{"id":16770,"date":"2019-01-26T01:28:19","date_gmt":"2019-01-26T07:28:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=16770"},"modified":"2019-01-26T02:51:23","modified_gmt":"2019-01-26T08:51:23","slug":"frank-robinson-baseball-hall-of-famer-one-of-the-greatest-baseball-players-of-all-time-and-the-only-mlb-legend-to-have-statues-with-three-different-mlb-clubs-in-three-different-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=16770","title":{"rendered":"Frank Robinson, Baseball Hall of Famer, One Of The Greatest Baseball Players Of All-Time, And The Only MLB Legend to have statues with three different MLB CLUBS, in three different cities"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"Frank Robinson is, without reservations, one of the greatest players in baseball history. He is one of only twenty position players to top 100 Wins Above Replacement according to Baseball Reference\u2019s Play Index, he\u2019s a <\/strong>first ballot Hall of Famer, he earned MVP\u2019 awards and World Series<\/a> championships, and his career is replete with legends of his might and brilliance at the plate.<\/strong><\/p>\n

His place in baseball history is as secure as <\/strong>anyone\u2019s, and more secure than most. In studying his career though, something sprung out at me. Robinson is somewhat unique among baseball\u2019s greats, in that no one team can truly lay claim to him.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most greats are tied to a team: Musial to the Cardinals, <\/a>Mays to the Giants<\/a>. Mantle to the Yankees<\/a>. DiMaggio to the Yankees. Gehrig to the\u2026 Yankees.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first thing you think of when it comes to Robinson and team affiliation is the Orioles<\/a>. It\u2019s the hat he wears on his Hall plaque, it\u2019s the team he was on when he hit a ball literally out of Baltimore\u2019s Memorial Stadium – the team memorialized it by planting a flag at its landing spot 540 feet from home plate – and it\u2019s the city where he won a Triple Crown, MVP, and a pair of World Series. Many have stood by his statue at Camden Yards, it\u2019s as mammoth as his historical stature.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Robinson spent only six years in Baltimore. He was brilliant there <\/strong>of course, being the on the other end of countless dazzling web gems from Brooks Robinson and posting that .316\/49\/122 Triple Crown stat line his first year there en route to the MVP. It wasn\u2019t his first mark of greatness though, and it wasn\u2019t his first MVP. That was won in 1961 with the Cincinnati Reds<\/a> as he slashed .323\/.404\/.611 and led the NL in slugging and OPS+ at 165.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For ten years he was the centerpiece of the Reds offense, a living-god in the National League\u2019s oldest city. His three best years by WAR were in Cincy: 8.7 in \u201862, 7.9 in 64 and 7.7 in his MVP year in \u201861. Again, he was truly brilliant. So brilliant that he still stands as the fourth best player in Cincinnati history by WAR at 63.3, no small feat on a team with such rich history. The fans revered him enough that they voted to include him in a sculpture of the Legends of Crosley Field, unveiled in 2003. It\u2019s incredible the dominance he displayed for two franchises.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is not a story that is typically told of players from the old days, especially from before the Reserve Clause was abolished. Players of Robinson\u2019s caliber stuck with one team for basically their entire careers, or at least until the team decided they weren\u2019t worth the money anymore. So seeing a player of this caliber sent to the Orioles for a pitcher that never panned out (Milt Pappas was the centerpiece of the deal, along with Jack Baldschun and Dick Simpson) is simply <\/strong>mind blowing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, 30 years old in 1966 was much older in the game than even 30 is today, but that doesn\u2019t make it any less of a bad trade.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In six years with the Orioles Robinson averaged 5.4 rWAR and slashed .300\/.401\/.543, his OPS a point better than his time in Cincy and his OPS+ fully 19 points higher due to the increasingly pitching-friendly atmosphere in baseball for a few years. Surely <\/strong>however, he made his greatest mark there with the titles, Triple Crown and MVP. Baltimore seems like a true home for <\/strong>Robinson, if we\u2019re to value championships as the end-all, be-all (and revenge seasons always help too, with that insane first season in Baltimore).<\/strong><\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not clear cut at all, <\/strong>espiecally since there\u2019s a wild card – Cleveland. More than anywhere else, this is where Robinson sealed his place in baseball lore. The Indians<\/a> brought him on from the Angels<\/a> in mid-1974 and made him player-manager in 1975, making him the first African-American manager in baseball history. This was the beginning of a long career as a manager – even winning Manager of the Year four times and getting his number retired by the Nationals<\/a> – but more than that it was the breach of a racial wall that deserves respect and honor.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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His arrival in Cleveland alone is enough to make him a historical giant. The Tribe wasn\u2019t successful under Robinson – they were generally unsuccessful at everything from about 1955 to 1994 – but he was vital to the future health of the game as a whole and for other minorities to break into a leadership role. He was pretty good too – in 1975 he posted a 153 OPS+ in 149 plate appearances – and the Indians thought enough of him and recognized what he did for the game enough to erect a statue at Progressive Field in 2017.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So who claims Frank Robinson?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Obviously there can be only one answer – baseball claims him. Between being a generational player, a star for two storied franchises and a trailblazer in the game, how can he be anything but the most Mr. Baseball type of guy that <\/strong>exists. It\u2019s truly fascinating though his career arc. It\u2019s something we\u2019re used to these days, and are in the midst of it happening again as both the Orioles with Manny Machado<\/a> and <\/strong>hte Nationals with Bryce Harper<\/a> may well lose a potential franchise all-timer to another team. Again, that didn\u2019t happen before Curt Flood. Like Joe Cooper said in BASEketball<\/em>, players pre-Reserve Clause were like indentured servants.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Players – even big players – moved teams all throughout history. That includes the \u2018legend-that-never-dies\u2019, Babe Ruth, who infamously got traded from the Red Sox<\/a> to the Yankees.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But to seal yourself in the history of not one but three old franchises, to the extent they build monuments to you, not to mention getting your number retired by another, that is something that has to be unique to Robinson. He\u2019s not quite the shining legend that others like Ruth or Mays or Aaron are, not quite on the tip of the tongue as an all-time great to the average fan, but he\u2019s no less a player and no less a singular figure in the history of the game. His ability to grace so many franchises with his presence, with his effort and skill and mind and might, that\u2019s a rare gift.<\/strong><\/p>\n

