Highlighted Year: Bob Boyd, 1957

First Baseman, Baltimore Orioles

Age: 37

2^nd season with Orioles

Bats – Left, Throws – Left

Height:5’10”  Weight: 170 

Prior to 1957:

A native of New Albany, Mississippi, Boyd learned baseball from his father, who developed him into a first baseman due to his being left-handed. Following two years in the Quartermaster Corps he joined the Memphis Red Sox of the Negro American League for $175 per month in 1947 where he appeared in 21 official games and batted .261 with four extra-base hits, 10 RBIs, and a .323 on-base percentage. Selected to the Negro League East-West All-Star Games in 1947 and ’48, Boyd’s salary rose to $500 per month and he sold beer in the offseason as well for additional income. He signed with the Chicago White Sox in 1950 as the first black player to sign with that club, although his Negro League team tried to block the deal. The White Sox assigned him to Colorado Springs of the Class A Western League where he hit .373 with a .450 OBP. A smooth-swinging line-drive hitter with good speed and limited power, he advanced to Sacramento of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in 1951 where he batted .342 with 32 doubles, 11 triples, 5 home runs, 64 RBIs, 41 stolen bases, a .393 OBP, and a .467 slugging percentage. Receiving a late call-up to the White Sox, he appeared in 12 games and produced 3 hits and 4 RBIs. Returning to the PCL with Seattle in 1952 he batted a solid .320 with 29 doubles, 18 triples, 3 home runs, 75 RBIs, 33 stolen bases, a .349 OBP, and a .435 slugging percentage. During the winter he played in Puerto Rico and won the league batting title and was nicknamed “El Ropo” (for his “frozen rope” line drives) which became “Rope” among English-speaking players. Still stuck in the minors in 1953 despite his good hitting, Boyd played for two Class AAA teams in 1953, Charleston of the American Association and Toronto of the International League, where he hit a combined .318 with 12 doubles, 10 triples, 5 home runs, 34 RBIs, 13 stolen bases, a .360 OBP, and a .465 slugging percentage. Having seen negligible action with the White Sox he was obtained by the St. Louis Cardinals, who assigned him to the Houston Buffaloes of the Class AA Texas League in 1954 where he continued to wield a productive bat, hitting .321 with 22 doubles, 7 home runs, 63 RBIs, a .369 OBP, and a .453 slugging percentage. Following another productive season with Houston in 1955, Boyd was drafted by the Orioles thanks to the recommendation of ex-White Sox manager Paul Richards who had become the GM and manager in Baltimore. Finally receiving a legitimate major league shot in 1956 he was limited to 70 games due to a broken arm that he suffered early in the season and batted .311 with 13 extra-base hits, 11 RBIs, and a .395 OBP.

1957 Season Summary

Appeared in 141 games

1B – 132, PH – 18, LF – 1, PR – 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 552 [18]

At Bats – 485 [17]

Runs – 73 [20]

Hits – 154 [12]

Doubles – 16

Triples – 8 [4, tied with Nellie Fox]

Home Runs – 4

RBI – 34

Bases on Balls – 55

Int. BB – 3

Strikeouts – 31

Stolen Bases – 2

Caught Stealing – 4

Average - .318 [4]

OBP - .388 [6, tied with Roy Sievers]

Slugging Pct. - .408

Total Bases – 198

GDP – 4

Hit by Pitches – 2

Sac Hits – 8 [12, tied with five others]

Sac Flies – 2 

Midseason snapshot: 3B – 4, HR - 3, RBI - 24, AVG - .337, OBP - .407

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Most hits, game – 5 (in 7 AB) vs. Cleveland 9/15 – 16 innings

Longest hitting streak – 8 games

HR at home – 1

HR on road – 3

Most home runs, game – 1 on four occasions

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 3 at Washington 4/21 – 10 innings

Pinch-hitting – 4 for 15 (.267) with 1 3B, 4 RBI & 2 BB

Fielding

Chances – 1153

Put Outs – 1073

Assists – 70

Errors – 10

DP – 107

Pct. - .991

Awards & Honors:

16^th in AL MVP voting, tied with Bob Grim, NYY (9 points, 3% share)

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The Orioles went 76-76 to finish fifth in the AL, 21 games behind the pennant-winning New York Yankees while leading the league in fewest doubles (191), fewest home runs (87), lowest slugging percentage (.353), and fewest total bases (1856). The rebuilding Orioles benefited from improved pitching and defense which allowed them to rise from a 15-24 record at the end of May. Thanks to a 19-win June and a 30-23 August and September tally they scratched out a break-even season.

Aftermath of 1957:

Boyd followed up with another solid season in 1958, batting .309 with 21 doubles, 5 triples, 7 home runs, 36 RBIs, and a .350 OBP. In 1959 his average dropped to .265 with 20 doubles, 2 home runs, 41 RBIs, and a .312 OBP. The arrival of power-hitting first baseman Jim Gentile in 1960 relegated Boyd to part-time duty, primarily as a pinch-hitter. Appearing in 71 games he hit .317 with a .364 OBP. Dealt to the Kansas City Athletics in the offseason, he backed up Norm Siebern, another first sacker with more punch until he was sold to the Milwaukee Braves in June. For the season he batted a combined .236 with a .247 OBP. Boyd played in the minors until retiring in 1963. For his major league career, including his time in the Negro American League, he batted .298 with 620 hits that included 91 doubles, 24 triples, and 21 home runs. He scored 276 runs and compiled 201 RBIs, a .355 OBP, and a .396 slugging percentage. With the Orioles he batted .301 with 210 runs scored, 484 hits, 7 doubles, 20 triples, 16 home runs, 131 RBIs, a .359 OBP, and a .399 slugging percentage. He saw no postseason action. Following the end of his playing career in organized baseball he continued to play semipro ball for a few years into his forties. Boyd also did some scouting for the Orioles and died in 2004 at age 84.

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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.