[BoSox Rule]

The catcher poll wasn't really close as Carlton Fisk 1972 took 41 out of 66 votes for 62.12% percent. The results were:

Carlton Fisk 1972: 41 votes - 62.12%
Carlton Fisk 1977: 14 votes - 21.21%
Jason Varitek 2004: 6 votes - 9.09%
Jason Varitek 2003: 2 votes - 3.03 %
Rich Gedman 1985: 1 vote - 1.52%
Wally Schang 1919: 1 vote - 1.52%
Lou Criger 1901: 1 vote - 1.52%
Rick Ferrell 1936 - 0 votes - 0.00%
Wally Schang 1920 - 0 votes - 0.00%
Rough Carrigan 1909 - 0 votes - 0.00%

Moving on to the best 1B seasons we'll go with up to two nominations per poster and in bold. All nominations will make the poll.

This post has been edited by BoSox Rule: 25 January 2010 - 01:20 PM

[mjm3773]

May as well start with the obvious:

Jimmie Foxx 1938

.349/.462/.704
139 R, 50 HR, 175 RBI
182 OPS+

This post has been edited by mjm3773: 25 January 2010 - 01:28 PM

[PC Drunken Friar]

Jimmie Foxx, 1938

50 HR, led the league with 175 RBI, led the league in walks with 119. Won MVP Award. Also led the league in average, OBP and Slugging
349 /.462 /.704

182 OPS +

[NoLastCall125]

This is an extremely biased opinion because he's still my favorite player, but since it's just for a nomination...

Mo Vaughn 1996

207 H, 118, R, 44 HR, 143 RBI
.326/.420/.583

This post has been edited by NoLastCall125: 25 January 2010 - 01:32 PM

[BucketOBalls]

Carl Yastrzemski-1970 (more games at 1B than anywhere else)

.329/.452 /.592 /1.044/177-40 HR

He finished with the SABER triple crown, leading the league in OBP, SLG and OPS(and OPS+).

[Razor Shines]

Foxx is probably the clear winner here, but just for some variety:

Carl Yastrzemski, 1970

He hit .329/.452/.592 while playing in 161 games. OPS+ of 177 (led the league).

Disclaimer: he only started 93 games at 1B, while starting 66 in the OF.

[BoSox Rule]

I was thinking about that, and it is definitely fair that you guys nominate Yaz. However, in the future, does anybody think we should maybe change it to a certain percentage of games played at a position? Like say, 70% of a 162 game season ~113 games, ~108 games for a 154 game season, etc.? What would be better? I probably should have thought about that more, but let's try to come up with something for future positions. If everybody wants to keep it as it is, that's cool too.

This post has been edited by BoSox Rule: 25 January 2010 - 02:03 PM

[Al Zarilla]

Walt Dropo, 1950, 34 HR, 144 RBI, .322 BA., .378 OBP, .583 SLG. Unfortunately, a flash in the pan.

This post has been edited by Al Zarilla: 27 January 2010 - 10:52 PM

[Trlicek's Whip]

Since it's Foxx in a walk, I'm nominating someone for sentimental reasons, whose high-water mark was his sole season playing for the Boston Red Sox. On December 13, 1988, the Boston Red Sox traded Todd Benzinger, Jeff Sellers, and PTBNL Luis Vasquez to the Cincinnati Reds for Rob Murphy, and 29-year old Nick Esasky. Out of nowhere he led the team in HR's with 30 and RBI's with 108.

Statistically he wouldn't have been long for Theo's Sox - he struck out 117 times, though he did have a career high in walks and OBP and made only six errors at 1B. As a righty pull hitter, it's not *too* ridiculous to liken Esasky's 1989 at the plate to what we've seen offensively from Mike Lowell w/Boston. To get corny, he wasn't the flashiest guy, or the biggest, or the best, but I was in high school, the team was perpetually fair-to-middling, and that summer he was a new face who immediately contributed, was humble, thus for a kid who dug the long ball - he was easy to root for.

After leaving as a free agent in the winter and signing with the Braves, he was diagnosed with vertigo that stemmed from an ear infection, which resulted in his only playing nine games in 1990 - the last nine games he ever played in his career. I remember reading about it and feeling for the guy.

This post has been edited by Trlicek's Whip: 25 January 2010 - 03:01 PM

[Alternate34]

Kevin Youkilis 2009

588 PA

.305/.413/.548

27 HRs

Only 77 games started at 1B but it was the majority of his starts.

