Outfielder, Baltimore Orioles
Age: 31 (Aug. 31)
1st
season with Orioles
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’1” Weight: 183
Prior to 1966:
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. The club tied the existing major league team record
for home runs helped by Robinson’s tying of the rookie record with 38, to go
along with 83 RBIs and a .290 average. He received NL Rookie of the Year
recognition. He 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 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.
1966 Season Summary
Appeared in 155
games
RF – 133, LF – 22,
1B – 3, PH – 1
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 680 [8, tied with Carl Yastrzemski]
At Bats – 576 [15]
Runs – 122 [1]
Hits – 182 [2,
tied with Luis Aparicio]
Doubles – 34 [3]
Triples – 2
Home Runs – 49 [1]
RBI – 122 [1]
Bases on Balls
– 87 [3]
Int. BB – 11 [4,
tied with Brooks Robinson]
Strikeouts – 90
[18]
Stolen Bases – 8
Caught Stealing
– 5
Average - .316 [1]
OBP - .410 [1]
Slugging Pct. -
.637 [1]
Total Bases – 367
[1]
GDP – 24 [3]
Hit By Pitches
– 10 [2, tied with Tommie Agee & Fred Valentine]
Sac Hits – 0
Sac Flies – 7 [1,
tied with six others]
League-leading runs
scored were +23 ahead of runner-up Tony Oliva
League-leading
home runs were +10 ahead of runner-up Harmon Killebrew
League-leading
RBIs were +12 ahead of runner-up Harmon Killebrew
League-leading
batting average was +.009 ahead of runner-up Tony Oliva
League-leading
OBP was +.018 ahead of runner-up Al Kaline
League-leading
slugging percentage was +.099 ahead of runner-up Harmon Killebrew
League-leading total
bases were +55 ahead of runner-up Tony Oliva
Midseason
snapshot: HR – 21, RBI – 56, AVG – .312., SLG – .591
---
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 6 AB) vs. Washington 6/7 – 12 innings, (in 5 AB) at California 6/26,
(in 4 AB) vs. Detroit 7/21, (in 5 AB) at Cleveland 8/31
Longest hitting
streak – 9 games
Most HR, game –
2 on seven occasions
HR at home – 27
HR on road – 22
Multi-HR games
– 7
Most RBIs, game
– 5 vs. Detroit 7/19, vs. California 9/19
Pinch-hitting –
1 for 1 (1.000) with 1 RBI
Fielding
Chances – 262
Put Outs – 254
Assists – 4
Errors – 4
DP – 0
Pct. - .985
Postseason
Batting: 4 G (World Series vs. LA Dodgers)
PA – 16, AB –
14, R – 4, H – 4, 2B – 0,3B – 1, HR – 2, RBI – 3, BB – 2, IBB – 0, SO – 3, SB –
0, CS – 0, AVG - .286, OBP - .375, SLG -.857, TB – 12, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH –
0, SF – 0 World Series MVP
Awards & Honors:
AL MVP: BBWAA
MLB Player of
the Year: Sporting News
All-Star
(Started for AL in LF)
Top 5 in AL MVP
Voting:
Frank Robinson,
Balt.: 280 pts. – 20 of 20 first place votes, 100% share
Brooks
Robinson, Balt.: 153 pts. – 55% share
Boog Powell,
Balt.: 122 pts. – 44% share
Harmon
Killebrew, Min.: 96 pts. – 34% share
Jim Kaat, Min.:
84 pts. – 30% share
---
Orioles went 97-63
to win the AL pennant by 9 games over the Minnesota Twins while leading the
league in runs scored (755), hits (1426), doubles (243), RBIs (703), batting (.258),
on-base percentage (.324), slugging (.409), and total bases (2264). With Robinson’s
Triple Crown-winning bat and outstanding leadership, the Orioles cruised to the
pennant. The top fielding club as well as the best batting squad, Baltimore
also featured the AL’s best bullpen. Won World Series over the Los Angeles
Dodgers, 4 games to 0, in a Series dominated by Baltimore’s pitching.
Aftermath of ‘66:
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 AL/NL 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 Orioles he batted .300 with 882 hits, 143doubles, 18 triples, 179home runs, 545 RBIs, 555 runs scored, and 35 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.
--
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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