2025 Traditional Baseball Period Committee Candidate: Dick Allen

The next article is a part of a collection in regards to the 2025 Traditional Baseball Period Committee poll, protecting long-retired gamers, managers, executives, and umpires whose candidacies shall be voted upon on December 8. It’s tailored from a chapter in The Cooperstown Casebook, printed in 2017 by Thomas Dunne Books. For an introduction to the poll, see right here, and for an introduction to JAWS, see right here. All WAR figures discuss with the Baseball-Reference model until in any other case indicated.

“Dick Allen compelled Philadelphia baseball and its followers to return to phrases with the racism that existed on this metropolis within the ’60s and ’70s. He could not have accomplished it with the self-discipline or tact of Jackie Robinson, however he exemplified the rising independence of main league baseball gamers in addition to rising black consciousness.”⁠ — William Kashatus, The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 2, 1996

At first look, Dick Allen is perhaps seen because the Gary Sheffield or Albert Belle of his day, a heavy hitter seemingly engaged in a continuing battle with the world round him, producing controversy at each cease of his 15-year profession. It’s unfair and reductive to lump Allen in with these two gamers, nonetheless, for all of them confronted completely different obstacles and bore completely different scars from the injuries they suffered early of their careers.

In Allen’s case, these wounds predated his 1963 arrival within the majors with a crew that was far behind the combination curve, and a metropolis that was in no higher form. In Philadelphia and past, he was a polarizing presence, lined by a media contingent so unable or unwilling to narrate to him that writers typically refused to name him by the identify of his selecting: Dick Allen, not Richie.

Even whereas incomes All-Star honors seven instances and successful each NL Rookie of the 12 months and AL Most Helpful Participant awards, Allen rebelled towards his environment. As biographer Mitchell Nathanson wrote in God Almighty Hisself: The Life and Legacy of Dick Allen, “He refused to pander to the media, refused to just accept administration’s time-honored strategies for figuring out the worth of a ballplayer, and, most explosively, refused to associate with and kowtow to the racial double commonplace that had advanced inside Main League Baseball within the wake of the sport’s integration in 1947.”

Extra from Nathanson:

“[Allen] noticed plainly how way more troublesome issues had been for black gamers than they had been for his or her white teammates. Expectation had been completely different, endorsement alternatives had been fewer, careers had been shorter. However issues, as he noticed them, weren’t so nice for white gamers both. Fairly than see skilled baseball as an Eden, he noticed it as a plantation. Few white gamers noticed themselves as farmhands, or, worse, chattel. Black gamers, descendants of a legacy of each, oftentimes noticed issues extra starkly.”

As Pat Corrales, Allen’s teammate in 1964-65, stated, Allen “was years forward of us [players] in seeing that it was unsuitable for the homeowners to have such full management over our careers.” Marvin Miller, the chief director of the Gamers Affiliation, wrote of Allen’s enter at a union assembly, “He was eloquent and forceful, and the opposite gamers listened intently. He didn’t converse as a famous person, however as a participant who understood each the problems and the significance of the gamers transferring ahead as a gaggle.”

In Sports activities Illustrated in 1973, Roy Blount Jr. wrote, “Allen is the primary black man, and certainly the one modern man of any colour, to say himself in baseball with one thing just like the unaccommodating drive of Muhammad Ali in boxing, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in basketball and Jim Brown in soccer.”

Allen’s habits generally undercut his declare to occupying that lofty platform. He grew manipulative in ways in which typically bolstered damaging impressions whereas overshadowing his large expertise. Had he not missed a lot time because of accidents, absenteeism, and alcohol, he’d nearly actually already be within the Corridor of Fame because of gaudier counting stats. Whereas previous generations of voters wrote him off for these shortcomings, more moderen analysis has led to a higher understanding of the context for his habits — and proven that for all the negativity that coloured the protection of him, he was revered and even beloved by many a teammate and supervisor.

