Great platoons: 1966-1978
In our two previous chapters of this series, we discovered the birth of Great Platoons early in the 20th century, and then found them blossoming as never before in the 1950s and early 1960s. As we rejoin the parade, we see the incidence of Great Platoons not slackening in the least.
As a reminder, here are the criteria for inclusion:
– The platoon must have been entirely or significantly structured upon the left-right-batting basis.
– Both platoon partners must have hit well, not just one.
– We’re concerning ourselves only with offensive production, not defense or baserunning.
Something to remember as we proceed is this: Most pitchers are righthanded, usually by around two-thirds to one-third. So the signature aspect of the most strict left-right platoon partnership is that the lefthanded batter will get around twice as many plate appearances as the righthanded batter, give or take for particular circumstances.
1966 Baltimore Orioles: Center field
Manager Hank Bauer alternated line drive-hitting Russ Snyder and defensive whiz Paul Blair on a largely left-right basis in center field, as the Orioles cruised to an easy pennant and World Series sweep.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Russ Snyder L 117 373 66 114 21 5 3 41 38 37 .306 .368 .413 127 Paul Blair R 133 303 35 84 20 2 6 33 15 36 .277 .309 .416 109 Total 676 101 198 41 7 9 74 53 73 .293 .345 .414 120
1966 Los Angeles Dodgers: Right field-left field
Baltimore’s World Series opponent also enjoyed a highly effective plaroon in the outfield. Tommy Davis, returning from his compound ankle fracture of 1965, was eased back into the lineup by manager Walt Alston on a platoon basis. Generally, against left-handers, Davis played left field, everyday regular Lou Johnson moved from left to right, and right fielder Ron Fairly sat down.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Ron Fairly L 117 351 53 101 20 0 14 61 52 38 .288 .380 .464 142 Tommy Davis R 100 313 27 98 11 1 3 27 16 36 .313 .345 .383 110 Total 664 80 199 31 1 17 88 68 74 .300 .365 .426 130
1966 Houston Astros: Left field-right field
The ultra-toolsy Dave Nicholson was one of the most notorious busts of the 1960s, failing to live up to the ballyhoo surrounding his lavish bonus. Mostly he was noted for prodigious strikeout totals. But here, paired by Houston manager Grady Hatton with ever-dependable platoon specialist Lee Maye, Nicholson delivered solid production. The arrangement was the mirror image of that deployed by the Dodgers in ’66: For the Astros, Nicholson played right field against southpaws, with regular right fielder Rusty Staub sliding over to left, and Maye cooling his heels in the dugout.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Lee Maye L 115 358 38 103 12 4 9 36 20 26 .288 .323 .419 111 Dave Nicholson R 100 280 36 69 8 4 10 31 46 92 .246 .356 .411 120 Total 638 74 172 20 8 19 67 66 118 .270 .339 .415 115
1966 California Angels: First base
Norm Siebern at the front end of this all-veteran platoon was nothing special, but the 38-year-old Joe Adcock was just so spectacular in his final season that we have to include them. Angels manager Bill Rigney got the most out of both of these former stars.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Norm Siebern L 125 336 29 83 14 1 5 41 63 61 .247 .361 .339 106 Joe Adcock R 83 231 33 63 10 3 18 48 31 48 .273 .355 .576 167 Total 567 62 146 24 4 23 89 94 109 .257 .359 .436 137
1967 California Angels: Right field
Here, Rigney sagely paired Jimmie Hall, a talented power hitter who was rapidly breaking down, with Bubba Morton, a 35-year-old longtime minor leaguer. This was a remarkably strict left-right platoon: Hall took just 41 at-bats against left-handers (in which he managed just four hits), and Morton got only 66 ABs against righties.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Jimmie Hall L 129 401 54 100 8 3 16 55 42 65 .249 .318 .404 117 Bubba Morton R 80 201 23 63 9 3 0 32 22 29 .313 .387 .388 134 Total 602 77 163 17 6 16 87 64 94 .271 .344 .399 123
1966–67–68 Cleveland Indians: Catcher
This wasn’t a pure left-right setup, as Joe Azcue was superior defensively to the power-hitting Duke Sims and took many of the starts against right-handers. Though the raw numbers producced by this duo were washed out by the extreme low-scoring conditions of those seasons, it was one of the most productive platoon catching combinations in history. The 1968 line we see from Sims is only what he produced while in the lineup at catcher; he also played quite a bit of first base that season.
