M E E T   T H E   R O O K I E S  ·  1 9 6 3

Pete Rose · #1 overall, San Francisco Spiders
Rose is the career leader in hits (4,256), singles (3,215), at-bats (14,053) and games played (3,562). He is second all-time in doubles, fourth in runs, and collected at least 100 hits in his first 23 seasons, a record. He had more than 200 hits in a season 10 times, also a record, led the league in hits in seven seasons, and is the most prolific switch-hitter in history. He is the only player to play 500 games at five different positions and was named the Player of the Decade for the 1970s by TSN. He revived the head-first slide and popularized running to first base on a walk after seeing Enos Slaughter do it. Because of his seemingly boundless enthusiasm, he was nicknamed "Charlie Hustle" by Whitey Ford. Rose once said that he'd "walk through hell in a gasoline suit to keep playing baseball." He has also been endlessly compared to Ty Cobb, including allegations of betting on his own team, an accusation Cobb faced in the final years of his career. Rose's statistical standing in major league history is ensured, but his reputation and eventual election to the Hall of Fame is in serious doubt following his lifetime suspension by Commissioner Giamatti in 1989.

Born and raised in Cincinnati, the brash, crewcut rookie broke into the Reds' starting lineup in 1963 and was named Rookie of the Year. In the top of the ninth in a scoreless game in Colt Stadium on April 23, 1964, Rose reached first on an error and scored on another error to make Houston rookie Ken Johnson the first pitcher to lose a complete game no-hitter. But Rose slumped late in 1964, was benched, and finished with just a .269 average. He came back in 1965 to lead the league in hits (209) and at-bats (670), and hit .312, the first of 15 consecutive .300 seasons. He hit a career-high 16 homers in 1966, then moved from second base to the right field the following year. In 1968, he started the season with a 22-game hit streak, missed three weeks, including the All-Star game, with a broken thumb, then had a 19-game hit streak late in the season. He had to finish the season 6-for-9 to beat out Matty Alou and win the first of two close NL batting-title races. In 1969, Rose and Roberto Clemente were tied for the batting title going into the final game. Rose bunted for a base hit in his last at-bat of the season to beat out Clemente. Rose's hustle won the All-Star Game in 1970 for the NL, and may have spoiled the career of Oakland catcher Ray Fosse, Rose's dinner companion the night before the game in Cincinnati. In the 12th inning, Rose led off with a single and went to second on a single by the Dodgers' Bill Grabarkewitz. The Cubs Jim Hickman then singled sharply to center. Amos Otis' throw beat Rose to the plate, but Rose barreled over Fosse, separating the catcher's shoulder, to score the winning run. Rose sparked the The Big Red Machine to a sweep of the LCS against Pittsburgh that year. He drove in a run to snap a scoreless tie in the 10th inning in the first game, then singled during the eighth inning rally that produced the winning run in the third game.

In 1972, Rose, now in left field, again led the league in hits and at-bats, hit .450 in the LCS against Pittsbugh, but managed only a .214 average in the seven-game loss to Oakland in the World Series. Rose enjoyed his best-ever season in 1973. He won his third and final batting title with a .338 average, collected a career-high 230 hits and was named the NL MVP. The Reds, however, lost the LCS to the upstart Mets, despite Rose's eighth-inning homer to tie Game One and his 12th-inning homer to win Game Four. The Mets were spurred on by Rose's fight with diminutive Met shortstop Bud Harrelson in Game Three, which prompted a bench-clearing brawl. Rose slumped badly in 1974, hitting only .284, although he did lead the league in runs scored with 110. In 1975, Rose was moved to third base to make room for rookie outfielder Ken Griffey, and led the Reds to the first of two straight World Series victories. Rose was named the 1975 World Series MVP on the strength of 10 hits and a .370 average. The Reds swept the Yankees in the 1976 Series, despite only a .188 average for Rose. In 1978, Rose mounted the last serious threat to Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hit streak. Rose hit safely in 44 straight games, the most by a NL player in the 20th century. On May 5, he became the youngest player ever to reach 3,000 hits. After the season, Rose became a free agent and, after a fierce bidding war, signed with the Phillies. Installed at first base, his fifth position in the majors, he hit .331.  The next season, despite only a .282 regular-season average, he helped the Phillies win their first-ever World Championship. With one out in the ninth inning of the sixth and final game of the World Series, the Phillies were leading 4-1 with Tug McGraw on the mound, but the bases were full of Royals. Frank White's foul pop bounced out of catcher Bob Boone's glove, but Rose grabbed it in the air to prevent a possible tragedy.

