Outfielder, Cincinnati
Reds
Age: 26 (Aug. 31)
6th season
with Reds
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’1” Weight: 183
Prior to 1961:
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 Eddie 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. Robinson
was shifted to right field for the 1961 season.
1961 Season Summary
Appeared in 153
games
RF – 92, LF – 59,
CF – 4, PH – 4, 3B – 1
[Bracketed
numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 636 [13]
At Bats – 545 [17]
Runs – 117 [2]
Hits – 176 [6,
tied with Willie Mays]
Doubles – 32 [3,
tied with Willie Mays & Ron Santo]
Triples – 7
[13, tied with Don Hoak & Billy Williams]
Home Runs – 37 [3]
RBI – 124 [2]
Bases on Balls
– 71 [7]
Int. BB – 23 [1]
Strikeouts – 64
Stolen Bases – 22
[3]
Caught Stealing
– 3
Average - .323 [6]
OBP - .404 [2]
Slugging Pct. -
.611 [1]
Total Bases – 333
[4]
GDP – 15 [14,
tied with Harvey Kuenn]
Hit by Pitches
– 10 [2]
Sac Hits – 0
Sac Flies – 10 [1]
League-leading int.
bases on balls drawn were +2 ahead of runner-up Ernie Banks
League-leading slugging
pct was +.002 ahead of runner-up Orlando Cepeda
League-leading sac
flies were +1 ahead of runners-up Hank Aaron & Gus Bell
Midseason
snapshot: 2B – 13, 3B – 5, HR – 23, RBI – 70, AVG - .328, . SLG – .642, OBP –
.422
---
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 4 AB) at St. Louis 6/11, (in 4 AB) at LA Dodgers 7/9
Longest hitting
streak – 19 games
Most HR, game –
2 (in 4 AB) at Pittsburgh 5/14, (in 4 AB) at LA Dodgers 7/9, (in 5 AB) at Chi.
Cubs 7/28
HR at home – 17
HR on road – 20
Multi-HR games
– 3
Most RBIs, game
– 7 at LA Dodgers 7/9
Pinch-hitting –
2 for 4 (.500) with 1 3B, 1 R & 1 RBI
Fielding
Chances – 302
Put Outs – 284
Assists – 15
Errors – 3
DP – 3
Pct. - .990
Postseason
Batting: 5 G (World Series vs. NY Yankees)
PA – 20, AB – 15,
R – 3, H – 3, 2B – 2,3B – 0, HR – 1, RBI – 4, BB – 3, IBB – 0, SO – 4, SB – 0,
CS – 0, AVG - .200, OBP - .400, SLG -.533, TB – 8, GDP – 0, HBP – 2, SH – 0, SF
– 0
Awards & Honors:
NL MVP: BBWAA
All-Star
Top 5 in NL MVP
Voting:
Frank Robinson,
Cin.: 219 pts. – 15 of 16 first place votes, 98% share
Orlando Cepeda,
SF: 117 pts. – 52% share
Vada Pinson,
Cin.: 104 pts. – 46% share
Roberto
Clemente, Pitt.: 81 pts. – 36% share
Joey Jay, Cin.:
74 pts. – 1 first place vote, 33% share
---
Reds went 93-61
to win the NL pennant by 4 games over the Los Angeles Dodgers, while leading
the league in doubles (247). The lightly regarded Reds were paced by their
formidable hitting, led by Robinson, and decent starting pitching that featured
righthanders Joey Jay and Bob Purkey, and LHP Jim O’Toole, supported by relievers
Jim Brosnan and Bill Henry. They put together a 54-30 first half and remained
strong down the stretch to hold off the Dodgers and nail down the first
Cincinnati pennant since 1940. Lost World Series to the New York Yankees, 4
games to 1.
Aftermath of ‘61:
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 dealt to the Baltimore Orioles in a blockbuster trade 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 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 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.
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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.
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