MVP Profile: Maury Wills, 1962

Shortstop, Los Angeles Dodgers

Age:  29

4^th season with Dodgers

Bats – Both, Throws – Right

Height: 5’11” Weight: 170 

Prior to 1962:

A native of Washington, DC, Wills played semipro baseball at age 14 and excelled in baseball and football at Washington’s Cardozo High School. Pursued by colleges to play football, he signed with the then-Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950. With Hornell of the Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York League in 1951, the 18-year-old infielder batted .280 and stole 54 bases. Staying with Hornell in 1952 he hit .300 and again stole 54 bases. With teams at Class A and B in 1953, Wills batted a combined .286 and stole 28 bases. With Pueblo of the Class A Western League in 1954, he hit .279 with another 28 stolen bases. Promoted to the Fort Worth Cats of the Class AA Texas League in 1955, what proved to be a long and frustrating minor league journey for Wills took an especially frustrating turn when, batting just .203 he was demoted back to Pueblo in 1956 where he stole 34 bases and hit .302 with a .373 on-base percentage. Purchased by the Seattle Rainiers of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in 1957, Wills batted .267 with a .337 OBP and 21 stolen bases. Back in the Dodger fold in 1958, he remained in the PCL, now with Spokane, where he was mentored by manager Bobby Bragan and began switch-hitting (he was a natural righthanded batter). With an improved outlook and attitude, Wills hit .253 with a .300 OBP and stole 25 bases. Sold on an option basis to the Detroit Tigers (who chose not to retain him) in 1959, the 26-year-old shortstop was hitting .313 when the Dodgers called him up in June to fill in at short for the injured Don Zimmer. After initially struggling as a hitter for the Dodgers, Wills proved adept at beating out ground balls for base hits with his speed and performed well down the stretch, hitting .260 with 7 stolen bases in 83 games. The Dodgers won the NL pennant and Wills appeared in all 6 games of the World Series against the White Sox, performing well defensively while batting .250 in his first taste of postseason action. With Zimmer traded to the Cubs in 1960, Wills established himself at shortstop and, turned loose on the basepaths, he stole a league-leading 50 bases, the most in the senior circuit since 1923, while hitting .295 with a .342 OBP, and performing exceptionally in the field. In 1961, he was an All-Star for the first time, although his batting average dipped slightly to .282 and his reduced stolen base total of 35 was enough to again top the National League. He also received his first Gold Glove for his play at shortstop.

1962 Season Summary

Appeared in 165 games

SS – 165

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 759 [1]

At Bats – 695 [1]

Runs – 130 [2, tied with Willie Mays]

Hits – 208 [2, tied with Frank Robinson]

Doubles – 13

Triples – 10 [1, tied with Bill Virdon, Johnny Callison & Willie Davis]

Home Runs – 6

RBI – 48

Bases on Balls – 51

Int. BB – 1

Strikeouts – 57

Stolen Bases – 104 [1]

Caught Stealing – 13 [1, tied with Bill Virdon]

Average - .299 [15]

OBP - .347

Slugging Pct. - .373

Total Bases – 259 [20]

GDP – 7

Hit by Pitches – 2

Sac Hits – 7 [20, tied with nine others]

Sac Flies – 4

League-leading plate appearances were +36 ahead of runner-up Dick Groat

League-leading at bats were +17 ahead of runner-up Dick Groat

League-leading stolen bases were +72 ahead of runner-up Willie Davis

Midseason snapshot: 3B – 6, HR - 2, RBI - 29, SB – 46, AVG - .281, OBP - .329

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Most hits, game – 4 on five occasions

Longest hitting streak – 19 games

HR at home – 0

HR on road – 6

Most home runs, game – 2 (in 6 AB) at NY Mets 5/30

Multi-HR games – 1

Most RBIs, game – 4 vs. Houston 5/15

Pinch-hitting – No appearances

Fielding

Chances – 824

Put Outs – 295

Assists – 493

Errors – 36

DP – 86

Pct. - .956 

Awards & Honors:

