Rookie of the Year: Chris Chambliss, 1971

First Baseman, Cleveland Indians

Age:  22

Bats – Left, Throws – Right

Height: 6’1”    Weight: 195

Prior to 1971:

The son of a Navy chaplain, Chambliss was born in Dayton, Ohio, but frequent relocations had him going to high school in Oceanside, California, where he played shortstop and first base on the baseball team. Drafted by Cincinnati in both 1967 and ’68 he declined to sign and instead enrolled at UCLA where, in 1969, he produced 15 home runs and 45 RBIs. In the summer he played for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots team that won the National Baseball Congress championship. The Indians selected Chambliss in the first round of the 1970 amateur draft and this time he signed and was assigned to the Wichita Aeros of the Class AAA American Association where he hit a league-leading .342 with 17 doubles, 8 triples, 7 home runs, and 52 RBIs in 105 games. He was not given a late call-up to the Indians due to a military reserve commitment. He started the 1971 season back with Wichita in order to learn to play in the outfield although he was hindered by a leg injury. Called up to the Indians in May, he took over at first base for floundering veteran Ken Harrelson, who retired. 

1971 Season Summary

Appeared in 111 games

1B – 108, PH – 3

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 458

At Bats – 415

Runs – 49

Hits – 114

Doubles – 20

Triples – 4 [18, tied with fourteen others]

Home Runs – 9

RBI – 48

Bases on Balls – 40

Int. BB – 1

Strikeouts – 83 [17, tied with Dick Green]

Stolen Bases – 2

Caught Stealing – 0

Average - .275

OBP - .341

Slugging Pct. - .407

Total Bases – 169

GDP – 9

Hit by Pitches – 2

Sac Hits – 2

Sac Flies – 0

Midseason snapshot: HR – 4, RBI - 28, AVG - .305, OBP - .383

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Most hits, game – 3 (in 5 AB) vs. Detroit 6/17, (in 3 AB) vs. Detroit 6/20, (in 4 AB) vs. Minnesota 8/29, (in 4 AB) vs. Detroit 9/28

Longest hitting streak – 8 games

Most HR, game – 1 on nine occasions

HR at home – 5

HR on road – 4

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 4 vs. Detroit 6/18

Pinch-hitting – 0 of 3 (.000) with 1 RBI

Fielding

Chances – 1006

Put Outs – 943

Assists – 55

Errors – 8

DP – 85

Pct. - .992

Awards & Honors:

AL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

AL ROY Voting:

Chris Chambliss, Clev.: 11 of 24 votes, 46% share

Bill Parsons, Mil.: 5 votes, 21% share

Angel Mangual, Oak.: 4 votes, 17% share

Doug Griffin, Bos.: 3 votes, 13% share

Paul Splittorff, KC: 1 vote, 4% share

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Indians went 60-102 to finish sixth in the AL Eastern Division, 43 games behind the division-winning Baltimore Orioles.

Aftermath of ‘71:

Chambliss pulled a hamstring early in the 1972 season and missed a month before coming back and a strong second half finish allowed him to produce a .292 average with 27 doubles, 6 home runs, and 44 RBIs. In 1973 he overcame an early slump to bat .273 with 30 doubles, 11 home runs, and 53 RBIs. Early in the 1974 season Chambliss was traded to the New York Yankees as part of a seven-player deal that most notably sent four pitchers, including LHP Fritz Peterson, to Cleveland. For the year Chambliss hit .255 with 20 doubles, 6 home runs, and 50 RBIs. In 1975 he batted .304 with 38 doubles, 4 triples, 9 home runs, and 72 RBIs. He also performed ably at first base. In 1976 the Yankees won the AL East and Chambliss contributed 32 doubles, 6 triples, 17 home runs, 96 RBIs, and a .293 batting average. He was also an All-Star and finished fifth in AL MVP voting, tied with Minnesota’s Rod Carew. In the postseason, his walk-off home run in the ninth inning of the decisive fifth game of the ALCS vs. the Kansas City Royals sent the Yanks to the World Series for the first time in 12 years, where they were swept by Cincinnati. A classy player and disciplined hitter, Chambliss hit .287 in 1977 with 17 home runs and 90 RBIs as the Yankees repeated as AL champions and went on to defeat the Dodgers in the World Series. 1978 was a more tumultuous season for the team, which required a season-extending one-game playoff to surpass the Red Sox for the AL East title, before going on to win another league pennant and the ensuing World Series. The steady Chambliss hit .274 with 12 home runs and 90 RBIs and was even awarded a Gold Glove for his play in the field, but a broken hand cost him three World Series games. He spent one more season with the Yankees in 1979, batting .280 with 18 home runs and 63 RBIs. In the offseason he was traded to Toronto with two other plays, primarily to obtain catcher Rick Cerone and LHP Tom Underwood. A month later the Blue Jays sent him to the Atlanta Braves as part of a four-player deal. The perennially losing Braves rose to fourth place in the NL West and Chambliss contributed 37 doubles, 18 home runs, 72 RBIs, and a .282 batting average. He re-signed with the Braves for another five years and hit .272 in the strike-interrupted 1981 season, while committing only four errors at first base. Atlanta topped the NL West in 1982 and Chambliss contributed a career-high 20 home runs, 86 RBIs, and a .270 average. The Braves contended again in 1983 until they collapsed down the stretch, a period in which Chambliss was disabled by a rib cage injury. He still hit 20 home runs again, with 78 RBIs and a .280 average. Chambliss spent three more seasons with Atlanta and faced competition from Gerald Perry at first base. He retired following the 1986 season. After having gone into coaching, Chambliss was briefly activated by the Yankees in 1988 but struck out in his lone at bat. Overall for his major league career he batted .279 with 2109 hits that included 392 doubles, 42 triples, and 185 home runs. He also drove in 972 runs. With Cleveland he batted .282 with 428 hits that included 81 doubles, 8 triples, and 26 home runs and he also compiled 152 RBIs. Playing in 30 postseason games he hit .281 with 3 home runs and 15 RBIs. Chambliss was a one-time All-Star and also received one Gold Glove. Following his playing career he went on to become a long-time coach with several teams and also a minor league manager. In 1991 he was named Minor League Manager of the Year by The Sporting News for his work with the Greenville Braves of the Class AA Southern League.

