gold star for USAHOF

42. Pete Runnels

42. Pete Runnels
  1. General
  2. Awards
  3. Career Stats
  • Born: January 28, 1928 in Lufkin, TX USA
  • Weight: 170 lbs.
  • Height: 6'0"
  • Bats: L
  • Throws: R
  • Debut: July 01, 1951
  • Final Game: May 14, 1964
  • MVP - 1952
  • MVP - 1956
  • MVP - 1958
  • MVP - 1959
  • MVP - 1960
  • MVP - 1962
 
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Pete Runnels was a good infielder during his time with the Washington Senators, but when he joined the Red Sox, he took a lot more than his versatile glove with him, as he found far more plate discipline.

Sharing his time between Second Base and First, Runnels remained good with his glove, but in the five seasons he played at Fenway (1958-62) he never had a year where he batted below .314, and in four of those seasons, he was in the top three in Batting Average.  Two of those years (1960 & 1962) saw Runnels win the American League Batting Title, and he was also in the top four in On Base Percentage four times.

He was traded to the Houston Colt .45s for after 1962, and it proved to be the right decision, as Runnel’s play dropped off dramatically, and he was out of baseball in two years.  With Boston, Runnels had 823 Hits with a Slash Line of .320/.408/.427, and he entered the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2004.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: First Base, Second Base
  • Acquired: Traded from the Washington Senators for Albie Pearson and Norm Zauchin 1/23/58.
  • Departed: Traded to the Houston Colt .45s for Roman Mejias 11/26/62.
  • Games Played: 732
  • Notable Statistics: 407 Runs Scored
    825 Hits
    147 Doubles
    21 Triples
    29 Home Runs
    249 Runs Batted In
    20 Stolen Bases
    .320/.408/.427 Slash Line
    20.3 bWAR

    No Playoff Games
  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    All-Star (1959, 1960 & 1962)
    Highest Batting Average (1960 & 1962)
    Highest Fielding Percentage by a First Baseman (1961)
    Highest Range Factor per Game by a Second Baseman (1959)
    Highest Fielding Percentage by a Second Baseman (1960)

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