WHY I THINK KEN BOYER SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK KEN BOYER SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

By- Damien 

Ken Boyer was one of the greatest all around third basemen of all time on both offense and defense. At the plate, he had five seasons over .300 and eight seasons with 90 or more RBI’s. In the field, Boyer won five Gold Glove awards at the hot corner. He was the NL MVP in 1964, when he led the Cardinals to the World Series title. What may have hurt his candidacy was the fact that he was a model of consistency, and didn’t put up eye popping numbers on a regular basis. Ken Boyer started his career with the Cardinals in 1955 with 18 homers as a 24 year old rookie. He topped .300 for the first time in 1956 and established himself as perhaps the best third baseman in baseball (he was comparable with Eddie Mathews, who was probably a bit better, and made the Hall of Fame with little trouble). From 1956 through 1964 Boyer was pretty much your ideal third baseman, as he batted .299 with all of his Gold Gloves and impressive power numbers. In 1957, the Cardinals put Eddie Kasko at third base and Boyer in the outfield. The positional switch affected Boyer’s hitting (he immediately returned to form once he was moved back), but he did a swell job in center, leading the NL in fielding. In 1964, he led the Majors in RBI’s and batted .295, leading the Cardinals to the World Championship over the Yankees. In the World Series, Boyer hit two home runs, including a grand slam in Game 4 (that may have decided the outcome of the seven game Series). Unfortunately, age, back problems, and the pitcher friendly 1960’s started to hurt Boyer’s hitting. He had a couple of decent seasons after 1964, but after 1968 he was through. The Dodgers got him and played him in 25 games in the summer of 1969, but he was released after the season’s end. He later coached the Cardinals for a time, but died of cancer in 1982. Ken Boyer was a fine hitter, a legitimate home run threat, an amazing fielder at one of the most grueling defensive positions, and a great example of consistency. He truly was one of the greatest baseball players of all time and is a bit of a glaring exception from the Hall as it now stands. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games career: 2,034 season high: 162 in 1964 

At Bats career: 7,455 season high: 628 in 1964 

Hits career: 2,143 season high: 194 in 1961 

Doubles career: 318 season high: 30 in 1956 and 1964 

Triples career: 68 season high: 11 in 1961 

Home Runs career: 282 season high: 32 in 1960 

Runs career: 1,104 season high: 109 in 1961 

Runs Batted In career: 1,141 season high: 119 in 1964 led NL: 119 in 1964 

Stolen Bases career: 105 season high: 22 in 1955 

Walks career: 713 season high: 75 in 1962 

Strikeouts career: 1,017 season high: 104 in 1962 

Batting Average career: .287 season high: .329 in 1961 

On Base Percentage career: .349 season high: .397 in 1961 

Slugging Percentage career: .462 season high: .562 in 1960 

Total Bases career: 3,443 season high: 314 in 1961 

Sacrifice Hits career: 17 season high: 4 in 1957 and 1965 

Fielding Percentage career: .957 season high: .968 in 1965 led NL CF: .993 in 1957 led NL 3B: .968 in 1965 (Boyer’s overall fielding percentage in 1957 is lowered by performance at other positions) 

Double Plays career: 417 season high: 41 in 1958 led NL 3B: 37 in 1956 and 1960, 41 in 1958, 32 in 1959, 34 in 1962 

Putouts career: 2,376 season high: 320 in 1957 led NL 3B: 156 in 1958 

Assists career: 3,737 season high: 350 in 1958 led NL 3B: 309 in 1956, 346 in 1961 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-brother of Clete and Cloyd Boyer 

-also finished sixth in the NL MVP Award voting in 1960, seventh in 1961, tenth in 1959, 13th in both 1958 and 1963, 18th in 1962, and 28th in 1956 

-was an eleven time all-star and batted .348 with two home runs in all-star action 

-homered on his MLB debut 

-won the 1964 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award and was the 1964 Major League Player of the Year 

-was the NL Player of the Month in September 1960 

-hit exactly 24 homers in a season for four years in a row (1961 - 1964) 

-led NL third basemen in games in 1961 (153), 1962 (160), and 1964 (162) 

-led all NL outfielders in fielding (.996) in 1957 

-had two career cycles and was the first player to complete a cycle with a walkoff home run 

-had a 29 game hitting streak in 1959 

-went 166-190 as a manager 

-his 41 double plays at third base in 1958 are the 34th most of all time

-also played 66 games at first base, 31 at shortstop, 93 as a pinch hitter, and seven as a pinch runner 

-was inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 and the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014 

-his uniform number 14 is retired by the Cardinals 

-served in the United States Army from 1951 through 1953