Allen struggled for help throughout his 1983–97 run on the BBWAA poll, by no means reaching 20%, and he equally lagged within the voting of the expanded Veterans Committee from 2003–09. Nonetheless, thanks partially to a grassroots marketing campaign by former Phillies groundskeeper Mark Carfagno, he obtained a recent look from the 2015 Golden Period Committee and fell simply one vote quick of election. The change in Period Committee codecs meant that his case wasn’t scheduled to be reconsidered till the 2021 Golden Day Period Committee poll, however the COVID-19 pandemic led the Corridor to postpone that election. In a merciless blow, the 78-year-old Allen died of most cancers on December 7, 2020, sooner or later after his candidacy would have been thought of. Crueler nonetheless for his household, he once more fell one vote quick when the committee lastly met in December 2021.

The collision between baseball immortality and human mortality is a clumsy and heartbreaking one, all too frequent within the annals of the Corridor. Concerning Allen, there may be at the very least some solace in the way in which he was celebrated in the course of the closing 12 months of his life, culminating with the Phillies retiring his quantity on September 3, 2020, an try to proper previous organizational wrongs whereas proclaiming to the world — and to Allen — that they valued him. That’s not Cooperstown, but it surely’s a begin.

Richard Anthony Allen was born on March 8, 1942 in Wampum, Pennsylvania‚ a small city 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, the second-youngest of eight youngsters born to Period Allen, a home worker, and Coy Allen, a touring truck driver and sanitation employee who deserted the household when Dick was 15. Considered one of simply 5 Black college students in Wampum Excessive Faculty’s class of 146, he starred not solely because the shortstop, however because the captain and level guard of the basketball crew, the latter regardless of standing simply 5-foot-11, 187 kilos. In 1958, he performed alongside his brothers Hank (b. 1940) and Ron (b. 1943), all three of whom would earn All-State honors on the courtroom and later play main league baseball.

Phillies scout Jack Ogden, a former pitcher whose minor and main league profession spanned 1918-34, courted all three Allen brothers, and endeared himself to Period by agreeing to signal the trio — Hank and Dick in 1960, Ron in 1964. Dick’s $70,000 bonus was the most important ever paid to a Black ballplayer on the time. Ogden, who would stay a trusted good friend and advisor to Allen for the remainder of his personal life, later informed The Sporting Information, “Dick Allen was my greatest discover. I scouted 90,000 gamers in my lifetime and Allen was the best I ever noticed. It’s too dangerous he had so many difficulties.”

The Phillies had even larger difficulties. That they had spent many of the earlier 4 and a half many years as embarrassments, with 20 last-place finishes and simply six seasons above .500 from 1918–62. In 1947, they handled Jackie Robinson as poorly as any NL crew, with basic supervisor Herb Pennock (now a Corridor of Fame pitcher) threatening a boycott if Robinson performed in Philadelphia and supervisor Ben Chapman viciously taunting the combination pioneer as soon as he did. Although the crew captured its first pennant in 35 years in 1950 and remained contenders for the following few seasons, they didn’t combine till ’57, making them the final NL crew to take action; the participant who did, an infielder named John Kennedy, obtained all of two plate appearances. Underlying the Phillies’ backwards methods was patrician proprietor Bob Carpenter, who informed the Black biweekly Philadelphia Tribune “that he has set a better commonplace for any Negro that is perhaps really useful by certainly one of his scouts than for a white prospect,” that he “was not keen on ‘human relations’ as far as his ballclub was involved,” and that, given the prospect of drawing extra Black followers to Connie Mack Stadium to see the crew play, “the Phillies was [sic] not a ‘enterprise’ and that folks didn’t go in [to] main league baseball to earn money.”

With the Dodgers, Giants and Braves having gotten the leap on signing Black ballplayers a lot earlier, the Phillies’ stance price them dearly. They completed at .500 twice from 1954–61, however by no means above, and within the closing 4 of these years, they had been useless final earlier than climbing out of the depths to go 81-80 in ’62 underneath second-year supervisor Gene Mauch.

For 1960, 19-year-old Hank and 18-year-old Dick had been each assigned to Elmira of the New York-Penn League, the place the latter made a whopping 48 errors in 85 video games at shortstop. His offense improved as he handed by way of Magic Valley (Utah) of the Pioneer League, the place he performed second base. Although he hit .317/.401/.526 with 21 homers in 117 video games, he additionally made 27 errors, which led the Phillies to depart him unprotected within the growth draft to inventory the NL’s two new groups, the New York Mets and Houston Colt .45s. This primary sign of how little the Phillies really valued Allen “set the desk for every thing that will transpire in a while,” wrote Nathanson.

