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No player (that I know of) has dominated the record books in a single category like Richie Ashburn for putouts by an outfielder. Only 7 players have caught 499 flies in a season, and Ashburn is four of them. And they were in 154-game seasons. Only three outfielders have topped 490 in the 162-game era. However, Lemon played only 150 games in '77, and if he had played every day, might have challenged Douthit's amazing record. Murphy missed three games in '80. The current leader is Mike Trout, on a pace for 453, and nobody else is on a pace to come within 100 of Ashburn's best year.
1. Taylor Douthit (27) 547 1928 R
2. Richie Ashburn+ (24) 533 1951 R
3. Chet Lemon (22) 509 1977 R
4. Richie Ashburn+ (29) 501 1956 R
Dwayne Murphy (25) 501 1980 R
6. Richie Ashburn+ (22) 499 1949 R Richie Ashburn+ (30) 499 1957 R
8. Dom DiMaggio (31) 495 1948 R
9. Richie Ashburn+ (31) 494 1958 R
10. Jim Busby (27) 492 1954 R
Andruw Jones (22) 492 1999 R
12. Richie Ashburn+ (27) 489 1954 R
Al Bumbry (33) 489 1980 R
Omar Moreno (26) 489 1979 L
Connie Marrero, is, apparently, still alive in Cuba, the oldest living ball player, at 102. Second on the list is 98 year old Mike Sandlock, who (as referenced in post 847) was the Pirates catcher who played in the most games in 1953, when they used eight catchers. I saw Sandlock play that year, but it was not memorable. He went 0-for-3 with a GIDP. If he makes it to 100, he might be the only person I've ever actually seen who, to my knowledge, lived to be 100.
Marrero died in Havana on April 23 -- two days short of his 103rd birthday. He was a rookie with the Senators in his age-39 season but went on to pitch for the club for five seasons, earning an All-Star berth as a sophomore, thanks to an unorthodox windmill delivery that disguised a wicked curveball. With his DC connections, there was a tribute to him here prior to Sunday's game versus the Padres. The latter-day Nats did little during the actual game to make Marrero or anyone else proud however.
No player (that I know of) has dominated the record books in a single category like Richie Ashburn for putouts by an outfielder.
Ashburn was without question an HOF-grade defensive outfielder. While lacking power, he was also a fine hitter and might well hold the record also for most at-bats of ten pitches or more in the 1950's. He could foul off almost anything. But his OF putouts can in part be explained by the dimensions of Connie Mack Stadium -- over 400 feet in both alleys and 447 to dead center -- which provided a massive pasture to patrol, and the fact that while Curt Simmons tried to buck the trend in his day, the Phils had quite a few low-strikeout pitchers in that era, balls-in-play types prone to giving up a lot of long outs and worse. Even in the championship season of 1950, only Del Ennis hit more homers than Robin Roberts allowed. Ashburn had himself a pretty good fishing spot in CF for the Phils, and he sure could reel them in.
Ashburn was without question an HOF-grade defensive outfielder. While lacking power, he was also a fine hitter and might well hold the record also for most at-bats of ten pitches or more in the 1950's. He could foul off almost anything. But his OF putouts can in part be explained by the dimensions of Connie Mack Stadium -- over 400 feet in both alleys and 447 to dead center -- which provided a massive pasture to patrol, and the fact that while Curt Simmons tried to buck the trend in his day, the Phils had quite a few low-strikeout pitchers in that era, balls-in-play types prone to giving up a lot of long outs and worse. Even in the championship season of 1950, only Del Ennis hit more homers than Robin Roberts allowed. Ashburn had himself a pretty good fishing spot in CF for the Phils, and he sure could reel them in.
In 1951,The Phillies were last in the league in Assists, 7th in DPs and 6th in Strikeouts, which indicated a lot of fly balls in play. Similarly, Chet Lemon's White Sox were last in the league in both Assists and DPs in '77.. Douthit's '28 Cardinals won the pennant, but were last in the league in Assists and DPs. Despite the presence of HoFers Frankie Frisch and Rabbit Maranville in the middle of the infield, both noted mainly for their defense..
