Outfielder, Pittsburgh
Pirates
Age: 32 (Aug. 18)
12th
season with Pirates
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 5’11” Weight: 175
Prior to 1966:
A native of
Puerto Rico, Clemente excelled in throwing the javelin and high jumping in high
school. He focused on baseball and played for an amateur club called the Juncos
Mules. Impressive with his hitting and throwing arm in the outfield, in 1952 at
age 18 he joined the Santurce Cangrejeros of the Puerto Rican League, where he
got to play alongside some prominent Negro League hitters that played winter
ball in Puerto Rico. Brought along slowly, Clemente saw limited action in the
1952-53 season but hit .288 in 1953-54 and was a league all-star. The Brooklyn
Dodgers signed him to a contract in 1954 for $5000 with a $10,000 bonus.
Assigned to the Montreal Royals of the Class AAA International League he played
infrequently (appearing in 87 games), struggled to hit consistently and ended
up with a .257 average. He did catch the interest of scouts from other teams
and was taken by the last-place Pirates in the annual Rule 5 draft. During the
offseason Clemente injured his back in a car accident but played again for
Santurce during the winter of 1954-55 and was a key player on the team that
went on to win the Caribbean Series. Clemente made Pittsburgh’s roster in 1955
and his aggressive and exciting outfield play made him a fan favorite although
his hitting tailed off and he batted just .255. A notorious “bad ball hitter”
he drew only 18 walks. He accounted for 18 assists in right field, rapidly
establishing himself as having an excellent throwing arm. In 1956 Clemente batted
.311 and knocked in 60 runs. He accounted for 17 outfield assists as well. Due
to his chronic back soreness and assorted other injuries, he appeared in only
111 games in 1957 and his batting average dropped to .253. His average rose
back to .289 in 140 games in 1958 and Clemente had 22 outfield assists as well.
Following an injury-plagued season in 1959 in which Clemente appeared in 105
games and the Pirates dropped from second place in ’58 to fourth, both player
and team rebounded strongly in 1960. Pittsburgh won the NL pennant and World
Series and Clemente contributed a .314 average with 16 home runs and 94 RBIs in
addition to 19 outfield assists. He was an All-Star for the first time and to
his chagrin finished eighth in NL MVP voting, well behind teammate Dick Groat.
The Pirates dropped off in 1961 but Clemente won his first NL batting title as
he hit .351 with 23 home runs and 89 RBIs. This time he placed fourth in the
league MVP balloting and fueled by 27 outfield assists, won his first Gold
Glove. Clemente continued to be a regular .300 hitter and top outfielder and
through 1965 had won three NL batting championships, five Gold Gloves, and been
chosen to six straight All-Star Games.
1966 Season Summary
Appeared in 154
games
RF – 154, CF –
1, PH – 1
[Bracketed
numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 690 [5]
At Bats – 638
[6]
Runs – 105 [4]
Hits – 202 [3]
Doubles – 31 [5,
tied with Willie Davis]
Triples – 11
[3]
Home Runs – 29 [10,
tied with Billy Williams]
RBI – 119 [2]
Bases on Balls
– 46
Int. BB – 13 [5,
tied with Dick Allen, Rusty Staub & John Roseboro]
Strikeouts – 109
[7, tied with Willie Stargell & Bill White]
Stolen Bases – 7
Caught Stealing
– 5
Average - .317
[4, tied with Dick Allen]
OBP - .360 [12]
Slugging Pct. -
.536 [8]
Total Bases – 342
[2]
GDP – 14 [15,
tied with five others]
Hit by Pitches
– 0
Sac Hits – 1
Sac Flies – 5
[12, tied with eleven others]
Midseason
snapshot: HR - 13, RBI - 56, AVG - .328, SLG - .542
---
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 4 AB) vs. NY Mets 5/1, (in 5 AB) vs. Cincinnati 8/7, (in 4 AB) at St.
Louis 8/26, (in 5 AB) vs. St. Louis 9/9 – 12 innings
Longest hitting
streak – 17 games
HR at home – 16
HR on road – 13
Most home runs,
game – 2 (in 5 AB) vs. Cincinnati 8/7
Multi-HR games
– 1
Most RBIs, game
– 5 at Chi. Cubs 7/6, vs. Cincinnati 8/7
Pinch-hitting –
0 of 1 (.000)
Fielding
Chances – 347
Put Outs – 318
Assists – 17
Errors – 12
DP – 3
Pct. - .965
Awards & Honors:
NL MVP: BBWAA
Gold Glove
All-Star (started
for NL in RF)
Top 5 in NL MVP
Voting:
Roberto
Clemente, Pitt.: 218 pts. - 8 of 20 first place votes, 78% share
Sandy Koufax,
LAD: 208 pts. – 9 first place votes, 74% share
Willie Mays, SF:
111 pts. – 40% share
Dick Allen,
Phila.: 107 pts. – 1 first place vote, 38% share
Felipe Alou,
Atl.: 83 pts. – 2 first place votes, 30% share
---
Pirates went 92-70
to finish third in the NL, 3 games behind the pennant-winning Los Angeles
Dodgers while leading the league in hits (1586), doubles (238), triples (66), batting
(.279), OBP (.329), slugging (.428), and total bases (2430). A solid contender,
Pittsburgh was in first place for 60 days during the season, the last time on
Sept. 10.
Aftermath of ‘66:
Clemente
followed up by winning his fourth NL batting championship in 1967, with a
career-high .357 average, and he also led the league in hits (209). A shoulder
injury limited him to a .291 average in 1968, but he still received a Gold
Glove for his play in right field, although his assists dropped to 9. He
returned to form in 1969 as he hit .345 and led the NL with 12 triples.
Pittsburgh topped the NL East in 1970 and Clemente contributed a .352 batting
average. He hit .341 in 1971 as the Pirates repeated as NL East champs and won
the league pennant. Clemente hit .414 with two home runs and 4 RBIs in the
World Series win over the Orioles and was named Series MVP. In a 1972 season
plagued by injuries and illness, he batted .312 and capped the year with his
3000th career hit. The Pirates once more ended up first in the NL
East, although they lost to Cincinnati in the NLCS. In December, he became
involved in relief efforts for earthquake-stricken Nicaragua. He died at age 38
in the New Year’s Eve crash of a plane bound from Puerto Rico for Nicaragua
carrying supplies. Altogether, over the course of his 18-season major league
career that was spent entirely with the Pirates, Clemente batted .317 with 3000
hits that included 440 doubles, 166 triples, and 240 home runs. He drove in
1305 runs and scored 1416. He won four batting titles and was a 15-time
All-Star. He also received 12 Gold Gloves for his fielding prowess. In the wake
of his sudden and tragic passing, the five-year Hall of Fame waiting period was
waived and in a special election of the BBWAA members, he was posthumously
elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973. The Pirates retired his #21 and his statue
was placed outside Three Rivers Stadium and was later transferred to PNC Park.
Much admired for his philanthropy off the field, major league baseball renamed
its Commissioner’s Award for Clemente which annually recognizes players who combine
good play with a strong commitment to the greater community. Beyond the
baseball community Clemente was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by
President Nixon in 1973 and, long after his passing, the Presidential Medal of
Freedom by President George W. Bush in 2003.
--
MVP Profiles feature players in the National or
American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award
(1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present)
as Most Valuable Player.
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