Thursday, January 21, 2016

TRADED: 1977 BILL MADLOCK

Quick: who is the only eligible player in Major League history to win four batting titles and NOT be in the Hall of Fame?
Yep, it’s today’s “Traded” player, Bill Madlock.
As I was putting today’s post together it dawned on me that no other player won as many titles without getting into Cooperstown. Crazy huh?
Anyway, here’s the card:


Madlock was coming off of TWO straight National League batting titles in 1977 when he was traded to the San Francisco Giants in a multi-player deal, with Chicago landing Bobby Murcer among others.
The “Mad Dog” didn’t disappoint, as he’d put in two solid seasons of .300+ averages with some pop before he was shipped off to Pittsburgh in the middle of the 1979 season.
He would go on to put together a very nice 15-year career between 1973 and 1987, but apparently not quite Hall material, finishing with a .305 average with 2008 hits, 920 runs scored and 860 runs batted in with 163 homers and 174 stolen bases.
Just one of those historical quirks that has him as a four-time batting champ, but not really one of the all-time greats.

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