Outfielder, Cincinnati
Reds
Age: 21 (Aug. 31)
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’1” Weight: 183
Prior to 1956:
Born in
Beaumont, Texas, Robinson moved with his family to California at a young age.
He first played organized baseball with an American Legion team in Oakland
prior to starring at McClymonds High School. Signed by the Reds upon his
graduation in 1953, he was first assigned to Ogden of the Class C Pioneer
League where he appeared in 72 games and batted .348 with 17 home runs and 83
RBIs. Moving on to Columbia of the Class A South Atlantic League in 1954
following a brief stint with Tulsa of the Texas League, Robinson hit .336 with
25 home runs. Back with Columbia in 1955 he was bothered by a shoulder injury
that briefly caused his move from the outfield to first base and played in only
80 games in which he hit .263 with 12 home runs. His shoulder having recovered
following extended rest, Robinson made the jump to the Reds and became the
starting left fielder in 1956.
1956 Season Summary
Appeared in 152
games
LF – 146, CF – 8,
PH – 1
[Bracketed
numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 667 [6]
At Bats – 572 [14,
tied with Pee Wee Reese]
Runs – 122 [1]
Hits – 166 [12,
tied with Frank Thomas]
Doubles – 27 [10,
tied with Willie Mays, Johnny Logan & Walt Moryn]
Triples – 6
Home Runs – 38 [2,
tied with Joe Adcock]
RBI – 83 [15,
tied with Wally Post & Carl Furillo]
Bases on Balls
– 64 [15]
Int. BB – 7 [19,
tied with four others]
Strikeouts – 95
[3]
Stolen Bases – 8
[11, tied with five others]
Caught Stealing
– 4 [17, tied with eight others]
Average - .290 [16]
OBP - .379 [7]
Slugging Pct. -
.558 [3, tied with Hank Aaron]
Total Bases – 319
[4]
GDP – 14 [15,
tied with seven others]
Hit By Pitches
– 20 [1]
Sac Hits – 8
[15, tied with seven others]
Sac Flies – 4 [18,
tied with twenty others]
League-leading runs
scored were +10 ahead of runner-up Duke Snider
League-leading times
hit by pitches were +12 ahead of runner-up Solly Hemus
Midseason
snapshot: HR – 18, RBI – 39, AVG - .313, SLG – .544
---
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 4 AB) at Milwaukee 8/13
Longest hitting
streak – 14 games
Most HR, game –
2 (in 4 AB) vs. Milwaukee 8/18, (in 5 AB) vs. NY Giants 8/28
HR at home – 22
HR on road – 16
Multi-HR games
– 2
Most RBIs, game
– 4 vs. Milwaukee 8/18, vs. NY Giants 8/28
Pinch-hitting –
0 of 1 (.000)
Fielding
Chances – 336
Put Outs – 323
Assists – 5
Errors – 8
DP - 1
Pct. - .976
Awards & Honors:
NL Rookie of
the Year: BBWAA
All-Star
(Started for NL in LF)
7th in
NL MVP voting (79 points, 24% share)
NL ROY Voting:
Frank Robinson,
Cin.: 24 of 24 votes, 100% share
---
Reds went 91-63
to finish third in the NL, 2 games behind the pennant-winning Brooklyn Dodgers,
while leading the league in runs scored (775), home runs (221), RBIs (734),
slugging (.441), and total bases (2334). The Reds, while tying the existing
major league team record for home runs, helped by Robinson’s tying of the rookie
record, contended until the season’s final week.
Aftermath of ‘56:
Robinson
followed up with another strong season in 1957 in which he batted .322 with 29
home runs and 75 RBIs. With a batting stance that had him leaning over the
plate, he drew many inside pitches and was once again among the leaders in
being hit by pitches. Robinson received a Gold Glove for his outfield play in
1958, a year in which, following a beaning during the spring that caused him
headaches, he also hit .269 with 31 home runs and 83 RBIs. His batting average
came back up to .311 in 1959 along with 36 home runs and 125 RBIs. Robinson’s
tendency to slide hard into bases, which often resulted in his spiking opposing
fielders, led to a notable brawl against the Braves when he slid hard into
third baseman Ed Mathews. Despite several nagging injuries he went on to hit
.297 for the year along with 31 home runs and 83 RBIs and a league-leading .595
slugging percentage. In the offseason he was arrested for pulling a gun on a
short order cook who had refused to serve him, which led to a fine. Shifted to
right field in 1961, Robinson had another big year at the plate for the
pennant-winning Reds, batting .323 with 37 home runs and 124 RBIs, and,
previously prone to being an introvert, he also provided fiery team leadership.
