Third Baseman, Atlanta
Braves
Age: 30
1st season
with Braves
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’0” Weight: 165
Prior to 1967:
A Missouri
native, Boyer was one of 14 children (two of his brothers, Cloyd and Ken, also
played major league baseball). A two-sport standout in high school, basketball
as well as baseball, he was signed by the Kansas City Athletics in 1955 for a
$35,000 bonus, which at that time meant that he had to spend two seasons on the
major league roster or the A’s would lose their rights to him. In 1955 the 18-year-old
“bonus baby” split time at shortstop and third base and over 47 games with the newly-relocated
and rebuilding club batted .241 with a .268 on-base percentage and 6 RBIs. Seeing
more action in 1956, primarily at second base, Boyer hit a meager .217 with 5
extra-base hits, 4 RBIs, and a .284 OBP. Boyer started the 1957 season with the
Athletics as he wrapped up his two-year apprenticeship, but they dealt him to
the Yankees in June as part of a 13-player trade. The Yankees sent him to
Binghamton of the Class A Eastern League where he batted .243 with 15 doubles,
12 home runs, 48 RBIs, and a .340 OBP. Promoted to Richmond of the Class AAA
International League in 1958, he played shortstop and hit .284 with 25 doubles,
7 triples, 22 home runs, 71 RBIs, a .353 OBP, and a .494 slugging percentage, as
he began to display more of his power potential. After starting the 1959 season
with the Yankees, Boyer found himself seeing little action at shortstop behind
Tony Kubek and was sent down to Richmond in June where he appeared in 64 games
and batted .224 with 12 home runs, 36 RBIs, and a .301 OBP. He returned to the
Yankees in August and played 16 games at third base for the year with the Yanks
as well as 26 games at short and hit .175 with no homers. Boyer took over at
third base in 1960 as the Yankees returned to the top of the American League
and he batted .242 with 20 doubles, 14 home runs, 46 RBIs, a .285 OBP, and a
.405 slugging percentage. In the seven-game World Series loss to Pittsburgh, he
appeared in four games and managed three hits and a RBI. Boyer developed into a
slick defensive third baseman, helped by his good throwing arm. In 1961 the
Yankees were even better in cruising to another pennant while his batting
production dropped to .224 with 19 doubles, 11 home runs, 55 RBIs, and a .308
OBP. In the hard-hitting Yankee lineup he was typically placed low in the
batting order, which would be the trend throughout his tenure with the club. In
the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, he put on a fine defensive
display in the opening game, Fielding a one-hopper in the second inning, he
threw out the runner while on his knees. He did likewise later in the game on a
grounder between shortstop and third, earning plaudits for his performance. The
Yankees won in five games and Boyer’s defense drew praise throughout. He
remained a defensive standout in 1963, leading AL third basemen in putouts
(187), assists (353), and double plays (41). He also batted .272 with 24
doubles, 18 home runs, 68 RBIs, a .331 OBP, and a .413 slugging percentage. Improved
patience at the plate played a role in his batting improvement and in the
seven-game World Series victory over the San Francisco Giants he hit .318 with
a home run and 4 RBIs. The injury-riddled Yankees were again pennant-winners in
1963 and Boyer remained consistent in the field although his batting production
dropped to .251 with 20 doubles, 12 home runs, 54 RBIs, and a .295 OBP. His bat
was a non-factor in the World Series in which the Dodgers swept the Yanks in
four games. The Yankees narrowly won a fifth straight pennant in 1964 and
Boyer’s fielding continued to overshadow his batting as he hit .218 with 10
doubles, 5 triples, 8 home runs, 52 RBIs, and a .269 OBP. In the World Series
against the St. Louis Cardinals, he was matched up against his brother Ken. The
Cardinals won in seven games and the Yankees entered a period of decline in
1965, ending up with a losing record for the first time since 1925. Boyer
remained a stalwart presence in the field, leading AL third basemen in assists
(354) and double plays (46). His batting was respectable at .251 with 23
doubles, 6 triples, 18 home runs, 58 RBIs, a .304 OBP, and a .424 slugging
percentage. The club finished in the AL cellar in 1966 and Boyer hit .240 with 22
doubles, 14 home runs, 57 RBIs, and a .303 OBP. As part of an offseason
housecleaning, he was traded to the Braves for two players. He became the
replacement for longtime third base standout Eddie Mathews.