1966:
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Joe Azcue R 98 302 22 83 10 1 9 37 20 22 .275 .319 .404 107 Duke Sims L 52 133 12 35 2 2 6 19 11 31 .263 .338 .444 123 Total 435 34 118 12 3 15 56 31 53 .271 .325 .416 112
1967:
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Joe Azcue R 86 295 33 74 12 5 11 34 22 35 .251 .307 .437 117 Duke Sims L 88 272 25 55 8 2 12 37 30 64 .202 .294 .379 97 Total 567 58 129 20 7 23 71 52 99 .228 .301 .409 108
1968:
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Joe Azcue R 115 357 23 100 10 0 4 42 28 33 .280 .331 .342 106 Duke Sims L 78 240 32 59 18 0 7 27 38 50 .246 .359 .408 134 Total 597 55 159 28 0 11 69 66 83 .266 .343 .369 119
1968–69–70–71 Baltimore Orioles: Catcher
This combination, devised and consistently maintained by Earl Weaver, wasn’t exactly great, but it was certainly quite effective. It was an excellent example of a platoon solution delivering genuine greater-than-the-sum-of-the-parts results. Both Ellie Hendricks and Andy Etchebarren had fairly significant flaws, but were able to complement one another nicely and together make a solid contribution to a highly successful team over an extended period.
1968:
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Ellie Hendricks L 79 183 19 37 8 1 7 23 19 51 .202 .279 .372 96 Andy Etchebarren R 74 189 20 44 11 2 5 20 19 46 .233 .311 .392 113 Total 372 39 81 19 3 12 43 38 97 .218 .296 .382 105
1969:
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Ellie Hendricks L 105 295 36 72 5 0 12 38 39 44 .244 .333 .383 100 Andy Etchebarren R 73 217 29 54 9 2 3 26 28 42 .249 .350 .350 96 Total 512 65 126 14 2 15 64 67 86 .246 .340 .369 98
1970:
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Ellie Hendricks L 106 322 32 78 9 0 12 41 33 44 .242 .317 .382 92 Andy Etchebarren R 78 230 19 56 10 1 4 28 21 41 .243 .313 .348 82 Total 552 51 134 19 1 16 69 54 85 .243 .315 .368 88
1971:
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Ellie Hendricks L 101 316 33 79 14 1 9 42 39 38 .250 .334 .386 105 Andy Etchebarren R 70 222 21 60 8 0 9 29 16 40 .270 .321 .428 112 Total 538 54 139 22 1 18 71 55 78 .258 .329 .403 108
1968–69–70 Washington Senators: First base-left field
The arrangement here, under managers Jim Lemon in 1968 and Ted Williams in ’69 and ’70, was that the Senators’ great slugger Frank Howard played every day. Hondo started in left field against right-handers, with “Superjew” Mike Epstein playing first base, and Howard moved to first against southpaws, with Brant Alyea taking the start in the outfield in ’68 and ’69, and Rick Reichardt taking over that role in 1970. In each arrangement, they delivered a whole lotta thump.
1968:
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Mike Epstein L 123 385 40 90 8 2 13 33 48 91 .234 .338 .366 117 Brant Alyea R 53 150 18 40 11 1 6 23 10 39 .267 .317 .473 141 Total 535 58 130 19 3 19 56 58 130 .243 .333 .396 124
1969:
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Mike Epstein L 131 403 73 112 18 1 30 85 85 99 .278 .414 .551 175 Brant Alyea R 104 237 29 59 4 0 11 40 34 67 .249 .341 .405 113 Total 640 102 171 22 1 41 125 119 166 .267 .391 .497 159
1970:
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Mike Epstein L 140 430 55 110 15 3 20 56 73 117 .256 .371 .444 129 Rick Reichardt R 78 240 38 63 13 2 12 39 19 56 .263 .363 .483 137 Total 670 93 173 28 5 32 95 92 173 .258 .368 .458 132
1971 Oakland Athletics: First base
In May of 1971, the Senators traded Epstein to the A’s for Don Mincher; each performed splendidly in Oakland for manager Dick Williams in a platoon arrangement with the veteran line-drive-hitter Davis.
