MVN: Most Valuable Network

As Mike Petraglia from MLB.com put it: “Before there was Big Papi, there was Big Mo.”

Mo Vaughn joined the Boston Red Sox elite on Monday when he was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame, along with seven others including leftfielder Mike “The Gator” Greenwell and Bill “Spaceman” Lee.

Mo Vaughn led the 1995 Red Sox to an AL East Division championship in 1995 while batting .300, smacking 39 HRs and driving in 126 RBI. He earned the AL MVP award, beating Albert Belle with 79 percent of the votes, made the All-Star team and even stole a career high 11 bases that season!

But just how good was Big Mo?

Vaughn spent eight seasons with the Red Sox (1991-1998) ranking him just ahead of Carlton Fisk with 4452 total plate appearances.

He hit 230 dingers while with the Sox, earning him the No. 6 spot, behind the greatest Red Sox sluggers of all time and some of the best hitters in the game: M. Ramirez (254, 5th), Dwight Evans (379, 4), Jim Rice (382, 3), Carl Yastrzemski (452, 2) and Ted Williams (521, 1). Big Mo hit 25 or more homers in 6 of his 8 seasons ion Boston and 35+ four times.

He also ranks in the Top 10 in RBI, driving in 752 runs. Jimmie Foxx is the only other 1B in (788) the group, which includes five outfielders (Manny, Dewey, Rice, Ted & Yaz) as well as 2B Bobby Doerr and short stops Rico Petrocelli and Joe Cronin. Doerr, Dewey, Rice, Ted and Yaz are in a class of their own, each with 1200+ RBI.

As the above stats tell you, Vaughn was one of the best sluggers ever to come through Boston, and his 0.936 OBP ranks him 5th in Sox history with 3000 TPAs and puts him in pretty exclusive company. Only Manny Ramirez (1.006), David Ortiz (1.014), Jimmie Foxx (1.032) and Ted Williams (1.116) have a better mark.

Vaughn knocked more than a few into the bullpen throughout the 90's, but he also ranks in the top 15 in extra base hits and batting average. Mo’s 439 XBHs rank him 13th among all Sox players and his .304 BA while in Boston ranks him 12th, just ahead of fellow 2008 RHOF inductee Mike Greenwell.

Mo Vaughn was a three-time All-Star and won the AL MVP in 1995. Save for the great Jimmie Foxx, and because Ortiz is really a DH, one could argue that he is the best first baseman in Red Sox history. Mo thrived in the 90’s and might have been the best true 1B of the era if not for the amazing career of Frank Thomas: five-time All-Star, two-time AL MVP, batted .322 from 1990-1999 and averaged 30 HRs and 104 RBI per season over that span.

Bottomline: Big Papi is the new "hefty lefty" in Red Sox Nation, but Mo and Papi share very similar numbers and like Ortiz in this decade, Mo Vaughn will always be one of, if not the face, of the franchise from the 90’s.

Mo Vaughn --- .297 / .387 / .523, 199 2B, 230 HR, 752 RBI, .249 K/AB in 3828 at-bats in Boston.

David Ortiz --- .302 / .401 / .611, 207 2B, 208 HR, 642 RBI, .205 K/AB in 2738 at-bats in Boston.

In his prime (’93-’98) Mo averaged 35.5 HRs, 110.5 RBI and a .314 BA. Ortiz currently owns a 41.6/128.4/.302 line through five seasons in Boston.

He is certainly worthy of heading the 2008 Red Sox Hall of Fame class. Congrats to all.

Other Mo Vaughn notables:

On May 30,1997 playing a game against the Yankees, Vaughn went 4-for-4 with three solo homers in the Red Sox's 10-4 win over the Yankees.

In 1995 the Sox were outscored 17-6 and swept out of the ALDS by the 100-win Cleveland Indians. Mo Vaughn, after winning the AL MVP award, went 0-14 with 7 strikeouts.

In 1998 however, Vaughn went 7-17 (.412) with 2 doubles, 2 homers and 7 RBI, despite losing to the Indians in the ALDS... again.

Mo was noted for crowding the plate and his signature “lean-in swing” got him plunked 71 times -- a single season record with the Red Sox.

Mo Vaughn hit a walk-off grand slam on Opening Day in 1998. He hit 10 grand slams in his career.

Read more from Bottom Line Rob at The Bottom Line, including the latest Red Sox news, a recent look at the outfielders with “What’s Your Favorite Position?” and don’t forget to cast your VOTE for who you think will have the best starting rotation in the AL this season...