First Baseman,
Age: 30
1st season with White Sox
Bats – Right, Throws – Right
Prior to 1972:
A native of
Wampum, Pennsylvania (hence his being called “the Wampum Walloper”), Allen
excelled in basketball as well as baseball in high school. He signed with the
Phillies as a shortstop in 1960 but was moved to the outfield. Newly wearing
glasses, he hit .281 with Elmira of the Class D New York-Pennsylvania League
and moved up to Magic Valley of the Class C Pioneer League in 1961, where he
clubbed 21 home runs, drove in 94 runs, and batted .317. With Williamsport of
the Class A Eastern League in 1962, Allen hit 20 home runs with 109 RBIs and a
.329 batting average. Promoted to Class AAA Arkansas of the International
League in 1963, thus integrating the Little Rock-based club, he added a
league-leading 33 home runs and a .289 average and earned a late-season call-up
to the Phillies. Shifted to third base for 1964, Allen, was able to add his
powerful right-handed bat to the lineup while playing an unfamiliar position.
An initial and ongoing controversy occurred over the organization’s insistence
on calling him Richie rather than Dick, which he utilized as the preferred nickname
for his first name Richard. He had an outstanding Rookie of the Year season in
’64, batting .318 with 29 home runs and 91 RBIs while leading the NL in runs scored (125), triples
(13), and total bases (352) as well as batter strikeouts (138). He also
struggled defensively at third base, committing 41 errors. The Phillies blew a
6.5-game lead in the final two weeks of the season to finish in a tie for
second in the National League. Following a spring training holdout Allen had
another strong season in 1965, although a fight with first baseman Frank Thomas
led to his antagonist being waived and Allen became a target for frequent
booing from the home fans thereafter. He batted .302 for the year with 20 home
runs and 85 RBIs, and he was selected as an All-Star for the first time. After
leading NL third basemen in errors as a rookie, his defense improved. In 1966 his home run total jumped to 40, and
his RBIs to 110, to go with a .317 average and league-leading .632 slugging
percentage. Swinging a 40-ounce bat, Allen was capable of tape-measure blasts.
He could also be temperamental, resistant of authority, and was frequently
fined. Allen’s 1967 season ended in August due to a hand injury that required
surgery, suffered while pushing a car. He still ended up leading the NL in
on-base percentage (.404) while hitting .307 with 23 home runs. He was moved to
left field in 1968 and his hitting remained strong as he belted 33 home runs
with 90 RBIs and a .263 average. Allen
was at first base in 1969, a year in which he was suspended for a time due to
disciplinary issues and ended up with 32 home runs, 88 RBIs, and a .288 batting
average. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in the offseason and played
well, and was once more an All-Star selection, until a hamstring injury
shortened his season that concluded with 34 home runs, 101 RBIs, and a .279
average in 122 games. Allen was traded next to the Los Angeles Dodgers, where
he split time between first and third base and the outfield and batted .295
with 23 home runs and 90 RBIs in 1971. In the offseason he was dealt to the
White Sox for LHP Tommy John and one other player.
1972 Season Summary
Appeared in 148
games
1B – 143, PH –
7, 3B – 2
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 609 [16, tied with Bob Oliver]
At Bats – 506
Runs – 90 [4]
Hits – 156 [8]
Doubles – 28 [6,
tied with Carlton Fisk, Graig Nettles & Amos Otis]
Triples – 5 [10,
tied with four others]
Home Runs – 37 [1]
RBI – 113 [1]
Bases on Balls
– 99 [1, tied with Roy White]
Int. BB – 16 [3]
Strikeouts – 126
[3]
Stolen Bases – 19
[14]
Caught Stealing
– 8 [14, tied with five others]
Average - .308 [3,
tied with Carlos May]
OBP - .420 [1]
Slugging Pct. -
.603 [1]
Total Bases – 305
[2]
GDP – 13
Hit By Pitches
– 1
Sac. Hits – 0
Sac. Flies – 3
League-leading
home runs were +4 ahead of runner-up Bobby Murcer
League-leading
RBIs were +13 ahead of runner-up John Mayberry
League-leading
OBP was +.015 ahead of runner-up Carlos May
League-leading
slugging pct. was +.065 ahead of runner-up Carlton Fisk
Midseason
snapshot: HR - 22, RBI - 66, AVG - .300, OBP - .408, SLG - .574
---
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 5 AB) at
Longest hitting
streak – 15 games
HR at home – 27
HR on road – 10
Most HR, game –
2 (in 4 AB) vs. Milwaukee 6/11, (in 3 AB) vs. Cleveland 7/22, (in 3 AB) vs. KC
Royals 7/27, (in 4 AB) at Minnesota 7/31
Multi-HR games
– 4
Most RBIs, game
– 5 at Minnesota 7/31
Pinch-hitting –
1 for 7 (.143), 1 HR & 4 RBI
Fielding (1B)
Chances – 1308
Put Outs – 1234
Assists – 67
Errors – 7
DP – 94
Pct. - .995
Awards & Honors:
AL All-Star (started
for AL at 1B)
Top 5 in AL MVP Voting:
Dick Allen, ChiWS: 321 pts. - 21 of 24 first place votes, 96% share
Joe Rudi, OAK: 164 pts. – 1 first place vote, 49% share
Sparky Lyle, NYY: 158 pts. – 1 first place vote, 47% share
Carlton Fisk, Bos.: 96 pts. – 29% share
Bobby Murcer, NYY: 89 pts. – 26% share
(1
first place vote for Mickey Lolich, Det., who ranked tenth)
---
White Sox went 87-67
to finish second in the AL Western Division, 5.5 games behind the
division-winning Oakland Athletics, the club’s first winning record since 1967.
The White Sox challenged the A’s, using a 16-4 run that commenced on July 22 to
close the gap and briefly take the lead. But they were unable to keep up the
pace down the stretch.
Aftermath of ‘72:
Allen’s 1973
season was interrupted due to a hairline fracture in his right leg suffered in
an on-field collision that limited him to 72 games and led to charges of
malingering. He came back strong in 1974 until abruptly announcing his
retirement in August, still managing to lead the AL with 32 home runs. Still
interested in playing, he was traded to the Braves in the offseason and
announced he would not play for them and in May of ’75 he returned via trade to
the Phillies. He struggled through a miserable season in which he batted .233
with 12 home runs. He had an injury-plagued year in a 1976 season in which the
Phillies won the NL East and Allen finally got to appear in the postseason,
with mediocre results. He was released afterward and signed with the Oakland A’s
in 1977, where Allen finished out his career by batting .240 with five home
runs in 54 games. Highly talented but highly controversial as well, overall
in the major leagues he hit .292 with 1848 hits, 320 doubles, 79 triples, 351
home runs, and 1119 RBIs. A .307 average with 71 doubles, 9 triples, 85 home
runs and 655 RBIs came with the White Sox. Allen was a seven-time All-Star and
the Phillies retired his #15. His brothers Hank and Ron also played major league
baseball. Allen died in 2020 at the age of 78.
--
MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or
Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or
USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football
Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press
International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league
itself).
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