Third Baseman, St.
Louis Cardinals
Age: 31 (May 20)
8th season
with Cardinals
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’1” Weight: 190
Prior to 1962:
A Missouri
native, Boyer was one of 14 children (two of his brothers, Cloyd and Clete,
also played major league baseball). Capable of playing in the infield or
outfield, he was signed by the Cardinals out of high school in 1949. With
Lebanon of the Class D North Atlantic League, he was utilized as a pitcher
thanks to his strong throwing arm and was 5-1 with a 3.42 ERA in 12 games. As a
hitter, he had a .455 average with three home runs. Moving to Hamilton of the
Class D Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York (or Pony) League in 1950, Boyer was given
the opportunity to play at third base and impressed with his defensive skills.
He also batted .342 with 9 home runs, thus ending the pitching experiment.
Promoted to Omaha of the Class A Western League in 1951, Boyer continued to
hone his batting and defensive play at third. He hit .306 with 28 doubles, 7
triples, and 14 home runs. Drafted into the Army in 1951 he spent 1952 and ’53
in the military. Returning to baseball in 1954, Boyer was next assigned to the
Houston Buffaloes of the Class AA Texas League where he hit .319 with 21 home
runs and 116 RBIs. He played winter ball in Havana until suffering a severe
concussion due to a beaning. The Cardinals traded starting third baseman Ray
Jablonski to open a spot for Boyer in the lineup for 1955. He had a solid
rookie season, appearing in 147 games and hitting .264 with 18 home runs, 62
RBIs, and a .311 on-base percentage. Boyer improved to .306 with 26 home runs,
98 RBIs, a .347 OBP, and a .494 slugging percentage in 1956 and was an All-Star
for the first time. He shifted to centerfield in 1957 to make room for rookie
Eddie Kasko at third and to add some batting punch to the outfield. The shift
caused no defensive lapse as he led all NL outfielders in fielding percentage
(.996). He also hit .265 with 19 home runs, 62 RBIs, and a .318 OBP. With Kasko
injured in 1958 together with the arrival of centerfielder Curt Flood, Boyer
returned to third base and earned his first Gold Glove. He also hit .307 with 21
doubles, 9 triples, 23 home runs, 90 RBIs, a .360 OBP, and a .496 slugging
percentage. It was more of the same in 1960 as he batted .304 with 26 doubles,
10 triples, 32 home runs, 97 RBIs, a .370 OBP, and a .562 slugging percentage. In
1961 the numbers were .329 with 26 doubles, 11 triples, 24 home runs, 95 RBIs,
a .397 OBP, and a .533 slugging percentage. Entering 1962 he had been an
All-Star for three straight seasons, had been in the top 10 in league All-Star
voting in each of those years, as well as a Gold Glove winner at third base.
1962 Season Summary
Appeared in 160
games
3B – 160
[Bracketed
numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 691 [12]
At Bats – 611 [13]
Runs – 92 [18]
Hits – 178 [13]
Doubles – 27 [13,
tied with Tommy Davis, George Altman & Bill Virdon]
Triples – 5
Home Runs – 24 [14,
tied with Roman Mejias]
RBI – 98 [11,
tied with Felipe Alou]
Bases on Balls
– 75 [8, tied with Ron Fairly]
Int. BB – 7 [14,
tied with four others]
Strikeouts – 104
[3]
Stolen Bases – 12
[17, tied with four others]
Caught Stealing
– 7 [11, tied with eleven others]
Average - .291
OBP - .369 [13,
tied with Billy Williams]
Slugging Pct. -
.470 [19]
Total Bases – 287
[12]
GDP – 15 [16,
tied with Frank Thomas, Bill Mazeroski & Jose Pagan]
Hit by Pitches
– 1
Sac Hits – 2
Sac Flies – 2
Midseason snapshot: 2B – 14, HR – 15, RBI - 62, AVG - .293, OBP - .389, SLG – .502
---
Most hits, game
– 3 on twelve occasions
Longest hitting
streak – 9 games
HR at home – 10
HR on road – 14
Most home runs,
game – 2 (in 4 AB) at NY Mets 4/18
Multi-HR games
– 1
Most RBIs, game
– 5 vs. Cincinnati 4/29
Pinch-hitting – No appearances
Fielding
Chances – 498
Put Outs – 158
Assists – 318
Errors – 22
DP – 34
Pct. - .956
Awards & Honors:
All-Star (Started
for NL at 3B, both games)
18th
in NL MVP voting, tied with Ernie Banks, ChiC, Johnny Callison, Phila. &
