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12
Welcome back to Baseball by the Numbers. Today we are looking at uniform number 12. I found nearly 900 players in history who wore uniform number 12. Two players had a 100 plus WAR but only wore the number 12 for one season each. In 1999, the “Rocket” Roger Clemens (WAR 139.2) wore the number 12 for half a season after being traded to the Damn Yankees from the Blue Jays. He would switch to 22 midway through the season. Joe Morgan (WAR 100.6), who was the featured legend for uniform number 8, wore number 12 in his rookie season with the Houston Colt .45s. Aside from these two, thirty-four other players with a career WAR of 40 or more wore uniform number 12 and 101 different players had the number for five years or more. There was no legend for this uniform number. Picking the first player was heartbreaking. He was one of my favorites for a long time growing up, but he wore a different number when he was a Red Sox hero, then he turned heel, joined the Evil Empire and took on the number 12. Luckly, another of my favorite players wore the number 12 while with the Sox, so that balanced things out.
Number 1:
The “Chicken Man” was one of my favorite players growing up. From 1982 to 1999, Wade Boggs played third base for three teams. He began his eighteen-year career with the Red Sox (1982-1992) where he was a Fenway hero. Then in a move out of the WWE playbook, he turned heel and signed with the Evil Empire, the New York Yankees (1993-1997). He would finish his career with the Tampa Bay Rays (1998-1999). He wore uniform number 12 while with the Yankees and the Rays and had a career WAR of 91.4.
When Wade Boggs smacked a home run off Cleveland pitcher Chris Haney in the 6th inning of a Rays home game on August 7th, 1999, he made history. It was the first time a player would obtain his 3,000th hit on a home run. What’s crazy to me is the fact that two more players actually accomplished the same feat, Derek Jeter in 2011 and Alex Rodriguez in 2015. It’s these types of facts that make baseball so fascinating to me. This 2000 Topps Highlights card commemorates Bogg’s historic hit, and since it featured him in the number 12 uniform number, it was perfect for the post…plus he’s with Tampa, so it takes away some of the sting.
Boggs was an All-Star in twelve straight seasons and won the Silver Slugger 8-times. He was a prolific hitter, batting .300 or more in fifteen of his eighteen seasons, winning the American League batting title 5-times. He had over 200 hits in seven seasons, leading the league with 240 in 1985. He also led the league in OBP 6 times. He has 2 Gold Gloves at the hot corner. Boggs was a member of the World Series Champion Yankees in 1996 (uggg). A great team managed by Joe Torre, and featuring Hall of Famers Derek Jeter, Tim Raines and closer Mariano Rivera.
In 1999, 20 days after his historic 3,000th hit, Boggs would sustain an injury and never play again. He finished his career 31st all-time with 3,010 hits. His .328 career batting average is ranked 39th all-time. He also had 578 doubles (24th all-time), 61 triples, 118 home runs, 1,014 RBIs and 1,513 runs. His .415 career OBP is ranked 27th all-time.
There are only a handful of players who have multiple retired numbers for different teams, and Boggs in one of them. Boggs is a member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame and his number 26 while with the Boston was retired in 2016.
He is a member of the Tampa Bay Rays Hall of Fame, and his uniform number 12 was retired by the Rays in 2000, the only player with a retired number for the franchise. The other two retired numbers are coach Don Zimmer (66) and Jackie Robinson’s number 42, which is retired throughout the entire MLB.
Boggs was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.
Number 2:
This is the second time that I have featured a currently active player. Francisco Lindor is a shortstop currently playing with the New York Mets. He will be entering his twelfth season in the league. Lindor has played since 2015 when he began his career with Cleveland. He was traded to the Mets in 2020 and signed a 10-year deal that runs through 2031. He has worn uniform number 12 for his entire career and currently has a 55.7 career WAR.
I used his 2023 Topps card because it features him with his current team and shows his uniform number on the front. Lindor had a great 2023 season with 31 home runs and 31 stolen bases.
Lindor was second in ROY voting in 2015 and has been selected to 5 All-Star games. He’s won 4 Silver Slugger awards and is a 2-time member of the 30-30 club (2023 and 2025). He also has 2 Gold Glove awards.
Lindor is currently 32 years old. In 2025, Lindor played 160 games, batting .267 with 31 home runs, 31 stolen bases, and 86 RBI for his 2nd career 30-30 season. He had minor surgery in the off-season but is expected to be a key contributor for the Mets in 2026.
Number 3:
As I write this, Jeff Kent was just elected as the newest member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He played 17 seasons from 1992 to 2008. He started his career with the Blue Jays for one season, then played for the New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers. He wore uniform number 12 for ten seasons and had a career WAR of 55.4.