In Washington, the Howard-from-left-to-first shuttle was maintained, and Mincher hit well in Epstein’s place. But the right-handed-hitting outfielders Ted Williams deployed in the Alyea-Reichardt role didn’t deliver nearly as well in 1971.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Don Mincher L 28 92 9 22 6 1 2 8 20 14 .239 .375 .391 120 Mike Epstein L 104 329 43 77 13 0 18 51 62 71 .234 .368 .438 130 Tommy Davis R 79 219 26 71 8 1 3 42 15 19 .324 .363 .411 121 Total 640 78 170 27 2 23 101 97 104 .266 .368 .422 126
1970 Chicago White Sox: Catcher
A one-year wonder, as neither Ed Herrmann nor Duane Josephson was really this good a hitter. However, the happy coincidence of their pan flashes provided an otherwise dismal White Sox season with one bright spot.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Ed Herrmann L 96 297 42 84 9 0 19 52 31 41 .283 .356 .505 132 Duane Josephson R 96 285 28 90 12 1 4 41 24 28 .316 .370 .407 111 Total 582 70 174 21 1 23 93 55 69 .299 .363 .457 123
1970 Cincinnati Reds: Left field
To be fair, Hal McRae’s rookie-year performance here doesn’t really meet our criterion of above-average offensive performance: An OPS+ of 101 from a left fielder isn’t much. But, hey, the performance by fellow rookie Bernie Carbo as his platoon partner was so phenomenal that rookie manager Sparky Anderson’s platoon is included.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Bernie Carbo L 125 365 54 113 19 3 21 63 94 77 .310 .454 .551 169 Hal McRae R 70 165 18 41 6 1 8 23 15 23 .248 .313 .442 101 Total 530 72 154 25 4 29 86 109 100 .291 .424 .517 156
1970 Pittsburgh Pirates: Third base
Richie Hebner wasn’t much of a defensive third baseman, but he was one helluva hitter, and several Pirate managers got terrific mileage out of him, frequently in a platoon pattern. They paired him for several years with the veteran utility infielder Jose Pagan, whom we see here with the stats he compiled while playing third in 1970.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Richie Hebner L 120 420 60 122 24 8 11 46 42 48 .290 .362 .464 122 Jose Pagan R 51 186 18 50 12 1 7 23 14 15 .269 .318 .457 107 Total 606 78 172 36 9 18 69 56 63 .284 .350 .462 118
1971 Los Angeles Dodgers: Left field
Alston was a master of complex platooning schemes through his long and extraordinarily impressive tenure with the Dodgers. Here we see one that was rather straightforward but darn effective, partnering the toolsy former Bonus Baby Willie Crawford with the he-could-just-flat-out-hit veteran Manny Mota.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Willie Crawford L 114 342 64 96 16 6 9 40 28 49 .281 .334 .442 124 Manny Mota R 91 269 24 84 13 5 0 34 20 20 .312 .361 .398 121 Total 611 88 180 29 11 9 74 48 69 .295 .346 .422 123
1971 Montreal Expos: Center field
Gene Mauch was an exceptionally good manager, and this is an illustration of his capacity to make the most of meager resources. Neither Boots Day nor Ron Woods was an acceptable regular major league center fielder, yet paired in this manner in 1971 they produced wonderfully: A 107 OPS+ in center field is quite good.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Boots Day L 127 371 53 105 10 2 4 33 33 39 .283 .342 .353 98 Ron Woods R 51 138 26 41 7 3 1 17 19 18 .297 .382 .413 126 Total 509 79 146 17 5 5 50 52 57 .287 .354 .369 107
1971 Detroit Tigers: Left field
Not a strict left-right deal, obviously, but something quite like one of the arrangements we saw last time: the Giants’ left field deployment of Monte Irvin and Dusty Rhodes in 1953-54, under Leo Durocher. Indeed, Rhodes and Gates Brown were extraordinarily similar talents—not good enough with the glove to merit first-string status, but too exceptional with the bat to be relegated strictly to pinch-hitting. Just as Irvin was positioned ahead of Rhodes, manager Billy Martin had Willie Horton as nominally the regular here, but Brown found his way into a lot of the starts against right-handers. Either way, opposing pitchers were vexed.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Willie Horton R 119 450 64 130 25 1 22 72 37 75 .289 .349 .496 134 Gates Brown L 82 195 37 66 2 3 11 29 21 17 .338 .408 .549 165 Total 645 101 196 27 4 33 101 58 92 .304 .369 .512 145
1971-72 Detroit Tigers: Second base
Dick McAuliffe and Tony Taylor both had been excellent infielders for a long time, and in this period Billy Martin did a masterful job of getting optimal mileage out of both in their decline phases.