In the strike-shortened 1981 season, Rose led the league in hits and had his last .300 season, batting .325. Now 40 years old, it was clear his career was winding down, but the question of whether he could catch Cobb and the all-time hit record of 4,192 kept his name in the news. The night after the strike ended on August 10, he passed Musial as the NL all-time hit leader. He hit just .271 in 1982, but collected 172 more hits. In 1983, the last year of his contract with the Phillies, he hit just .245. Rose, Joe Morgan, and Tony Perez, aging remnants of the Big Red Machine teams, helped the Phillies to the World Series, losing to the Orioles in five games. It was clear that the Phillies were moving toward youth, and the question was, who would want a forty-two-year-old player. The Expos, needing some help at the gate, signed him, and on April 13, a day before his forty-third birthday, he collected his 4,000th hit. But he wasn't hitting consistently, and was benched in July. On August 16, he was traded back to his hometown Reds, was named player-manager, and responded by batting .365 the rest of the season. In 1985 the city named a street near the ballpark after him as the Cobb hoopla built. On September 11 in Cincinnati, batting lefthanded, he hit a line single to left off the Padres' Eric Show for hit number 4,193 to pass Cobb. In order to reach Cobb, Rose collected more than 1,000 hits after the age of 38. He guided the Reds to a second-place finish in the NL West that year, and again in 1986, his last year as an active player. Cincinnati finished second again in 1987, and for the fourth time in a row in 1988. During the 1988 season, Rose got into a shoving match with umpire Dave Pallone, and was suspended for 30 days.

Early in 1989, his job in jeopardy because of consistant second-place finishes, Rose was accused of being in massive debt to gamblers and of betting on his own team. He resorted to months of legal stratagems, challenging the Commissioner's authority, until finally agreeing on August 24 to a deal in which he dropped his suit against baseball and accepted the lifetime suspension. In return, there were no official findings announced. By that time, testimony and documents from a federal case involving one of his bookmakers had revealed everything anyway, but Rose obdurately denied that he had done anything deserving censure. (SEW)
 

Don Mincher · #2 overall, Washington Monuments
Mincher was a backup for Vic Power and Bob Allison at the beginning of his career, and gradually won more playing time. He hit 23 HR in just 287 at-bats in 1964 and earned the lead position in a first-base platoon for the pennant-winning 1965 team. He hit .251 with 22 HR and 66 RBI in 346 at-bats. In Game One of the World Series, he homered in his first WS at-bat, off Don Drysdale in the second inning, to give the Twins a lead they never surrendered. He tied a WS record for first basemen with four assists in Game Two as the Twins won again. However, he hit only .130 for the Series.

On June 9, 1966, Mincher contributed one of the Twins' AL-record five homers in one inning. But Mincher's power dropped off in 1966 (14 HR in 431 at-bats), and Minnesota traded him to the Angels after the season. He rebounded in 1967 with 25 HR (tied for fifth in the AL) and 81 runs, but on April 11, 1968 Mincher was beaned by Sam McDowell and suffered dizzy spells all season. Hitting only 13 HR, he was left unprotected in the expansion draft. Picked by the Pilots, he came back once again with 25 HR and a career-high 78 RBI, and the A's traded four players to acquire him and a throw-in for 1970. He hit a personal-best 27 HR that year, but led AL first basemen in errors.

Mincher's power dropped in the next two seasons as he was dealt to the Senators, who then moved to Texas (he is the only person to play for both Senators teams and the Twins and Rangers). The A's reacquired him for their 1972 pennant drive, and although he hit only .148, there was one moment of glory left for him. In Game Four of the World Series against the Reds, the A's trailed 2-1 in the ninth inning with one out and two on. Mincher's pinch-hit single off Reds bullpen ace Clay Carroll tied the score as the A's went on to win the game and the Series. It was Mincher's final major league at-bat. (SH)

Willie Stargell · #3 overall, Los Angeles Outlaws
As a young slugger, a superstar, and a veteran captain, "Pops" always brought class -- and often victory -- to the Pittsburgh Pirates. A menacing figure at the plate, Stargell would slowly twirl his bat round and round as he prepared for the pitch, almost like winding a powerful spring. Among his "collect-call" homers were four into the upper deck at Three Rivers Stadium, seven over the right field roof in Forbes Field, two completely out of Dodger Stadium (one of two players ever to accomplish the feat), and a shot estimated at 535 feet into the 500-level at Montreal's Olympic Stadium, where a seat is painted gold to commemorate the shot.

