I almost didn’t have time to do a MCM today. But I ran across the 1975 Reds in my APBA GO library and couldn’t resist posting this Johnny Bench neato.
I daresay every baseball fan would agree that John Bench was the best catcher of the 70s. Yes, Bob Boone was good with the glove and Ted Simmons could hit a bit but Bench did it all and better.
In 1975, everything clicked for the Red Machine. They are one of top picked teams chosen for tourneys (if eligible) for a reason. Between Morgan, Rose, Perez and Griffey, their lineup fit together so well.
And Bench was an integral part of that team. He led the squad with 28 homers and 110 rbis. Batting .283 mostly in the number 4 spot, he scored 83 runs. A smart base runner, he even stole 11 bases and was never caught stealing.
Bench earned a Gold Glove award, one of ten of his career. He came in fourth in NL MVP voting that year.
| Split | G | GS | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 Totals | 142 | 136 | 606 | 530 | 83 | 150 | 39 | 1 | 28 | 110 | 11 | 0 | 65 | 108 | .283 | .359 | .519 |
Best of Bench
Bench’s defensive rating is what deserves kudos. He’s rated a C-9. Sometimes, I wish the advanced rules of APBA baseball took the catcher’s defensive rating into consideration but they don’t.
Bench’s 39 doubles and 28 homeruns in 606 plate appearances calculate to power numbers 1-5-5-6, at least according to the APBA card makers. For the era, that is strong, very strong. In addition, he has a 44-7.
For his eleven steals, ’75 Bench is awarded a 15-10. That’s a positive but I almost wonder if he was on the cusp of two. Note that Bench is not rated slow.
This Bench card is perfect for runner on first situation which would take advantage of the two 5s and the 10. Just stay away from the pesky 41-24!
Bench wasn’t just a catcher either. Sparky Anderson wanted to keep him healthy and he actually played only 121 at catcher, starting 115 of them. He played 19 games in the outfield and 9 games at first base. As a result, he is rated OF-1 and 1B-2.
