Jim Rice was a power-hitting left-fielder for the Boston Red Sox from the mid-1970's through the 1980's. In his first full season, 1975, Rice hit 22 HRs, 102 RBIs, and batted .309. He finished second in the American League's Rookie of the Year balloting to his teammate and AL MVP Fred Lynn. Rice's heavy hitting helped the Red Sox win the pennant that year, but a pitch broke his hand in September, and he missed the World Series, in which the Red Sox lost to the Cincinnati Reds in seven games. In 1977, Rice led the AL with 39 HR's and a slugging pct of .593, while batting .320 with 114 RBIs. The following year, Rice was the AL's MVP, hitting .315, and leading the league with 46 HRs, 139 RBIs, 213 hits, 15 triples, and a .600-slugging pct. In 1979, it was more of the same. Rice pounded 39 HR's, 130 RBI's and batted .325. He played his entire career with the Red Sox, making the All-Star team 8 times. Rice never possessed speed and set a major league record by grounding into 36 double plays in 1984. He also led the league in that dubious honor foufrom 1982-85. His 315 lifetime double plays are the third highest in baseball's history. He is the only player in Major League Baseball to have 3 consecutive seasons with at least 200 hits and 39 HRs. In 2007, he received 63.5% of the eligible votes for the Hall of Fame, falling short of the 75% needed for induction. Jim Rice's career: .298 BA, 2,452 hits, 373 D's, 382 HR's, 1,451 RBI's, .356 on-base-pct and a .502 slugging pct. |