Initially a jack of all trades, later the
Royal first significant 2nd baseman... tough to strikeout, excellent
fielder and double play pivot man, a do whatever it takes player…Author of a
strong comeback….in 1970 was batting
barely over .100 for the St Louis Cardinals….this coming on the heels of two
subpar seasons with his longstanding Phillies….a .260 BA for the Sophomore
Royals was promising sign….steps up his game with a .300 BA in 1971 as the
Royals exceeded expectations….provided KC fans with 3 more strong seasons getting an
all star nod in each….production exceeding his Philadelphia years of 1964 to
1967….eventually gave away playing time to prospect Frank White as Cookie was
nearing age 40….. started out in the Reds organization was one of the last
player out of his native Havana as Fidel Castro threaten to nationalize AAA
affiliate Sugar Kings….stayed in baseball as a coach, scout, broadcast booth and
manager of three MLB teams for one season each.
He was actually signed as an active player in 1978 for the Cubs, but never got into a game.
ReplyDeleteI know, many instances at the end of the MLB career, a player is picked up by another club, usually in off season going to spring training. Cookie's situation is a bit different in that the short stint took place while the Cubs were still playing. Looking at the standings at the time of his acquisition, they were still in the race. One wonders why he did not play at all.
ReplyDeleteThe reference to playing in Havana in 1959 is interesting. It apparently takes time for communist dictators to consolidate their power and put the squeeze on all aspects of life.
ReplyDeleteThe story of Havana and Minneapolis Little World Series with the backdrop of the revolution is a great one that deserves to be remembered. Maybe a movie adaptation or something. At least it a original idea unlike most of the others things coming out of tinseltown.
DeleteKraft1963 I also wanted to thank you for all the comments. I'm getting back to looking at this. Maybe I can put out some new ones, in retirement I'm actually busier than before.
I saw (on tv) him play in an old timers game in 1986. He made an excellent play on a hard-hit grounder. He looked much better than all of the other players.
ReplyDelete