Brooks Robinson
It was his amazing, acrobatic fielding in the 1970 World Series that made him a superstar, but Brooks Robinson was a Baltimore institution for over two decades. The 16-time Gold Glover winner played in 2,896 games, and his 267 home runs were, at the time of his retirement, the most by any American League third baseman. He was one of the most popular players of his generation, and thousands of fans in Baltimore named their children after him.
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 2896 |
10654 |
2848 |
1232 |
268 |
1357 |
28 |
.267 |
.401 |
.322 |
.723 |
103.9 |
|
Quotes From Brooks Robinson
"My advice for third basemen? Get your glove down on the ground and in position to field the ball."
Where does Brooks Robinson rank among baseball greats?
Brooks Robinson ranks #4 among the Top 50 all-time at 3B. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1964
Robinson's glove was what kept him in the lineup for much of his career, but he was a dual threat in '64, hitting .317 (missing the batting title by only four points), and posting career highs in on-base percentage (.368) and slugging (.521). He led the league in RBI (118), and was second in hits (194) and total bases (319). Robinson collected 18 of 20 first-place votes (Mickey Mantle picked up the other two) after helping Baltimore finish third with 97 wins. Robinson was second in MVP voting in 1966, and third two other times.
Factoids
Royals third baseman George Brett chose uniform #5 to honor Brooks Robinson, one of his boyhood heroes.
Where He Played
Third base. It is likely that Brooks Robinson was the finest defensive third baseman in baseball history.
Born
Brooks Calbert (Jr.) Robinson was born on May 18, 1937, in Little Rock, AR.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Major League Debut
9 17,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1955
Brooks Robinson
Roberto Clemente
Ken Boyer
Rocky Colavito
Clete Boyer
Elston Howard
Sandy Koufax
Jim Bunning
Bill Virdon
Nicknames
Vacuum Cleaner
Uniform Numbers
#40 (1955), #6 (1956), #34 (1957), #5 (1957-1977)
Similar Players
None. Graig Nettles made some plays that drew comparisons to Robinson, but Brooks was a better player.
Related Players
George Kell, Frank Robinson, Johnny Bench, Doug DeCinces
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1983 |
BBWAA |
344 |
92.0% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1966 World Series
1969 American League Championship Series
1969 World Series
1970 American League Championship Series
1970 World Series
1971 American League Championship Series
1971 World Series
1973 American League Championship Series
1974 American League Championship Series
Post-Season Notes
Robinson played in 39 postseason games in his career, hitting .303 with five home runs.
Awards and Honors
1960 AL Gold Glove
1961 AL Gold Glove
1962 AL Gold Glove
1963 AL Gold Glove
1964 AL Gold Glove
1964 AL MVP
1965 AL Gold Glove
1966 ML AS MVP
1966 AL Gold Glove
1967 AL Gold Glove
1968 AL Gold Glove
1969 AL Gold Glove
1970 AL Gold Glove
1970 ML WS MVP
1971 AL Gold Glove
1972 AL Gold Glove
1973 AL Gold Glove
1974 AL Gold Glove
1975 AL Gold Glove
Batting Feats
Hitting Streaks
17 games (1966)
16 games (1961)
All-Star Selections
1960 AL
1961 AL
1962 AL
1963 AL
1964 AL
1965 AL
1966 AL
1967 AL
1968 AL
1969 AL
1970 AL
1971 AL
1972 AL
1973 AL
1974 AL
Replaced
George Kell
Replaced By
Doug DeCinces
Best Strength as a Player
His glove, soft hands, and throwing arm. Robinson was also an effective leadership presence in the Orioles' clubhouse.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Running speed
Learn More about Brooks Robinson
Search Amazon.com for Books about Brooks Robinson ⇒
Search for Brooks Robinson at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