Boggs deserves place in Cooperstown

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But let's not mistake this thing: If Wade Boggs isn't a Hall of Famer, then nobody but Babe Ruth is. Among major leaguers who might reasonably be considered third basemen, Boggs ranks No. 2 in hits (behind George Brett), No. 2 in runs scored (Brett again), and (wait for it…) No. 1 in on-base percentage. Personally, I would rank Boggs behind Mike Schmidt, Brett, and Eddie Mathews, but ahead of everybody else.

If you'd like to knock down Boggs a peg or two because he benefited from Fenway Park, go ahead (during his 11 seasons with the Red Sox, Boggs batted .369 at home, "only" .307 in road games, and he hit nearly twice as many doubles at home). If you'd like to knock him down a peg or two because he wasn't always considered the teamest of team players, feel free. But it's still fairly difficult to construct a reasonable argument that Boggs isn't one of the five or six greatest third basemen ever.

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