First Baseman, Minnesota
Twins
Age: 34
1st season
with Twins
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’0” Weight: 186
Prior to 1962:
A native of
Arecibo in Puerto Rico, Power was born Victor Felipe Pellot and had his surname
accidentally changed to Power by his first grade teacher. He played sandlot
baseball and was signed to play for Caguas of the Puerto Rican Winter League at
age 15 for $100 per week. Mentored by former Negro League player Quincy Trouppe
he went to Quebec, Canada in 1949 to play for the Drummondville Cubs of the
independent Provincial League where he drew the interest of a scout for the New
York Yankees and signed a contract. Assigned to the Syracuse Chiefs of the
Class AAA International League in 1951, Power batted .294 with 22 doubles, 5
triples, 6 home runs, 56 RBIs, and a .350 on-base percentage. Moving on to
Kansas City of the Class AAA American Association in 1952, he played out of
position in the outfield and at third base due to the presence of first baseman
Bill Skowron. A line-drive hitter to all fields out of his low crouching
stance, he batted .331 with 40 doubles, 17 triples, 16 home runs, 109 RBIs, a
.370 OBP, and a .553 slugging percentage. Agile, with excellent reflexes, and
flashy in the field, he would make one-handed catches with a sweeping motion
and was labeled a “showboat” or “hot dog” for his style. Power had another
strong season with Kansas City in 1953, leading the league in batting (.349)
and hits (217) while also producing 39 doubles, 10 triples, 16 home runs, 93
RBIs, a .380 OBP, and a .521 slugging percentage. His flashy style of play
continued to draw criticism and Yankee GM George Weiss referred to him as
“impudent” (he responded to rude criticism with sarcasm) and inappropriate in
his conduct for dating white women. In the offseason he was traded to the
Philadelphia Athletics as part of a multi-player swap. Utilized in the outfield
as a rookie in 1954 Power batted a disappointing .255 with 17 doubles, 5
triples, 8 home runs, 38 RBIs, and a .287 OBP. With the move of the franchise
to Kansas City in 1955, Power returned to the city where he had his most
impressive minor league seasons and was now stationed full-time at first base. He
was an All-Star for the first time as he hit .319 with 190 hits, 34 doubles,10
triples, 19 home runs, 76 RBIs, a .354 OBP, a .505 slugging percentage and
defensively he led AL first basemen with 130 assists. He placed ninth in league
MVP voting. The arrival of veteran first baseman Eddie Robinson in 1956 had
Power appearing in 47 games at second base and still receiving an All-Star nod
as he batted .309 with 21 doubles, 5 triples, 14 home runs, 63 RBIs, a .340
OBP, and a .447 slugging percentage. Primarily playing at first base in 1957,
Power continued to excel defensively as he put together a 69-game errorless
streak and committed only two miscues all year for a .998 fielding percentage
while also leading the league’s first sackers with 99 assists. Nevertheless,
his batting production dipped to .259 with 15 doubles, 14 home runs, 42 RBIs,
and a .291 OBP. Still maligned for being temperamental and a malcontent
(although not by teammates), he was traded to the Cleveland Indians during the
1958 season along with outfielder Woody Held for three players that included
up-and-coming outfielder Roger Maris. Hitting .302 and In the midst of a
22-game hitting streak at the time of the deal, he ended up batting .312 with
37 doubles, a league-leading 10 triples, 16 home runs, 80 RBIs, a .332 OBP, and
.490 slugging percentage. Two of his three steals were of home in the same game
against Detroit, a rare feat and highlighted that he was a smart baserunner if
not an especially fast one. He received a Gold Glove for his play at first base
although he also saw significant time at second base with Cleveland. With the
Indians contending in 1959, Power went on to another Gold Glove performance at
first base but, following a fast start offensively, he finished at .289 with 31
doubles, 6 triples, 10 home runs, 60 RBIs, a .334 OBP, and a .412 slugging
percentage. He performed well again in 1960, hitting .288 with 26 doubles, 10
home runs, 84 RBIs, a .313 OBP, and a .395 slugging percentage. He was an
All-Star and Gold Glove recipient once again. In 1961 Power’s average dropped
to .268 with 34 doubles, 5 home runs, 63 RBIs, and a .309 OBP, although he
remained a Gold Glove performer at first base. Just prior to the 1962 season
Power was dealt to the Twins along with LHP Dick Stigman for RHP Pedro Ramos.
