Frank Robinson
1935-2019
Baseball Hall of Fame member Frank Robinson died today at the age of 84. Robinson was a former National League Rookie of the Year, won MVP Awards in both the American and National Leagues, and is historical because he was the first African American to be named a manager in the major leagues (Cleveland, 1975).
I can remember once reading a story by Pittsburgh sports writer Bob Smizik, written in 1999 when various "All Century " lists were being complied, that said that whenever lists of all time great players are compiled, the name of Frank Robinson gets frequently overlooked, and that is an injustice. Can I interest you in these numbers compiled in a 21 year career....
Hits - 2,943
HR - 586
RBI - 1,812
BA - .303
OPS - .943
Prorated over a 162 game season, Robinson hit 34 home runs and drove in 105 runs per year.
When you were a contemporary of Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, maybe numbers like that do get overlooked, but they shouldn't have been. I know this - when I was watching that 1971 World Series, the one Baltimore Oriole batter that I least wanted to see at bat against the Pirates was Frank Robinson.
RIP Frank Robinson.
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