1967 Season Summary
Appeared in 154
games
3B – 150, SS – 6, PH – 2
[Bracketed
numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 619 [19]
At Bats – 572 [18]
Runs – 63
Hits – 140
Doubles – 18
Triples – 3
Home Runs – 26
[7, tied with Tony Perez]
RBI – 96 [8]
Bases on Balls
– 39
Int. BB – 3
Strikeouts – 81
Stolen Bases – 6
Caught Stealing
– 3
Average - .245
OBP - .292
Slugging Pct. -
.423
Total Bases – 242
[17]
GDP – 14 [17,
tied with five others]
Hit by Pitches
– 2
Sac Hits – 0
Sac Flies – 6 [7,
tied with five others]
Midseason
snapshot: 2B – 10, HR - 10, RBI - 49, AVG - .243, OBP – .289
.289
---
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 4 AB) at Philadelphia 5/9
Longest hitting
streak – 7 games
HR at home – 10
HR on road – 16
Most home runs,
game – 2 (in 5 AB) at Chi. Cubs 8/3
Multi-HR games
– 1
Most RBIs, game
– 4 at Philadelphia 6/14, vs. NY Mets 6/25, vs. Pittsburgh 8/29
Pinch-hitting –
0 for 2 (.000)
Fielding
Chances – 471
Put Outs – 166
Assists – 291
Errors – 14
DP – 30
Pct. - .970
Awards & Honors:
21st
in NL MVP voting (6 points – 2% share)
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The Braves went
77-85 to finish seventh in the NL, 24.5 games behind the pennant-winning St.
Louis Cardinals while leading the league in home runs (158). The Braves, facing
problems defensively (apart from Boyer), a lack of team speed, and hindered by
injuries, were mired in mediocrity during the season’s first half until a 7-2
stretch in July pulled them into contention, just 3.5 games behind the
Cardinals. A three-game series sweep by the Cardinals in Atlanta delivered a
blow from which the Braves could not recover.
After 1967:
Hand injuries suffered due to being hit by pitches by Juan Marichal of the Giants and Don Drysdale of the Dodgers limited Boyer to 71 games in 1968 and his batting production dropped to .227 with 4 home runs, 17 RBIs, and a .275 OBP. Healthy in 1969, Boyer overcame a dreadful early-season slump to bat .250 with 16 doubles, 14 home runs, 57 RBIs, and a .328 OBP. Along with his Golf Glove defense, he contributed to the Braves finishing first in the new NL West in the initial year of divisional play in major league baseball. Atlanta lost the NLCS to the New York Mets in a three-game sweep and Boyer’s bat did nothing to help the club’s cause. The Braves dropped in the standings in 1970 and Boyer hit .246 with 14 doubles, 16 home runs, 62 RBIs, and a .305 OBP. During 1971, Boyer became embroiled in controversy that resulted in the end of his major league playing career. After starting the season as Atlanta’s regular third baseman, a salary dispute with Braves general manager Paul Richards escalated due to Boyer’s public comments in the press against Richards and manager Luman Harris, who had imposed a curfew that drew the objection of Boyer, who had a reputation for carousing. The controversy led to his buying his release from the club for $10,000 in late May. Boyer filed a grievance against the Braves and Commissioner Kuhn ordered the team to return the money. He also fined Boyer $1000 for betting on football and basketball games. Unable to catch on with another major league club, and believing he was being blackballed, he finished out the season with the Hawaii Islanders of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League and moved on to the Taiyo Whales in Japan from 1972 to ’75 where he batted .257 with 51 doubles, 71 home runs, 218 RBIs, a .300 OBP, and a .437 slugging percentage. For his major league career, Boyer batted .242 with 1396 hits that included 200 doubles, 33 triples, and 162 home runs. He scored 645 runs and compiled 654 RBIs, a .299 OBP, and a .372 slugging percentage. With the Braves he batted .244 and scored 193 runs with 467 hits, 56 doubles, 7 triples, 66 home runs, 251 RBIs, a .303 OBP, and a .384 slugging percentage. Appearing in 30 postseason games, Boyer hit .221 with 6 doubles, 2 home runs, and 14 RBIs. Despite his years of defensive wizardry, he received only one Gold Glove for his play at third base, which was with the Braves in 1969. During his years with the Yankees, he was blocked from the AL Gold Glove by Baltimore’s Brooks Robinson whose assessment of Boyer was “in terms of catching the ball and throwing, Clete Boyer was the best defensive third baseman I ever played against.”. Following his playing career, Boyer was a coach with the Oakland Athletics from 1980-85 and with the Yankees from 1992-94. He also worked as a roving minor league instructor for the Yankees. With a summer home in Cooperstown, New York, he operated a restaurant called Clete Boyer’s Hamburger Hall of Fame. Boyer died in 2007 at age 70.
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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.