This 1994 Upper Deck Collector’s Choice has a great photo of Kent in the field, his uniform number clearly visible in the photo. Kent played for the Mets for four and a half years.
Jeff Kent was an All-Star five times and won 4 Silver Slugger awards. Kent was the National League MVP in 2000 when he had 196 hits for a .334 batting average with 41 doubles, 33 home runs and 125 RBIs. A great clutch hitter, Kent had over 100 RBIs in eight seasons and had six seasons with over 25 home runs.
Jeff Kent retired in 2009. He had a career batting average of .290 with 2,461 hits, 560 doubles (30th all-time), 377 home runs (the most by any second baseman), 1,320 runs and 1,518 RBIs.
On December 7th, 2025, it was announced the Kent was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame through the Contemporary Era Committee. He will be inducted in 2026.
Number 4:
Left-handed pitcher Mark Langston played sixteen seasons in the Majors from 1984 to 1999. He started his career with the Seattle Mariners where he played until 1989. He was traded to the Expos in May of 1989 in a trade that brought future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson to the Mariners. Langston played only 24 games in Montreal when he signed with the California Angels on a five-year, $16 million contract starting the 1990 season, the highest contract of any player at the time. He stayed with the Angels until 1997. He then played two more seasons, with San Diego (1998) and Cleveland (1999), before hanging up the cleats. He wore uniform number 12 for his first fourteen seasons and had a career WAR of 50.1.
I love this 1987 Topps card of Langston. The 1987 Topps set holds a special place in my heart, and this card is near perfect; the action shot with Langston’s number 12 showing, the blue background color in the name box, and the Mariners logo at the top. It’s one of those cards that I just love.
Langston started off his career strong. He was runner up for American League Rookie of the Year in 1984 losing to teammate Alvin Davis. He had 204 strikeouts that season, the first of five seasons with 200 or more K’s. He was a 4-time All-Star, who led the league in strikeouts 3 times. He was also a terrific fielder on the mound, he led the league in assists 3 times and won seven Gold Gloves. He was a part of a combined no-hitter in 1990, pitching the first 7 innings before Mike Witt would complete the game. He was great at pickoffs and once had three in a game, one of only eight players known to have accomplished this feat.
When he retired from baseball, he had a career record of 179-158, a .531 w/l %. He is 44th all-time with 2,464 strikeouts in 2,962.2 innings, with a 7.9 career SO9. He had 81 complete games, 18 shutouts, a 3.97 ERA and 1.354 WHIP. He also had an ERA+ of 107.
Langston is 65 years old and serves as the radio color-commentator for the Los Angeles Angels.
Number 5:
Yes! One of my favorite players growing up, Ellis Burks, played outfield for eighteen seasons from 1987 to 2004. He started off with the Boston Red Sox for six seasons and wore number 12 during that time. He would go on to wear three other numbers while bouncing around a bit. After leaving Boston, he played with the Chicago White Sox (1993), Colorado Rockies (1994 -1998), the San Francisco Giants (1998-2000) and the Cleveland Indians (2001-2003). He would finish his career back with Boston for the 2004 season. He wore uniform number 12 his first six seasons with the Red Sox and had a career WAR of 49.8.
This 1992 Bowman is beautiful. I remember the 1992 Bowman as having nice photos and a clean design. They are missing the team logo on the front, which is a pet peeve of mine, but overall, the cards look great and this one of Burks in his Red Sox uniform, taking a big swing, his number 12 clear in the photo was a perfect pick for the post.
Burks was a two-time All-Star and won two Silver Slugger awards. He hit .290 or better in seven seasons, with two seasons hitting .344, He led the league once each in runs, SLG and total bases. Burks was honored with a World Series ring as a part of the 2004 Boston Red Sox team that won their first World Series in 86 years, breaking the “Curse of the Bambino”. Although he only played 11 games during the season, and was not on the roster for the playoffs, Burks was considered a mentor to the young players during the season and the playoffs.
Burks retired after 2004 with a career batting average of .291 with 2,107 hits, 402 doubles, 63 Triples, 352 home runs, 1,206 RBIs, 1,253 runs, and 181 stolen bases.
Ellis Burks is currently an analyst and commentator for the Boston Red Sox at NESN (New England Sports Network).
Number 6:
From 1989 to 2007, Steve Finley played centerfield for eight different teams during his nineteen-year career. He started his career in Baltimore (1989-1990). In 1991, he was traded to the Houston Astros, along with pitchers Curt Schilling and Pete Harnisch for Glenn Davis. He stayed in Houston for 4 seasons until he was traded to the Padres (1995-1998). He then signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks (1999-2004), was traded to the Dodgers (2004), signed with the Angels (2005), the Giants (2006) and finally the Colorado Rockies (2007). His 43 games in Colorado made him one of only two players to play for all five National League West teams. He wore uniform number 12 for seventeen seasons and had a career WAR of 44.2.