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major league. 

MVP & Cy Young Profile: Vida Blue, 1971

Pitcher, Oakland Athletics

Age:  22 (July 28)

2^nd season with Athletics

Bats – Both, Throws – Left

Height: 6’0”    Weight: 189

Prior to 1971:

A native of Mansfield, Louisiana, Blue was a talented if erratic pitcher at De Soto High School, where he once struck out 21 batters in a seven-inning game that he ended up losing due to issuing 10 walks as well. An excellent athlete who also excelled as a quarterback on the football team, he was drafted by the then-Kansas City Athletics in the 1967 amateur draft and signed a two-year contract that paid $25,000. He appeared in 9 games in the Arizona Instructional League in ’67 and compiled a 1-1 record and 2.65 ERA with 26 strikeouts and 22 walks in 34 innings pitched. Blue moved on to the Burlington Bees of the Class A Midwest League in 1968 and recorded 17 strikeouts in his first start on the way to an 8-11 record with a 2.49 ERA, 231 strikeouts, and 80 walks over the course of 152 innings pitched. He also pitched a seven-inning no-hitter as well. Blue improved his control during the season and developed a curveball in addition to his outstanding fastball. He advanced to Birmingham of the Class AA Southern League in 1969 where in 15 games he went 10-3 with a 3.20 ERA and 112 strikeouts with 52 walks. He was rushed up to the now Oakland A’s in July where he started four games before being relegated to the bullpen. With Oakland he produced a 1-1 record with a 6.64 ERA and 24 strikeouts and 18 walks over the course of 42 innings. He was sent to Iowa of the Class AAA American Association for further seasoning in 1970. While he missed time due to injury at midseason, Blue posted a 12-3 record with a 2.17 ERA and 165 strikeouts. Receiving a September call-up to the A’s, Blue started six games, pitched a one-hitter against the Royals and a no-hitter vs. the Minnesota Twins in which he issued only one walk. Altogether with Oakland he was 2-0 with a 2.09 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 38.2 innings pitched. He thus earned a spot in Oakland’s pitching rotation for the 1971 season.     

1971 Season Summary

Appeared in 39 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 39

Games Started – 39 [3, tied with Tom Bradley & Jim Perry]

Complete Games – 24 [2]

Wins – 24 [2]

Losses – 8

PCT - .750 [2, tied with Chuck Dobson]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 8 [1]

Innings Pitched – 312 [3]

Hits – 209

Runs – 73

Earned Runs – 63

Home Runs – 19

Bases on Balls – 88 [12]

Strikeouts – 301 [2]

ERA – 1.82 [1]

Hit Batters – 4

Balks – 1 [10, tied with 24 others]

Wild Pitches – 10 [5, tied with Pete Broberg & Tommy John]

League-leading shutouts were +1 ahead of runners-up Wilbur Wood & Mel Stottlemyre

League-leading ERA was -0.09 lower than runner-up Wilbur Wood

Midseason Snapshot: 17-3, ERA - 1.42, SO – 188 in 184.1 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 17 (in 11 IP) vs. California 7/9

10+ strikeout games – 11

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 1 (in 9 IP) vs. Detroit 7/16

