Brooks Robinson (1983)


Date of Birth: 5/18/1937
Date of Death: 9/26/2023
Birthplace: Little Rock, Arkansas
College: University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Brooks Robinson was an outstanding offensive and defensive third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles for twenty-three years. His father was also an athlete, playing baseball (second baseman) with a semi-pro team.

Baltimore Orioles

Robinson was drafted by the Orioles in 1955 but he spent most of the first three seasons in the minor leagues, playing in just 71 games with the Orioles from 1955 through 1957. He batted .239 in 50 games in 1957.

In 1958, Robinson played the full season (145 games) with the Orioles and he batted .238 with 110 hits. Although he struggled offensively, he showed the defensive skills that would one day make him a premier player. He led AL third basemen in putouts that year with 151.

Robinson improved greatly in 1959, batting .284 with 89 hits in 88 games. He spent part of that season in the minors. But the next year, he became part of the Orioles' regular lineup, playing in 152 games in 1960. He had 175 hits, 27 doubles, 14 home runs, 88 RBIs, and a .294 batting average. He excelled defensively, winning his first of sixteen consecutive Gold Gloves, and leading AL third basemen in assists with 328 and in putouts with 171.

Robinson led the AL in games played in 1961 with a career high 163. He had 192 hits, a career high 38 doubles, 61 RBIs, and a .287 batting average. The next year, he again led the league in games played. He finished the 1962 season with 192 hits, 29 doubles, 23 home runs, 86 RBIs, 70 strikeouts to 42 walks, and a .303 batting average in 162 games.

In 1963, Robinson again led the AL in games played with 161. However, his offensive play was not as good as in the previous two seasons. He batted just .251 with 148 hits, 26 doubles, and 67 RBIs. His defensive play continued to be outstanding and he won Gold Glove number four, and he led AL third basemen in assists with 330.

Robinson won the American League MVP award in 1964. He led the league in games played (a career high 163) and in RBIs (a career high 118), and he had career highs in hits (194), home runs (28), and batting average (.317). Defensively, he again led AL third basemen in assists (327) and in putouts (153).

In 1966, Robinson won the All Star Game MVP award and the Lou Gehrig Memorial award. His season, however, was not one of his best, with a batting average of .269. He had 167 hits, 35 doubles, 23 home runs, and 100 RBIs in 157 games. Defensively, he again led AL third basemen in assists with 313.

Robinson again batted .269 in 1967. He had 164 hits, 25 doubles, 22 home runs, and 77 RBIs in 158 games. He once more led all AL third basemen in assists with 405. The following season, he led with 353 assists. He also led the AL in games played in 1968 with 162. However, he struggled offensively, batting just .253 with 154 hits, 36 doubles, and 75 RBIs.

Robinson's batting average fell even further in 1969, when he batted .234 with 140 hits, 21 doubles, 23 home runs, and 84 RBIs in 156 games. However, he again excelled offensively, winning Gold Glove number ten and leading AL third basemen in assists with 370.

Robinson played better in 1970, finishing the season with 168 hits, 31 doubles, 18 home runs, 94 RBIs, and a .276 batting average in 158 games. He played exceptionally well in the postseason and he won the World Series MVP award and the Babe Ruth award. In 33 at-bats in 8 games, he had 16 hits, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, and 7 RBIs. He batted .485 for the postseason.

Robinson batted .272 with 160 hits, 21 doubles, 20 home runs, and 92 RBIs in 1971. The next year, he won the Roberto Clemente award. He struggled offensively in 1972 and 1973, batting .250 in 1972, and .257 the next year. He played better in 1974, batting .288 with 159 hits, 27 doubles, and 59 RBIs in 153 games. That season, he led AL third basemen in assists with 410.

Robinson batted just .201 in 144 games in 1975. He won his sixteenth and final Gold Glove that year. The following season, he batted .211 in 71 games. He finished his major league career in 1977 with a .149 batting average in just 24 games.

Awards

  • Gold Glove (16 times)
  • AL MVP
  • All Star Game MVP
  • Lou Gehrig Memorial award
  • World Series MVP
  • Babe Ruth award
  • Roberto Clemente award

Career Statistics

Batting statistics for Robinson in 23 seasons (1955-1977) in the major leagues include:

  • 11 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 194 in 1964
  • 5 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 38 in 1961
  • 6 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 28 in 1964

Career batting statistics for Robinson include:

  • 2,896 games played
  • 2,848 hits
  • 482 doubles
  • 268 home runs
  • 1,357 RBIs
  • 990 strikeouts to 860 walks
  • .267 batting average
  • .322 on-base percentage
  • .723 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Robinson at third base include:

  • 2,870 games played
  • 263 errors
  • 6,205 assists
  • 618 double plays
  • 2,697 putouts
  • .971 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Robinson include:

  • 6 postseasons
  • 39 games played
  • 145 at-bats
  • 44 hits
  • 8 doubles
  • 5 home runs
  • 21 RBIs
  • 9 strikeouts to 6 walks
  • .303 batting average

Post Playing Career

After retiring from major league baseball as a player, Robinson became a color commentator for the Baltimore Orioles television broadcasts.

Robinson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1983 on the first ballot with 92.0% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Brooks Robinson
ESPN - Brooks Robinson
Baseball Reference - Brooks Robinson

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