Rembering Frank Malzone: A tribute to a steady Red Sox

Photo Credit: NY Times

Frank Malzone, who died on Tuesday, was well before my time (I was born in 1990), but he might be one of the most underrated players in Red Sox history. He played 10 seasons with the Red Sox, but was largely overshadowed for the simple reason of who he played with. He played with 2 greats, Ted Williams and Carl Yastremski, both of whom get much more attention by most fans, unless you're a baseball history buff. Not to say Teddy Ballgame and Yaz shouldn't be talked about - they both had stellar careers with the Red Sox, but Frank Malzone also deserves to be more than a footnote to these guys.

Malzone's career with the Red Sox by the numbers (per the NY Times):

Seasons: 10 (1955-65)

7 of those season he played at least 150 games, including 475 games in a row at one point. In 1959, he played 42 more games at 3rd base than anyone else in the American League.

He had a .274 career average lifetime, including at .280 average or better in 5 of his first 7 full season. He knocked in 90 runs 3 times, including 103 in 1957.

He made 6 All Star teams during his Red Sox tenure. In his second All Star game in 1959, he hit a home run off of future Dodgers Hall-of-Famer Don Drysdale.

 He also won 3 Gold Gloves and might have won more if an Orioles 3rd baseman by the name of Brooks Robinson hadn't arrived on the scene.

So, while the Red Sox weren't very impressive during his tenure (they never finished above 3rd), he should be remembered as one of the all-time great Red Sox 3rd basemen and a solid, reliable player for the team for 10 seasons. Malzone was well before me, but he's the kind of guy I would love to have on the current Red Sox. Some of the guys on today's team could learn a lot from a guy like Malzone. May he rest in peace.