Outfielder, St. Louis Browns
Age: 22
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’1” Weight: 195
Prior to 1949:
A St. Louis native who lived three blocks from Sportsman’s Park, home of the Browns and Cardinals, while growing up, Sievers was an all-district baseball and basketball player in high school. Tall and lanky, he was nicknamed “Squirrel” due to his basketball exploits. He also played American Legion baseball and drew the attention of major league scouts. He signed with the Browns in 1945 and was also drafted into Army service. Following his military commitment, Sievers was assigned to the Hannibal Pilots of the Class C Central Association where he played at third base and in the outfield and batted .317 with 34 home runs and 141 RBIs. Advancing to Elmira of the Class A Eastern League in 1948, he was hitting just .179 after 16 games and was demoted to Springfield of the Class B Illinois-Indiana-Iowa (or Three I) League where he batted .309 in 96 games with 19 home runs. With the Browns much in need of a power hitter, Sievers made it to the majors in 1949 and was in the lineup twelve games into the season.
1949 Season Summary
Appeared in 140
games
CF – 77, LF – 50, PH – 9, 3B – 7, PR – 1
[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 545
At Bats – 471
Runs – 84 [14,
tied with Dave Philley]
Hits – 144
Doubles – 28 [7,
tied with Dick Kokos]
Triples – 1
Home Runs – 16 [15]
RBI – 91 [6,
tied with Yogi Berra]
Bases on Balls
– 70
Int. BB – 1
Strikeouts – 75
[6]
Stolen Bases – 1
Caught Stealing
– 5 [17, tied with four others]
Average - .306 [8,
tied with Johnny Pesky]
OBP - .398 [12]
Slugging Pct. -
.471 [5]
Total Bases – 222
[18]
GDP – 15
Hit by Pitches
– 2
Sac Hits – 2
Sac Flies – N/A
Midseason
snapshot: 2B – 15, HR – 5, RBI – 37, AVG – .302, SLG - .459, OBP - .391
---
Most hits, game
– 5 (in 5 AB) vs. Chi. White Sox 10/2
Longest hitting
streak – 8 games
Most HR, game –
1 on sixteen occasions
HR at home – 6
HR on road – 10
Multi-HR games
– 0
Most RBIs, game
– 6 at Washington 9/20
Pinch-hitting/running
– 2 for 6 (.333) with 3 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI & 1 BB
Fielding
Chances – 337
Put Outs – 314
Assists – 14
Errors – 9
DP - 1
Pct. - .973
Awards & Honors:
AL Rookie of
the Year: BBWAA
18th
in AL MVP voting, tied with Alex Kellner, Phila. A’s, Eddie Robinson, Wash.
& Birdie Tebbetts, Bos. RS (6 points, 2% share)
AL ROY Voting:
Roy Sievers,
StLB.: 10 of 22 votes, 42% share
Alex Kellner,
PhilaA.: 5 votes, 21% share
Jerry Coleman,
NYY: 4 votes, 17% share
Mike Garcia,
Clev.: 1 vote, 4% share
Johnny Groth,
Det.: 1 vote, 4% share
Bob Kuzava,
ChiWS.: 1 vote, 4% share
---
Browns went
53-101 to finish seventh in the AL, 44 games behind the pennant-winning New
York Yankees, while leading the league in batter strikeouts (700) & fewest
hits (1301). The Browns were at 10-30 by the end of May and drew only 270,000
fans to Sportsman’s Park all year.
Aftermath of ‘49:
In 1950, a
prolonged slump at the start of the season cost Sievers his starting job in the
lineup and he ended up appearing in just 113 games, including a disappointing
trial at third base, and batted .238 with 10 home runs and 57 RBIs. The bad
breaks continued in 1951 as he was sent down to San Antonio of the Texas League
in June. A shoulder separation ended his season in August and required major surgery.
In 31 games with the Browns, he hit .225 with a home run and 11 RBIs. With a
sore shoulder and his once-promising career in jeopardy, Sievers was shifted to
first base in 1953 and, following a poor start, he ended up batting .270 in 92
games with 8 home runs and 35 RBIs. The Browns were sold in the offseason and
moved to Baltimore for 1954. Unwanted by new manager Jimmy Dykes, Sievers was
traded to the Washington Senators. Playing left field due to his limited
throwing ability, his smooth swing and keen batting eye responded with 24 home
runs, 102 RBIs, and a .232 batting average. His OBP was .331 thanks to drawing
80 walks. In 1955 he hit .271 with 25 home runs and 106 RBIs and placed 17th
in AL MVP voting. The left field fence at Washington’s spacious Griffith
Stadium was pulled in to 350 feet and Sievers was an All-Star for the first
time in 1956 on the way to batting .253 with 29 home runs and 95 RBIs. He
followed up with an outstanding season for a last-place club in 1957, as he
topped the American League with 42 home runs and 114 RBIs while hitting .301.
Sievers placed third in league MVP voting. Given a $36,000 contract in 1958, he
followed up by batting .295 with 39 home runs and 108 RBIs. Dealing with
chronic injuries in 1959, Sievers’ production dropped to .242 with 21 home runs
and 49 RBIs. The Senators dealt Sievers to the Chicago White Sox, the defending
AL champs, for prospects and cash during spring training in 1960. Platooned at
first base with Ted Kluszewski, Sievers got off to a poor start until an injury
to Kluszewsi allowed him to again play regularly and he regained his batting
form. A 21-game midseason hitting streak and outstanding July propelled him to
28 home runs, 93 RBIs, and a .295 average. Sievers placed seventh in league MVP
balloting. He followed up with another solid season in 1961, again batting .295
with 27 home runs and 92 RBIs. In the offseason Sievers was traded to the
Philadelphia Phillies where he provided veteran leadership to a young club
while hitting .262 with 21 home runs and 80 RBIs. A rib fracture suffered in
spring training hindered Sievers in 1963 as he appeared in 138 games and batted
.240 with 19 home runs and 82 RBIs. Dealing with a calf injury in 1964, Sievers
hit poorly in limited action and was sold to the Washington Senators (expansion
successors to his former club) in July. He ended up hitting a combined .180
with 8 home runs and 27 RBIs. Let go a month into the 1965 season, he retired
at age 38. For his major league career, Sievers batted .267 with 1703 hits that
included 292 doubles, 42 triples, and 318 home runs. He scored 945 runs and
compiled 1147 RBIs and drew 841 walks, ending up with a .354 on-base
percentage. With the Browns he scored 180 runs while batting .269 with 335
hits, 68 doubles, 6 triples, 35 home runs, 199 RBIs, 146 walks drawn, and a .348
OBP. A five-time All-Star, he never appeared in the postseason. Overcoming
injuries that threatened to curtail his career early on, he became a highly
productive hitter. His swing was so much admired that he was the batting
“double” for actor Tab Hunter in the 1958 movie version of Damn Yankees.
He was outstanding in clutch situations. Nearly a quarter of his home runs were
hit in the eighth inning or later and he further accumulated 10 grand slams as
well as 10 pinch homers. He was one of nine players to play for both the
original American League Washington Senators and the expansion Senators who
came into the league in 1961 and are now the Texas Rangers. Following his
retirement, he managed minor league teams for a few years and was 90 when he
died in 2017.
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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.
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