Vida Blue, artist unknown

 

Reggie Jackson and Don Baylor by Merv Corning

 

Reggie Jackson by Howard Rogers, 1974

 

Casey Stengel's Manager of the Year Awards

 By JT 

Casey Stengel won the Manager of the Year Awards in 1949 (MLB), 1951 (AL), 1952 (MLB, AL), 1953 (MLB, AL) and in 1956 he was the AP AL Manager of the Year. Then 1958 he is TSN's Manager of the Year for MLB and UPI's AL Manager of the Year. 

Then throw in 10 AL Championships and 7 MLB championships in 12 seasons.  Pretty good. 

1959 Gold Gloves with Runners-up

 By JT 

Luis Aparicio

Links to Baseball-Reference.com's Gold Gloves for 1959. About four days ago they did these nifty diamond-shaped displays, click on links to get full details

1959 National League Gold Gloves

 

LF:  Jackie Brandt  CF:  Willie Mays  RF:  Henry Aaron
SS:  Roy McMillan	2B:  Charlie Neal
3B:  Ken Boyer	1B:  Gil Hodges
P:  Harvey Haddix
C:  Del Crandall

NL runners-up

1959 American League Gold Gloves

 

LF:  Minnie Minoso  CF:  Al Kaline  RF:  Jackie Jensen
SS:  Luis Aparicio	2B:  Nellie Fox
3B:  Frank Malzone	1B:  Vic Power
P:  Bobby Shantz
C:  Sherm Lollar

AL runners-up

Minoso got 103 votes  

Al Smith— 20

Kaline— 76

Jim Landis —74

Jensen —105

Roger Maris —25

Lollar— 69

Sammy White— 46

Fox— 84

Bolling— 74

Malzone —141

Yost —23

Power— 149

Skowron —9

Aparicio —161

Joe DeMaestri— 9

Shantz— 123

Brewer— 30

Review

Brooks Robinson, according to modern metrics should likely have won a 

Gold Glove in 1959 (bot not some of the mid-1960s seasons when he did win)

Jim Landis and Roberto Clemente also should have been First-teamers rather than second-team. 

1959 All-MLB Teams

By JT 

Al Kaline 

The Associated Press (AP) picked All-MLB All-Stars, as did The Sporting News (TSN) and United Press International (UPI) picked All-league teams. 

First-teams

C—Lollar (AP, TSN)

1B—Cepeda (AP, TSN)

2B—Fox (AP, TSN)

3B—Matthews (AP, TSN)

SS—Banks (AP, TSN)

OF—Mays (AP, TSN)

OF—Aaron (AP, TSN)

OF—Minoso (TSN)

OF—Kaline (AP)

RP—E. Wynn (AP, TSN)

LP—Antonelli (AP, TSN)

P—Sam Jones (TSN)

Second teams

C—Crandall (AP, TSN-t), Berra (TSN-t)

1B—F. Robinson (AP, TSN)

2B—Temple (AP); Neal (TSN)

3B—K. Boyer (AP, TSN)

SS—Aparicio (AP, TSN)

OF—Kaline (TSN)

OF—Colavito (AP, TSN)

OF—Keuhn (AP)

OF—Pinson/Landis (AP)

OF—Moon (TSN)

RP—Sam Jones (AP)

LP—Spahn (AP, TSN)

P—Lew Burdette (TSN)

P—Roy Face (TSN)

The UPI Teams

The MLB teams—

 

1959 MLB, NL and AL Managers of the Year

By JT

The Sporting News chose Walter Alston as its MLB Manager of the Year.

United Press International chose Alston as the NL Manager of the Year and Al Lopez as the AL skipper.

The Associated Press also chose Alston and Lopez.

 

1959 AL and NL Comeback Players of the Year

By JT 

The AP chose Gene Conley as the NL Comeback Player of the year and Early Wynn as the AL winner. 

 

1959 MLB All-Rookie Teams

By JT 

In 1959 The Sporting News (TSN) and also Topps chose All-Rookie Teams.

Willie McCovey was on both, TSN picked George Andrews for Second base while Topps picked Pumpsie Green. Don't recognize Goerge Anderson's name? He was better known as Sparky Anderson. 

Jim Baxes and Joe Koppe were on both as was John Romano as the catcher as well as pitcher Jim Perry.

TSN chose Jerry Casale as its second hurler while Topps had as the second pitcher Jim O'Toole.

In the outfield, Bob Allison made both teams while Topps had Ron Fairly and Willie Tasby and TSN had Russ Snyder and Jim McAnany in their outfield.