On July 22, 1964, Stargell hit for the cycle. That year, the burly, lefthanded slugger began a string of 13 consecutive 20-homer seasons, and also made his first of seven All-Star Game appearances. In 1970 he tied a major-league record with five extra-base hits in one game. He opened 1971 on a tear, setting an April record with 11 dingers, and inspiring Pirate broadcaster Bob Prince to coin the phrase "spread chicken on the hill" (in reference to Willie's chain of chicken restaurants) each time he blasted a homer. He spread chicken 48 times in 1971 and had 125 RBIs, both career highs (as were his 154 strikeouts), to help the Pirates to a pennant. In the World Series dominated by Roberto Clemente, he hit a disappointing .132.

When Clemente died, Stargell became the Pirates' leader, but his spectacular 1973 season (.299, 44 HR, 119 RBI) went largely unrecognized because the team slumped. Knee problems forced his move to first base in 1974, and a series of injuries ended his string of 20-homer seasons in 1977. However, he earned The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year award in 1978 when he batted .295, tallying 28 homers and 97 ribbies.

Although he'd had seasons with higher totals, 1979 was his most noteworthy year: At the ripe age of 39, Stargell was captain of The Family, driving the team to a pennant with his bat (.281, 32 HR, 82 RBI) and leadership, awarding "Stargell Stars" to deserving teammates. In the World Series win, he set records with 25 total bases and seven extra-base hits (three homers, four doubles). He also became the first person to win three major MVP awards -- sharing regular season honors of the National League with Keith Hernandez, and also bringing home the NLCS and World Series MVP trophies. Stargell's banner year also awarded him the titles of The Sporting News Man of the Year, and Sports Illustrated co-Man of the Year (with Steeler Super Bowl quarterback Terry Bradshaw). After playing three more painful seasons with arthritis tearing away at his knees, Pops retired in 1982 as the Pirate career leader in home runs, RBIs, and eight other categories.

A clubhouse drug scandal in 1985 involving Dave Parker, Dale Berra, and even the Pirate mascot left a stain on the franchise and fans yearning for their former leader. Stargell returned to the Pirates as a coach after the scandal abated, but left with manager Chuck Tanner for the Atlanta Braves organization the following year. With the Braves, Stargell served as first base coach, hitting coach, and later as a Special Assistant to the Director of Player Development.

But despite his time with Atlanta, Stargell was always a Pirate at heart. One of the most popular figures in Pittsburgh sports history, he was given loud ovations at every public appearance. When he was selected for the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA in 1988, his first year of eligibility, the Bucs took the opportunity to retire his #8. Pops returned to the Pirates in 1997, working as an aide to GM Cam Bonifay. Around that same time, he developed a kidney disorder that would require constant dialysis, and leave him weak in the ensuing years.

At the Three Rivers closing ceremony on October 1, 2000, it was announced that a 12-foot high statue of Stargell would be erected outside the Pirates' new home, PNC Park. The statue was to be unveiled on April 7, 2001, but Stargell was too sick to attend the event and the ceremony was postponed until two days later. On the morning of the 9th, he passed away. (ME/AG)

Jimmy Wynn · #4 overall, Boston Federals
Wynn, the Astros' first slugging star, played most of his career in a big ballpark with a poor supporting cast. The speedy, 5'9" outfielder had an explosive bat - hence the nickname, the Toy Cannon. When he left Houston after 11 seasons, he held club records in virtually every offensive category, including hits (1,291), home runs (223), and RBI (719).

The Cincinnati native first signed with the Reds, but was drafted from them by the expansion Houston club in 1962. In 1965, Wynn's first full season, he led the Astros with a .275 batting average, 22 home runs, and 73 RBI. He also stole a career-high 43 bases. Two years later he broke club records with 37 HR and 107 RBI, but he struck out a league-high 137 times. Seeing fewer good pitches to hit in 1969, he tied the NL record with 148 walks, but still hit 33 HR.

Wynn's career, and life, nearly ended when he was stabbed in the abdomen during a quarrel with his wife in December 1970. He recovered physically, but slumped dramatically in 1971, hitting just seven homers. He rebounded in 1972 (.273, 24 HR, 90 RBI), but another poor year in 1973 paved the way for his trade to the Dodgers for pitcher Claude Osteen. Wynn gave Los Angeles a desperately needed righthanded power hitter, and replaced the recently traded Willie Davis in centerfield.

