MVP Profile: Brooks Robinson, 1964

Third Baseman, Baltimore Orioles

Age:  27 (May 18)

8^th season with Orioles

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’1”    Weight: 180

 

Prior to 1964:

A native of Little Rock, Arkansas Robinson showed defensive proficiency while playing American Legion baseball. Following his graduation from high school in 1955, he signed with the Orioles for $4000. The 18-year-old was first assigned to the York White Roses of the Class B Piedmont League where he batted .331 with 11 home runs and 67 RBIs in 95 games, earning a brief, and inauspicious, September call-up to the Orioles. He bounced between the minors and Baltimore a few times in the ensuing seasons before sticking with the parent club. In 1956 he was with San Antonio of the Class AA Texas League where he hit .272 with 28 doubles, 6 triples, 9 home runs, and 74 RBIs before getting another late-season trial with the Orioles, where he appeared in 15 games and batted .227, fueling concerns regarding his ability to hit at the major league level. Robinson started the 1957 season with the Orioles but was later sent back down to San Antonio, where he hit .266. He spent 1958 with the Orioles, where he batted .238 with 22 extra base hits. He led all AL third basemen with 151 put outs. Back in the minors with Vancouver of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in 1959, Robinson hit .331 in 42 games before returning to the Orioles in July where he hit .284 the rest of the way. Baltimore challenged the Yankees for the pennant in 1960, with Robinson having his first All-Star and Gold Glove year, batting .294 with 14 home runs and 88 RBIs. In the field he topped AL third basemen with 171 put outs, 328 assists, and a .977 fielding percentage. A team leader in addition to his hitting and fielding, he placed third in league MVP voting. He had a similarly strong season in 1961, hitting .287 with 38 doubles, 7 home runs, and 61 RBIs. With his excellent reflexes, Robinson quickly established himself as a top third baseman and regular Gold Glove recipient. His batting was solid as well as he hit .303 in 1962 with 23 home runs and 86 RBIs. His hitting fell off in 1963 as he batted .251 with 11 home runs and 67 RBIs, but he remained an All-Star and Gold Glove recipient.

 

1964 Season Summary

Appeared in 163 games

3B – 163

 

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

 

Batting

Plate Appearances – 685 [8]

At Bats – 612 [8]

Runs – 82 [19, tied with Wayne Causey]

Hits – 194 [2]

Doubles – 35 [3]

Triples – 3

Home Runs – 28 [10, tied with Don Lock, Joe Pepitone & Jim Gentile]

RBI – 118 [1]

Bases on Balls – 51

Int. BB – 10 [8, tied with Jerry Adair]

Strikeouts – 64

Stolen Bases – 1

Caught Stealing – 0

Average - .317 [2]

OBP - .368 [14]

Slugging Pct. - .521 [6]

Total Bases – 319 [2]

GDP – 17 [8, tied with Joe Pepitone & Bobby Knoop]

Hit by Pitches – 4

Sac Hits – 8 [10, tied with four others]

Sac Flies – 10 [1]

 

League-leading RBIs were +4 ahead of runner-up Dick Stuart

League-leading sac flies were +2 ahead of runner-up Earl Battey

 

Midseason snapshot: HR – 9, RBI – 48, AVG - .317, SLG – .477

 

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 4 AB) at Boston 6/14, (in 5 AB) at Washington 9/10, (in 4 AB) vs. Minnesota 9/16

Longest hitting streak – 13 games

Most HR, game – 1 on 28 occasions

HR at home – 12

HR on road – 16

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 4 vs. LA Angels 9/20 – 10 innings, vs. Detroit 10/2

Pinch-hitting – No appearances

 

Fielding

Chances – 494

Put Outs – 153

Assists – 327

Errors – 14

DP – 40

Pct. - .972

 

Awards & Honors:

AL MVP: BBWAA

Gold Glove

All-Star (Started for AL at 3B)

 

Top 5 in AL MVP Voting:

Brooks Robinson, Balt.: 269 pts. – 18 of 20 first place votes, 96% share

Mickey Mantle, NYY: 171 pts. – 2 first place votes, 61% share

Elston Howard, NYY.: 124 pts.  – 44% share

Tony Oliva, Min.: 99 pts. – 35% share

Dean Chance, LAA: 97 pts. – 35% share

 

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Orioles went 97-65 to finish third in the AL, two games behind the pennant-winning New York Yankees. The Orioles spent 84 days in first place as they battled the Yankees and Chicago White Sox throughout the season but ended up behind both teams after faltering down the stretch.

 

Aftermath of ‘64:

Having missed only one game over the previous four seasons, Robinson was limited to 144 games in 1965 due to a broken thumb and a shoulder injury. He batted .297 with 18 home runs and 80 RBIs and received his sixth straight Gold Glove. The Orioles won the AL pennant in 1966 and Robinson contributed a .269 batting average along with 23 home runs and 100 RBIs, despite a midseason slump, while continuing to excel defensively. He added a home run during Baltimore’s World Series sweep of the Dodgers. It was more of the same for Robinson, if not the club, in 1967 as he hit .269 with 22 home runs and 77 RBIs. In a down season for hitters in general in 1968, Robinson’s production dropped to .253 with 36 doubles, 17 home runs, and 75 RBIs, although he remained outstanding defensively. The Orioles rebounded in 1969, the first year of major league divisional play, to win the new AL East as well as the league pennant. Robinson’s average was still low at .234, but he hit 23 home runs with 84 RBIs. Baltimore was upset by the Mets in the World Series but came back to top the AL again in 1970. Robinson was better at the plate, batting .276 with 18 home runs and 94 RBIs. He was MVP of the World Series triumph over Cincinnati thanks to hitting .429 with two home runs and 6 RBIs in addition to outstanding defensive play at third base. He was popular for his affable personality in addition to his playing ability. The Orioles made it three straight pennants in 1971, while Robinson batted .272 with 20 home runs and 92 RBIs. He hit well in the postseason but Baltimore fell to Pittsburgh in the World Series. The club dropped off in 1972 and Robinson dropped off at the plate to .250 with 8 home runs and 64 RBIs. The Orioles returned to division-winning (if not pennant-winning) form in 1973, and “the Human Vacuum Cleaner” or “Hoover” (for the leading vacuum cleaner company) was still the best at his position defensively at third base, and hit .257 with 9 home runs, 72 RBIs, and a .326 OBP. While his home run total dropped to 7 in 1974, he still batted .288 with 59 RBIs and picked up MVP votes for the last time and gained selection to his final All-Star Game. He received his last Gold Glove in 1975 at age 38 while his batting average fell to .201. By the end of 1976, Doug DeCinces was the starting third baseman for the Orioles, and the end came for Robinson in 1977. For his major league career, spent entirely with the Orioles, he batted .267 with 2848 hits that included 482 doubles, 68 triples, and 268 home runs. In addition, he scored 1232 runs and compiled 1357 RBIs. Appearing in 39 postseason games, he hit .303 with 5 home runs and 22 RBIs. Robinson received 16 Gold Gloves for his sterling play at third base and was an 18-time All-Star. Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983, he was also a charter member of the Orioles Hall of Fame in 1977, along with teammate Frank Robinson. The club retired his #5. Remaining popular in Baltimore following his retirement, Robinson became a broadcaster for the Orioles for many years.  

 

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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.