Age: 22 (July 5)
Bats – Left,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’2” Weight: 195
Prior to 1965:
Having grown up
in Mahwah, NJ, where he starred in baseball and football in high school, Blefary was signed by
the New York Yankees out of Wagner College in 1962. Waived after two minor
league seasons, he was claimed by the Orioles. Following a 31-home run season
with Rochester in the Class AAA International League in 1964, he earned a
chance with the parent club in ’65. Initially platooned to avoid lefthanded
pitchers, Blefary proved that he could succeed as an everyday player.
1965 Season Summary
Appeared in 144
games
LF – 63, RF – 73,
PH – 12
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 561
At Bats – 462
Runs – 72 [19,
tied with Jerry Lumpe & Al Kaline]
Hits – 120
Doubles – 23
[16, tied with six others]
Triples – 4
Home Runs – 22
[11, tied with Lee Thomas]
RBIs – 70
Bases on Balls
– 88 [2]
Int. BB – 4
Strikeouts – 73
Stolen Bases – 4
Caught Stealing
– 2
Average - .260
OBP - .381 [3]
Slugging Pct. -
.470 [9]
Total Bases – 217
GDP – 10
Hit by Pitches
– 3
Sac Hits – 7
Sac Flies – 1
Midseason
snapshot: HR - 13, RBI - 40, AVG - .272, SLG - .510
---
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 4 AB) vs. Cleveland 7/3
Longest hitting
streak – 14 games
Most HR, game –
2 (in 5 AB) at Boston 4/17, (in 4 AB) vs. Cleveland 7/3, (in 4 AB) vs.
Cleveland 9/5
HR at home – 11
HR on road – 11
Multi-HR games
– 3
Grand Slams – 1
Most RBIs, game
– 5 vs. Cleveland 9/5
Pinch-hitting –
1 of 9 (.111) with 2 RBI
Fielding
Chances – 242
Put Outs – 227
Assists – 10
Errors – 5
DP -3
Pct. - .979
Awards & Honors:
AL Rookie of
the Year: BBWAA
AL ROY Voting:
Curt Blefary,
Balt.: 12 of 20 votes, 60% share
Marcelino
Lopez, Cal.: 8 votes, 40% share
Orioles went 94-68
to finish third in the AL, eight games behind the pennant-winning Minnesota
Twins.
Aftermath of ‘65:
Blefary shifted
to left field in 1966, where his defensive play improved (his early limitations
led to his being nicknamed “Clank”), and he contributed to Baltimore’s World
Series-winning season offensively with 23 home runs, 64 RBIs, and a .255
batting average. The temperamental slugger hit 22 home runs and knocked in a
career-high 81 RBIs in 1967 while his batting average dropped to .242. Blefary saw
considerable action at first base as well as the outfield and was also utilized
as a catcher in ’68, and the juggling of positions seemed to damage his
offensive performance, with his home runs dropping to 15 and RBIs to 39, and
batting average to .200 in a season in which pitching dominated overall. The
Orioles traded Blefary to Houston as part of the deal that brought LHP Mike
Cuellar to Baltimore. A misfit with the Astros who played poorly at first base,
he hit 12 home runs and knocked in 67 runs in 1969, while batting .253. In the
offseason Blefary was traded again, this time to the Yankees. He was utilized
primarily as an outfielder/first baseman and pinch hitter with New York, until
traded once again early in the ’71 season to Oakland. While the A’s were on the
rise, Blefary wasn’t, and he batted just .241 with five home runs in his
58-game stint with the club before being traded one last time, to San Diego in
May of 1972. After hitting just .196 as a utility player for the remainder of ‘72,
he was released by the Padres. An attempt to catch on with Atlanta in the
spring of 1973 failed, ending his career. Overall, Blefary hit 112 home runs
with 382 RBIs and a .237 batting average. 82 of the home runs, 254 RBIs and a
.239 average occurred with the Orioles, the team with which he demonstrated
early promise.
--
Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of
the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America
(1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from
its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major
league.
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