Wynn carried the pennant-winning Dodgers for the first part of 1974, hit three HR in a game for the second time in his career, set a Los Angeles record with 32 HR, and was named TSN NL Comeback Player of the Year. Nursing a sore elbow, he spent one more season with the Dodgers before being sent to Atlanta in a six-player deal for Dusty Baker. He led the NL in walks a second time in 1976, but batted just .207, and split a final, dreadful, 1977 campaign between the Yankees and Brewers. (ME)

Rusty Staub · #5 overall, Cleveland Barons
Rusty Staub never resembled an athlete so much as a 205-lb Sherlock Holmes who'd taken an intense interest in the game of baseball. Staub began with modest natural skills and honed them to precision through perpetual practice. Baseball was equal parts discipline and sport to Staub, whose broad, curious world view attracted him to the study of history and gourmet cookery. "He leads the league in idiosyncrasies," said one Staub observer. "He makes a science of getting ready to play to the point where it almost becomes an obsession to him." For years, Staub operated Rusty's restaurant on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. He'd often embarrass teammates who joined him for dinner on the road by sending his meal back two or three times until the chef got it right.

Staub retired with 2,716 hits and an unmatched reputation as a batter. "He is a pure hitter," said Duke Snider. Staub said, "I discovered at a very early age that nothing was going to come easy for me, that I'd have to work for my success." Despite a lack of speed, Staub led his league four times in outfield assists. When he was placed at DH by the Tigers, he knocked in a career-high 121 runs in 1978. The Mets made him a pinch hitter in his final few years, and he tied records in 1983 for consecutive pinch hits (8) and RBI (25), and had a record 81 pinch at-bats (he hit .296).

Staub signed with the Houston Colt .45s (later the Astros) for $100,000 in 1961 and played in 150 games as a 19-year-old rookie. He and Ty Cobb are the only players to homer before age 20 and after age 40, and Staub is the only player to appear in 500 games for four teams and collect 500 hits for four teams. His short, lefthanded stroke produced line drives and a .333 average for the Astros in 1967, with a league-leading 44 doubles. Always popular, Staub became a national hero (and was nicknamed Le Grand Orange for his red hair in French-speaking Quebec) in Canada as a star for the expansion Expos. He hit 30 homers for Montreal in 1970. A broken hand, his first major injury, sidelined him with the Mets in 1972, but he played a dramatic role in the postseason in 1973. Staub hurt his shoulder against the Reds in Game Four of the playoffs when he caught Dan Driessen's 11th-inning drive and smashed into the right-field wall at Shea Stadium. He took cortisone shots and threw underhand in the World Series against the A's. Though unable to pull the ball, he socked an opposite field homer off Oakland's Ken Holtzman to win Game Four. (KT)

Mickey Lolich · #6 overall, St. Louis Maroons
Portly lefty Lolich stole the spotlight from teammate Denny McLain in 1968, despite McLain's 31-win season. Lolich won three games in the 1968 World Series, giving up only five runs in his three complete games, including a 4-1 victory in the seventh game against Bob Gibson on two days' rest. In the sixth inning of that victory, he picked off both Curt Flood and Lou Brock. A notoriously poor hitter (a career .110 average), Lolich cracked his only major league homer in Game Two of the Series off Nelson Briles.

The picture of consistency throughout his career, Lolich struck out 200-plus seven times and finished 12th all-time in strikeouts with 2,832, second only to Steve Carlton among lefties. Lolich was not a natural lefthander. A childhood run-in with a motorcycle left him with a broken left collarbone. Rehabilitating his left arm actually made it stronger than his right. Lolich came up the same year as McLain but was far more consistent, never winning fewer than 14 games in his 11 full years in a Tiger uniform. In 1968, while McLain piloted planes and played the organ, Lolich rode motorcycles and played the drums on his way to 17 wins, going 10-2 over the last two months of the season. In 1971 he had a league-leading 25 victories and 308 strikeouts. He would have won the Cy Young Award but for Vida Blue's spectacular rookie season. Lolich won 22 the following year with a career-best 2.50 ERA and again felt he deserved the Cy Young Award, but he lost a close vote to Gaylord Perry.

Lolich was traded to the Mets for Rusty Staub after the 1975 season, then "retired" after going 8-13 for New York in 1976. He sat out the entire 1977 season to get out of his contract, then signed with San Diego for two final seasons. (SEW)