When Pastor Rich Zawadzki sent me this juicy 1987 Wade Boggs card, I thought “surely, I have posted this in the past.” Nope. You may have read my posts about his 1985 card or his 1986 card but not this one.
The funny thing is, this 1987 card may be one of the overall best of his career.
Boggs led the AL in batting average (.363), OBP (.461) and OPS (a whopping 1.049). He reached 200 hits on the nose, one of seven times he reached that milestone.
The 1987 season was an anomaly for baseball offense and that includes Wade Boggs. That year, he hit 24 homers, the only time in his 18-year career that he cracked 20 and one of two that he hit double digits.
In addition to the 24 dingers, he also gapped 40 doubles and six triples.
Boggs’ strikeout to walk ratio is pretty amazing even for the era he was playing. He walked 105 times while only striking out 48. Interestingly, Boggs led the AL in intentional walks that year with 19.
| Split | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | IBB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 Totals | 147 | 667 | 551 | 108 | 200 | 40 | 6 | 24 | 89 | 1 | 105 | 48 | .363 | .461 | .588 | 1.049 | 19 |
This is the best all around Wade Boggs APBA card combining power, hitting, and yes, defense at the hot corner. Boggs is rated as a 3B-5.
Boggs’s card has good power with extra base numbers 1-4-5-6 so with runners on base, he’ll have at least two chances to hit a homerun. Clutch.
Of course, Boggs is known as an high average guy. He checks that box too, of course. The Chicken Man has a 44-7, a 55-7 AND a 15-7!
With Boggs’ bat control, it shouldn’t be too surprising that he excels at the hit and run. He received three 31s at 34, 63 and at 26.
Me? I like Wade Boggs’ six 14s to help replicate his .461 OBP. He ends up with only two 13s.
Looking at the Red Sox batting order in 1987, it looks like they started out by leading off Boggs in the first month. Management must have thought better of it because for most of the rest of the season, they moved him to the third spot in the lineup. In my opinion, that seems more suitable.
Hey, maybe John McNamara got a sneak peek of the APBA card.
Thanks, Rich!
You can never go wrong with a 15-7!