Hunter was given the nickname "Catfish" by then Kansas City A's owner Charlie Finley who thought the name Jim Hunter was too bland. That was in early 1965 before the 19-year old had pitched a single professional game. It was an apt choice for a North Carolina farm boy. The press and the fans loved it. He was known as Jim "Catfish" Hunter at first, but the Jim part was soon enough dropped. After his perfect game in 1968, just "The Catfish" was heard as often as anything else.
I agree, as a kid in the late 1960s-early '70s he was one of my favorite players mainly because his name was Catfish. I didn't even know his real name was Jim until I started collecting baseball cards in about 1978.
On the other hand, I don't recall anyone ever calling Richie Hebner "Rich." He was always Richie. Or Gravedigger. Never Rich, despite the fact that most of his baseball cards listed him as Rich.
I think Catfish Hunter has a better claim on the HH spot than Richie Hebner.
A's owner Charlie Finley was also responsible for John Odom becoming known as Blue Moon Odom. He tried to tack nicknames onto some other players but only the "Catfish" and "Blue Moon" stuck. The highly imaginative and innovative Finley dressed the team in colorful (for that era) uniforms and encouraged the players to grow large handlebar mustaches. He replaced the ballboys with ballgirls in attention-getting attire and introduced a live mascot, Charlie-O the mule. Finley was an early proponent of night baseball in the World Series. Among his ideas that never caught on were the designated runner and the orange baseball. Before moving the A's from Kansas City to Oakland Finley attempted to relocate to Louisville but could not get league approval.
On the other hand, I don't recall anyone ever calling Richie Hebner "Rich." He was always Richie. Or Gravedigger.
Goes to show that you have to be careful picking an off-season job, even if it's working for your Dad. Doesn't really apply so much anymore though. Hebner might have been a better hockey player than baseball player, but he was a tough out for a long time no matter what you called him.
Quote:
Originally Posted by duster1979
Never Rich, despite the fact that most of his baseball cards listed him as Rich.
Richie Ashburn did get called Rich sometimes. And then of course there was Richie Allen...
He had always been Dick Allen as a youth, for unknown reasons, the Philadelphia press kept referencing him as Richie, possibly because of their affection for the departed Ashburn. Allen put up with it until he left the Phillies, announcing that from now on he wanted to be known by the name he had always been called before. Allen's decision to become Dick was his own, as was his decision to act like one from time to time.
When Jeff Leonard came from the Astros to the Giants in a trade, he had always been known as Jeff to that point. Based on his appearance, his teammates nicknamed him "Penitentiary Face." Then after a couple of seasons, Leonard arrived in camp and announced that from now on he wished to be called "Jeffrey" Leonard.
He teammates were accommodating, they started calling him "Correctional Institution Face."
The lore is greater than his actual track record. His ideas were more crackpot than inspiration. The orange ball. The mechanical rabbit to pop up and bring balls to the HP umpire. Having relievers ride in from the bullpen on Charlie-O. Finley thought the mule was more appropriate as a mascot in heavily Democratic Missouri than the white elephant that had been the A's emblem from their inception. He did start investing in the farm club, but he let media contracts languish in both KC and Oakland. The failed "Pennant Porch" idea in KC was at least interesting, and the goats and sheep grazing of the grassy hillside behind the RF fence did give a nondescript sort of ballpark some sense of charm. But overall, he didn't serve either the team or himself all that well at anything beside grabbing some short-term attention. That's what a "streaker" does. At the end of the day, the Finley legacy was a mixed bag at best.
He had always been Dick Allen as a youth, for unknown reasons, the Philadelphia press kept referencing him as Richie, possibly because of their affection for the departed Ashburn. Allen put up with it until he left the Phillies, announcing that from now on he wanted to be known by the name he had always been called before. Allen's decision to become Dick was his own, as was his decision to act like one from time to time.
He was an absolute masher as Richie in 1964 and as Dick in 1972. When healthy, one of the most feared hitters in the game. His arrival put the Phils and the White Sox in pennant races. But players change names when they want to. Mike Stanton is no more. Joey Belle and Jorge Bell became Albert and George. Jose Gonzalez became Jose Uribe. Lots of others.
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