NL MVP: BBWAA

MLB Player of the Year: Sporting News

Gold Glove

All-Star

Top 5 in NL MVP Voting:

Maury Wills, LAD: 209 points - 8 of 20 first place votes, 75% share

Willie Mays, SF: 202 points – 7 first place votes, 72% share

Tommy Davis, LAD: 175 points – 3 first place votes, 63% share

Frank Robinson, Cin.: 164 points – 2 first place votes, 59% share

Don Drysdale, LAD: 85 points – 30% share

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The Dodgers went 101-61 to finish tied for first in the NL with the San Francisco Giants, which necessitated a season-extending best-of-3 playoff. The teams split the first two contests, but the Giants won the deciding game. LA finished second in the NL with a final record of 102-63 while leading the league in triples (65, tied with Pittsburgh) and stolen bases (198). In their first season in Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers were in first place in September despite the loss of LHP Sandy Koufax with an index finger injury. They slumped badly, going 1-6 to close out the schedule while the Giants finished at 5-2 to catch LA and force the climactic playoff. Wills passed Ty Cobb’s 1915 major league record total of 96 stolen bases in a season in his 156^th game.

Aftermath of 1962:

Wills followed up with another All-Star season in 1963, although his stolen base total dropped to 40 (which was again a league-leading total) as injuries sidelined him for 28 games. He also batted .302 with a .355 OBP and remained proficient defensively, although he played in 33 games at third base in addition to his regular duty at shortstop. The Dodgers won the NL pennant and swept the Yankees in the World Series in which Wills hit .133 with one stolen base. LA slumped in 1964 and Wills hit .275 with a .318 OBP and again topped the circuit with 53 stolen bases. The club rebounded in 1965 and Wills batted .286 with a .330 OBP and stole 94 bases, his sixth consecutive league-leading season total. He scored the winning run for the Dodgers 19 times (among his total of 92 runs scored) and placed third in league MVP voting. In the field he led NL shortstops with 535 assists. In the seven-game World Series victory over the Minnesota Twins, Wills hit .367 with 3 stolen bases (although he was caught stealing twice). With catchers and pitchers catching up to Wills’ base stealing style, his total dropped to 38 in 1966, and he was caught stealing 24 times. He hit .273 with a .314 OBP as well. In the offseason, Wills was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for third baseman Bob Bailey and shortstop prospect Gene Michael. Wills had drawn the ire of owner Walter O’Malley for quitting an exhibition tour of Japan and had run afoul of the front office several seasons earlier due to his affair with actress Doris Day. Pittsburgh had contended in 1966 and felt Wills would provide the necessary spark to rise to the top of the National League. Already having a top defensive shortstop in Gene Alley, the Pirates shifted Wills to third base. He batted .302 in 1967 with a .334 OBP, 186 hits, and 29 stolen bases. His performance at third base was outstanding, and his enthusiasm was appreciated, but his presence failed to lead Pittsburgh to a title. The team finished in sixth. The Pirates placed sixth again in 1968 and Wills batted .278 with a .326 OBP and 52 stolen bases. In the 1969 expansion draft, Wills was taken by the Montreal Expos who returned him to shortstop. After 47 games with the Expos, and hitting just .222 with 15 stolen bases, Wills was dealt back to the Dodgers to fill their need at shortstop, where he performed very well. He batted .297 with a .356 OBP the rest of the way and stole 24 bases, to give him a combined total of 40 for the season. Wills continued to play well in 1970, hitting .270 and stealing 28 bases. In 1971, the 38-year-old shortstop performed well down the stretch and finished at .281 with a .323 OBP and 15 stolen bases. He placed sixth in league MVP balloting. Wills started off poorly at the plate in 1972 and he gave way to young Bill Russell at shortstop. He ended up appearing in only 71 games and batted .129. Released by the Dodgers after the season, he retired to become a broadcaster. For his major league career, Wills batted .281 with 2134 hits that included 177 doubles, 71 triples, and 20 home runs. He scored 1067 runs and further compiled 458 RBIs, 586 stolen bases, and a .330 OBP. With the Dodgers his totals were .281 with 1732 hits, 876 runs scored, 150 doubles, 56 triples, 17 home runs, 374 RBIs, 490 stolen bases, and a .331 OBP. Appearing in 21 World Series games, he hit .244 and stole 6 bases. In addition to leading the NL in stolen bases six times, Wills was a seven-time All-Star and received two Gold Gloves for his defensive prowess. He later managed the Seattle Mariners with poor results, producing a 26-56 record until his firing. He overcame years of drug and alcohol abuse in the early 1980s and served as a spring training instructor for the Dodgers. Wills died in 2022 at the age of 89. His son Elliott “Bump” Wills was a major league second baseman, primarily with the Texas Rangers.

