By- Damien 

Fred Lynn was always a five tool player. He won the AL Batting Title in 1979, hit as many as 39 home runs in a season, had a career fielding percentage eight points above the league average, three times led AL centerfielders in double plays, and was a fine baserunner. What really made Fred Lynn famous was his incredible outfield defense. He would make leaping (or diving) catches to rob doubles and triples. Lynn did that so many times that the spectacular play became second nature for him. He was so fearless that he often injured himself, and once broke a rib when he crashed into an outfield wall. Fred Lynn was compared with Hall of Famer Joe Dimaggio for his fielding skills and hitting style. Lynn started his career by batting .419 for the Red Sox in 15 games towards the end of the 1974 season. In 1975, Lynn became the first of two players ever to win the Rookie of the Year Award and the MVP Award in the same season. That season, he batted .331 (second in the AL) with 21 homers and 105 RBI’s and led the AL in four offensive categories. Lynn followed up his great rookie season by batting .314 in 1976. In 1977, however, Lynn slumped to .260 and 18 home runs, but had a great season in 1978, which set the table for the best season of his career. In 1979, he batted .333/.423/.637 (leading the league in all three statistics) with 39 home runs, 122 RBI’s, and 116 runs scored. He finished fourth in the AL MVP Award voting, and the three players ahead of him (Don Baylor, Ken Singleton, and George Brett) really weren't in the same league as Lynn was that season. In 1980, he batted .301 but broke his big toe with a foul ball late in the season, limiting him to 110 games. Lynn’s loss very likely cost the Red Sox the pennant that season. After the injury, Lynn was never the same again. He took an Albert Pujols like turn for the worse, both going from Superman to a bit above average after a foot injury. After this, Lynn was used as a DH more often, and he started to age, but he was still good for seven more 20 homer seasons (hitting 20 homers in the 1980’s was regarded as highly as hitting 30 today) and a .299 average for the California Angels in 1982. He retired after the 1990 season. Fred Lynn had all the skills and most of the numbers that people tend to look for in a Hall of Famer. Come on, how can they keep a phenom like Lynn out of Cooperstown? 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games career: 1,969 season high: 150 in 1978 

At Bats career: 6,925 season high: 541 in 1978 

Hits career: 1,960 season high: 177 in 1979 

Doubles career: 388 season high: 47 in 1975 led AL: 47 in 1975 

Triples career: 43 season high: 8 in 1976 

Home Runs career: 306 season high: 39 in 1979 

Runs career: 1,063 season high: 116 in 1979 led AL: 103 in 1975 

Runs Batted In career: 1,111 season high: 122 in 1979 

Stolen Bases career: 72 season high: 14 in 1976 

Walks career: 857 season high: 82 in 1979 

Strikeouts career: 1,116 season high: 100 in 1985 

Batting Average career: 

On Base Percentage career: .360 season high: .423 in 1979 led AL: .423 in 1979 

Slugging Percentage career: .484 season high: .637 in 1979 led AL: .566 in 1975, .637 in 1979 

Total bases career: 3,352 season high: 338 in 1979 

Sacrifice Hits career: 25 season high: 6 in 1975 

Fielding Percentage career: .988 season high: .994 in 1980 and 1985 led AL CF: .994 in 1980 

Double Plays career: 33 season high: 5 in 1984 led AL CF: 4 in 1976, 1980 and 1983 

Putouts career: 4,556 season high: 408 in 1978 

Assists career: 114 season high: 13 in 1976 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-he and teammate Jim Rice were nicknamed the “Gold Dust Twins” 

-also finished 24th in the AL MVP Award voting in 1980 and 25th in 1978 

-was a nine-time all star (1975 - 1983), and won its MVP award in 1983 by hitting the only grand slam in the game's history 

-won the 1982 ALCS MVP Award (.611/.650/.889, one home run, five RBI’s), contributing to his .407 career postseason batting average 

-homered in the 1975 World Series 

-won four Gold Glove awards 

-won two career AL Player of the Month awards and six AL Player of the Week awards 

-led the AL in OPS in 1975 (.967) and 1979 (1.059) 

-led AL centerfielders in games (144) in 1975 

-hit three home runs and two triples with ten RBI’s in one game on June 18, 1975 

-hit for the cycle on May 13, 1980 

-hit exactly 23 home runs every year from 1984 through 1987 

-among MLB centerfielders, ranks 30th in career games, 27th in double plays, and 25th in putouts 

-also played 135 games in leftfield, 144 in rightfield, 69 as a DH, 122 as a pinch hitter, and three as a pinch runner 

-was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2002 and into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007