Jim Rice (2009)


Date of Birth: 3/8/1953
Birthplace: Anderson, South Carolina

Jim Rice was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in June, 1971. He was a first round pick and the fifteenth selection overall. He played in Boston's minor league system from 1971 through most of 1974. He won the AAA Rookie of the Year award, MVP award, and Triple Crown in his last season in the minors.

Boston Red Sox

Rice first joined the Red Sox in 1974, and he played in twenty-four games with them. In 1975, his first full season in the major leagues, he batted .309 with 174 hits, 29 doubles, 22 home runs, 102 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases in 144 games. The following season, he batted .282 in 153 games. He finished the 1976 season with 164 hits, 25 doubles, 25 home runs, and 85 RBIs.

In 1977, Rice was primarily the designated hitter for the Red Sox. He had a strong season in that role and he won the Outstanding Designated Hitter award. That year, he led the AL in home runs with 39. He finished the season with 206 hits, 29 doubles, a career high 15 triples, 114 RBIs, and a .320 batting average in 160 games (116 as a DH).

Rice won the AL MVP award and the Sporting News Player of the Year award in 1978. He led the AL in games played, hits, triples, home runs, RBIs, and OPS. That season he had career highs in games played (163), hits (213), triples (15), home runs (46), and RBIs (139). He batted .315 and his OPS was .970.

Rice had another strong season in 1979, with career highs in doubles, batting average, on-base percentage, and OPS. He had 201 hits, 39 doubles, 39 home runs, 130 RBIs, and a .325 batting average in 158 games. His on-base percentage was .381 and his OPS was .977. He walked 57 times and he struck out 97 times.

Rice played in 124 games in 1980, and he batted .294. He had 148 hits, 22 doubles, 24 home runs, and 86 RBIs. In the strike shortened 1981 season, he batted .284 in 108 games. His batting average went up to .309 in 1982. He finished that season with 177 hits, 24 doubles, 24 home runs, and 97 RBIs.

In 1983, Rice won the first of two consecutive Silver Slugger awards. That year, he led the AL in home runs and RBIs. He finished the season with 191 hits, 34 doubles, 39 home runs, 126 RBIs, and a .305 batting average in 155 games.

Rice won his second Silver Slugger award in 1984, batting .280 in 159 games. He had 184 hits, 25 doubles, 28 home runs, and 122 RBIs. He played well defensively, leading all AL left fielders in putouts with 334. The following season, he batted .291 in 140 games. He finished the 1985 season with 159 hits, 20 doubles, 27 home runs, and 103 RBIs.

Rice had a career high 39 doubles in 1986. He had 200 hits, 20 home runs, 110 RBIs, and a .324 batting average in 157 games. He walked 62 times and struck out 78 times. He again led AL left fielders in putouts with 334.

Rice played in only 108 games in 1987. He finished the season with 112 hits, 62 RBIs, and a .277 batting average. The following season, he had a .264 batting average in 135 games. In 1989, his final season in the major leagues, he batted .234 in just 56 games. The Red Sox released him on November 13, 1989.

Awards

  • Silver Slugger award (2 times)
  • AL MVP
  • Sporting News Player of the Year
  • Outstanding Designated Hitter award

Career Statistics

Rice played in over 100 games in each of 14 seasons (1975-1988). His statistics during that time include:

  • 10 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 213 in 1978
  • 3 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 39 in 1979 and 1986
  • 11 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 46 in 1978
  • 8 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 139 in 1978
  • 7 seasons with a batting average over .300, with highs of .324 in 1986 and .325 in 1979

Career batting statistics for Rice include:

  • 2,089 games played
  • 2,452 hits
  • 373 doubles
  • 79 triples
  • 382 home runs
  • 1,451 RBIs
  • 1,423 strikeouts to 670 walks
  • .298 batting average
  • .352 on-base percentage
  • .854 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Rice as a left fielder include:

  • 1,503 games played
  • 3,027 putouts
  • 62 errors
  • .981 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

In 1992, three years after retiring as a player, the Red Sox hired Rice as a batting coach and hitting instructor. In 2003, he also worked as a TV sports commentator.

Rice was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2009 on the fifteenth ballot with 76.4% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Jim Rice
ESPN - Jim Rice
Baseball Reference - Jim Rice

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