Whether it was kickball, tetherball, hopscotch, or even four square, Fred Lynn, also known on the playground as “Skinny Lynny,” had a knack for dominating any and all athletic ventures that he opted to put energy toward. By the age of 10, his exceptional ability granted him the opportunity to ferociously compete against seasoned 12-year-olds on the baseball diamond. After winning batting titles in both Little League and Pony League, the adults in the area started to take notice of Fred’s aptitude. During his middle school ball games, the local high school baseball coach often observed Fred from the stands, admiring the talent of the young prospect and ultimately envisioning the pivotal role the youngster would play on his team in the coming years.
At El Monte High School, Lynn received varsity letters in baseball, football, and basketball. In our conversation, Fred informed me that his secret to success at this point in his athletic journey was the fact that he never seemed to get tired. As a rebounding point guard, it was customary for Fred to play the entire game without temporarily plopping on the bench for a rest. In a baseball game during his sophomore year, Lynn, being the fierce competitor he was, pitched a whopping 13 innings.
Speaking of his pitching prowess, with a good fastball and solid off-speed pitches, Lynn dominated from the mound. During his junior year, the California kid went 11-1 with a 1.01 ERA. As a senior, he lowered that ERA to below 1.
While receiving college scholarships for the three main sports he participated in, Lynn ultimately decided to enroll at the University of Southern California on a football grant. As part of the deal, the teenage athletic standout would also be playing baseball for the Trojans.
Early on in his time at USC, despite the fact that he initially attended the university with a primary focus on the gridiron, it was instantly clear that baseball was his calling. Back in the early 70s, the USC Trojans had both a varsity and junior varsity (JV) team. The JV team was made up of freshmen and younger pitchers who were still developing their arms. Lynn started out pitching for the JV club, but after a few games, his offensive abilities had caught the eye of the head varsity coach, Rod Dedeaux. Despite rarely ever letting a first-year player suit up for the varsity team, Dedeaux, who had already commanded the Trojans to five national championships, saw something special in the skinny and somewhat shy Lynn. After just a few games, Dedeaux decided to promote the promising young star to the varsity team. This ended up being a wise decision made by the College Baseball Hall of Fame member.
As a teenager, now competing with 22-year-olds in the Pacific-8 Conference, Lynn showed no signs of being overmatched. He went on to finish his 1971 freshman season with a batting average of .345, which led the team. During the College World Series, Lynn helped the Trojans cap off their second straight national championship, as the freshman batted .467 (7-for-15) and was named to the All-Tournament team.
After his sensational season, Lynn played for the United States in the Pan-Am Games, a tournament hosted in Colombia where the American team, whose oldest player was 21 years of age, would battle against the national teams from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Colombia, and Cuba. During this cardinal competition, the United States was fortunate enough to reach the Gold Medal game against Cuba, a team whose youngest player was 22 and oldest was 38. Despite the age gap between nations, Lynn went on to lead the entire tournament in home runs.
Despite his miraculous success at a young age, Lynn stayed grounded. During our chat, he recalled how his dad repeatedly instilled in him the importance of being humble. “If you have to brag about yourself, it’s not worth bragging about. Just do what you can do with the particular situation you’re in, and move up the ladder.”
As a sophomore at university, Lynn led the Trojans in home runs (14) and RBI (45). He was named First Team All-Conference while also being donned a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) First Team. Later that season, USC would again go on to hoist the national championship, which wound up being the first of two titles that Lynn would be taking home that year. Following the College World Series, he went off to Japan to play in the inaugural USA vs Japanese college All-Stars tournament, where he was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the event.
The next year, Lynn and the Trojans continued their winning ways, defeating Minnesota in the College World Series Finals, giving the school its fourth straight national championship. USC went on to win the following season and again in 1978. When all was said and done, Rod Dedeaux attained an unprecedented and unrivaled 11 national titles as a coach/co-coach of the program.
Despite suiting up for just three years as a Trojan, Lynn’s 12 triples are the fourth most in school history. In 2007, he was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame, the highest honor for any collegiate ballplayer. Three years later, in 2010, he was named to the College World Series Legends team, a squad made up of 25 players who participated in the CWS from 1947-2009.
After his illustrious collegiate career, Lynn was selected in the 2nd round of the 1973 MLB June Amateur Draft by the Boston Red Sox. Following the draft, in an interview with The Boston Globe, coach Dedeaux had high praise for his former star. When asked about his potential, the legendary skipper stated, “There’s no doubt in my mind that Fred is major league material. He can hit, field, and throw. He has a super arm. One of the best center fielders I ever saw.”
In the wake of being selected in the draft, Lynn finished out the ’73 season with the Bristol Red Sox, an AA affiliate. Once the regular season wrapped up, he was promoted to the AAA club, the Pawtucket Red Sox, where he helped the team reach the International League Playoffs and ultimately helped them win the Governor’s Cup. The following year, now a full-time member of the Paw Sox, Lynn smacked 21 home runs and made the league All-Star team. Simultaneously, the Boston Red Sox were struggling mightily. So much so that, late in the ’74 season, Darrell Johnson, the Sox manager, decided to mix things up.
