Highlighted Year: Frank Malzone, 1962

Third Baseman, Boston Red Sox

Age: 32

6^th season with Red Sox

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 5’10” Weight: 180 

Prior to 1962:

A native of the New York City borough of the Bronx, Malzone learned baseball from older siblings. Studying to be an electrician at Samuel Gompers High School, he played two seasons on the baseball team. Not heavily scouted, he was signed by the Red Sox in 1948 and sought to overcome the perception that he was not likely to reach the major leagues. Initially assigned to Milford of the Class D Eastern Shore League, the 18-year-old Malzone batted .304 with 32 doubles, 10 home runs, 77 RBIs, a .448 on-base percentage, and a .469 slugging percentage. Advancing to Oneonta of the Class C Canadian-American League in 1949, he hit .329 with 26 doubles, 26 triples, 5 home runs, 92 RBIs, a .413 OBP, and a .501 slugging percentage. Beyond his impressive batting, he had difficulties in the field and committed 43 errors at third base. Assigned to the Scranton Miners of the Class A Eastern League in 1950, Malzone suffered a badly broken leg while sliding into second base two games into the season and missed the remainder of the year while doctors warned him that there might not be a future for him playing baseball. Returning to Scranton in 1951 he performed well by hitting .283 with 28 doubles, one home run, 79 RBIs, and a .335 OBP. Drafted into the Army, he missed the next two seasons but played service baseball which helped him to hone his skills. Following his discharge in 1954 he played for the Louisville Colonels of the Class AAA American Association where he batted .270 with 24 doubles, 8 triples, 11 home runs, 63 RBIs, a .314 OBP, and a .401 slugging percentage. With Louisville again in 1955, Malzone hit .310 with 33 doubles, 7 triples, 9 home runs, 88 RBIs, a .352 OBP, and a .432 slugging percentage. He was a league All-Star and received a September call-up to the Red Sox where he appeared in six games and produced seven hits. Malzone started the 1956 season with Boston but distracted by the offseason death of his baby daughter, was only hitting .165 when he was sent to the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League in June. With the Seals he batted .286 with 14 doubles, 6 home runs, 42 RBIs, and a .339 OBP. Returning to the Red Sox in 1957, he put together an outstanding season, batting .292 with 31 doubles, 5 triples, 15 home runs, 103 RBIs, a .323 OBP, and a .427 slugging percentage. Once a suspect fielder, he had developed into a fine third baseman and led AL third sackers in putouts (151), assists (370), and fielding percentage (.954). He was an All-Star and received a Gold Glove but was ineligible for Rookie of the Year consideration, although he received one vote from a rebel scribe anyway. The quiet and modest Malzone got off to a slow start at the plate in 1958 but came on to finish at .295 with 30 doubles, 15 home runs, 87 RBIs, and a .333 OBP. Hitting behind slugger Ted Williams in the lineup, Malzone benefited from pitchers pitching around Williams in clutch situations. He was again a Gold Glove winner at third base. Proving himself to be a consistent performer in 1959, he batted .280 with 34 doubles, 19 home runs, 92 RBIs, a .323 OBP, and a .437 slugging percentage. He won another Gold Glove for his defensive performance. In 1960 his consecutive game playing streak ended at 475 games and, while still an All-Star, his hitting dropped off a bit to .271 with 30 doubles, 14 home runs, 79 RBIs, and a .313 OBP with a .398 slugging percentage. An ankle injury during the first week of the 1961 season sidelined Malzone for a few games and he went on to hit .266 with 21 doubles, 14 home runs, 87 RBIs, and a .314 OBP.

1962 Season Summary

Appeared in 156 games

3B – 156

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 663 [18]

At Bats – 619 [10, tied with Lenny Green]

Runs – 74

Hits – 175 [12]

Doubles – 20

Triples – 3

Home Runs – 21 [15, tied with Elston Howard, Willie Kirkland & Chuck Essegian]

RBI – 95 [10]

Bases on Balls – 35

Int. BB – 2

Strikeouts – 43

Stolen Bases – 0

Caught Stealing – 1

Average - .283 [20]

OBP - .319

Slugging Pct. - .426

Total Bases – 264 [17]

GDP – 17 [9, tied with five others]

Hit by Pitches – 0

Sac Hits – 4

Sac Flies – 5 [20, tied with twelve others] 

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 14, HR - 11, RBI - 51, AVG - .288, OBP - .323 

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 5 AB) vs. NY Yankees 5/16, (in 5 AB) at Minnesota 8/18

Longest hitting streak – 11 games

HR at home – 10

HR on road – 11

/Most home runs, game – 2 (in 5 AB) vs. Cleveland 6/9, (in 5 AB) at Minnesota 8/18

Multi-HR games – 2

Most RBIs, game – 4 vs. KC A’s 6/30, at Minnesota 8/18

Pinch-hitting – No appearances

Fielding

Chances – 483

Put Outs – 154

Assists – 313

Errors – 16

DP – 32

Pct. - .967

Awards & Honors:

31^st in AL MVP voting, tied with Norm Cash, Det. (3 points, 1% share

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The Red Sox went 76-84 to finish eighth in the AL, 19 games behind the pennant-winning New York Yankees while leading the league in doubles (257). In ninth place by May 20, the Red Sox struggled to play .500 ball during the season’s last two months to finish one place higher.

Aftermath of 1962:

Malzone got off to a hot start in 1963 and was batting .345 on July 1 before tailing off in the season’s second half, most notably due to a dreadful five-week slump, and finishing at .291 with 25 doubles, 15 home runs, 71 RBIs, and a .327 OBP. A steady player thus far both offensively and on defense, Malzone, while still one of the league’s better third basemen, showed signs of slowing down in 1964 as he hit .264 with 19 doubles, 13 home runs, 56 RBIs, and a .312 OBP. His playing time diminished in 1965 as young Dalton Jones was groomed as his replacement and in 106 games he batted .239 with 20 doubles, 3 home runs, 34 RBIs, and a .293 OBP in what proved to be his last year with Boston. Released in the offseason, he signed with the California Angels in 1966 where he appeared in 82 games, mostly as a pinch-hitter, and batted .206 in his last major league season. For his major league career, which was spent almost entirely with the Red Sox, Malzone batted .274 with 1486 hits that included 239 doubles, 21 triples, and 133 home runs. He scored 647 runs and produced 728 RBIs, a .315 OBP, and a .399 slugging percentage. An eight-time All-Star he received three Gold Gloves for his play at third base. He was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1995. Following his playing career, he became a scout and spring training instructor for the Red Sox. Malzone died in 2015 at age 85.    

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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.