Batting

PA – 121, AB – 102, R – 6, H – 12, 2B – 1, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 2, BB – 4, SO – 63, SB – 0, CS – 1, AVG - .118, GDP – 0, HBP – 2, SH – 13, SF – 0

Fielding

Chances – 39

Put Outs – 15

Assists – 24

Errors – 0

DP – 0

Pct. - 1.000

Postseason Pitching:

G – 1 (ALCS vs. Baltimore)

GS – 1, CG – 0, Record – 0-1, PCT – .000, SV – 0, ShO – 0, IP – 7, H – 7, R – 5, ER – 5, HR – 0, BB – 2, SO – 8, ERA – 6.43, HB – 0, BLK – 0, WP – 0

Awards & Honors:

AL MVP: BBWAA

AL Cy Young Award: BBWAA

AL Pitcher of the Year: Sporting News

All-Star (Starting P for AL)

Top 5 in AL MVP Voting:

Vida Blue, Oak. 268 pts. – 14 of 24 first place votes, 80% share

Sal Bando, Oak.: 182 pts. – 4 first place votes, 54% share

Frank Robinson, Balt.: 170 pts. – 2 first place votes, 51% share

Brooks Robinson, Balt.: 163 pts. – 3 first place votes, 49% share

Mickey Lolich, Det.: 155 pts. – 1 first place vote, 46% share

AL Cy Young voting:

Vida Blue, Oak.: 98 pts. – 14 of 24 first place votes, 82% share

Mickey Lolich, Det.: 85 pts. – 9 first place votes, 71% share

Wilbur Wood, ChiWS.: 23 pts. – 1 first place vote, 19% share

Dave McNally, Balt.: 8 pts., 7% share

Dick Drago, KC: 1 pt. – 1% share

Andy Messersmith, Cal.: 1 pt. – 1% share

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A’s  went 101-60 to finish first in the AL Western Division by 16 games over the Kansas City Royals. The pitching staff led the league in fewest hits allowed (1229). Lost ALCS to the Baltimore Orioles, 3 games to 0.

Aftermath of ‘71:

Blue, whose 1971 salary was $14,750 held out for a big raise from penurious owner Charlie Finley in 1972 and finally settled for $63,000 after missing the first month of the season. He was not in top condition upon his return and went 6-10 with a 2.80 ERA with 111 strikeouts in 151 innings pitched. Oakland topped the AL West and won the pennant and World Series with Blue’s postseason activity primarily coming from the bullpen. The A’s repeated in ’73 while Blue produced a 20-9 record with 158 strikeouts. As the A’s made it three straight titles in 1974, Blue compiled a 17-15 tally with 174 strikeouts and a 3.25 ERA. A fast-paced pitcher, Blue came to rely less on overpowering hitters as his career progressed. With the departure of RHP Jim “Catfish” Hunter following the ’74 season, he became the ace of the pitching staff for the A’s, who still managed to win the AL West in 1975 although they failed to advance to the World Series. Blue contributed a 22-11 record with a 3.01 ERA, 13 complete games, and 189 strikeouts, and was part of a combined no-hitter with three other pitchers in the season finale. During the 1976 season, owner Finley signed Blue to a four-year contract extension and then tried to sell him to the New York Yankees in a deal that was voided by commissioner Bowie Kuhn. He finished out the year with an 18-13 record for the declining A’s with a 2.35 ERA and 166 strikeouts. Unable to join the free agent exodus from Oakland, Blue had a 14-19 record with a 63-98 club in 1977 and was traded to the San Francisco Giants in ’78. He bounced back during an All-Star season with the Giants to produce an 18-10 record with a 2.79 ERA and 171 strikeouts. He was named NL Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News and placed third in NL Cy Young Award voting. San Francisco’s fortunes declined in 1979 and Blue dropped off to 14-14 with a 5.01 ERA. He rebounded in 1980 to 14-10 with a 2.97 ERA and in the strike interrupted 1981 season was 8-6 with an ERA of 2.45. Blue was traded to the Kansas City Royals just prior to the 1982 season and was 13-12 with a 3.78 ERA in 181 innings pitched. He struggled during a 1983 season in which he was relegated to the bullpen and implicated with three teammates in a drug scandal. After pleading guilty to cocaine possession he served time in prison. He was also suspended from baseball for a year by Commissioner Kuhn. Reinstated in 1985 Blue spent two mediocre seasons with the Giants, his last in major league baseball. Overall, Blue had a 209-161 major league record with 2175 strikeouts over 3343.1 innings pitched and a 3.27 ERA. With Oakland he was 124-86 with a 2.95 ERA and 1315 strikeouts over 1945.2 innings pitched. He was a six-time All-Star (three with Oakland).  

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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 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.