Willie McCovey
1938-2018
Here's one of the ways I evaluate a great ball player. I ask myself, "If my team - the Pirates - were in a tight ballgame, tied or holding a one run lead late in the game, who would I least like to see coming to the plate against them in such a situation?" Willie McCovey of the San Francisco Giants of the 1960's and 1970's ranks high, very high, on such a list. He died yesterday at the age of 80, and all those thoughts came back to mind with vivid clarity.
The numbers and accomplishments speak for themselves. Twenty-two seasons, 19 of them with the Giants, .270 lifetime BA, 521 home runs (I might whimsically add that it seemed like about 400 of them came against the Pirates), 1,555 runs batted in. His OPS was over .900 in eleven different seasons, and in three of those seasons it was over 1.000. A six time all-star, Rookie of the Year in 1959 and MVP in 1969. He hit 30 or more home runs in a season seven times. His lifetime production pro-rated per 162 games: .270 BA, 33 HR, 97 RBI, .889 OPS. Could I interest you in that?
The numbers are one thing. It was actually seeing McCovey that really put the fear of God into you. He was big, 6'4" and 200 pounds - there was a reason he was called "Stretch" - and it seemed like he could hit a ball farther and harder than anybody. To use a word that is overused these days, Willie McCovey was just awesome.
His election to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986 was a no-brainer if ever there was one.
RIP Willie McCovey.
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