The next 1977 slugger featured in my on-going 1978 "30 Home Run Club" sub-set if former Boston Red Sox third baseman Butch Hobson, who joined in all the fun with a career-year, hitting 30 homers:
Boston's
already potent line-up was given an added boost by their young third
sacker, who was playing his first full season in the Major Leagues
during the 1977 season.
All Hobson did with that chance was hit 30 homers while driving in 112 runs, scoring 77. All career best numbers.
Between 1977 and 1979 he would be the Red Sox starting
third baseman, having that top-notch year in 1977.
However
in 1980 an elbow injury limited his play to only 93 games before
getting traded in the off-season along with Rick Burleson to the Angels
for Carney Lansford and Mark Clear.
He'd spend only one year
with the Angels, appearing in 85 games and hitting .235 before moving on
to the New York Yankees in 1982, appearing in only 30 games and hitting
only .172 in that time.
Between 1983 and 1985 Hobson would
play solely in the Yankees Minor League system, never getting an
opportunity to play in the Big Leagues again, retiring as a player by
season's end of '83.
All told, Hobson finished his playing career with a .248 batting average, with 98 homers and 397 RBIs over 738 games.
Post-playing
career Hobson went into coaching, before getting a chance to manage the
Red Sox from 1992 to 1994, finishing his managerial career with a
record of 207-232.
