Frank Robinson

Frank Robinson, born in 1935, American baseball player and the only man to be named most valuable player (MVP) in both the National League (NL) and the American League (AL). At the time he retired, Robinson ranked fourth on the all-time home run list with 586, trailing only Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Willie Mays. (He was later surpassed by others, including Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Ken Griffey, Jr.) After playing right field for 21 seasons, Robinson became the first African American manager in major league history.

Born in Beaumont, Texas, Robinson joined the NL’s Cincinnati Reds in 1956, hit 38 home runs, led the league in runs scored with 122, and won the rookie of the year award. In 1961 he batted .323 with 37 home runs and 124 runs batted in (RBIs) to win the MVP Award. In 1962 he batted .342 with 39 home runs and 136 RBIs, and led the league with 134 runs scored, and 51 doubles. Injuries slowed his performance during the next three seasons and he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles of the AL in 1966. He responded that season by winning the Triple Crown, leading the league in batting average (.316), home runs (49), and RBIs (122). He also led the league in runs scored and slugging percentage and won the MVP award.

Robinson was plagued by injuries the next five seasons and in 1971 was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also played for the California Angels and the Cleveland Indians before being named player-manager for Cleveland in 1975. He later managed the San Francisco Giants, the Baltimore Orioles, the Montreal Expos, and the Washington Nationals.

In his career Robinson batted .294 with 2,943 hits, including 526 doubles and 72 triples. He stole 204 bases, scored 1,829 runs, and had 1,812 RBIs. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.