In February, we lost one of the most important and influential figures in baseball history…Frank Robinson. Throughout his career, Robinson was frequently overshadowed by Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. However, his prowess as a player and his influence as a manager and executive should never be undervalued.
There wasn’t much Frank Robinson didn’t accomplish in baseball. He was rookie of the year, a gold glove winner, a batting champion, a two-time MVP, a World Series MVP and a two-time World Champion, an All-Star Game MVP and a 14-time All-Star, a Triple Crown winner, manager of the year, and a Hall of Famer.
| Split | G | GS | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | TB | GDP | HBP | SF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 Totals | 36 | 15 | 79 | 67 | 5 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 12 | .224 | .329 | .358 | .687 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Frank Robinson’s final card shows his commitment to the endeavor he started in 1974, managing. As baseball’s first African-American manager, Robinson was successful in turning around poor teams in Montreal, San Francisco, and Baltimore. His first stint as a manager was as a player manager for the Cleveland Indians. Though he likely had at least one more solid season left in his aging body, he differed much of his playing time to take on his managerial role. Robinson only managed to appear in 36 game in his final season, much as the designated hitter. He hit .224 with three home runs.
By becoming a manager, Frank Robinson came up just short of 3,000 career hits and 600 career home runs. Though his legacy was entrenched when he retired, I’m left wondering how much more the fiercely competitive Robinson would be respected in future baseball historians if he had reached those lofty goals.
