Chicago Cubs Shortstop Don Kessinger

Don Kessing was a slick fielding shortstop for the Chicago Cubs from 1964-1975. During that period he would be a six time National League All-Star. He would win the Gold Glove Award in 1969 and 1970.

Never known for his offense, he hit 14 home runs with 527 RBI with a hitting line of .252/.314/.312. His best offensive season would be 1969, when he hit 4 home runs with 53 RBI.

He would spend the end of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox. He would serve as manager for the White Sox in 1979 with a record of 46-60.

Joe Glasgow is a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h

The Big Red Machine: Tony Perez "Big Dog"

Tony Perez broke into the major leagues with the Cincinnati Reds in 1964, but it wasn’t until 1967 that his power started to show. It was a season that he would hit 26 home runs with 102 RBI. His career would see 9 more seasons of 20+ home runs, and the first of 7 seasons of 100+ RBI.

He was a seven time all-star, and won back to World Series Championship with the Big Red Machine in 1975-1976. His career hitting line was .279/.341/.463 with 379 home runs and 1,652 RBI. In 2000, Perez was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He is a member of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, and the Reds have retired his #24.

Perez would have productive seasons with the Montreal Expos, and Boston Red Sox. He would make a brief stop with the Philadelphia Phillies before retiring with the Reds in a second stint with the team.

Joe Glasgow is a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h

Joe Adcock: Milwaukee Brave

Joe Adcock broke into the major leagues with the Cincinnati Reds in 1950, but was stuck behind first baseman Ted Kluszewski. Adcock requested a trade, and was sent packing to the Braves.

The hard hitting first baseman would play in the long shadows of Eddie Matthews and Hank Aaron. The trio home run hitters made the Braves middle of the order one the most formidable in all of baseball. The Braves would win the 1957 World Series.

Adcock would hit 336 home runs with 1,122 RBI, and a batting line of .277/.33/.485. He was a two time all-star, and on July 31, 1954, he would slam four home runs in a game against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

At the end of this career he would spend time with the Angels and Indians. It included managing the Indians during the 1967 season to a 75-87 record. His .994 fielding percentage was 3^rd best all-time when he called it a career.

Joe Glasgow is a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h

Richie Ashburn Hall of Fame Biography

Richie Asburn was a member of the 1950 Philadelphia “Whiz Kids” that won the National League pennant. Ashburn would spend the first 12 years of his career in the Phillies uniform, before spend two years with the Chicago Cubs, and his last with the infamous 1962 New York Mets.

Ashburn hitting line was .308/.396/.382 with 29 home runs and 586 RBI. He had 2,574 hits and a lifetime batting average of .308.

He was a two time NL batting champ, his #1 has been retired by the Phillies, and a member of the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame. He was elected by the Veteran’s Committee in 1995 to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Mel Ott: New York Giants

Mel Ott debuted with the New York Giants at 17, it was the beginning a 22 season Hall of Fame of career. Ott hit 511 home runs with 1,860 RBI, and batting line of .304/.414/.533.

Ott was a twelve-time National League all-star. He led the National League in home runs six-times. Ott managed the Giants form 1942-1948. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1951 on the third ballot.

The Giants played in three World Series during Ott’s career in 1933, 1936 and 1937. The Giants won the World Series in 1933. His #4 has been retired by the Giants. 

Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star John Roseboro

John Roseboro was one of the best defensive catchers during the 1960’s. However, he is best remembered for an incident where he was hit in the head with a bat by San Francisco Giants pitcher Juan Marichal.

Roseboro was a six time all-star, won the Gold Glove award in 1961 and 1966. He played on three World Series Championship teams in 1959, 1963 and 1965. He caught two of Sandy Koufax’s no hitters, and was the catcher for 112 shutouts.

He lacked prowess with the bat with a hitting line of .249/.326/.371.  He had 104 career home runs and knocked 548 runs.

Joe Glasgow is a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h

Gentleman Jim Hickman

Hickman is remembered for delivering the game winning hit in the 1970 All-Star game in which Pete Rose blew up Ray Fosse at home plate.

Hickman broke in to the big leagues with the New York Mets after being selected in the expansion draft from the St. Louis Cardinals, and played with them from 1962-66. While in New York, Hickman became the first Met to hit for the cycle, and it was Hickman that hit the last home run in the Polo Grounds. He played the 1967 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers  before being sent packing to the Chicago Cubs.

He enjoyed his most productive year in 1970 with the Cubs. Hickman blasted 32 home runs with 115 RBI, and finished with a .315 batting average. They were career highs in all three categories. He would provided the Cubs two more solid seasons before tapering off in 1973, and spent 1974 with the Cardinals.

As a young fan of the Cubs Jim Hickman was always one of my favorites among the non-star players. In my young mind, it seemed he was always delivering in the clutch.

Sweet Swinging Billy Williams

Sweet Swinging Billy Williams, he was tagged early in his career with the Chicago Cubs. Williams, who was the 1961 National League Rookie of the Year made his mark in baseball history with his durability, and bat.

Williams spent sixteen seasons in the major leagues fourteen of those with the Cubs, and his last two with the Oakland Athletics. Williams was an iron man his day playing 1,117 straight games from 1963-1970. His streak currently ranks sixth in major league history. He was a six-time National League All-Star, won the battling title in 1972. He was snubbed for the All-Star game in 1970 when had a 26 home runs and 80 RBI at the all-star break.

His best season was 1972, when he hit 37 home runs with 122 RBI, and hit .333. He finished second to Johnny Bench of the Reds in the MVP voting. His career numbers of 426 home runs, 1475 RBI, and a .290 batting average were enough to get him elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987.

Often over shadowed in recent years by fellow Hall Fame players Ferguson Jenkins, Ron Santo, and Ernie Banks, but Williams was a key member of the solid Chicago Cubs teams of the late 60's and eaarly 70's.

St. Louis Cardinal Ken Boyer

Ken Boyer was only the second third baseman to cross the 250 home runs mark (Pie Traynor was the other at the time). He was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1949, and made his major league debut in 1955.  He would hit 18 home runs and knock in 62 runs in his rookie campaign, and would solidify the third base position for the Cardinals for 10 of the next 11 seasons (In 1957, he played centerfield).

From 1958-1964, he would hit over twenty home runs. Seven time he would drive in 90 or more runs in a season. Including a league leading 119 in 1964.  He would finish his career with 282 home runs and 1,141 RBI. He was the 1964 National League Most Valuable Player.  Boyer was a National League All-Star eleven times, was a member of the 1964 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. He was a five-times Gold Glove winner.

In October 1965, St. Louis traded him to the New York Mets, where played until be traded to the Chicago White Sox. Boyer signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in May of 1968 after being released by the White Sox. Boyer would retire after the 1969 season. He managed the St. Louis Cardinals 1978-1980. Tragically, he would die from cancer at the age of 51, and the St. Louis Cardinals retired his #14. He is also a member of the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame, but didn't get enough support for the Baseball Hall of Fame.