McCovey absolutely lit the baseball world on fire the rest of his abbreviated big league season, hitting .354 over 52 games with 13 home runs and 38 runs batted in along with nine doubles and five triples!
Granted when you’re put between two OTHER future Hall of Fame players in Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda the line up there’s bound to be some help, but McCovey proved to fit right alongside them, as well as anybody else you could try stacking him up against.
All he’d do is go on to play 22-years in the Majors, hitting 521 homers, slamming 18 grand slams, winning an MVP Award in 1969 and of course cop the Rookie of the Year Award back in ‘59.
The man truly was a BEAST, evidenced by his 85 intentional walks in 1969/1970 with opposing teams not even wanting to give him a chance to punish them with his bat.
Needless to say when his chance for Hall of Fame induction came along in 1986 he was voted in on his first try.
No-brainer!
