Last week, I presented 1978 NL MVP Dave Parker for the Monster Card selection. This week, let’s look at the AL selection for MVP in 1978, Boston Red Sox outfielder Jim Rice.
In a lot of ways, the two players are very similar for the 1978 season. Both outfielders won the MVP for their respective league. They hit for power and average. Dave Parker certainly had more speed but Jim Rice topped Parker in the power department.
In fact, Rice really had a career year for the Red Sox in 1978. He led the AL in homers (46), rbis (139) and even triples (15). He played in 163 games and led the league in both plate appearances and at-bats.
Rice topped the magical figure of 400 in total bases accumulating 406. That ranks 21st all-time which is pretty good for the offensively tempered 1970s. This year would be the one season that Jim Rice’s slugging percentage would reach .600, hitting that mark exactly.
Rice even stole seven bases which may not seem like a lot but considering he played for the speed-challenged Red Sox, it probably is. Only 2B Jerry Remy had more than 8 stolen bases for the ‘78 Red Sox with 30 (Rick Burleson had the high with 13 the previous year).
| Split | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 Totals | 163 | 746 | 677 | 121 | 213 | 25 | 15 | 46 | 139 | 7 | 5 | 58 | 126 | .315 | .370 | .600 |
Rice had another thing in common with Parker. They both received the relatively rare single column 3. Rice with his power numbers of 1-1-3-6 receives a deserved 1 instead of a 5 that Parker got. Rice’s .315 average was enough to get him a 55-7 plus a 15-10.
Rice’s 1978 card only received one 24. That’s based on 15 GIDPs that year. Rice will get many more 24s on future cards as his yearly totals will reach into the thirties later into his career.
Both Jim Rice and Dave Parker would both be annual topics of heated discussion during Hall of Fame ballot time. Rice would eventually get his due when he was inducted into the Hall in 2009. Parker was not and his time to be voted in by the BBWAA has now expired. If you compare the stats of the two players, they are not the exactly the same but overall, the composite is pretty equal in a lot of respects.
As always, thanks Pastor Rich!
Is it OK for me to say I loved this card growing up? 1978 was my first set and I still have it. That 33-3 was a dream. Rice was always a favorite of mine as a player and always performed well in APBA. He actually won a championship for his team in my solitaire league a few years back. Grand Slam to break a tie and cap a 7 run 9th.
I think when ABPA came out with the all time teams they changed the 1978 card to double column with a zero on 44.