He gets an extra boost from his defense. He was great at the cold corner. Probably not the best, but some argue that the quality of play is higher therefore his performance is more impressive.

[worm0082]

This is an extremely biased opinion because he's still my favorite player, but since it's just for a nomination...

Mo Vaughn 1996

207 H, 118, R, 44 HR, 143 RBI
.326/.420/.583

I have vivid memories of 1996 Vaughn but its tough to argue with 1938 Foxx

[Eric Van]

I have vivid memories of 1996 Vaughn but its tough to argue with 1938 Foxx

Foxx's 1938 and Yaz's 1970 are very similar. But what would Foxx's OPS+ have been if MLB had been composed of the best players from both MLB and the Negro Leagues?

In any apparently more-or-less even comparison that straddles integration, the reality is that the more recent season is much more impressive.

And that Yaz played some games in LF (and terrifically) makes the season more valuable, not less.

Irony / trivia: Yaz did not make The Sporting News's post-season All-Star team, because he had split the year between the two positions. Boog Powell was the 1B.

[Eric Van]

He finished with the SABER triple crown, leading the league in OBP, SLG and OPS(and OPS+).

What exactly is the list of players who led the league in OBP and SA but not OPS?

(Although OPS+ is another thing, since it's park adjusted.)

[twothousandone]

Statistically he wouldn't have been long for Theo's Sox - he struck out 117 times, though he did have a career high in walks and OBP and made only six errors at 1B.

That's interesting. I've never believed that a high strikeout total was such a big deal for "Theo's Sox." I think the priorities tend to go from "Don't make an out" to "make something happen when you hit it" to "don't make two outs," and strike-outs certainly reduce double-plays.

Lowell is a nice comparison though. If a guy with Esasky's 1989 stats was a FA this offseason, I'd say there's a real option to Beltre -- certainly a better one than Kotchman. Esasky had a limited platoon split in 1989, as well.

I think the bigger reason he would have been a bad fit for the current team is that 1989 was clearly a career year. Though he slugged .527 in 1987, other than 1989, his next best season was 1985, were he slugged .465. His OBP was never above .332, except for 1985. It's great that Boston had him for his career year, but I can't remember Epstein pursuing a guy after a career year. Basically, Esasky was Adam LaRoche, without a brother who played third.

[BucketOBalls]

Kevin Youkilis 2009

I love the idea, but I don't think it works. Everything in runs above average, numbers are just fangraphs. I should probalby apologize to EV ahead of time for this.

CODE

               Hitting(wRAA)   Fielding(UZR)  Total   Diff
Youk2009       41.3               15.2         56.5    0
Yaz1970        73.1               ????         73.1    -16.6
Foxx1938       90.7               ????         90.7    -34.1

Essentially, all other guys would have to be pretty terrible fielders for Youk to be in this. That is possible. Yaz won a few gold gloves(not in 1970, although the splitting time might have been the problem there), but Jeter showed that you still win a gold glove while being quite terrible in the field.

So who knows? Feels like to big a gulf to me though.

This post has been edited by BucketOBalls: 25 January 2010 - 04:46 PM

[Vermonter At Large]

Buck Freeman - 1901
Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1901 29 BOS AL 129 548 490 88 166 23 15 12 114 17 44 .339 .400 .520 .920 156

His season pales in comparison with Foxx', of course, but is certainly worthy of mention in this thread. That RBI rate, btw, pro-rates to 136 in a 154-game schedule or 143 in a 162-game schedule.

[Hyde Park Factor]

Buck Freeman, 1901

129 G, 548 PA

.339 / .400 / .520 / .920 OPS+ 156

In the interest of total discclosure he was atrocious in the field, making 36 errors in 1370 chances, but his 10.26 RF/G led the team.

Edit: beaten to the punch by VAL

This post has been edited by Hyde Park Factor: 25 January 2010 - 05:55 PM

[Buckner's Boots]

Jimmie Foxx, 1938.

[Hatcher Steals Home]

George Scott 1967
373/465 138 OPS+
Gold Glove

[Savin Hillbilly]

Jake Stahl 1909 deserves mention for his 154 OPS+ (third in the league); I think he had a pretty good rep as a defensive player too.

But really it's gotta be Foxx '38.