Cooperstown Chronicles: Phil Rizzuto

Photo courtesy of TSN Archives/Icon SMI

mroctobr44, a friend of mine from Sporting News, wanted me to profile Hall of Famer Phil Rizzuto. Here are my findings.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI

The Numbers
1661 Games
5816 At Bats
.273 Batting Average
877 Runs
1588 Hits
239 Doubles
62 Triples
38 Home Runs
563 RBI
149 Stolen Bases

Playoffs: 52 games, 45 Hits in 183 At Bats (.246), 21 runs, 3 doubles, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 7 World Series Rings

Awards
1950 MVP
1950 Major League Player of the Year
1951 Babe Ruth Award
5 All-Star Appearances
MVP Votes in 8 Seasons

Top Ten Finishes
Batting Average - Once
On-Base % - Once
Games - Four Times
At Bats - Three Times
Runs - Three Times
Hits - Once
Doubles - Once
Triples - Three times
Walks - Once
Stolen Bases - Eight Times

The Scooter probably doesn’t deserve to be in the Hall of Fame based on his numbers. However, how can you overlook the seven World Series titles as a key member of the team? How can you overlook his work as an announcer for forty years? He received MVP votes in virtually every season that he played, which shows his worth. Scooter is the epitome of baseball. “Holy Cow” does he deserve to be among the greats in Cooperstown

References
Baseball-reference.com

Past Chronicles
Bert Byleven
Andre Dawson
Dale Murphy
Mark McGwire
Bobby Matthews
Tommy John
Buck O’Neill & Minnie Minoso
Jim Rice
Ted Simmons
Lee Smith
Jack Morris
Al Oliver
Steve Garvey
Jim Kaat
Pete Ro$e
Shoeless Joe Jackson
Dave Concepcion
Lou Whitaker
Alan Trammell
Ron Santo
Ron Guidry
Gil Hodges
Dave Parker
Tony Mullane
Keith Hernandez
Don Mattingly
Dwight Evans
Ralph Houk (Manager)
Jimmie Dykes (Player/Manager)
Charlie Grimm (Player/Manager)
Billy Martin (Player/Manager)
Harold Baines
Gene Mauch (Manager)
Whitey Herzog (Manager)
Tom Kelly (Manager)
Joe Carter
Rusty Staub
Gary Gaetti
Jimmy Ryan
George Van Haltren
Roger Maris
Lance Parrish
Mo Vaughn
Mark Grace
Dennis Martinez
Chuck Finley
Fred McGriff
Wes Parker
Steve Finley
Orlando Cepeda
Albert Belle
Willie Randolph
Graig Nettles
Luis Gonzalez
Lefty O’Doul
Rocky Colavito
Boog Powell
Jerry Koosman
Mike Cuellar
Edgar Martinez
Brooks Robinson
Roberto Alomar
Dave Stieb
John Franco
Maury Wills
Sherry Magee