He was voted the National League MVP for his performance. Robinson followed up
with another outstanding season in 1962, topping the NL in slugging percentage
for the third straight year at .624. He also paced the circuit with 134 runs
scored and 51 doubles. In addition he hit .342 with 39 home runs and 136 RBIs
and placed fourth in league MVP balloting. Nagging injuries led to a down year
in 1963 as Robinson was limited to 140 games and batted .259 with 21 home runs
and 91 RBIs. He furthermore expressed dissatisfaction with the team’s front
office. Robinson rebounded with the contending Reds in 1964, hitting .306 with
29 home runs and 96 RBIs and finishing fourth in MVP voting. He was still solid
in 1965, batting .296 with 33 home runs and 113 RBIs. In the offseason he was
traded to the Baltimore Orioles in a blockbuster transaction in which
Cincinnati received three players, the most significant being RHP Milt Pappas.
Bringing his intensity, leadership, and talent to the Orioles Robinson won the
AL Triple Crown in 1966 by hitting .316 with 49 home runs and 122 RBIs.
Baltimore won the AL pennant and swept the Dodgers in the World Series in which
Robinson was named MVP after hitting .286 with two home runs and three RBIs in
a Series dominated by Baltimore’s pitching. He was league MVP also, becoming
the first player to become MVP in both the NL and AL. The Orioles dropped in
the standings in 1967 and Robinson missed several weeks following a collision
with second baseman Al Weis of the White Sox, which caused a concussion and ensuing
double vision. He still ended up batting .311 with 30 home runs and 94 RBIs
while appearing in 129 games. Hindered by injuries and illness in 1968, he hit
only .268 with 15 home runs and 52 RBIs. In the offseason he managed in the
Puerto Rican Winter League, setting the stage for his post-playing career. 1969
marked the beginning of divisional play in major league baseball and the
Orioles topped the new AL East. Robinson contributed 32 home runs, 100 RBIs, a
.308 batting average, and outstanding leadership. He hit two more home runs in
the postseason which ended with Baltimore losing to the upstart New York Mets. The
Orioles again won the AL East in 1970 and this time won the World Series.
Robinson batted .306 with 25 home runs and 78 RBIs. Baltimore made it three
straight pennants in 1971 and Robinson hit .281 with 28 home runs and 99 RBIs.
It proved to be the end of the road for him as an Oriole. In the offseason he
was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of a six-player trade. He batted
.251 in an injury-plagued season in 1972 with 19 home runs and 59 RBIs over 103
games. He was traded once again in the offseason, this time to nearby Anaheim
and the California Angels, which reunited him with former Baltimore GM Harry
Dalton. The once-outstanding outfielder was primarily utilized as a Designated
Hitter in 1973 and batted .266 with 30 home runs and 97 RBIs. He had a lesser
season in 1974 in which he was dealt to the Cleveland Indians in September.
Overall he hit .245 with 22 home runs and 68 RBIs. In the offseason he was
named manager of the Indians, becoming the first African-American manager in
major league history. He finished his playing career in 1975 and ’76 as a
player/manager for the Indians. He played rarely and almost exclusively as a DH
or pinch-hitter. For his major league career, Robinson batted .294 with 2943
hits that included 528 doubles, 72 triples, and 586 home runs. He further
scored 1829 runs and compiled 1812 RBIs and 204 stolen bases. He was hit by
pitches 198 times, a category which he led either the NL or AL seven times. A
14-time All-Star and two-time MVP, Robinson finished in the Top 10 in MVP
voting eleven times. With the Reds he batted .303 with 1673 hits, 318 doubles,
50 triples, 324 home runs, 1009 RBIs, 1043 runs scored, and 161 stolen bases.
Appearing in 35 postseason games, he hit .238 with 10 home runs and 19 RBIs. The
Reds, Orioles, and Indians retired Robinson’s #20 and he was inducted into the
Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. In addition to the Indians, Robinson managed the
Giants, Orioles, and Expos/Nationals, his teams compiling a record of 1065-1176.
He was an assistant general manager for the Orioles and major league baseball’s
Vice-President of On-Field Operations from 1999-2002. The Reds further honored
him with a statue at Great American Ballpark and induction into their team Hall
of Fame. The Orioles honored him in similar fashion. Robinson was awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom by George W. Bush in 2005. He died at age 83 in 2019.
--
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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