Fred Lynn
Fred Lynn had the greatest coming out party in baseball history in 1975, when as a rookie, he played a stellar center field for the Red Sox and earned the American League Most Valuable Player Award. All season, opposing pitchers searched in vain for a way to get the left-handed hitter out, and all season they were left scratching their heads. Lynn hit .331 in his freshman campaign, and followed it with a .314 mark in 1976, but injuries kept him out of the lineup all too frequently for the remainder of his career. He was healthy in 1978 and 1979, and in the latter year, he had his best overall campaign, belting 39 homers to go with 122 RBI, 116 runs scored, 42 doubles, 82 walks, and a .333 average. But after he was traded by Boston to the Angels, he was never quite the same player. He did recapture his magic twice after leaving Red Sox Nation, however. In 1983 he hit the first grand slam in All-Star Game history, and in the 1982 League Championship Series, he punished Brewers' pitchers for a .611 batting average and 11 hits in the Angels' five-game defeat. Seemingly destined to become one of the game's greats, Lynn never met those lofty (and unfair) expectations, but he still produced 306 homers and more than 1,100 RBI in his injury-riddled career.
Quotes About Lynn
"[Fred] Lynn is the most complete player in our league. But when you think of the most dangerous hitter, you think of a [Jim] Rice or [Don] Baylor, a guy who scares you every time he comes to the plate." — Toronto manager Roy Hartsfield, 1979
Played For
Boston Red Sox (1974-1980)
California Angels (1981-1984)
Baltimore Orioles (1985-1988)
Detroit Tigers (1988-1989)
San Diego Padres (1990)
All-Time Rankings
Fred Lynn ranks #15 among the Top 50 all-time at CF. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1979
Lynn hit a career-high 39 homers to go with 122 RBI, 116 runs scored, 42 doubles, 82 walks, a .333 average, .423 on-base percentage, and a .637 slugging percentage. The last three marks all led the American League, but Fred finished a disapointing fourth in MVP voting, behind Don Baylor and Ken Singleton, who played for first place teams, and George Brett.
Factoids
After he collected 11 hits in five games and batted .611 in the 1982 Playoffs, Fred Lynn became the first player on a losing team to be named Most Valuable Player in a League Championship Series.
On May 13, 1976, after missing the first six weeks of the season with an ankle injury suffered in spring training, Fred Lynn hit the first pitch he saw from Seattle' Dick Pole for a home run. In his next at-bat, Lynn homered again.
As a football player in college at USC, Fred Lynn was a teammate of future Steelers wideout and Hall of Famer Lynn Swann.
Description
Throughout the course of his career, especially early on, Lynn was one of the most exciting players to watch on the diamond. When he was roaming center field for the Red Sox, Lynn galloped with his long strides and leaped to make amazing catches. He crashed into walls, collided with teammates, and made fantastic throws
Born
Frederic Michael Lynn was born on February 3, 1952, in Chicago, IL.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
Primary Position: OF
Primary Team: BOS
College: USC
Major League Debut
September 5, 1974
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1974
Robin Yount
Gary Carter
Jim Rice
Keith Hernandez
Fred Lynn
Jim Sundberg
Kent Tekulve
Dennis Leonard
John Montefusco
Uniform Numbers
#19 (1974-1980, 1982-1988), #8 (1981, 1990), #9 (1988-1989 Tigers)
Similar Players
Ken Griffey Jr.
Related Players
Jim Rice, Carlton Fisk
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1996 |
BBWAA |
26 |
5.5% |
1997 |
BBWAA |
22 |
4.7% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1975 American League Championship Series
1975 World Series
1982 American League Championship Series
Post-Season Notes
Prior to the 1975 AL Playoffs, Lynn pitched batting practice to his teammates to approximate the delivery of Oakland southpaw Ken Holtzman.
Awards and Honors
1975 AL Gold Glove
1975 AL MVP
1975 AL Rookie of the Year
1978 AL Gold Glove
1979 AL Gold Glove
1980 AL Gold Glove
1982 AL ALCS MVP
1983 ML AS MVP
Milestones
Lynn hit his 300th home run against Bret Saberhagen of the Royals, on September 4, 1989, at Detroit's Tiger Stadium... In dramatic fashion, Lynn belted his 200th home run on May 10, 1985, at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. With the Orioles and Twins tied 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth, Lynn made the O's winners when he slugged a walk-off homer off Minnesota reliever Ron Davis... On August 5, 1979, in the first game of a doubleheader against the Brewers in Milwaukee, Lynn hit his 100th career home run, off Lary Sorensen. Lynn also hit a homer in the second game of the twinbill.
Batting Feats
- June 18, 1975: 16 Total Bases...
- June 18, 1975: 10 RBI...
- May 13, 1980: Cycle...
Injuries and Explanation for Missed Playing Time
1976: Missed first six weeks of the season with a severe sprained ankle.
Hitting Streaks
20 games (1975)
20 games (1979)
17 games (1976)
Transactions
June 4, 1970: Drafted by the New York Yankees in the 3rd round of the 1970 amateur draft, but did not sign; June 5, 1973: Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 2nd round of the 1973 amateur draft; January 23, 1981: Traded by the Boston Red Sox with Steve Renko to the California Angels for Frank Tanana, Jim Dorsey, and Joe Rudi; November 8, 1984: Granted Free Agency; December 11, 1984: Signed as a Free Agent with the Baltimore Orioles; August 31, 1988: Traded by the Baltimore Orioles to the Detroit Tigers for players to be named later and Chris Hoiles. The Detroit Tigers sent Cesar Mejia (minors) (September 9, 1988) and Robinson Garces (minors) (September 9, 1988) to the Baltimore Orioles to complete the trade; November 13, 1989: Granted Free Agency; December 6, 1989: Signed as a Free Agent with the San Diego Padres; November 5, 1990: Granted Free Agency.
All-Star Selections
1975 AL
1976 AL
1977 AL
1978 AL
1979 AL
1980 AL
1981 AL
1982 AL
1983 AL
Replaced
The Sox had Rick Miller and Juan Beniquez sharing time in center field in 1974. Prior to that, Reggie Smith had been the last full-time center fielder for Boston.
Replaced By
After dealing Lynn to the Angels prior to the 1981 season, the Sox turned to...Rick Miller to fill that hole in center field. Within a couple of years, Tony Armas was out there. Lynn's last regular, fulltime job was with the Orioles, where he played center field. After the O's dealt him to the Tigers late in 1988, they gave young Brady Anderson a shot.
Best Strength as a Player
He could hit right-handed pitchers (.298 with a .510 SLG average), and he hit amazingly well in Fenway (.347 with a .601 SLG mark and .420 OBP in 440 games)... Lynn was a fine defensive center fielder. In a 1979 poll of American League managers, Lynn was selected as the best outfielder in the league.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Knowing when to ramp it back a little bit and stay healthy.
Learn More about Fred Lynn
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View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