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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.

Cy Young Profile: Don Drysdale, 1962

Pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers

Age:  26 (July 23)

7^th season with Dodgers

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’5”    Weight: 190

Prior to 1962:

A native of Van Nuys, California, Drysdale originally played second base in high school until he took up pitching as a senior and posted a 10-1 record. Signed by the then-Brooklyn Dodgers to a $4000 bonus contract, he was initially assigned to Bakersfield of the Class C California League where he went 8-5 with a 3.46 ERA and 73 strikeouts over 112 innings pitched. Drysdale advanced to Montreal of the Class AAA International League in 1955 but, hindered by a hand injury, he broke even at 11-11 with a 3.33 ERA. With his good fastball and with the Dodgers short on pitching, he joined the parent club in 1956. Utilized as a reliever and spot starter during his rookie year, Drysdale appeared in 25 games and compiled a 5-5 record with a 2.64 ERA. Moved into the starting rotation, he broke out in 1957 with a 17-9 tally and a 2.69 ERA with 148 strikeouts. With his fine fastball, curve, slider, and change-up, “Big D” was also an intimidating pitcher who quickly established a reputation for throwing inside and hitting batters. The Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958 and, playing home games at the Memorial Coliseum, a football venue reconfigured for baseball, proved difficult for the pitching staff. Drysdale dropped to 12-13 with a 4.17 ERA and 131 strikeouts. 1959 was a better year for the Dodgers, who won the NL pennant. Drysdale contributed a 17-13 record with a 3.46 ERA and league-leading 242 strikeouts and 4 shutouts and was an All-Star for the first time. He also started and won a game in the World Series victory over the White Sox. Drysdale led the NL in strikeouts again in 1960 with 246 to go along with a 15-14 record and 2.84 ERA. By 1961 hard-throwing LHP Sandy Koufax had emerged as a star in his own right and would combine with Drysdale to create a formidable tandem. During the ’61 season, the fourth straight in which he led the NL in hit batters, he was suspended for five games for throwing at batters. He finished with 20 hit batters to go with his record of 13-10 with a 3.69 ERA and 182 strikeouts for the second place Dodgers.

1962 Season Summary

Appeared in 43 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 43 [20, tied with four others]

Games Started – 41 [1]

Complete Games – 19 [4]

Wins – 25 [1]

Losses – 9

PCT - .735 [3]

Saves – 1

Shutouts – 2 [10, tied with fourteen others]

Innings Pitched – 314.1 [1]

Hits – 272 [3]

Runs – 122 [7]

Earned Runs – 99 [13]

Home Runs – 21 [17, tied with Dick Farrell & Vern Law]

Bases on Balls – 78 [14, tied with Al Jackson]

Strikeouts – 232 [1]

ERA – 2.83 [4]

Hit Batters – 11 [5]

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 8 [14, tied with seven others]