Unselected within the growth draft, Allen shifted to heart discipline for Williamsport in 1962, hitting .329/.409/.548 with 20 homers and 109 RBI. Invited to spring coaching in 1963, Allen hit 9 residence runs, however with the Phillies’ outfield set between Wes Covington, Tony Gonzalez and Johnny Callison, the crew despatched him to its Triple-A Worldwide League affiliate, the Little Rock-based Arkansas Vacationers.

Simply six years earlier, Little Rock had been the positioning of an unpleasant scene when Governor Orval Faubus known as within the Arkansas Nationwide Guard as a way to forestall the court-ordered desegregation of Little Rock Central Excessive Faculty. The Southern Affiliation, the league by which the Vacationers had performed, had been compelled out of operation after 1961 as main league organizations started pulling their minor league associates from cities that prohibited built-in audiences, so Little Rock had no skilled baseball in any respect in ’62.

The Phillies, in assigning Allen to the Vacationers, not solely despatched a message to the 21-year-old slugger for having the nerve to ask for a $50 elevate after his sturdy 1962 season, however gave him no thought what to anticipate in turning into the primary Black skilled baseball participant within the state. The Arkansas Gazette and Arkansas Democrat each informed their reporters to not point out that reality to keep away from stirring issues up. Racial tensions ran significantly excessive the night time that Allen debuted, with Faubus himself throwing out the primary pitch. The Capital Residents Council distributed leaflets concerning the “Conspiracy at Little Rock to Negro-ize Vacationers Baseball Workforce,” and picketers carried indicators with slogans comparable to “Don’t Negro-ize baseball” and “N***** go residence.”⁠ Related indicators had greeted Allen on the Little Rock airport.

Allen, who for the fourth 12 months out of 5 was studying a brand new place — left discipline, which at Vacationers Discipline was often called “the dump” for its potholes, rubble and gradual upward slant in the direction of a tin fence — was understandably rattled. He let the primary ball hit to him fly over his head, however recovered to hit two doubles, together with one amid the successful rally. Whereas he obtained applause as he got here to the plate, after the sport, he was greeted with a observe on his automobile: “DON’T COME BACK AGAIN N*****,”⁠ as he recounted in his autobiography, Crash: The Life and Occasions of Dick Allen.

Demise threats led Allen to inform the Phillies he was quitting, however his mom and oldest brother, Coy Craine Allen, rebuked him for pleading to return residence. Third base coach Joe Lonnett, who grew up in close by Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, cautioned him {that a} future within the coal mines may await if he stop baseball. Allen developed a resolve to stay it out, vowing, “If I’m going to die, why not die doing what God gave me a present to do? I’ll die proper there in that batter’s field with none worry.”
⁠
Luckily it didn’t come to that, although Allen obtained numerous threats whereas enduring a harrowing season. He and his spouse lived in a Black neighborhood of the segregated city, in an house inside a home owned by a pair whose daughter was among the many 9 college students who built-in Little Rock Central Excessive Faculty. Allen and his spouse hardly ever went out; he was typically stopped by native police for no obvious motive, and couldn’t be served in eating places until accompanied by a white teammate. He drank to deal with the stress. Supervisor Frank Lucchesi, who revered his skill, couldn’t relate to his circumstances, and Allen had few buddies on the crew. Nonetheless, he hit .289/.341/.550 whereas main the league with 33 homers and 97 RBI and being voted crew MVP by followers, even whereas enduring epithets regularly. Referred to as as much as Philadelphia at season’s finish, he went 7-for-24 in a 10-game trial, largely in left discipline.