Harvey Kuenn SF (5 points – 2% share)
---
The Cardinals
went 84-78 to finish sixth in the NL, 17.5 games behind
the pennant-winning San Francisco Giants, while leading the league in fewest triples
(31). The Cardinals got off to a solid 11-4 start in April anc contended into
May when a 3-9 stretch dropped them into fourth. A brief hot streak gave way to
another poor stretch and they were at .500 (24-24) by June 3. A strong June
lifted the club to fourth, where they stayed until July 22 but the inconsistent
team entered September in fifth place, but an eight-game losing streak mired
them in sixth place to stay, although they finished the season with a four-game
West Coast winning streak that affected the pennant race. Boyer was dealing
with the effects of a bout with pneumonia prior to spring training and became
an object of fan frustration during the latter stages of the disappointing
season.
Aftermath of 1962:
In 1963 all four St. Louis infielders started for the NL in the All-Star Game, including 1B Bill White, 2B Julian Javier, and SS Dick Groat in addition to Boyer. Boyer went on to hit .285 with 28 doubles, 24 home runs, 111 RBIs, a .358 OBP, and a .454 slugging percentage. He received another Gold Glove and placed thirteenth in league MVP voting. In 1964 the Cardinals came from behind to win the NL pennant with the help of an epic September collapse by the Philadelphia Phillies. Boyer, the team captain, spearheaded the charge as he hit .295 with 30 doubles, 10 triples, 24 home runs, a league-leading 119 RBIs, a .365 OBP, and a .489 slugging percentage. In the World Series against the New York Yankees, where he was matched up against his brother Clete, the starting third sacker for the Yanks, he provided the winning runs in a pivotal 4-3 win with a grand slam at Yankee Stadium as St. Louis went on to take the Series in seven games. Afterward he was named National League MVP. 1965 was a down year for the Cardinals and Boyer, who battled a back injury, batted .260 with only 13 home runs and 75 RBIs. In the offseason he was traded to the New York Mets for LHP Al Jackson and third baseman Charley Smith. With the Mets in 1966 Boyer hit .266 with 14 home runs and 57 RBIs. He started the 1967 season with the Mets and was dealt to the Chicago White Sox, who were in the midst of a torrid pennant race, in July. Altogether, he appeared in 113 games and hit .249 with 7 home runs and 34 RBIs. Released by the White Sox early in the 1968 season, Boyer signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers to provide veteran bench strength and finished up his career with LA in 1969. Overall, for his major league career Boyer batted .287 with 2143 hits that included 318 doubles, 68 triples, and 282 home runs. He also accumulated 1141 RBIs, scored 1104 runs, and produced a .349 OBP and .462 slugging percentage. With the Cardinals he hit .293 with 1855 hits, 269 doubles, 61 triples, 255 home runs, 1001 RBIs, a .356 OBP, and a .475 slugging percentage. He was an 11-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove recipient. Following his playing career, Boyer became a coach and managed in the Cardinals’ and Orioles’ farm systems. He replaced Vern Rapp as manager of the Cardinals during the 1978 season and stayed until he was let go in 1980, having compiled an overall record of 166-190. He died of lung cancer in 1982 at the age of 51. The Cardinals retired his #14. Boyer was elected to the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014.
---
Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league
in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum
of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who
led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a
minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between
the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc.
players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the
postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.
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