Rico Petrocelli was a shortstop/third baseman who spent his entire career (1963-1976) with the Red Sox.
His best season was 1969, when he batted .297 with 40 homers, 97 RBI, 32 doubles, 92 runs and a .589 slugging percentage (second only to Reggie Jackson in the AL). Keep in mind that he did this as a shortstop in an era when offense was not expected of shortstops. His 40 homers was the AL record for a shortstop (since broken by a steroid-laden jerk). For you Sabermetricians, Rico lead the AL in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) with 9.5; second place was Reggie Jackson with 8.8.
Among Rico’s achievements included being named to the 1965 Topps All-Star Rookie Team, the 1967 & 1969 All-Star teams, and induction into the Red Sox Hall Of Fame.
He had two home runs in one game in the 1967 World Series against the Cardinals, and batted .308 in the 1975 World Series against the Reds.