McCovey and Allison were the AL and NL Rookies of the year by BBWA.

 

1958 Gold Glove Awards with Second-teams

By JT 

Ken Boyer 

Early on The Sporting News (TSN) posted vote totals of the polls of the players used to determine the Gold Glove Awards, they have not been publicized since as far as I am aware. 

Here are the 1958 Second-teamers based on those vote totals. 

	P	C	1B	2B	3B	SS	CF	LF	RF
1958 NL	Haddix	Crandall	Hodges	Mazeroski	Boyer	McMillan	Mays	Robinson	Aaron
	Gomez	Bailey	Torre	Temple	Hoak	Zimmer	Virdon	Cimoli/	Clemente
								Skinner
1958 AL	Shantz	Lollar	Power	Bolling	Malzone	Aparicio	Piersall	Siebern	Kaline
	Urban	Berra	Skowron	Fox	Robinson	DeMnostri	Mantle	Minoso	Jensen/
									Bauer

 

RON HUNT: "Some People Give Their Bodies to Science, I Give Mine to Baseball"

 By TJ  Troup 

When Ron Hunt was signed to a Milwaukee Braves contract am sure he hoped to become their second baseman, yet after a few years in the minors playing in Cedar Rapids, Austin, etc., he was sold to the New York Mets in 1962. 

Before going any further let's examine the Braves situation at second base in the late 1950s. Consistent pennant contenders Milwaukee had supreme talent at many positions, but second base was not one of them. Bobby Avila, Felix Mantilla, Casey Wise, and Johnny O'Brien all were found wanting in '59 (Braves second baseman got 85 hits in 414 at-bats for a .205 average that year).

When Chuck Cottier (.227 BA) demonstrated he was never going to be the answer in 1960 the Braves front office made a major trade with Detroit to acquire Frank Bolling. We will never know the evaluations made by the Milwaukee front office, yet no doubt they must not have thought Hunt was their future. 

Though a distant second in the balloting for Rookie of the Year in the National League in '63 to Pete Rose—Ron Hunt demonstrated on a daily basis he was going to have a fine career in New York with the Mets. 

Shea Stadium in 1964 and the all-star game and who represents the National League at second base? Gold Glove clutch hitting Bill Mazeroski, and Hunt. He was selected over Rose and was the first representative of the Mets in the summer classic. 

Besides the All-Star game, there were other honors in baseball at the time that were major, but not well-publicized by MLB. Among those awards were the AP and UPI All-MLB teams.

Also, through the work of the sabermetrics guys, we have WAR and other metrics to look at a player's career. Were anyone to pick a mythical All-MLB and All-NL (and All-AL) teams by using Baseball-Reference.com's WAR we'd also get a good sense about Hunt. 

So, in 1964 how did Ron do? He was First-team All-MLB on the UPI team and also the Look magazine team, Second-team All-MLB on the AP team, and First-team All-NL according to The Sporting News.

Also, he'd have been the Second-team All-MLB second baseman on the All-WAR team I mentioned. 

Two years later, in '66, he again made the All-Star team, this time with future Hall of Famer Joe Morgan. Many, many players that have been traded though they had been productive and Hunt was traded to the Dodgers in 1967 after an All-Star year.

Have been so fortunate in my life to have seen so many outstanding players in person, and in May of '67 was at Dodger Stadium on a Friday night to watch my hero Ernie Banks belt a home run in a Cub victory. Ron Hunt played that night, and sure don't remember him much other than he was a dedicated professional. 

Hunt is again traded after one season in Dodger Blue, and in the year of the pitcher in 1968, he had one of those games you never ever forget as he ripped a single to drive in Hal Lanier in a 1-0 victory over the Mets in a 17-inning thriller. 

After that single year with the Dodgers, he was traded to the Giants, and on our mythical WAR All-NFL teams, Hunt would have been Second-team All-NL in 1968 and 1969 and even got some mention on the AP All-MLB All-Star team in 1969. 

After those three productive years in the City by the Bay, he was again traded. Every team has a trade or two, sometimes even three they regret, and the Giants virtually "gave" Ron Hunt to the Expos. 

Don't believe me? 

Check out the career of Dave McDonald. 

Hunt had already established himself in the National League, and especially in one category; being hit by a pitch. This saga is not about me, yet sure can relate to Hunt as crowding the plate was not an issue with me either. 

Ron Hunt, in 1971,  set a record that will never be broken; yes you read that correctly—NEVER. 

He was hit by a pitch 50 times! Ouch! 