League-leading games started were +1 ahead of runner-up Johnny Podres

League-leading wins were +1 ahead of runner-up Jack Sanford

League-leading innings pitched were +26 ahead of runner-up Bob Purkey

League-leading strikeouts were +16 ahead of runner-up Sandy Koufax

Most strikeouts, game – 13 (in 9 IP) vs. NY Mets 7/1

10+ strikeout games – 2

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 3 (in 9 IP) at Houston 5/10, at Cincinnati 8/19, (in 8 IP) vs. Chi. Cubs 9/10, (in 7 IP) at Cincinnati 7/18

Batting

PA – 126, AB – 111, R – 9, H – 22, 2B – 4, 3B – 1, HR – 0, RBI – 14, BB – 5, SO – 29, SB – 0, CS – 1, AVG - .198, GDP – 4, HBP – 2, SH – 8, SF – 0

Fielding

Chances – 77

Put Outs – 10

Assists – 60

Errors – 7

DP – 5

Pct. - .909

Awards & Honors:

MLB Cy Young Award: BBWAA

MLB Player of the Year: Sporting News (co-winner with teammate Maury Wills)

NL Pitcher of the Year: Sporting News

All-Star (starting P for NL in first game)

5^th in NL MVP voting (85 points, 30% share)

MLB Cy Young voting:

Don Drysdale, LAD: 14 of 20 votes, 70% share

Jack Sanford, SF: 4 votes, 20% share

Billy Pierce, SF: 1 vote, 5% share

Bob Purkey, Cin.: 1 vote, 5% share

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Dodgers went 101-61 to finish tied for first in the NL with the San Francisco Giants, which necessitated a season-extending best-of-3 playoff. The teams split the first two contests, but the Giants won the deciding game. LA finished second in the NL with a final record of 102-63. The pitching staff led the league in strikeouts (1104) and fewest hits allowed (1386). In their first season in Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers were in first place in September despite the loss of LHP Sandy Koufax with an index finger injury. They slumped badly, going 1-6 to close out the schedule while the Giants finished at 5-2 to catch LA and force the climactic playoff.

Aftermath of ‘62:

The Dodgers won the NL pennant in 1963 and Drysdale contributed a 19-17 record with a 2.63 ERA and 251 strikeouts, adding another win in the World Series sweep of the Yankees. “Airedale” had another strong season in 1964, going 18-16 with a 2.18 ERA and 237 strikeouts while the Dodgers fell to sixth place. But the club returned to the top of the NL in 1965 as Drysdale and Koufax won 49 games between them. Drysdale was 23-12 with a 2.77 ERA and 210 strikeouts. He went 1-1 in the World Series triumph against Minnesota. Always a good hitting pitcher, he batted .300 during the ’65 season with 7 home runs and 19 RBIs. Following a joint holdout with Koufax during spring training in 1966, Drysdale slipped to 13-16 with a 3.42 ERA and 177 strikeouts, although he dropped under 300 innings for the first time since 1961. The Dodgers won the NL pennant once more and Drysdale lost twice in the World Series sweep to Baltimore. Koufax retired after the season and “Big D” was 13-16 again in 1967 with a 2.74 ERA and 196 strikeouts while pitching 282 innings. The Dodgers dropped to eighth with a 73-89 mark. In 1968 Drysdale set a then-major league record by pitching 58.2 consecutive scoreless innings on his way to a 14-12 record with a 2.15 ERA, 8 shutouts, and 155 strikeouts. A torn rotator cuff finished Drysdale’s career after 12 starts in 1969. For his major league career, spent entirely with the Dodgers, he compiled a 209-166 record with a 2.95 ERA and 2486 strikeouts over 3432 innings. He pitched 167 complete games and 49 shutouts. Furthermore, he led the NL in hit batters a total of five times and his career total was 154. He was also 3-3 in World Series action with a 2.95 ERA and 36 strikeouts over the course of 39.2 innings. As a batter he hit a total of 29 career home runs. An eight-time All-Star, the Dodgers retired his #53 and he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984. Drysdale moved to the broadcast booth after his playing career, where he remained until his death by a heart attack in 1993.

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Cy Young Profiles feature pitchers who were recipients of the Cy Young Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1956 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1966 and from 1967 on to one recipient from each major league.