Womack: Fred Lynn might have been a Hall of Famer if he’d stayed healthy — or in Boston

From SABR member Graham Womack at The Sporting News on April 28, 2017:

In January 1981, the Boston Red Sox traded Fred Lynn to the California Angels.

Lynn, who went to high school near Los Angeles and played college baseball for the University of Southern California, should seemingly have had cause to celebrate coming home. He did not.

“I was really not happy about it, to be honest with you,” Lynn told Sporting News this week.

And for good reason. In the friendly confines of Fenway Park, long known to favor hitters, Lynn had a slash of .308/.383/.520, averaging 24 home runs and 102 RBIs per 162 games. His 141 OPS+ means he likely would have thrived anywhere in those years, though his raw stats would probably have been lower in another ballpark.

He could have found few worse new homes than Anaheim Stadium, though. In fact, along with injury problems in the second half of his career, it might have helped kill his Hall of Fame chances.

Read the full article here: http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/news/fred-lynn-stats-hall-of-fame-case-boston-red-sox-california-angels/1is6pnpmu1did1argngibattgo



Originally published: April 28, 2017. Last Updated: April 28, 2017.