Shawn Kaufman posted this 1962 Frank Robinson card on Facebook. It caught my eye because I’ve featured FRobbie on Monday for his 1966 card and his 1961 card but this 1962 one may be his best.
Some background
In 1962, Reds rightfielder Robinson didn’t win the Triple Crown like he did with the Orioles in 1966 but his numbers were so much better. Robbie collected 208 hits and batted .342 with a league-leading 51 doubles and 134 runs scored. His 39 homers helped his .624 slugging percentage which also paced the NL.
He also drove in 136 runs in 162 games for the Reds. He stole 18 bases with a 76-62 BB/K ratio.
It wouldn’t have surprised me if Frank Robinson had won the MVP award as a follow up to his 1961 award. Alas, he came fourth in the balloting behind Wills, Mays and Davis.
| Split | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 Totals | 162 | 701 | 609 | 134 | 208 | 51 | 2 | 39 | 136 | 18 | 76 | 62 | .342 | .421 | .624 |
A look at the card
Wow, be careful with a runner on third base! Robinson sports five well-deserved power numbers (1-1-6-6-6). He’ll have to come up to the plate with bases loaded a few times to replicate the two triples.
Frank has a 55-7 plus a 15-11 to boot. He was the league leader in HBP with 11 and in return gets a 64-22 and for his error number, he received a 53-15.
Not surprisingly, Robinson’s card makes contact. He has a respectable three 14s and only two 13s. A flyout at 26 and a groundball at 21 is a joy to see for us old-timers.
Overall, this card is a great hitting card especially considering it’s coming from the 1960s era.
Frank Robinson’s 1962 card is rated as a OF-2 defensively and of course, he is a fast baserunner.
Thanks to Shawn!!
Another well written entry, Tom! I love the Monster Card Monday feature!
I know you have featured Rogers Hornsby before, but here is an idea for a “series” of monster cards:
Do Hornsby’s 1920 through 1925 cards. Perhaps one season per Monday entry. It is the most devastating 6 year batting performance of any infielder ever, and maybe by any BATTER ever. 6 Straight Batting Titles, 6 straight OBP titles, 6 straight Slugging titles. 5 out of 6 years leading the league in Total Bases (he was hurt for part of the sixth year) .397 batting average over 6 years!
If you can’t get access to the actual cards, you can use “Steve’s APBA Card Computer”. I know you are aware of that.
Thanks again and keep up the great work.