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| ‹‹ 5. Jason Varitek | 3. Luis Aparicio ›› |
| Freddie Patek - SS - 1972 A.L. |
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Freddie Patek was the David Eckstein of his time, standing at a height of five feet, five inches (by some accounts he was five-foot-four), a stature that he grew to resent because of the nicknames that came along with it. A year after finishing sixth in the MVP voting, Patek was named to his first All-Star team, despite hitting just .223 at the break, with a .280 on-base percentage. In 77 games, he had 41 strikeouts and 26 walks. Amazingly, his numbers actually got worse in during the second-half: in the final 59 games of the season, Patek hit just .195, and ended the 1972 campaign with an OPS+ of 76 (again, 100 is considered average).
| ‹‹ 5. Jason Varitek | 3. Luis Aparicio ›› |