Baseball stats/numbers are fascinating to pour over, and as such put together the following, and to me tells his tale the best. Ok, he got hit by a pitch, big deal; he jogs to first. But what he if also in the same game coaxed a walk, and also got a base hit? 

Nine times in 1971 Hunt achieved this strange, yet productive trifecta...HBP, BB, and H in the same game. Was there a game of the nine that stands out? You betcha! 

August 23rd against the Dodgers in five plate appearances Ron got a hit, then was hit by a pitch, then got a walk, then got his second hit, and finally was again hit by a pitch. Would relish having Kellie Nash show this on "Quick Pitch" but that game was in 1971, not 2021. 

No man will ever have a game like that again, and the Expos won 12-6. Hunt did not finish his career as an Expo, as he was traded to the Cardinals, and his career soon ended. 

In 1972 Hunt was plunked 26 times and again, in the All-WAR team scenario, he would have been Second-team All-National League again, making him a WAR Second-team  All-NL player four times in his career in addition to his All-Star selections in 1964 and 1966 and being First-team All-Major League Baseball in 1964 and also All-NL )a consensus choice).

Another statistical note:  Hunt's career spanned from 1963 through 1974. In that time, among second basemen in the majors, he had the third-highest on-base percentage—behind a couple of Hall of Famers name Joe Morgan and Rod Carew. 

Summing up, this man was one helluva dedicated team player who was far more productive than many of his era. 

Happy Birthday Ron!

1958 MLB and AL and NL Managers of the Year

By JT  

The Sporting News named Casey Stengel as their Manager of the Year and the Associated Press named Danny Murtaugh as the winner. 

The United Press International choose NL and AL Managers of the year with Stengel and Murtaugh winning those. 

 

1958 MLB All-Rookie Team

By JT 

(l to r) Leon Wagner, Willie Kirkland, Orlando Cepeda, and Jim Davenport

Orlando Cepeda led the All-Rookie team chosen by The Sporting News and was one of the four Giants mentions in the headline below. Willie Kirkland, Leon Wagner, and Jim Davenport were the other three. 

Davenport played his entire career with the Giants (an All-Star in 1962) and Kirkland and Wagner went on to solid careers outside the Bay City. 

 

1958 AL and NL Comeback Players of the Year

 By JT 

The Associated Press chose Comeback Players of the Year in 1958 and the NL selection was Robin Roberts and the AL choice was Pete Runnels. 

1958 All-MLB Team

 By JT 

Once again The Sporting News (TSN) and the Associated Press (AP) picked All-MLB teams and United Press International (UPI) chose All-AL and All-NL teams. 

The AP and TSN chose Bob Turley and Warren Spahn but TSN also chose (as usual) a third pitcher. This year it was Bob Friend. 

Both organizations chose Del Crandall as catcher, Stan Musial as the first baseman, Nellie Fox at second base, Frank Thomas at third, and Ernie Banks as the shortstop. 

In the outfield, TSN picked Willie Mays,  Hank Aaron, and  Ted Williams, while the AP picked Mickey Mantle over Teddy Ballgame.

The AP and TSN also published Second-teams. Orlando Cepeda, Bill Mazeroski, Luis Aparicio, and Frank Malzone were the infield on both as was Sherman Loller at catcher.

The pitchers on TSN's second-team were Billy Pierce, Whitey Ford, and Lew Burdette, and the AP voters named Ford and Frend the left- and right-handed pitchers. 

The AP backup outfield was composed of Williams, Jackie Jensen, and Richie Ashburn, and Mantle, Bob Cerv, and Jenson were the AP backups.

One name on the All-League teams that didn't make the All-MLB First- or Second-teams was Vic Power

And the official All-Stars—

The 1957 All-MLB Team

 By JT 

Lew Burdette 

The Sporting News (TSN) chose Billy Pierce, Jim Bunning and Warren Spahn as their pitchers while the Associated Press (AP) picked Spahn and Lew Burdette as their lefty and right pitchers. 

Additionally TSN choose Willie Mays in the outfield and the AP picked Hank Aaron. All the other First-team picks were the same.

On the second-team the switch between Aaron and Mays is obvious but also the Second-team TSN pitchers were Dick Donavan, Bob Huhl,  Bob Turley and the AP had Billy Pierce as the lefty and Bunning as the righty. 

Here are the full All-MLB and All-AL and All-NL teams—

First, The Sporting News:

Next, the Associated Press:

And finally the United Press with its All-AL and All-NL choices:

Except for second base, one could show a Second-team for both leagues, but both second base slots were unanimous. 

And for completeness here at the 1957 All-Star game starters and rosters—