George Scott

Played For
Boston Red Sox (1966-1971)
Milwaukee Brewers (1972-1976)
Boston Red Sox (1977-1979)
Kansas City Royals (1979)
New York Yankees (1979)

All-Time Rankings
George Scott ranks #29 among the Top 50 all-time at 1B. Rankings ⇒

Best Season: 1975
Playing on the Brewers alongside one of his heroes, Hank Aaron, Scott led the league in homers (36) and RBI (109). He also earned his seventh Gold Glove for his play at first base.

Factoids
As a rookie in 1966, Boston's George Scott tied a record by playing in every game.

Description
George "Boomer" Scott was a rarity in the Red Sox clubhouse in the 1960s - a free spirit, flashy dresser, and he was of course, black. The Sox were the last team to integrate, waiting until 1959, 12 seasons after Jackie Robinson's debut, to field a player of color. Scott was signed as an unsigned amateur free agent in 1062, and he became the Red Sox first black star. Scott was sort of the "Papi" Ortiz of his time in Boston. He was immensely popular, had tremendous power, and a huge smile that drew fans to him. His teammates, for the most part, looked at him as a leader, and Boomer gladly accepted that role. He had a quick wit and an off-beat, sometimes gruff, sense of humor. He was an aggressive baserunner, despite his size, and it was that size that intimidated opposing players. Famously, he once told a reporter that the shells on his necklace were made from the teeth of second basemen.

Where He Played
Scott was the best defensive first baseman in the American League, if not all of baseball, from the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s. He won eight Gold Glove Awards between 1967 and 1976. He was known for his ability to stretch out for the throws and to scoop errant tosses from the dirt.

Born
George Charles (Jr.) Scott was born on March 23, 1944, in Greenville, MS.

Batted:  Right
Threw:  Right

Primary Position:  1B

Primary Team:  BOS

Major League Debut
April 12, 1966

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1966
George Scott
Sal Bando
Reggie Smith
Rick Monday
Nolan Ryan
Don Sutton
Bob Watson
Nate Colbert
Stan Bahnsen

Nicknames
Boomer

Related Players
Cecil Cooper, for whom he was traded to get back to the BoSox, and Bernie Carbo, who was included in that deal... Prior to Scott in 1966, Walt Dropo (also playing for the Red Sox) was the only first baseman to start an All-Star Game.

Hall of Fame Voting Year Election Votes Pct 1985 BBWAA 0 % 1986 BBWAA 1 .2%

Post-Season Appearances
1967 World Series

Awards and Honors
1967 AL Gold Glove
1968 AL Gold Glove
1971 AL Gold Glove
1972 AL Gold Glove
1973 AL Gold Glove
1974 AL Gold Glove
1975 AL Gold Glove
1976 AL Gold Glove

Notes
After his big league career, Scott played and managed in the Mexican League

Transactions
May 28, 1962: Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent.

October 11, 1971: Traded by the Boston Red Sox with Ken Brett, Billy Conigliaro, Joe Lahoud, Jim Lonborg, and Don Pavletich to the Milwaukee Brewers for Marty Pattin, Lew Krausse, Tommy Harper, and Pat Skrable (minors).

December 6, 1976: Traded by the Milwaukee Brewers with Bernie Carbo to the Boston Red Sox for Cecil Cooper.

June 13, 1979: Traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Kansas City Royals for Tom Poquette.

August 17, 1979: Released by the Kansas City Royals.

August 26, 1979: Signed as a Free Agent with the New York Yankees.

November 1, 1979: Granted Free Agency.

All-Star Selections
1966 AL
1975 AL
1977 AL

Best Strength as a Player
Power

Largest Weakness as a Player
Scott was consistently among league leaders in strikeouts, and he grounded into quite a few double plays. In 1968, he had one of the most dismal seasons by a regular player in history, batting .171 with a .237 slugging percentage in 124 games.

Learn More about George Scott
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