There’s this guy playing for the Chicago White Sox this season named Jose Abreu. After being a star for the Cuban team, he defected and is now tearing up Major League Baseball. I read that he’s become the fourth rookie in major league history to record at least 30 doubles, 30 home runs and 100 RBIs, joining Hal Trosky (1934), Ted Williams (1939), and Albert Pujols (2001).
I know who Pujols is, a likely Hall of Famer, long with the Cardinals, now with the Angels. Williams IS a Hall of Famer who I saw at the end of his splendid career, all with the Boston Red Sox.
But who was Hal Trosky? He was a fine first baseman who came up with Cleveland at the end of the 1933 season. But 1934 was his official rookie season, and, as noted, he did well. He never made it to an All-Star Game, however, because he played in the era of Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, and Hank Greenberg.
Unfortunately, he suffered from migraines for a number of years, before retiring in 1941, though he returned to baseball with less successful stints in 1944 and 1946 with the Chicago White Sox. Still, he finished as a career .302 hitter, which is impressive. Save for those nasty headaches, he might have been more than a baseball footnote.
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Looking at Ted Williams’ record, it’s amazing how well he played both before and after WWII, as though he hadn’t missed a day, let alone three seasons. He also lost time during the Korean War.