Rookie of the Year: Carlton Fisk, 1972

Catcher, Boston Red Sox

Age:  24

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’3”    Weight: 200

Prior to 1972:

Born in Vermont and raised in Charlestown, New Hampshire, Fisk was a member of an athletically talented family who picked up the nickname “Pudge” during childhood as a result of his stocky build. A basketball star in high school, he once scored 42 points and pulled down 38 rebounds in a regional playoff game. The intensely competitive Fisk and his brothers also excelled in baseball, playing American Legion as well as high school ball. Moving on to the University of New Hampshire, where he led the freshman basketball team to an undefeated record, he was chosen by the Red Sox in the first round of the 1967 amateur draft. Determining that he could not make it to the NBA, Fisk signed with Boston. He spent 1968 with the Waterloo Hawks of the Class A Midwest League and batted .338 with 12 home runs and 34 RBIs. Moving up to Pittsfield of the Class AA Eastern League in 1969 he appeared in 97 games and hit .243 with 10 home runs and 41 RBIs, earning himself a September call-up to the Red Sox. He appeared in two games and was 0-for-5 in his first taste of major league action. He was back in the Eastern League in 1970, this time assigned to Pawtucket where he produced 12 home runs and 44 RBIs along with a .229 batting average. Fisk advanced to the Louisville Colonels of the Class AAA International League in 1971 where he refined his leadership skills and his defensive catching ability. Also he hit .263 with 10 home runs and 43 RBIs. In another late-season trial with the Red Sox Fisk hit .313 in 14 games. Slated to be Boston’s third-string catcher heading into the ’72 season, he took over the starting job when veteran Duane Josephson was injured in the early going.   

1972 Season Summary

Appeared in 131 games

C – 131, PR – 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 514

At Bats – 457

Runs – 74 [11]

Hits – 134

Doubles – 28 [6, tied with Amos Otis, Dick Allen & Graig Nettles]

Triples – 9 [1, tied with Joe Rudi]

Home Runs – 22 [7, tied with Bobby Darwin & Norm Cash]

RBI – 61

Bases on Balls – 52

Int. BB – 6

Strikeouts – 83 [14, tied with Don Buford]

Stolen Bases – 5

Caught Stealing – 2

Average - .293 [8, tied with Amos Otis]

OBP - .370 [7]

Slugging Pct. - .538 [2]

Total Bases – 246 [6, tied with Bob Oliver & George Scott]

GDP – 11

Hit by Pitches – 4 [18, tied with fifteen others]

Sac Hits – 1

Sac Flies – 0

Midseason snapshot: 3B – 6, HR – 15, RBI - 36, AVG - .310, SLG PCT - .624

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Most hits, game – 3 on seven occasions

Longest hitting streak – 12 games

Most HR, game – one on 22 occasions

HR at home – 13

HR on road – 9

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 4 vs. Texas 8/27

Pinch-hitting/running – 1 run scored

Fielding

Chances – 933

Put Outs – 846

Assists – 72

Errors – 15

DP - 10

Pct. - .984

Awards & Honors:

AL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

All-Star

Gold Glove

4th in AL MVP voting (96 points, 29% share)

AL ROY Voting:

Carlton Fisk, Bos.: 24 of 24 votes, 100% share

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Red Sox went 85-70 to finish second in the AL Eastern Division, a half game behind the division-winning Detroit Tigers while leading the league in runs scored (640), doubles (229), triples (34), slugging (.376), and total bases (1958). Due to a players’ strike in April that delayed the start of the season and caused 86 games to be cancelled,  teams played an unequal number of games, and the Red Sox came up a half-game short of winning their division despite a second-half surge that propelled them past the Orioles and Yankees and was largely fueled by the play of Fisk and RHP Luis Tiant.

Aftermath of ‘72:

Fisk followed up with another All-Star season in 1973, although his average dropped to .246 and his home runs rose to 26 and RBIs to 71. He also became known for his aggressiveness that led to several hard collisions and fights. A collision at home plate in 1974 nearly brought Fisk’s career to a premature end as he suffered torn ligaments in his left knee that required surgery. At the time of his injury he had appeared in 52 games and was batting .299 with 11 home runs and 26 RBIs. His return to action was delayed in 1975 when he suffered a broken arm due to being hit by a pitch during a spring training game. Fisk finally returned to the lineup in June and in 79 games he batted .331 with 10 home runs and 52 RBIs. The Red Sox won the AL pennant and Fisk contributed a key moment with his dramatic 12^th inning game-winning home run in Game 6 of the World Series against the Reds. He continued to be a key contributor to the club through 1980 although an elbow injury in 1979 limited him to 91 games, with only 39 of his appearances at catcher and 42 as Designated Hitter. He hit .272 with just 10 home runs as a result and his defense was missed behind the plate. Fisk returned to All-Star status in 1980 and batted .289 with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs. Eligible for free agency, the Red Sox failed to tender a contract offer on time and Fisk signed with the Chicago White Sox. He continued to be an outstanding performer and team leader with his new club, helping to develop a group of young pitchers who fueled an AL West-winning run in 1983 when Fisk also contributed 26 home runs, 86 RBIs, and a .289 batting average. In 1985 he had his best season for home runs (37) and RBIs (107) and was awarded a Silver Slugger for the first time. Despite several contract disputes, Fisk remained with the White Sox until he was released during the 1993 season, thus ending his career, at which time he was major league baseball’s all-time leader in games at catcher (since surpassed).  Overall, he batted .269 with 2356 hits that included 421 doubles, 47 triples, and 376 home runs. He also accumulated 1330 RBIs and 128 stolen bases. With Boston he hit .284 with 1097 hits, 207 doubles, 33 triples, 162 home runs, and 568 RBIs. Fisk was an 11-time All-Star (9 with Boston) and won one Gold Glove and three Silver Sluggers and finished in the Top 10 in AL MVP voting four times. He appeared as a catcher in 2226 of his 2499 total games. “Pudge” was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000. The Red Sox retired his #27 and the White Sox the #72 he wore with them.

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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.