Friday, August 27, 2010

#345 Floyd Robinson

#345 Floyd Robinson
I don't know what it is, but I enjoy being able to see a player's name on the back of his jersey on older cards. You can also see his jersey number 3 on the sleeve (these were known as "TV numbers", as they were for the benefit of fans watching at home).

Fun facts about Floyd Robinson:

-Born in Prescott, AR, Floyd attended high school in San Diego, after which he signed with the Pacific Coast League's Padres club in 1954.

-The Indians acquired him in 1957, but sent him to the White Sox prior to the 1960 season. He debuted with Chicago that August, hitting .283 in 22 games.

-The 25-year-old became the ChiSox' starting right fielder in 1961 and finished third in A.L. Rookie of the Year voting on the strength of a team-leading .310 average. He also showed some pop with 20 doubles, seven triples, and 11 home runs.

-1962 was a career year for Floyd. He led the league with 45 doubles and paced his team with ten triples, 109 RBI, and a .312 average. He also landed in the top ten of the MVP vote.

-On July 22, 1962, he had the rare distinction of going 6-for-6 in a nine-inning game, a 7-3 victory over Boston. Incredibly, he scored only one run and had one RBI; all six hits were singles.

-Robinson remained productive for the Pale Hose over the next three seasons, batting .282 and averaging 13 homers, 65 RBI, and 69 walks.

-After his average dipped to .237 in 1966 (more troubling was his .325 slugging percentage), he was traded to the Reds for pitcher Jim O'Toole.

-He continued to flounder in his lone season in Cincinnati, and fared no better in 1968 in Oakland and then Boston, and that was all she wrote. In parts of nine seasons, he hit .283 with 36 triples, 67 home runs, and 426 RBI. His on-base percentage was a solid .365.

-Floyd's last home run was a pinch-hit job on April 16, 1968. The two-run clout gave the A's a 4-3 lead over the Yankees in the ninth inning, and they won by that margin.

-His cousin was a fellow major league outfielder of the era, Tommie Reynolds.
#345 Floyd Robinson (back)

7 comments:

  1. Heh, we both featured a White Sox player today. cool.

    6-for-6, awesome!

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  2. Devon - Small world! That is an excellent card.

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  3. Did anyone have those sleeve numbers besides the White Sox and Tigers?

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  4. The Athletics did, in a way. They had them on the sleeves of their undershirts with sleeveless jerseys.

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  5. Jim and Bob - The Phillies are probably the most recent team to have sleeve numbers...they did it in the 1990s.

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  6. The Phillies? I don't remember that (but I didn't watch baseball in the 1990s after the strike).

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  7. Jim - Here you go. Supposedly they added the TV numbers in 1992 when they redesigned the uniform. I can't tell when they dropped them - I found pictures of Ryan Howard with them, though.

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