The baseball was hit hard by the death of Willie “Stretch” McCovey this past week. As I have been replaying the 1966 National League these past few years, his death made me pause to think just a little more than most would.
While his 1966 season was probably not his best ever, it was pretty good.. He clobbered 36 homers while driving in 96 runs and hitting .295. His 76 walks contributed to a .391 OBP.
| Split | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 Totals | 150 | 588 | 502 | 85 | 148 | 26 | 6 | 36 | 96 | 2 | 76 | 100 | .295 | .391 | .586 |
He is also doing very well in my 1966 replay. Teamed with Willie Mays, Jimmie Ray Hart and pitcher Juan Marichal, he is sixth in batting average with a .327 mark. Only Willie Mays (.593) has a better slugging percentage (.573). McCovey is also second in OBP behind Joe Torre (.413 to .420).
Stretch is fifth in homers in the replay and two above him are his teammates. He has 9 dingers but Mays has 15 and Hart has 14.
By the way, when writing out the Giants’ typical lineup, I think to myself “There are three 3s in row”. Mays is an OF-3, McCovey is 1B-3 and Hart is a 3B-3.
McCovey’s 1966 card is pretty strong compared to the cards of that season. His 1-1-4-6 and 44-7 is solid for any year but not many cards in this set (save for the Willie that bats right before him) compares to him. His four 14s are pretty nice too.
Stretch hit into eight double plays in 1966 and did not receive a 24. He has a 41-13. I plead ignorance as to how APBA exactly doles out the 24 especially now when the 12-25 is not a given with the newer sets. My guess is that between the 12-25, 63-12 and 43-29 with runners on first and second, he will get his 8 deepees. I’m checking my 1966 stats now, he has four GIDPs going into late June so APBA seems to have done right by him.
By 1966, Willie Mac’s greatest days were still to come. He led the NL in slugging from 1968-1970. In 1969, he was named NL MVP. As a result, he became one of first target of the intentional walk leading in that category for several years. His 1969 record of 45 IBB (which matched his homerun total) in one season stood until Barry Bonds broke it in 2002.
However, Stretch’s best Monster Card (albeit in a limited role) was in his rookie year in 1959 with the Giants. That year, he hit .354 with 13 homers in just 219 plate appearances.
I remember facing that card when I played former APBA Journal editor Eric Naftaly in an APBA Convention tournament. Eric took the 1959 Giants. My memory is fuzzy on the details but I do know that the Giants beat me.
McCovey’s original 1959 card was pretty obscene with power numbers 1-4-4-5 and a 15-7. Yeah, I should have used that one but his 1966 card is near and dear to my heart.
RIP Stretch.
