One Of Baseball's All Time Greats Died Today
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
In 2005, when Frank Robinson was in his first year as manager of the Washington Nationals, a young player casually asked his 70-year-old skipper if he ever played in the majors.
That moment perfectly sums up why Robinson – a first-ballot Hall of Famer and slugger of 586 career home runs – may have been one of the most underrated great players in baseball history.
Playing in the same era as Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, Robinson didn't quite have the homers totals the other superstars did – and he didn't spend his entire career with one franchise.
But when he retired in 1976, he ranked fourth on the all-time home run list, behind only Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714) and Mays (660).
For the benefit of that unnamed Nationals player – and the rest of the baseball world – here are five more reasons Frank Robinson, who died Thursday at the age of 83, was unique in his own right.
5) He is the only player ever to win MVP awards in both the National and the American League.
The ultimate honor every season is the Most Valuable Player award. Robinson won it in 1961 as a member of the Cincinnati Reds when he hit .323 with 37 homers and 124 RBI.
After turning 30 in 1965, the Reds determined Robinson was on the downside of his career, so they traded him to the Baltimore that offseason.
Robinson made them pay for that mistake by having the best season of his Hall of Fame career in leading the Orioles to 97 wins and a World Series title. He was a unanimous choice for his second MVP.
4) He won the American League Triple Crown in 1966.
Robinson could hit for average and he could hit for power. In that MVP season with the Orioles, he posted a .316 average, hit a career-high 49 home runs and drove in 122 runs.
In the 52 seasons since, only two other players (Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 and Miguel Cabrera in 2012) have led their league in all three categories.
But the numbers don't quite tell the whole story. The 1960s were dominated by great pitching so the best hitters stood out even more. Four times during the decade, Robinson led the league in OPS+, which adjusts for era and ballpark.
In 1966, he had an OPS+ of 198, meaning he was almost twice as productive as the average player. His career OPS+ was 154.
3) He was one of the game's most intense competitors.
In the right-hand batter's box, Robinson stood close to the plate – almost daring pitchers to throw inside. They did, but he didn't back down.
Robinson led the league in being hit by pitches seven different times in his 21 MLB seasons.
When the stakes were highest, Robinson was at his best. He had 10 home runs and a slugging percentage of .532 in 35 career postseason games. He was MVP of the 1966 World Series as the Orioles swept the Los Angeles Dodgers.
As a manager, Robinson didn't tolerate players who disrespected the game.
In 1990 with the Baltimore Orioles, he ejected one of his own players – removing catcher Mickey Tettleton for continuing to argue with the home plate umpire between innings.
And during a pitching change in 2005 with the Washington Nationals, reliever Tomo Ohka tossed the ball to Robinson as he was exiting the game. The skipper called his pitcher back to the mound so he could hand over the ball properly. Ohka never pitched another game for the Nationals and was traded less than a week later.
2) He had his uniform number retired by three different major league teams.
Unlike Aaron with the Braves and Mays with the Giants, Robinson was not identified with a single franchise. He played 10 seasons in Cincinnati, winning the NL Rookie of the Year award, an MVP, a Gold Glove and appearing in seven All-Star Games.
In his six years in Baltimore, Robinson was an All-Star five times and was in the top three in MVP voting three times. Those Orioles teams won four AL pennants and one World Series with him.
And in the final two seasons of his playing career, he also served as manager of the Cleveland Indians.
All three teams have erected statues in his honor.
1) He was the first African-American to manage an MLB team.
Being a player-manager wasn't the only significant thing about Robinson piloting those Indians clubs.
Perhaps his greatest legacy in baseball was paving the way for a generation of black and Latino managers to follow in his footsteps.
In his managerial debut in 1975, Robinson – still a competitor at age 39 – wrote his own name on the opening day lineup card against the New York Yankees, hitting second.
And in true Robinson fashion, in his first at-bat as player-manager of the Indians ... he hit a home run.
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He did not play in a major market for most of his career which made him seem a little lesser than Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays, but that was not really the case.
Great player and a trailblazer in MLB.
I lived in Baltimore in the '60s. Frank Robinson was a great player.
(Terrance Mann, acted by James Earl Jones in Field of Dreams)
@ John
George Harrison wrote, "All things must pass", even Trump, but Harrison was wrong when it comes to baseball.
I saw him play for the Orioles several times. The Orioles were good back then
He was an awesome player.
freaking killed my Dodgers in 66.
I never forgave him for that, but would have had he ever become a Dodger.
Frank ya killed me in 66....But you were great, there is no question about that. Just wish you were playing for my Dodgers.
RIP to one of the GOATS
Thanks for the memories Frank!
Another good obit: Smithsonian Curator Weighs in on Legacy of Frank Robinson, Barrier-Breaking Baseball Great
It sure was.