MORE ON MR. ROBINSON<\/strong><\/p>\n

Frank Robinson (born August 31, 1935) is an American former Major League Baseball<\/a> (MLB) outfielder<\/a> and manager<\/a>. He played for five teams from 1956 to <\/strong>1976, and became the only player to win league MVP<\/a> honors in both the National and American Leagues.<\/sup> He won the Triple Crown<\/a>, was a member of two teams that won the World Series<\/a> (the 1966<\/a> and 1970<\/a> Baltimore Orioles<\/a>), and amassed the fourth-most career home runs at the time of his retirement (he is currently 10th). Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Robinson was the first black manager<\/a> in MLB history. He managed the Cleveland Indians<\/a> during the last two years of his playing career. He went on to manage the San Francisco Giants<\/a>, the Baltimore Orioles<\/a>, and the Montreal Expos<\/a>\/Washington Nationals<\/a>. He is the honorary President of the American League<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In addition to his two Most Valuable Player<\/a> awards (1961 and 1966) and his World Series Most Valuable Player<\/a> award (1966), Robinson was honored in 1966 with the Hickok Belt<\/a> as the top professional athlete of the year in any sport.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 1982, Robinson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame<\/a> as a Cincinnati Reds.<\/sup> Robinson is also a charter member of the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame (along with Brooks Robinson<\/a>), and a member of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, being inducted into both in 1978. He was named to the Washington Nationals Ring of Honor<\/a> for his “significant contribution to the game of baseball in Washington, D.C” on May 9, 2015. He was inducted into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame<\/a> in 2016.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Reds, Orioles, and Indians have retired his uniform number 20. He is one of only two major league players, the other being Nolan Ryan<\/a>, to have his number retired by three different organizations.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"FrankRobinson20.png\"<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Frank Robinson’s number 20 was retired<\/a> by the Baltimore Orioles<\/a> in 1972.<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
\"CincinnatiReds20.png\"<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Frank Robinson’s number 20 was retired<\/a> by the Cincinnati Reds<\/a> in 1998.<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
\"Indians20<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Frank Robinson’s number 20 was retired<\/a> by the Cleveland Indians<\/a> in 2017.<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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Robinson being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In 1999, he ranked Number 22 on The Sporting News<\/a><\/i> list of the 100 Greatest Baseball <\/strong>Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Three teams have honored Robinson with statues:<\/strong><\/p>\n