Finley was a two-time All-Star. Known for his speed and stellar defense, he had 20 or more stolen bases and 100 or more runs in five seasons and led the league in triples twice. He also won five Gold Gloves. He won a World Series ring with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001, which I why I featured this nice 2000 Topps Stadium Club card for Finley. Not only is he with Arizona, but he’s mid slide with his uniform number 12 facing the camera.
By 2006 Finley was the oldest player to play 100 or more games in center field at age 41, but his skills began to decline. His last game would come in June of 2007. He was released by Colorado after 43 games. Finley had a career batting average of .271 with 2,548 hits, 449 doubles, 124 triples, 304 home runs, 1,443 runs, 1,167 RBIs and 320 stolen bases.
Since 1945 only four players have had 300 home runs and 100 triples. Finley is in good company with the other three, George Brett, Willie Mays and Stan Musial. He also joins Mays and Ken Griffey Jr. as the only three center fielders to have 2,500 or more hits and 5 Gold Glove Awards.
Number 7:
A highly respected coach and manager, Dusty Baker has been involved in the MLB for over 56 years. He played for nineteen seasons from 1968 to 1986 as an outfielder for the Atlanta Braves (1968-1975), Los Angeles Dodgers (1976-1983), San Francisco Giants (1984) and the Oakland Athletics (1986-1987). He wore uniform number 12 for his entire playing career and had a career WAR of 37.
I loved this 1976 Topps from the moment I saw it, the design is great and the photo is perfect for this post, with Dusty’s uniform number right on the front and his infectious smile toward the camera. I used the 1976 Topps in my last post for Darrell Evans who was also on the Braves. The pictures are very similar, and I realized that Dusty is in the background of Evan’s picture. My guess is that the team did the pictures on the same day and perhaps went by uniform number. Evan’s was 11 then Dusty was next. That’s just my theory, but either way it’s a cool coincidence.
Baker was a two-time All-Star who won a Gold Glove in 1981 and won two Silver Slugger awards. He was the MVP of the 1977 NLCS while with the Dodgers when he hit .357 with 2 home runs (one was a grand slam) and had 8 RBIs. The Dodgers would lose that World Series, but Baker was a member of two World Series Champion teams. As a player, he was a member of the 1981 World Series Champion Dodgers, who were managed by Tommy Lasorda and featured rookie pitcher Fernando Valenzuela along with All-Stars Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Ron Cey and Pedro Guerrero. His second ring would come as a manager.
Baker played his final game in 1986. He finished his career with a .278 batting average, 1,981 hits, 320 doubles, 242 home runs, 1,013 RBIs and 137 stolen bases.
A year after retiring, Baker became a coach for the San Francisco Giants, this led to the next step as a manager. Baker has managed five different teams, all of which won division titles. He was the first manager in major league history to lead five different teams to division titles. He did so with the Giants 1993-2002, Cubs 2003-2006, Reds 2008-2013, Nationals 2016-2017, and Astros 2020-2023. His 2,183 wins put him at 8th all-time, and his .540 winning percentage is 14th. Baker was a three-time National League manager of the year and won the World Series in 2022 with the Houston Astros.
He is currently a Special Advisor for the San Francisco Giants front office.
Final Score:
Quite a few good players wore uniform number 12 for short periods of time. In the beginning of this post, I mentioned Clemens and Morgan. Others include, Pudge Rodriguez (2 years), Kenny Lofton (1) Graig Nettles (3), Harmon Killebrew (2) Joe Medwick (1) Will Clark (1), and Lance Berkman (2). Bobo Newsome, who I featured in the very first Baseball by the Numbers post, wore 12 for eight seasons (He wore twelve different numbers in his career!).
Choosing the last pick was difficult. I originally had Roberto Alomar (67 WAR, 17 years worn), but due to his number being unretired, I skipped him. There were also a couple of other good players Eddie Stanky (WAR 41.6) and Gil McDougald (WAR 40.9) who could have taken the spot, but I just felt that Dusty Baker was the best choice. I’m sure that I will have plenty of time to include others in the future.
Thank you for reading. If you’re enjoying these posts, hit the like, subscribe to the email list, or send me a comment, I’d love to hear from you. And get ready for lucky number 13, coming soon!
Sources:
https://www.baseball-almanac.com/
https://www.baseball-reference.com/
Shout out to all the cool cards and creative commons for my pictures! Thanks Topps and Fleer and Donruss and Upper Deck and all the rest.
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