1971:
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Dick McAuliffe L 128 477 67 99 16 6 18 57 53 67 .208 .293 .379 87 Tony Taylor R 55 181 27 52 10 2 3 19 12 11 .287 .335 .414 108 Total 658 94 151 26 8 21 76 65 78 .229 .305 .389 94
1972:
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Dick McAuliffe L 122 408 47 98 16 3 8 30 59 59 .240 .339 .353 104 Tony Taylor R 78 228 33 69 12 4 1 20 14 34 .303 .346 .404 120 Total 636 80 167 28 7 9 50 73 93 .263 .341 .371 110
1972 Pittsburgh Pirates: Left field
The Pirates’ offense in this period just overwhelmed opponents with depth. They had the big stars (Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente), and they had the next-tier stars (Manny Sanguillen and Al Oliver). But they maximally leveraged the impact of their big guns with exquisite use of role players, as we see here, with veteran Vic Davalillo and youngster Gene Clines.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Vic Davalillo L 117 368 59 117 19 2 4 28 26 44 .318 .367 .413 124 Gene Clines R 107 311 52 104 15 6 0 17 16 47 .334 .369 .421 127 Total 679 111 221 34 8 4 45 42 91 .325 .368 .417 125
1972 New York Yankees: First base
Ron “Boomer” Blomberg couldn’t do anything but hit, but he could really, really hit. His career was cut short way too soon with injuries, but for a while there, few swung the bat any better from the left side. Here Ralph Houk deftly paired him with the veteran Felipe Alou.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Ron Blomberg L 107 299 36 80 22 1 14 49 38 26 .268 .355 .488 153 Felipe Alou R 80 244 27 66 15 1 5 26 15 21 .270 .313 .402 115 Total 543 63 146 37 2 19 75 53 47 .269 .338 .449 139
1972 Milwaukee Brewers: Right field
If these raw numbers don’t grab you, bear in mind that in the 1972 American League the average team scored 3.47 runs per game. Journeyman Joe Lahoud nicely combined with Ollie Brown as the latter settled in to the role-player phase of his career.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Joe Lahoud L 111 316 35 75 9 3 12 34 45 54 .237 .331 .399 119 Ollie Brown R 66 179 21 50 8 0 3 25 17 24 .279 .342 .374 115 Total 495 56 125 17 3 15 59 62 78 .253 .335 .390 118
1973 Baltimore Orioles: Left field-right field
Earl Weaver is rivaled by only a few managers in history—Casey Stengel and Walt Alston come to mind, but there sure aren’t many—in his genius for recognizing and adroitly mixing diverse talents. This example wasn’t a straightforward left-right platoon, though clearly that was much of the basis upon which Weaver juggled these four. Each did some other work in different capacities, but we see here the sweet lines Don Baylor, Merv Rettenmund and rookies Al Bumbry and Rich Coggins compiled while playing left and right field.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Don Baylor R 102 369 61 107 20 4 11 46 34 43 .290 .354 .455 128 Merv Rettenmund R 88 307 56 79 16 2 9 42 51 37 .257 .368 .410 121 Al Bumbry L 89 315 65 104 14 8 7 31 31 45 .319 .392 .492 149 Rich Coggins L 74 238 35 80 15 5 4 21 14 9 .336 .370 .492 143 Total/2 615 109 185 33 10 16 70 65 67 .301 .371 .461 135
1974 Texas Rangers: First base
Martin had each of Mike Hargrove, Jim Spencer and Jim Fregosi doing something else as well that year, but when deployed at first base they were neatly woven into a seamless platoon. The lines we see here are what each compiled while playing first.
