Stan Papi
Encyclopedia
Stanley Gerard Papi was a major league
baseball
player perhaps most remembered for being traded by the Montreal Expos
to the Boston Red Sox
for Bill Lee
during the 1978-79 off-season.
Papi was drafted by the Houston Astros
in the 2nd round of the 1969 amateur draft
but was traded to St. Louis
and then Montreal, where he played part of 1977 and 1978 with the Expos.
The Red Sox had a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop in Rick Burleson
, and the trade for a light-hitting utility shortstop (Papi) for a left-handed pitcher of some quality was denounced by fans and even questioned by Red Sox team captain Carl Yastrzemski
, the future Hall of Famer. Shortly after the Bill Lee for Stan Papi trade was announced, "Who the hell is Stan Papi?" was painted on the exterior wall of the Green Monster
at Fenway Park
. Although Fenway Park staff painted over the graffiti many times, the sentence continued to re-appear until Bill Lee retired in 1982.
In Montreal, Lee went on to win 16 games in 1979 while Papi proved a bust in Boston. Lee was instrumental to the Expos achieving their first winning record (95–65) under manager Dick Williams
, Lee's first manager. With a 16-10 won loss record, 3.04 earned run average
and three shutouts, Lee proved very valuable to Montreal. Papi appeared in 50 games and hit .188 with one home run and six runs batted in 117 at bats. After appearing in one game in 1980, he was sent to the Philadelphia Phillies
to complete an earlier trade for catcher Dave Rader
. He was sent to the Phillies' minor league affiliate in Oklahoma City, and never appeared with the major league club. Just over two weeks later, he was sold to the Detroit Tigers
, where he ended his career in 1981.
In his six major league seasons, Papi hit .218 with 7 home runs and 51 RBIs in 225 games.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player perhaps most remembered for being traded by the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
to the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
for Bill Lee
Bill Lee (left-handed pitcher)
William Francis Lee III , nicknamed "Spaceman", is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Boston Red Sox from - and the Montreal Expos from -...
during the 1978-79 off-season.
Papi was drafted by the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
in the 2nd round of the 1969 amateur draft
1969 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1969 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :The Washington Senators tabbed slugging outfielder Jeff Burroughs of Wilson High School in Long Beach, CA as the nation's number one pick...
but was traded to St. Louis
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
and then Montreal, where he played part of 1977 and 1978 with the Expos.
The Red Sox had a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop in Rick Burleson
Rick Burleson
Richard Paul Burleson is a former Major League Baseball shortstop. "Rooster," as he was nicknamed was a famously intense ballplayer...
, and the trade for a light-hitting utility shortstop (Papi) for a left-handed pitcher of some quality was denounced by fans and even questioned by Red Sox team captain Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Michael Yastrzemski is a former American Major League Baseball left fielder and first baseman. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year baseball career with the Boston Red Sox . He was primarily a left fielder, with part of his later career...
, the future Hall of Famer. Shortly after the Bill Lee for Stan Papi trade was announced, "Who the hell is Stan Papi?" was painted on the exterior wall of the Green Monster
Green Monster
The Green Monster is a popular nickname for the thirty-seven foot , two-inch high left field wall at Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox baseball team...
at Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
. Although Fenway Park staff painted over the graffiti many times, the sentence continued to re-appear until Bill Lee retired in 1982.
In Montreal, Lee went on to win 16 games in 1979 while Papi proved a bust in Boston. Lee was instrumental to the Expos achieving their first winning record (95–65) under manager Dick Williams
Dick Williams
Richard Hirschfeld "Dick" Williams was an American left fielder, third baseman, manager, coach and front office consultant in Major League Baseball. Known especially as a hard-driving, sharp-tongued manager from 1967–69 and 1971–88, he led teams to three American League pennants, one National...
, Lee's first manager. With a 16-10 won loss record, 3.04 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
and three shutouts, Lee proved very valuable to Montreal. Papi appeared in 50 games and hit .188 with one home run and six runs batted in 117 at bats. After appearing in one game in 1980, he was sent to the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
to complete an earlier trade for catcher Dave Rader
Dave Rader (baseball)
David Martin Rader is a former professional baseball player. From through , he was a catcher in Major League Baseball, playing for the San Francisco Giants , St. Louis Cardinals , Chicago Cubs , Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox...
. He was sent to the Phillies' minor league affiliate in Oklahoma City, and never appeared with the major league club. Just over two weeks later, he was sold to the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
, where he ended his career in 1981.
In his six major league seasons, Papi hit .218 with 7 home runs and 51 RBIs in 225 games.