WHY I THINK BRIAN DOWNING SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK BRIAN DOWNING SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN 

By- Damien 

Brian Downing has a rather unusual Hall of Fame case. Most fans have heard of him but don’t really think of him as anything other than a good defensive leftfielder who moved to DH in the later stages of his career, a decent power hitter in the 1980’s, and the Angels’ typical leadoff hitter. In reality, Downing was a good catcher for the first decade of his career (.337 caught stealing percentage in 675 games caught), and later established himself as one of the most prolific home run hitters of the 1980’s, his age 29-38 seasons. He was the face of the Angels franchise, the holder of most of their batting records for 20+ years, and one of the first to popularize weightlifting in baseball. Most managers at the time didn’t like the idea of heavy weight training because they thought that too much muscle would inhibit mobility and speed. Downing, Lance Parrish, and a few other notable players began lifting weights regularly in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, and they became the best sluggers of the oncoming decade. Downing played so well in 1992, his age 41 season, and was so muscular that weightlifting is now a common practice in the Major Leagues. Brian Downing started his career with the White Sox in 1973, but it was mostly just a disappointment, as he severely injured his knee on his very first play and wound up with only 73 at bats by the season’s end. He caught and played third base for the next four seasons in Chicago, and hit pretty well for the Sox during that time, but was traded to the Angels following the 1977 season. He was an instant favorite in California, as he provided power, patience, and consistency that helped the team to its first three postseasons. In 1979, the year the Angels won their first Division Title, Downing batted .326/.418/.462 with 12 home runs and 75 RBI’s, an amazing season for a catcher. A broken ankle sustained in 1980 forced Downing to leftfield, where he would set the post’s all time record for career fielding percentage (.995), a mark that still stands today. Downing hit 28 homers in 1982 and averaged over 20 per season for the rest of the 1980’s, a very good power figure considering the era. In 1987, the Angels moved 36 year old Downing to DH, and he responded to the change by hitting 29 homers and leading the AL with 106 walks. He hit 25 homers in 1988 and batted .283 in 1989. In 1990, he sacrificed ten points in batting for almost 75 in OPS, finishing at .841. He played two seasons with the Rangers after that, and was one of their best hitters. He hit .278 in each season and had an adjusted OPS of 138 in his final season, 1992. Brian Downing was a fine power hitter, a strong fielder at two very different defensive positions, and one of the best overall hitters of the 1980’s. A case can be made that this underrated star belongs in Cooperstown along with the rest of baseball’s greatest players. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games career: 2,344 season high: 158 in 1982 

At Bats career: 7,853 season high: 623 in 1982 

Hits career: 2,099 season high: 175 in 1982 

Doubles career: 360 season high: 37 in 1982 

Triples career: 28 season high: 4 in 1986 

Home Runs career: 275 season high: 29 in 1987 

Runs career: 1,188 season high: 110 in 1987 

Runs Batted In career: 1,073 season high: 95 in 1986 

Stolen Bases career: 50 season high: 13 in 1975 

Walks career: 1,197 season high: 106 in 1987 led AL: 106 in 1987 

Strikeouts career: 1,127 season high: 87 in 1989 

Batting Average career: .267 season high: .326 in 1979 

On Base Percentage career: .370 season high: .418 in 1979 

Slugging Percentage career: .425 season high: .487 in 1987 

Total Bases career: 3,340 season high: 300 in 1982 

Sacrifice Hits career: 60 season high: 11 in 1975 

Fielding Percentage career: .990 season high: 1.000 in 1982 and 1984 led AL OF: 1.000 in 1982 and 1984 led AL LF: 1.000 in 1982 and 1984, .992 in 1985 

Double Plays career: 33 season high: 6 in 1978 

Putouts career: 4,881 season high: 730 in 1975 

Assists career: 373 season high: 84 in 1975 

Caught Stealing Percentage career: .337 season high: .426 in 1975 

Pickoffs career: 6 season high: 2 in 1978 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-was nicknamed “The Incredible Hulk” for his physique 

-finished 14th in the AL MVP Award voting in both 1979 and 1982 and was 18th in 1984 

-went 1-for-1 in his final MLB game 

-homered and drove in seven runs in the 1986 ALCS 

-his first career home run was an inside the park homer off of Mickey Lolich 

-was the AL Player of the Month for April 1987 

-was named the AL Player of the Week on August 12, 1990 

-ranks 43rd in career hit by pitch (129) 

-led AL catchers in caught stealing (66) in 1975 

-had the most chances in an errorless season (330) in 1982 and played the most consecutive errorless games by an outfielder (244 from May 25, 1981 through July 21, 1983) 

-also played 43 games in rightfield, 137 as a pinch hitter, and 14 as a pinch runner

-was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame in 2009