OK now.
On
the blog today, my pick for the A.L. second baseman of the 1970's, an
easy one in my option, the great Rod Carew of the Minnesota Twins:
Now,
indeed we all know that Crew shifted to first base in 1976, but his
time at second between 1970 and 1975 was enough to give him the honor in
my book.
Of his six years at second, he won four batting titles, while also leading the league in hits twice and triples once.
He
made the All-Star team every year and was in the top-3 in the MVP race
three times, with a high of a fourth place finish in 1973 when he hit
.350 with 208 hits and eleven triples, all league high marks.
He would go on to play in 18 All-Star games, missing only his final season in the Majors in 1985. Just incredible.
The first nine seasons of his career were as an All-Star second baseman, while the last nine were as a first baseman.
The man topped .300 15 years in a row, with a high of .388 in 1977 on
his way to a Most Valuable Player Award and capturing the public’s
attention with his .400 chase late in the season.
A clear-cut Hall of Fame player, he was inducted on his first year of eligibility in 1991 when he garnered 90.5% of the vote, which leaves me with the question: who the hell are the 9.5% who DIDN’T vote for him!!!???
A clear-cut Hall of Fame player, he was inducted on his first year of eligibility in 1991 when he garnered 90.5% of the vote, which leaves me with the question: who the hell are the 9.5% who DIDN’T vote for him!!!???
3053 hits, a .328 career average, 353 stolen bases and 15 straight seasons of .300+ batting.
The man was a hitting machine, and I'm so glad I got to see him play during his magnificent career!