This was just one of many improvements Martin engineered with the ’74 Rangers, who jumped to 84-76 after going 57-105 in 1973, sans Billy. For Martin, managing team number three in just his fifth managerial season, it was dramatic success story number three (at least at the beginning of the cycle). He was named Manager of the Year by the Associated Press, and he would win that award three more times in the next seven years—with, of course, yet two more different teams.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Mike Hargrove L 83 280 39 89 10 5 1 40 35 29 .318 .399 .400 133 Jim Spencer L 49 155 17 45 6 2 5 22 9 13 .290 .327 .452 125 Jim Fregosi R 47 136 16 36 2 0 7 19 9 25 .265 .310 .434 115 Total 571 72 170 18 7 13 81 53 67 .298 .364 .422 127
1974 Cleveland Indians: Designated hitter
Okay, okay, it was only 14 games in August and September that Rico Carty, being resurrected from the minor leagues at age 34, was worked into the Indians’ DH platoon with the sweet-swinging Oscar Gamble. But check it out: Carty hit .500 in the role. It made for one hellacious platoon, and Carty, after a couple of years of serious struggle with knee problems, was reborn as a DH.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Oscar Gamble L 115 409 69 121 14 4 17 53 43 46 .296 .369 .474 143 Rico Carty R 14 50 5 25 5 0 0 12 3 2 .500 .528 .600 226 Total 459 74 146 19 4 17 65 46 48 .318 .392 .488 156
1975 Milwaukee Brewers: Catcher
In their seventh season, the Brewers had developed not one but two good-hitting young catchers. Here Darrell Porter was 23 (and demonstrating extraordinary plate discipline for a young hitter), and Charlie Moore was 22, and they combined to provide outstanding production.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Darrell Porter L 130 409 66 95 12 5 18 60 89 77 .232 .371 .418 122 Charlie Moore R 73 241 26 70 20 1 1 29 17 31 .290 .336 .394 106 Total 650 92 165 32 6 19 89 106 108 .254 .360 .409 117
1975 Philadelphia Phillies: Right field
Jay Johnstone arrived in the major leagues very young, as a toolsy center fielder. Yet the stardom predicted for him never materialized, as he struggled with an inconsistent bat, and eventually wound up back in the minors. Then he reappeared with the Phillies, recast by manager Danny Ozark as a platoon right fielder. Focusing on contact, largely eschewing the long ball, Johnstone became an exceptionally good platoon hitter. Here, he and Downtown Brown were in terrific form.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Jay Johnstone L 122 350 50 115 19 2 7 54 42 39 .329 .397 .454 133 Ollie Brown R 84 145 19 44 12 0 6 26 15 29 .303 .369 .510 139 Total 495 69 159 31 2 13 80 57 68 .321 .389 .471 135
1976 St. Louis Cardinals: Right field
Crawford’s career followed an arc quite similar to Johnstone’s: tremendous young athlete, great things anticipated, unable to break through, eventually matures into a highly effective platoon player. Mike Anderson’s story included all the same elements except the last: Outside of some brief episodes like this one, he never made it as a major league hitter.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Willie Crawford L 120 392 49 119 17 5 9 50 37 53 .304 .360 .441 126 Mike Anderson R 86 199 17 58 8 1 1 12 26 30 .291 .371 .357 107 Total 591 66 177 25 6 10 62 63 83 .299 .364 .413 120
1976 Houston Astros: Left field
Jose Cruz’ story was the same, except that not only did he emerge as a fine platoon player, as we see below, he did so well that he finally would be made a regular at age 29, and perform as a star for nearly a decade. His platoon partner here, Leon Roberts, was inconsistent, but when at his best he was an outstanding hitter.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Jose Cruz L 133 439 49 133 21 5 4 61 53 46 .303 .377 .401 131 Leon Roberts R 87 235 31 68 11 2 7 33 19 43 .289 .347 .443 133 Total 674 80 201 32 7 11 94 72 89 .298 .367 .415 132
1976 New York Mets: First base
Ed Kranepool was 31 at this point, and Joe Torre was 35, and both had seen a lot of water go under the bridge. And both could still lay out the line drives. Kranepool sometimes played in the outfield in ’76, and Torre pinch-hit a great deal, but here we see what they produced while sharing first base.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Ed Kranepool L 83 304 40 91 13 1 9 38 22 26 .299 .345 .438 128 Joe Torre R 72 261 30 82 8 3 4 26 16 27 .314 .363 .414 127 Total 565 70 173 21 4 13 64 38 53 .306 .353 .427 127
1976 Minnesota Twins: Designated hitter
Mauch was a determined left-right platooner throughout his long managerial career, and never more so than in his 1976-1980 stint with the Twins. Little of the raw material Mauch had to work with in Minnesota was especially talented, but the example we see here is one of extracting maximal productivity from less-than-imposing elements. Both Steve Braun and Craig Kusick performed other roles as well; their lines here were delivered at DH.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Steve Braun L 71 254 47 71 8 1 2 39 41 30 .280 .378 .343 110 Craig Kusick R 78 212 28 57 10 0 9 29 23 35 .269 .340 .443 126 Total 466 75 128 18 1 11 68 64 65 .275 .362 .388 118
1976–77 Chicago White Sox: Designated hitter
Two seasons, two White Sox managers (Paul Richards and Bob Lemon), and two left-handed-hitting platoon partners (Pat Kelly and Oscar Gamble). The constants were owner Bill Veeck, right-handed-hitting platoon partner Lamar Johnson, and very strong Pale Hose DH production.
