MINOR LEAGUE DAYS- RICHIE ALLEN

Up next on the blog is another entry to my ongoing "Minor League Days" 1971 sub-set, this time the prolific Richie (not yet Dick) Allen, who was suiting up for the Arkansas Travelers here in 1963 as a 21-year-old:

Allen did not disappoint as he pounded the ball to the tune of a .289 batting average, along with 33 homers and 97 runs batted in, along with 93 runs scored and a .550 slugging average. It would be the last Richie Allen would see of the Minors, as he'd get a late-call-up with the Philadelphia Phillies, hitting .292 in his Big League debut, where he was to stay.

Over the course of the next 15 seasons, six times he'd top 30 homers, with a high of 40 in 1966 while still with the Phillies, while also topping 100 runs scored twice, 100+ runs batted in three times, and even top 200 hits, which was during his amazing rookie year, where he also hit 29 homers, scored 125 runs and drove in 91.

Needless to say, he took home the Rookie of the Year that year, and in 1972 would take home the MVP trophy while with the White Sox when he paced the American League with 37 homers and 113 RBI's, while just missing out on the Triple Crown, batting .308, just ten points off the league-leading mark by perennial winner Rod Carew.

By the time he left the game at the age of 35, Allen hit over 350 homers, batted .292 and scored 1099 runs with 1119 RBI's.

The seven-time all-star also led his league in triples once, walks once, on-base-percentage twice and slugging three times.

I'm not saying the man is a lock-tight Hall of Fame candidate, but I do think in light of some of the guys already in, HE should also be in there.

The fact that the most support he got was an 18.9% showing in 1996 seems like a joke to me.

What do you all think?

 

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1974 LARVELL BLANKS

On the blog today we have a “not so missing” 1974 card for former Atlanta Braves infielder Larvell Blanks, aka “Sugar Bear”, who appeared in 17 games during his second season of Big League ball in 1973:

Blanks hit .222 in that time, collecting four hits in 18 at-bats while playing all infield positions but first base, along with some pinch-hitting duties as well.
He would only appear in three games during the 1974 season before playing full-time in 1975 when he appeared in 141 games, which turned out to be a career-high, hitting .234 with 110 hits over 471 at-bats.
Blanks would find himself with the Cleveland Indians in 1976, having a very nice season hitting .280 over 104 games, with 92 hits in 328 at-bats along with 45 runs scored and 41 runs batted in.
The next season was more of the same as he hit .286 with 92 hits in 322 at-bats almost duplicating the runs scored with 43 and RBIs with 38.
After a 1978 season that saw him falter just a bit, he found himself playing for the Texas Rangers in 1979, where he hit .200 in limited play, collecting 24 hits in 120 at-bats.
In 1980, in what turned out to be the last year of his MLB career, he was back where it all began, in Atlanta, where he hit .204 for the Braves in just over a half season’s action, collecting 45 hits in 221 at-bats while filling in at third, short and second as usual.
He would go on to play in the Mexican League between 1981 and 1985 for a few different teams, finally calling it a pro career at the age of 35.
Overall, by the time he finished up his career in the Majors, Blanks had a career .253 batting average, with 446 hits over 1766 at-bats in 629 games, with 203 runs scored and 172 RBIs.

 

COACH CARD- 1978 RED SCHOENDIENST

For the fun of it, today’s blog post has a 1978 coach card for the great Red Schoendienst, TRUE baseball lifer and Hall of Famer:

Now, it may be tough to see him in a uniform other than the St. Louis Cardinals, but Red did indeed offer his expertise to the Oakland A’s  in 1977 and 1978.
What really needs to be said about the man!?
Schoendienst first put together a 19-year Hall of Fame career between 1945 and 1963, winning a championship with the Cards as well as the Milwaukee Braves in 1957, before coaching and then managing St. Louis from 1965 to 1976, winning yet another championship in 1967, with a spot managing gig in 1980 and then 1990 all while coaching the team in between, including the 1982 season, giving him a FIFTH championship in his illustrious career.
He put in 2216 games as a player, then went on to manage 1999 games, winning 1041 of them for a .522 winning percentage, while coaching at LEAST another couple thousand games on top of that!
A baseball treasure!
Rest in Peace Red: 1923-2018

