It’s amazed me all these years that Jackie Robinson broke into the Big Leagues as a first baseman. Of all the positions that the first modern, African-American ballplayer could play, first base seems like the worst. Sure, if he had played middle infield as he would in the coming years, he’d have been spiked or barreled on many occasions. However, first base offers about a thousand more chances throughout a season to be spiked, elbowed, or steamrolled. Of course, the main reason Jackie played first base in 1947 was that the Dodgers manager Clyde Sukeforth needed a first baseman after Branch Rickey sent Ed Stevens to the minors to make room for Robinson. An aging Eddie Stanky was still capable of playing a solid second base. So, by adding a .300 hitter at first base to their lineup, the Dodgers remained pennant contenders…and won 94 ballgames to clinch the National League championship. Yet in the end, the boys from Brooklyn lost the World Series in seven games to the Yankees.
For being brand new to first base, it’s impressive that Jackie Robinson earned a 1B-4 fielding rating. There are only a handful of first basemen that are (F) and have a 15-11. As a matter of fact, Robinson led the National League in stolen bases in 1947 with 29. Speed makes up for Jackie’s lack of home run power, which we usually expect from first basemen. Overall, this is a great first card, which I project to produce a .306 average, thanks to an extra 8 over the standard three. It’s a great hit & run card since it has three 31s, four 14s, and only one 13. Other than the typical first baseman 41 & 37, this is a great card to hit second in your lineup.
When I first looked at this card, I wondered if Robinson would have a 42 somewhere. He was plunked nine times in 1947, which is significant but not outrageous. For his bruises, Jackie did receive a 22. In 1948, Robinson would lead the league in hit by pitches with seven. However, his career-high would not come until 1952 when he was beaned fourteen times. I wonder if APBA decided to use the 42-HBP in honor of Jackie Robinson?
For his efforts on and off the field in 1947, Jackie Robinson was named the first Major League Rookie of the Year. For the 28-year old Robinson, it was the first of ten straight productive years, culminating with his 1949 NL MVP season. Like many ballplayers of his era, Robinson lost playing time because of his service in the Army during World War II. If Jackie would have broken into the Big Leagues in 1940 like the similarly-aged Pee Wee Reese, he would have had four more years to add to his legacy. If Robinson had played in 1940, 1941, 1945, and 1946 he easily would have surpassed 2,200 hits and 200 home runs. However, the most impressive career statistic Jackie Robinson achieved was a .406 OBP during his ten-year career. Robinson was one of the most exciting players of his era, stealing bases and playing with aggressive intensity. If you were lucky enough to see him play, he was on base, making something happen, 41% of the time.
So much about Jackie Robinson’s life and career are brief. He only played for ten seasons, and he died when he was just 53 years old. Yet, his legacy will continue as long as baseball is played. It will be difficult to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day on April 15th with the global pandemic in full force. Therefore, I urge all of you to celebrate APBA Jackie Robinson Day on April 15, 2020, by playing a game of APBA Baseball with a Jackie Robinson team or card. It can be any Robinson card from any season and you can set up your game, opponent, and format any way you wish. Play your game on APBA GO, with APBA Baseball for Windows, or with traditional cards and dice. I’ll create a Facebook post from The APBA Blog where you can report your results and tell the APBA community how Jackie Robinson performed in your game. On April 15, 2020, we can all roll for #42.
