As a youth baseball player, I was typically above average height for my age, until I got to high school. Like putting the tall kid at center in youth basketball, the tall kid in youth baseball leagues when I grew up was more often than not put at first base. First base requires a big target for ground balls hit to the more athletic fielders in the infield. In a way, the first baseman is sort of like a catcher who plays the infield without gear. First base doesn’t require a ton of range so the taller, less athletic types that weren’t set out to pasture to pine away in right field had a home in the infield at first. Having a spot at first base meant a spot in the batting order, which made me very happy 3 to 4 games per week for my time in youth baseball. Nowadays, with my height, I probably would have been put on the mound to take advantage of the benefits of taller players. No regrets, I loved my time at first base.
Growing up playing baseball in the late 1970s to 1990s, I followed the Boston Red Sox. And playing first base for most of those years, even into high school, I followed the player playing first base for the Boston Red Sox. And in subsequent years since the 1990s, I have continue to follow the Boston Red Sox as well as who is on first. And dare I say, there have been nearly 100 players for the Boston Red Sox to have played at least one game at first base since those early 1970s games. And it may be more than 100, I am just speculating a bit.
So, what is up with the first base position for the Boston Red Sox? Why don’t we (meaning the Sox) a generational player with a long tenure at first base like other MLB organizations? Off the top of my head, I can name several players linked to that base for a specific MLB team for a long tenured period. Eddie Murray, Baltimore Orioles. Don Mattingly, NY Yankees. More recent, Freddie Freeman had a long run with the Atlanta Braves before heading west to hold down the first base spot for the LA Dodgers. Pete Alonso was a mainstay at first for many years for the NY Mets, and now will move down Route 95 a few hundred miles to Baltimore to take over the first base spot there. Bryce Harper is going to be penciled in as the Philadelphia Phillies first baseman until he retires. Keith Hernandez, John Kruk, Jack Clark, Fred McGriff, so many to name, all logged major time at first base for their respective teams. And what about those 100 or so Boston Red Sox players? Here are a few that came to mind this morning, and I know I am missing a ton:
Mo Vaughn. Carlos Pena. Todd Benzinger. Dave Stapleton. David Ortiz. Bobby Dalbec. Bill Buckner. Mitch Moreland. Mike Napoli. Tony Perez. Carl Yaz. Dwight Evans. Kevin Youkilis. Nick Esasky. Adrian Gonzalez. Kevin Millar. Sam Horn. Steve Lyons. Brian Daubach. Doug Mankiewicz. Heck, I looked it up, even Jerry Remy and Alex Cora played first base for the Sox. Any of these names resonate with you, as a Red Sox or just baseball fan? They all resonate with me, I remember every single one of them.
The longest tenured and probably the most prolific first baseman in my lifetime was Mo Vaughn. Youkilis was a converted third baseman who played a very solid first base for the Sox for about 5 years. Moreland and Buckner were very good players before they came to the Red Sox and played their parts in American League and World Series games. Millar, Napoli, and Dalbec were players who moved to first to get into the batting order, which they were better known for vs. their defense. Yaz, Dewey Evans, Remy, Perez – those guys in the 1970s and 1980s were so versatile they could play 8 positions on the field on any given night. So, who are the next crop of first baseman the Red Sox will be rolling out in 2026?
Your guess is as good as mine. The Red Sox traded for one time catcher Willson Contreras who moved from behind the plate over to defensive first base during his time with the STL Cardinals. The Sox also have Romy Gonzalez, who will be starting the year on the disabled list, who played a good amount of first base for the Sox in 2025. The starting first baseman from Opening Day, 2025 was Triston Casas, who got hurt in early Spring and never returned to the lineup. Casas is now taking batting practice and could start the season in Triple A Worcester to get some extra swings before returning to the Big Club (aka Boston). And the Sox have a ton of utility players like Nate Eaton, Nick Sogard, and others that could fill in from time to time. The Sox always seem to have 5 or 6 players on the bench or in the field that could fill in at first base for a game or two. By May, in my estimation, the Sox will have sent 3 to 5 players out to defensive first base just trying to see who can move the needle for the team.
So, is it the players themselves? Is it the body type? Is it that the Sox want the player’s bat and give his defense a pass just to get him in the lineup? Is it the organizational view of first base, that it is a year to year project? Is it okay that the Boston Red Sox seem to have a different first baseman or crop of first baseman every year or few years? Or does it really matter in the end if the Sox make it through the AL East gauntlet, into the playoffs, and back in the World Series? It is just so befuddling to me that other teams can find “the guy” at first base and we have found so many guys that don’t seem to stick around. I know one thing, I will be watching those dugout steps on Opening Day for the first baseman’s mitt and for the player who will take the field at first base for my 2026 Boston Red Sox.
And for Red Sox fans, here is a link to Baseball Reference with the list of not only the Sox first basemen over the years, but every position on the field. Pretty cool link – Red Sox player history.
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