#425-426 Ken Singleton

Up and coming star...debuted in 1970....despite promise and more power figures in 1971 was traded by Mets to Montreal on the eve of 1972...Bittersweet in Ken’s case because he he was born in NYC and grew up a Mets fan....but more playing time resulted in turning heads…Took control of Expos offense in 1973…scored  100 runs only time in career....drove in  more than 100 runs for first time in career…Lead NL in OBP…with a down 1974 was swapped  by the Expos to Orioles while it was still early in career….. trade can best described as a steal....Star qualities shone brightest with Baltimore and he was a reason the Orioles were able to be competitive despite being a lesser player in free agent market....started in outfield but took over for Tommy Davis in the DH spot….hallmark was his ability to draw walks, making the league top 10 in all his seasons as a regular....after 1976 signed a big contract and responded with a then Baltimore city best BA in 1977…his .328 mark is still  30^th in franchise history….Great seasons continue to follow….was 2^nd in MVP voting 1979 in what may have been his best season….3 All games sprinkled throughout his career….Production eventually declined and left the game in 1984...nevertheless a fine career.