Na-na-naa-na … na-na-naa-na … hey! hey! hey! … good-bye!!
1976:
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Pat Kelly L 107 311 42 79 20 3 5 34 45 45 .254 .349 .386 115 Lamar Johnson R 82 222 29 71 11 1 4 33 19 37 .320 .372 .432 135 Total 533 71 150 31 4 9 67 64 82 .281 .359 .405 124
1977:
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Oscar Gamble L 78 245 45 70 10 2 20 51 34 32 .286 .378 .588 160 Lamar Johnson R 68 207 29 56 7 2 9 37 17 30 .271 .322 .454 110 Total 452 74 126 17 4 29 88 51 62 .279 .355 .527 142
1977 Kansas City Royals: Catcher
The catching position lends itself naturally to platooning. Just about every catcher needs periodic rest, and if he’s a left-handed hitter the solution of having his off-days largely coincide with a southpaw opponent, with a righty-hitting backup inserted, makes abundant sense.
Porter was one of the best left-handed-hitting catchers of all time, and he was rationally deployed in a platoon arrangement in most of his seasons. Here his partner under manager Whitey Herzog was the journeyman John Wathan, who hit a lusty .359 in his 64 at-bats against lefties.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Darrell Porter L 130 425 61 117 21 3 16 60 53 70 .275 .353 .452 117 John Wathan R 55 119 18 39 5 3 2 21 5 8 .328 .346 .471 120 Total 544 79 156 26 6 18 81 58 78 .287 .352 .456 118
1977 Philadelphia Phillies: First base
While it always seemed to me that the Phillies should have moved their nearly immobile power-hitting left fielder Greg Luzinksi in to play first base, they never did. But it’s hard to argue with the first base production Danny Ozark received here from his platoon of the former Pirates third baseman Hebner and the former Orioles-Braves second baseman Dave Johnson. The Phils won their second of three straight division titles.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Richie Hebner L 118 397 67 113 17 4 18 62 61 46 .285 .381 .484 127 Dave Johnson R 78 156 23 50 9 1 8 36 23 20 .321 .408 .545 150 Total 553 90 163 26 5 26 98 84 66 .295 .389 .501 134
1978 Milwaukee Brewers: Left field
29-year-old Ben Oglivie, in his seventh full major league season, was still a strict platoon player—in 1978, he took just 8% of his plate appearances against left-handed pitching. But against righties, he was hitting up a storm; he would soon become a full-time regular, and a star.
Both Oglivie and Larry Hisle did other things for manager George Bamberger in 1978. Oglivie played some right field and some first base, Hisle played some center, and both did some DHing. But the Brewers’ left field slot was primarily shared by these two on a lefty-righty basis, and here we see their lines when deployed in LF. Whoa, Nellie, did they hit that doggone ball. This was a huge breakthrough season for the Brewers, as the previous doormat suddenly became a strong contender, and Oglivie and Hisle, both arriving in Milwaukee in ’78, were major factors.
Player B G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ Ben Oglivie L 63 242 40 76 19 2 12 41 27 36 .314 .383 .558 162 Larry Hisle R 66 249 50 75 13 0 21 63 27 43 .301 .370 .606 171 Total 491 90 151 32 2 33 104 54 79 .308 .377 .582 167