 

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1979 JIM WILHELM

Up on the blog today, a “not so missing” 1979 card for former San Diego padres outfielder Jim Wilhelm, who made his MLB debut in 1978 and appeared in 10 games:

Over those ten games Wilhelm hit a blistering .368 with seven hits in 19 at-bats, scoring two runs while driving in four.
He’d be back in 1979, playing in 39 games, this time hitting .243 with 25 hits in 103 at-bats, both scoring and driving in eight runs, with four doubles and three triples.
Turns out that would be the sum total of his Major League tenure, as he would retire shortly after the 1979 season, spending all six years of his professional career in the San Diego organization.
His Big League time ended with a .262 batting average, with 32 hits over 122 official at-bats in 49 games, with 10 runs scored and 12 RBIs.

 

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1977 JERRY TABB

On the blog today, a “not so missing” 1977 card for former first baseman Jerry Tabb, who made his Major League debut during the 1976 season with the Chicago Cubs:

Tabb appeared in 16 games, hitting a very nice .292 in that time with seven hits in 24 at-bats, all singles, while scoring two runs and walking three times.
The 1977 season saw him now playing for the Oakland A’s, as he would get into 51 games, hitting .222 with 32 hits in 144 at-bats, setting career-highs across the board since it was by far the most action in any of his three seasons in the Majors.
Tabb appeared in 12 games for Oakland in 1978, hitting .111 with a single hit over nine official at-bats, driving in a run, along with two walks.
It seems he never played pro ball again after the 1978 season, as I can’t even find any Minor League action for him later on.
All told the Oklahoma native played in 74 career games, hitting .226 with 40 hits, 10 runs scored and 20 runs batted in along with six homers and three doubles between 1976 and 1978.

 

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1979 FRED HOLDSWORTH

Up on the blog today we have a “not so missing” 1979 card for former pitcher Fred Holdsworth, who put in a sporadic seven-year Big League career between 1972 and 1980:

Holdsworth appeared in six games during the 1978 season, pitching for the Montreal Expos and not factoring in a decision, with an earned run average of 7.27 over 8.2 innings of work.
He would spend all of 1979 in the Minors before coming back, now with the Milwaukee Brewers, for the 1980 season and appearing in what turned out to be the last nine games of his career, again not factoring in a decision while pitching to a 4.58 ERA over 19.2 innings.
Originally up in 1972 with the Detroit Tigers, Holdsworth played three years in the Motor City before spending all of 1975 in the Minors before playing in 16 games for the Baltimore Orioles in 1976 when he posted his best MLB season, going 4-1 with a very nice 2.04 ERA in 39.2 innings.
Overall, by the time he retired, he finished with a 7-10 record in 72 appearances, with an ERA of 4.40 and two saves over 182 innings pitched.

 

1975 IN-ACTION: DAVE WINFIELD

Today we add the great Dave Winfield to my 1975 “In-Action” set, as the young stud was quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the National League by the time this card would have hit the shelves:

One of my favorite players as a youngster growing up in Brooklyn, NY in the 1980’s, Winfield would become the favorite player of many young kids in the San Diego area during the 1970’s, giving the Padres a new-look outfielder, bringing a whole new type of athleticism (along with Dave Parker of the Pittsburgh Pirates), with speed, stellar defense, a gun for an arm, and power at the plate.
By the time he retired after the 1995 season, his 22nd as a Big Leaguer, he finished with eight 100-RBI seasons, 15 20-home run seasons, 3110 hits, 1669 runs scored and 1833 RBIs.
He made the All-Star team 12 times, took home seven Gold Gloves, finished Top-10 in MVP voting seven times and was awarded six Silver Slugger Awards.
Man I loved this guy! I’ll never forget his line-drive home runs deep into left field at Yankee stadium as a kid, wondering what he would do in a stadium like today where he wasn’t looking at 430 to left-center.
One of the game’s greatest all-around athletes!