He proved to be a stabilizing influence with his outstanding defense that saved
many errant throws from the club’s young infielders from becoming errors.
1962 Season Summary
Appeared in 144
games
1B – 142, PH – 3,
2B – 2
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate Appearances
– 650
At Bats – 611 [14]
Runs – 80
Hits – 177 [11]
Doubles – 28 [16,
tied with Tito Francona]
Triples – 2
Home Runs – 16
RBI – 63
Bases on Balls
– 22
Int. BB – 0
Strikeouts – 35
Stolen Bases – 7
Caught Stealing
– 1
Average - .290 [14,
tied with Lee Thomas]
OBP - .316
Slugging Pct. -
.421
Total Bases – 257
[20]
GDP – 14 [18,
tied with six others]
Hit by Pitches
– 3
Sac Hits – 11
[5, tied with Ralph Terry]
Sac Flies – 3
Midseason
snapshot: 2B – 13, HR - 9, RBI - 33, AVG - .296, OBP - .321
---
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 5 AB) vs. Cleveland 9/14
Longest hitting
streak – 12 games
HR at home – 9
HR on road – 7
Most home runs,
game – 2 (in 3 AB) vs. LA Angels 6/23
Multi-HR games
– 1
Most RBIs, game
– 5 vs. KC A’s 5/13
Pinch-hitting –
2 for 3 (.667) with 1 R & 1 RBI
Fielding
Chances – 1337
Put Outs – 1193
Assists – 134
Errors – 10
DP – 133
Pct. – .993
Awards & Honors:
Gold Glove
21st
in AL MVP voting, tied with Jim Bunning, Det., Dick Radatz, Bos. & Zoilo
Versalles, Min. (8 points – 3% share)
---
The Twins went 91-71 to finish second in the AL, 5 games behind the pennant-winning New York Yankees, while leading the league in OBP (,338) and fewest stolen bases (33). The Twins were surprise contenders from the start and stuck close behind the Yankees through April, May, and June. 7 games back on August 1, they whittled their way closer until time ran out in September.
Aftermath of 1962:
Power played very deep at first base and encouraged the infielders to throw to the base rather than to him directly. While his fielding remained solid in 1963 his batting production dropped to .270 with 28 doubles, 10 home runs, 52 RBIs, and a .297 OBP. He started the 1964 season with the Twins but was traded to the Los Angeles Angels in June. Hitting .244 in September he was dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies who had a pressing need for a veteran first baseman down the stretch as they attempted to nail down the NL pennant. For the year Power batted .239 with 17 RBIs and a .269 OBP. Reacquired by the Angels in the offseason, he was strictly a part-time player in his final major league season in 1965, hitting .259 with a .281 OBP while appearing in 124 games. For his major league career, Power batted .284 with 1716 hits that included 290 doubles, 49 triples, and 126 home runs. He scored 765 runs and compiled 658 RBIs, a .315 OBP, and a .411 slugging percentage. With the Twins he batted .278 with 333 hits, 151 runs scored, 58 doubles, 4 triples, 26 home runs, 116 RBIs, a .305 OBP, and a .398 slugging percentage. Power never appeared in the postseason. A six-time All-Star, he was awarded seven consecutive Gold Gloves. Following his playing career he returned to Puerto Rico where he conducted youth baseball clinics, managed a team, and scouted for the Angels. He died in 2005 at the age of 78. Baseball historians continue to recognize Power for his defensive excellence at first base.
---
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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