WHY I THINK AL ROSEN SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

 WHY I THINK AL ROSEN SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

By- Damien 

Al Rosen, in his prime, was one of the greatest hitters of all time. Rosen hit 20 or more home runs six years in a row and had three .300 hitting seasons. But his true greatness was his ability to put it all together. In 1953, he lost the AL Batting Title to Mickey Vernon on the last at bat of the year when he failed by one-tenth of a second to beat out an infield hit. That year Rosen led the AL in home runs and RBI’s, and he would’ve been in the Hall of Fame if he’d won that Triple Crown. Rosen was still named the Major League Player of the Year and unanimous AL MVP that year, however. He made his MLB debut in 1947, but didn’t achieve rookie status until 1950, and was the replacement third baseman on the team for the great Ken Keltner. That year Al Rosen batted .287, drove home 116 runs, scored 100, and led the AL in home runs (37, setting the MLB rookie record) and hit by pitch (10). He refused to slow down, as he knocked in 100 plus runs for the next four seasons. He hit 24 home runs in 1951 and 28 in 1952, and in 1953 he batted .336 and led the AL in runs scored (115), home runs (43), slugging percentage (.613), OPS (1.034), RBI’s (145), and total bases (367). Interestingly, that year he struck out only 48 times. In 1954 Rosen, a solid defensive third baseman, started playing first base a bit and achieved a career best 501 putouts. The versatility of their best player helped Cleveland to win a then AL record 111 games and the pennant, and he batted .250 with no strikeouts in the Series loss to the New York Giants. Rosen slipped a bit in 1955 with a .244 mark, though he still had power, knocking in 81 runs on 21 homers. He hit .267 with 15 homers and  61 RBI’s in 121 games in 1956, then retired, suffering back and leg issues that forced him to quit. Al Rosen will be remembered as a great hitter and an Indians hero for the rest of time, but isn’t yet in the Hall of Fame. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS

Games career: 1,044 season high: 155 in 1950 and 1953 led AL: 154 in 1951

At Bats career: 3,725 season high: 599 in 1953 

Hits career: 1,063 season high: 201 in 1953

Doubles career: 165 season high: 32 in 1952

Triples career: 20 season high: 5 in 1952 and 1953

Home Runs career: 192 season high: 43 in 1953 led AL: 37 in 1950, 43 in 1953

Runs career: 603 season high: 115 in 1953 led AL: 115 in 1953 

Runs Batted In career: 717 season high: 145 in 1953 led AL: 105 in 1952, 145 in 1953

Stolen Bases career: 39 season high: 8 in 1952 and 1953

Walks career: 587 season high: 100 in 1950

Strikeouts career: 385 season high: 72 in 1950

Batting Average career: .285 season high: .336 in 1953

On Base Percentage career: .384 season high: .422 in 1953

Slugging Percentage career: .495 season high: .613 in 1953 led AL: .613 in 1953

Total Bases career: 1,844 season high: 367 in 1953 led AL: 297 in 1952, 367 in 1953

Sacrifice Hits career: 9 season high: 4 in 1950

Fielding Percentage career: .965 season high: .974 in 1954

Double Plays career: 230 season high: 48 in 1954 and 1955 led AL 3B: 38 in 1953

Putouts career: 1,662 season high: 501 in 1954

Assists career: 1,848 season high: 338 in 1953 led AL 3B: 322 in 1950, 338 in 1953

DID YOU KNOW?

-nicknamed “Flip” and “The Hebrew Hammer” 

-was born on Leap Day 1924 

-fought in WWII from 1942 through 1946 

-was the only person ever to win an MVP Award and an Executive of the Year Award (1989) 

-set the AL rookie record for the most home runs in 1950 

-hit four grand slams in 1951, tying the MLB record

-had a 20-game hitting streak in 1953 

-played in two World Series (1948 and 1954) 

-also finished tenth in the AL MVP Award voting in 1952, 15th in 1954, and 17th in 1950 

-led AL in home run percentage, extra-base hits, sacrifice flies, and times on base each once

-set the MLB record for RBI’s in a season by a third basemen in 1953

-hit 30 doubles in 1951, 27 in 1953, 23 in 1950, and 20 in 1954 

-was a four time all-star and homered twice in the 1954 contest 

-hit three home runs in one game on April 29, 1952

-had an OBP of .400 or higher four times 

-led AL third basemen in games (154) in 1951 and 1953 

-had five RBI’s in the 1954 all-star game, tying Ted Williams’s one game record 

-was inducted into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame in 2006