All-Time Red Sox Lineup: Greatest Player At Every Position

June 12, 2026

All-Time Boston Red Sox Lineup: Greatest Player At Every Position. Read RotoBaller's greatest starting Boston Red Sox lineup of all time including David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, and more.

The Boston Red Sox have had some of the greatest players in the game's history wear their jersey. While some of these players may have recently retired, some have already earned a bid to Cooperstown.

Let's attempt to build the all-time Boston Red Sox lineup.

Let's dive in!

Catcher - Carlton Fisk

While Jason Varitek does make a very strong case, given that he tallied nearly 300 more hits with the Red Sox, Carlton Fisk's Hall of Fame resume will be given the slight edge on our list. Fisk spent 11 of his 24 MLB seasons in Boston, while he logged the other 13 campaigns as a Chicago White Sox.

With the Red Sox, the Hall of Famer would be in his scarer by taking home Rookie of the Year honors during the 1972 season, and if his time in Boston included six All-Star bids. He would also win one Gold Glove and finish within the top-10 in MVP voting in three of these campaigns.

First Base - Carl Yastrzemski

Jimmy Foxx has a worthy resume, but the nod goes to Carl Yastrzemski. Foxx spent 11 seasons in Philadelphia before joining Boston for another seven. During his time in Boston, Foxx would join the 1,000-hit club. Throughout these seven seasons, Foxx would go deep 222 times and would take home the MVP during the 1938 season and earn top-6 votes in two other campaigns.

However, even though Yastrzemski only shifted to first base over the back half of his career, he will cover this position in this list as the Red Sox have another left field option in left field (more on him later). Yastrzemski spent his entire 23-year Hall of Fame career with the Red Sox and would take him one MVP, one Triple Crown, 18 All-Star nominations, seven Gold Glove Awards, and three Batting Titles.

7/24/1979: Carl Yastrzemski hit the 400th home run of his #MLB career. He’d finish with 452 dingers before hanging up his spikes.#RedSox #DirtyWater (via MLB) @Starting9 @pgammo pic.twitter.com/FpZlb8QlIc

— MLB Daily Dingers (@MLBDailyDingers) July 24, 2024

Second Base - Dustin Pedroia

Like first base, this is also a very difficult call. Bobby Doerr does have the edge in counting stats since he played in more games. Dustin Pedroia's impact on the club will give him the edge in our all-time lineup. Pedroia spent his entire 14-year career with the Boston Red Sox and was an anchor of the club during the 2000s.

Through these 14 seasons, Pedroia was named Rookie of the Year and would take home AL MVP honors the following season. Overall, he would earn four All-Star nominations and be a part of two World Series teams.

Shortstop - Nomar Garciaparra

While Xander Bogaerts does have a strong rumor, the starting shortstop job will go to Nomar Garciaparra. Despite playing in nearly 300 fewer games than Bogaerts, Garciaparra sits quite close in total hits with the clubs and even has the edge in power, launching a higher 178 long balls.

Through nine seasons in Boston, Garciaparra won Rookie of the Year in his debut season (1997) and was named to five All-Star teams. He would also win the 1997 Silver Slugger and finish with the top-7 in MVP voting in three of these campaigns.

Third Base - Wade Boggs

This was one of the easiest choices to make. Without a doubt, the legendary Wade Boggs will get the nod at the hot corner in this all-time Red Sox lineup. Boggs is a franchise icon, spending 11 of his 18 Hall of Fame seasons with the Red Sox. During this stretch of his career, the third baseman would win an impressive five batting titles, with four of them coming in a row.

Additionally, Boggs would win six Silver Slugger awards and earn eight All-Star nominations. While he would win his only World Series ring with the Yankees, Boggs is synonymous with Boston's history.

Left Field - Ted Williams

The great Ted Williams will cover left field. Williams was one of the greatest pure hitters in the history of baseball and was widely regarded as one og the greatest to ever wear this jersey. During his 19-year career (all with Boston), Williams would win two MVPs, two Triple Crowns, six Batting Titles, and earn the Sporting News ML Player of the Year Award five times.

He would also be named to the All-Star team in each of his 19 seasons and eventually be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Center Field - Tris Speaker

Tris (Tristram) Speaker will get the starting nod in center field. Even though he does not have the most hits among Boston CFs (Dom DiMaggio holds those honors), Speaker's impact on the field was far greater. Through nine seasons in Boston, Speaker would be one of the most productive hitters in the most productive hitters in the game, earning one MVP and finishing within the top-6 in voting two other seasons.

Overall, Speaker would tally an impressive 1,327 hits with the Red Sox and currently stands as the major league leader in all-time doubles (with 792).

Right Field - Dwight Evans

The right field position is one of the easier choices to make, like left field. Dwight Evans is the only primary right fielder in team history to have tallied more than 2,000 hits with the club, which will give him the clear nod on this list. Evans spent 19 of his 20 MLB seasons with Boston (with his other being in Baltimore).

As a Red Sox, Evans would be awarded for his elite defense skills, taking home eight Gold Gloves and adding another two Silver Sluggers. He would also be named to three All-Star teams.

Starting Pitcher - Pedro Martinez

Even though Pedro Martinez would spend much of his career pitching for other clubs, he is most known for his dominant run with the Boston Red Sox. Through seven campaigns in Boston, Martinez would win the ERA titles in four of them and take home back-to-back AL Cy Youngs during the 1999 and 2000 seasons.

Overall, Martinez would log 1,383 2/3 innings with the Red Sox and carry an impressive 2.52 ERA with a 2.45 WHIP. He would also win his only World Series ring as a member of the Red Sox during the 2004 campaign.

Relief Pitcher -Jonathan Papelbon

The Red Sox's history with closers is not as illustrious as that of most teams, but they do have a 200-save pitcher in Jonathan Papelbon. Papelbon would actually finish his career with 368 saves, but the majority of them came during his time as a Red Sox (219). Through seven seasons in Boston, Papelbon would earn four All-Star nominations and finish second in Rookie of the Year voting in the 2006 season.

He would finish his time in Boston sporting a 2.33 ERA and a stellar 1.02 ERA, with 509 punchouts (over 429 1/3 innings).

Designated Hitter - David Ortiz

While the final spot in the batting order is wide open among many names who did not earn a spot on defense, when looking at the club's history of "true" designated hitters, one name stands above the rest. David Ortiz did see time at first base but was prominently featured as the team's everyday DH.

"Big Papi" would be named to 10 All-Star teams throughout his 20-year Hall of Fame career (all seasons in Boston). Ortiz would also win seven Silver Sluggers and play a crucial role in three World Series Championships, including taking home the WS MVP award in 2013. The other names considered for the DH spot were Manny Ramirez and Jimmy Foxx.

VIDEO: David Ortiz absolutely demolishes home run vs. Marlins, stands 9 HRs from 500 http://t.co/73Bnt9EguH pic.twitter.com/bquQnL2V74

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) August 13, 2015

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