On September 5, 1974, Fred Lynn was called up to the professional ballclub to make his major league debut against the Milwaukee Brewers. He would go on to appear in a total of 15 games for the 1974 Red Sox, hitting an eccentric .419, with an on-base percentage of .490. When I asked about how he was able to find success right off the bat, while possessing such fearlessness as a 22-year-old in the MLB, Lynn was quick to remind me that the experience playing professionals on the international level helped him transition right into MLB. His accomplishments while competing against grown men in the Pan-Am Games gave Lynn the self-confidence he needed. Fred treated MLB just like he would treat any other level. In our interview, he stated, “It’s still the same game. Someone’s gotta throw it over the plate. The guys are older, but who cares?” (Although he did admit to being a tad starstruck, having grown up a San Francisco Giants fan and now wandering around the same dugout as Juan Marichal.)
In 1975, Fred Lynn went on to have one of the best rookie seasons in MLB history. He batted .331 with 21 home runs, 105 RBI, and led the league in doubles (47), runs (103), and slugging percentage (.566). To put his season into perspective, to this day, there are only three rookies in the history of the sport who hit at least .330 with a .400 on-base percentage, 100 runs, and at least 100 RBI. Two of them, Jimmy Bannon and Jimmy Williams, played in the 1800s. The other, of course, was Fred Lynn. Late into his inexplicable season, in an interview with The Boston Globe, Boston Red Sox third base coach Don Zimmer summed up his budding star’s insane output: “In all the time I’ve been in baseball, I’ve never seen a year like Lynn is having. Not only the hitting, but the fielding. Everything.”
At just 23 years old, Fred Lynn became the first American League player to win AL Rookie of the Year and AL MVP in the same season. Lynn’s 169-point margin victory in the MVP voting set a new MLB record for the award. On top of all this, Lynn also received his first AL Gold Glove Award. When asked if he was shocked by the extraordinary string of events, Lynn told The Boston Globe, “No, I’m not surprised. Maybe the RBI total surprised me some, but the rest didn’t. I knew this is where I belonged right from the start. All I needed was the experience.”
When speaking with Lynn, he informed me that not only does confidence come with experience and physical success in a particular field, but the support from others is paramount. “It’s never just a person’s talent that gets them where they want to go. You have to have help along the way.”
After receiving the MVP award, Lynn stated, “I have to thank a few people who helped me get where I am today. First and foremost, my father, whose guidance and knowledge started me in the right direction. Secondly, my high school and college coaches, Dave Sandell and Rod Dedeaux, whose expert teaching in the field of baseball gave me a solid foundation on which to build. I would also like to thank my Red Sox teammates for their help and inspiration.”
From 1975-83, Fred Lynn made nine consecutive All-Star teams and won four Gold Glove Awards. After his first 10 full seasons, Lynn had notched over 1,300 hits, 150+ home runs, 300+ RBI, and an on-base percentage that was north of .360. The only other MLB player to mirror those statistics during those years was George Brett.
The most impressive part of Lynn’s game was how well he played when up against the best of the best. In the 1983 All-Star Game, Lynn hit the first grand slam in All-Star game history. Below were his notable career batting statistics against four National Baseball Hall of Fame pitchers:
Vs
Catfish Hunter: .308, 4 HR
Jack Morris: .358, 3 HR, 11 RBI
Don Sutton: .350, 3 HR
Bert Blyleven: .393, 6 HR, 16 RBI
“Best of the best. Why wouldn’t you wanna do that? I wanna play against the best and beat them,” Lynn said in our conversation. You see, part of gaining confidence involves a willingness to compete against anyone. As a high schooler, Lynn embraced the idea of battling against the opposing team’s best players. In basketball, it was, “Give me the ball. I want the ball.” In football, it was, “I hope you throw it to the guy I’m defending, because he’s not catching it.”
Not only did Lynn excel against the top talent, the sweet-swinging lefty also shined on the biggest stages. During his postseason career, Lynn hit .407, which is currently the sixth-highest career batting average for an offensive player in playoff history.
Fred Lynn finished his MLB career with 1,960 hits, a .283 batting average, 306 home runs, and a .360 on-base percentage. Only three other players matched those numbers during Lynn’s time: Jim Rice, Dave Winfield, and Eddie Murray, who are all members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
While his statistics and personal accolades were quite impressive, I was interested in picking Lynn’s brain about how confidence is developed and attained. Lynn went on to harp on the importance of practicing in the field you aspire to have success in, but he also touched on the benefits of getting out of your comfort zone, and how new experiences are a key factor in developing self-confidence. He stated, “When you’re out of your comfort zone, that’s when you really see who you are. You need to force yourself to do things that are uncomfortable. It just makes you a better person.”
Lynn had personal experience with this when he decided to go into TV. A shy guy, Lynn knew that this wouldn’t be an easy transition, but no matter what, he knew he could be successful. “I related it to my athletic experience,” Lynn said. “This is just a different field. These are just different players. I can do this.”
Yes, not all of us will be able to hit over 300 home runs in MLB, but we can all take Fred’s wisdom and utilize it in our personal life. When you take on a new challenge, try and relate it to something you are comfortable with. In Fred’s case, this was baseball. He approached entering the media just like he would a baseball game. It’s simply a different field, just with different players.
To this day, Fred treats any obstacle in life as if he were standing in the batter’s box against Catfish Hunter. “Don’t let them (any challenge in life) dictate to you what is going to happen. Attack.”