Fred Lynn
| Birthdate | 2/3/1952 |
| Death Date | |
| Debut Year | 1974 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Angels, Orioles, Padres, Red Sox, Tigers |
| Position | Center Field |
Fred Lynn had a dream rookie season in 1975 when he led the Red Sox to the World Series as a Gold Glover, All Star, Rookie of the Year, and AL MVP.
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Fred Lynn seemed like a sure-fire Cooperstown man through his age-28 season in 1980
Fred Lynn seemed like a sure-fire Cooperstown man through his age-28 season in 1980
Fred Lynn started his big league career in style. In a 15-game stint as a Boston September call up in 1974 he hit .419 with a .490 on-base percentage and a .698 slugging mark.
Then in his first full season in ’75 Lynn earned the Rookie of the Year and MVP Awards. Playing centerfield flanked by Hall of Famer Jim Rice in left and the great Dwight Evans in right, Lynn led the Red Sox to the American League pennant.
His finest season came in 1979 when he led the AL in average (.333), on-base percentage (.423), and slugging (.637). The Gold Glover also topped all of baseball with an 8.9 WAR. He complimented those numbers with 42 doubles, 39 homers, 122 RBI, and 116 runs scored.
Through his final season with the Red Sox in 1980, Lynn looked like a sure-fire Hall of Famer. In addition to his two awards from his rookie season, Lynn had four Gold Gloves, six straight All Star nods, and a batting championship.
In January of ’81 Lynn was dealt to the California Angels in a five-player deal. Glancing at his home/road split as a Boston player, it’s clear the move out of Fenway Park would negatively affect Lynn.
From 1975-1980 with the Red Sox, his home slash line was .348/.423/.607 with 137 doubles. During the same period on the road his he accumulated 78 two-base hits with a slash line of .268/.341/.433.
Predictably, his production fell off in Anaheim. In 7 full seasons with the Sox he hit .307 and averaged 154 hits, 260 total bases, and 85 RBI per season. In the decade after he left Boston he never again hit .300, or had more than 141 hits, or 245 total bases in a season. Only once did he drive in as many as 80 runs.
Lynn did have high points however. He three more All Star teams from ’81-’83, bringing his total to nine consecutive Mid Summer Classic selections. The ’83 contest was a memorable one for Lynn. He hit the first grand slam in All Star history and was voted the game’s MVP.
Lynn played for the Orioles from 1985 through August of ’88 when he was traded to the Tigers. His stay in Detroit lasted through the ’89 season when he was granted free agency. Lynn finished his career with 90 games for the San Diego Padres in 1990.
In the collection is this government postcard signed by Lynn in 1984.
Lynn is in 3 college-based Halls of Fame and the Red Sox team Hall of Fame
Lynn is in 3 college-based Halls of Fame and the Red Sox team Hall of Fame
Fred Lynn ended his career with 1,960 hits, 306 homers, 1,063 runs, and 1,111 runs batted in. He amassed 50.4 WAR and a career 129 OPS+. While those numbers indicate a fine big league career, they put him short of Cooperstown.
Don’t feel badly for Lynn. His trophy case boasts a Rookie of the Year and MVP Award, a batting crown, an American League Champion ship ring, four Gold Glove Awards, and 9 All Star rings.
Lynn’s greatness was sufficient to get him into multiple Halls of Fame. He was recognized by the University of Southern California (1994), College Baseball (2007), and Omaha College Baseball (2017) Halls. In 2002 the Red Sox put him in their Hall and in 2011 the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame recognized him.
All in all, Lynn had a baseball career anyone would be proud of. Shown here is the back of the government postcard. Notice the Anaheim postmark dated January 27, 1984.
A few months earlier Lynn completed his 9th straight All Star campaign. Hitting third for the American League, Lynn hit the first grand slam in All Star Game history.
