Let’s move over to the “Hot Corner”, and take a look at the 5 best third basemen in Red Sox history.  Like the other positions, we’ll only be considering a player’s achievements with the Sox (my apologies to the George Kell Fan Club).
 
Historically, the Sox have had a bit more talent on the left side of the field than the right, and third base is no exception to that rule.  Among the folks on this list are two Hall of Famers: one guy who you probably know very well, and another guy you might not know.  We begin with a familiar face:
 
5. Bill Mueller 

“The Professional” was 32 when he was acquired by Theo Esptein, at what appeared to be a discount price.  Bill proved not only to be a discount, but an absolute steal, having a career year in 2003 while winning the AL batting title (.326).  Despite a quiet, kind demeanor, Mueller had his fair share of highlight reel moments in his 3 years with Boston.  Among those: he is the only player in baseball history to hit a grand slam from each side of the plate in 1 game, and he hit a walk-off HR off of Mariano Rivera to win the infamous A-Rod/Varitek fight game in 2004.  In the 2004 World Series, Mueller hit .429/.556/.571, helping Boston win their first World Series in 86 years.  Bill’s career was rather injury plagued, and after bouts with chronic knee problems, he officially retired after last season.
 
4. Larry Gardner

There was a time when the 3B position wasn’t really the power-position it is today.  In Larry Gardner’s day, it was more common for your 3B to hit like your SS or 2B (i.e. anemically, but with more triples and stolen bases).  Gardner actually bucked that trend a bit, posting above-average offensive numbers for 8 seasons as the Red Sox third baseman. 
Gardner played for the “Dead-ball Dynasty” Sox, and has 3 rings to his name (1912, 1915, 1916).  The Vermont native is best known for winning the 1912 World Series with a walk-off hit off of uber-pitcher Christy Mathewson.  (The attendance at Game 7 of that World Series at Fenway?  17,034. This was obviously before they invented Hazel Mae and helmet ice-cream.)

3. Frank Malzone

While Gardner is a relative unknown among most casual Red Sox fans, Frank Malzone is more of a household name.  A relative late bloomer, Frank from the Bronx didn’t get a hold of the starting gig until he was 27.  He was one of the best players on some very bad Red Sox teams in the 60’s, and was (surprisingly) elected to 6 All-Star teams while with Boston.  As a hitter, Frank was decent, boasting good contact ability and a little power.  His one major flaw: he swung at just about everything, only walking 337 times in his career, and finishing with a career OBP of .315. 
Unlike the guy above, Frank never had a chance to experience post-season play.  During his 9 year tenure as the starting third baseman, the Sox went 663-760 (.466 winning percentage).  Yikes.

2. Jimmy Collins

My namesake here will not blow you away when you go to look up his stats.  Like Larry Gardner, he was a dead-ball era guy, and had numbers typical of a good hitter in his time.  However, Jimmy Collins was the first man elected into the Hall of Fame as a third baseman, and it wasn’t because of his good looks and rapier wit. 
While Jimmy was a good offensive player, his third base defense was transcendental.  Collins is considered the grandfather of modern third base defense, being skilled at detecting and fielding bunts, initiating around-the-horn double plays, and generally being a field-general (before SS became the obligatory “leader” position).  For roughly 50 years, Collins was considered the best third baseman in baseball history, with testament from the likes of Babe Ruth and John McGraw.  He was also the player-manager of the 1903 Red Sox, the very first World Series Champions. 
Now, we go from the first Hall of Fame 3B to the last…

1. Wade Boggs

An argument could be made for Wade being the best contact hitter in the history of the game, as well as the greatest third baseman.
A quirky sort of guy, his odd superstitions and odd choice of mistresses became etched into Boston folklore.  An adequate fielder to go along with his legendary bat, Wade made 12 straight All-Star games, and was the active career batting average leader for most of his career.  To me, his K/BB ratio is the most impressive stat: 1412 / 745.  Nearly twice as many walks as Ks. 
Like every Boston superstar, Wade received his fair share of undue critique.  Some people labeled him “selfish”, because he never seemed to swing for the fences in a game (he was known for awe-inspiring power displays in batting practice).

Oh, and then there was this:

Regardless, Wade now has a plaque in Cooperstown, and yes, he’s wearing a “B”.