#447 Julian Javier

As I discussed with reader Max (aka jacobmrley) in the comments for the last entry, this is the third straight player featured who has "two first names". It's just uncanny, is what it is.

Fun facts about Julian Javier:

-Originally from San Francisco de Macoris in the Dominican Republic, 19-year-old Julian signed with the Pirates in 1956.

-Joined the Cardinals in a four-player trade on May 28, 1960 and made his major league debut that same day. He collected two hits against former All-Star Billy O'Dell. He was named to the Topps All-Star Rookie Team despite a .237 batting average.

-Renowned for his excellent range at second base, he started there for St. Louis for over a decade. Teammate Tim McCarver called him "The Phantom" because of his skill in turning the double play while avoiding sliding base runners.

-Combined with teammates Bill White (1B), Dick Groat (SS), and Ken Boyer (3B) to comprise the National League's starting infield in the 1963 All-Star Game. That season, Javier batted .263 with 27 doubles.

-Played in three World Series with the Cardinals, who won it all in 1964 and 1967 and lost to the Tigers in 1968. Also played for Cincinnati in their 1972 World Series loss to Oakland. Overall, he hit .333 in Fall Classic play, with seven RBI in 54 at-bats - most notably a three-run homer in the clinching Game 7 of the 1967 Series.

-Was ninth in MVP voting in 1967 (.281, 14 HR, 64 RBI) and made his second and final All-Star team the following year (.260, 25 2B).

-After a dozen seasons in St. Louis, finished his career with the Reds in 1972. He retired as a .257 hitter with 78 homers and 506 RBI.

-His son Stan Javier was an outfielder for eight teams (primarily the A's and Giants) between 1984 and 2001, and hit .269 with 57 home runs and 503 RBI.

-The Dominican winter league team Aguilas del Cibao retired his uniform number 25 and named him as the second baseman on their all-time team.

-Julian founded two baseball leagues in his native country, the Summer League (1975-1978) and the Khoury League, later renamed the Roberto Clemente League. He and son Stan also founded the expansion team Gigantes del Cibao in the LIDOM winter league; the club plays in a stadium that bears the elder Javier's name.