The next spring, Mauch determined to squeeze the righty-swinging Allen into the predominantly left-handed lineup at third base, yet one more new place however a perpetual drawback for the Phils, who had used 25 gamers there over the earlier 5 seasons. “He can play third adequate to get by,” stated Mauch. “He has good reactions and good arms and third isn’t as demanding a spot as quick or second the place he started his profession.”⁠ For unclear causes, the Phillies insisted upon calling him “Richie,” a reputation he detested however which appeared on all the crew’s rosters, scorecards, and promotional materials. In September, simply earlier than the crew’s notorious collapse, Allen informed a reporter, “[Richie] makes me sound like I’m ten years previous. I’m 22. … Anybody who is aware of me nicely calls me Dick. I don’t know why as quickly as I placed on a uniform it’s Richie.”

By any identify, Allen put up a season for the ages, batting .318/.382/.557 with 201 hits, 13 triples and 29 homers in 162 video games, sufficient to make him the runaway NL Rookie of the 12 months. His 162 OPS+ and eight.8 WAR each ranked third within the league behind Willie Mays and Ron Santo, and the latter stands because the third-highest WAR of any rookie place participant in historical past, topped solely by Shoeless Joe Jackson (9.2 in 1911) and Mike Trout (10.8 in 2012). Allen’s efficiency practically carried the Phillies to a pennant; they led by 6 1/2 video games with simply 12 to play, however a 10-game dropping streak spelled their doom. Lest anybody assume Allen was at fault, he batted .341/.434/.618 in September and October, going 17-for-41 throughout their 10-game slide.

Allen spent the following 5 seasons with the Phillies, hitting a mixed .296/.380/.554 (164 OPS+) whereas averaging 30 homers. He made three straight All-Star groups from 1965–67; led the NL in slugging proportion in 1966 (.632), in on-base proportion in ’67 (.404) and in OPS+ in each years (181 and 174, respectively); and ranked among the many league’s prime 10 in each OPS+ and homers yearly, together with second within the latter in each 1966 (40) and ’68 (33). The Phillies continued to bounce him across the diamond on a virtually annual foundation; he spent important time in left discipline in 1966, taking part in there primarily in ’68, whereas taking part in primarily at first base in ’69.

For nearly as good as he was, Allen couldn’t singlehandedly push the Phillies excessive, although they completed above .500 yearly from 1965 to ’67, and he didn’t have a simple time of it, enduring quite a few controversies beginning with a July 3, 1965 pregame altercation with reserve outfielder Frank Thomas (not the Corridor of Fame White Sox slugger). Triggered by taunting from Callison, Thomas — who based on one account had jokingly informed Allen, “Hey, boy, are you able to carry my baggage to the foyer?” on a latest street journey — escalated issues by calling Allen “Richie X” and “one other Muhammad Clay, all the time working your mouth off.” Allen punched Thomas within the jaw, and Thomas countered along with his bat to Allen’s left shoulder.

Although Thomas homered as a pinch-hitter within the recreation following the altercation — after which Allen shook his hand, contemplating the matter settled — the 36-year-old slugger was positioned on waivers instantly afterward, over Allen’s protestations. Mauch, pleased to jettison an growing older, disruptive participant, threatened to effective Allen $2,500 and some other Phillie $1,500 in the event that they mentioned the incident with the press. Thus, solely the departed Thomas aired his aspect, claiming that the Phillies acted unfairly in punishing one participant however not the opposite and that Allen “can dish it out however can’t take it.” The supervisor later regretted his plan of action, saying, “The way in which it was dealt with introduced the city down on Richie’s head… I ought to have shipped [Thomas] sooner.”

“That was unlucky because the press and the followers heard simply Thomas’s aspect, and they didn’t take kindly to a younger black man popping a white veteran,” wrote sabermetrician Craig Wright in 1995. In a metropolis that had been torn by race riots lower than a 12 months earlier than, followers hung banners in help of Thomas and despatched Allen hate mail, known as him “darkie” and “monkey” from the stands, and threw bottles, bolts and cash at him within the outfield to the purpose that he wore his batting helmet within the discipline. The press labeled him a troublemaker. Amid the strain and abuse, Allen drank: “As an alternative of going straight to the ballpark,” he recalled later, “I began making common stops at watering holes alongside the way in which.” Mauch fined him frequently, however tried to guard him from the press.

Even with out the bottle, Allen discovered hassle, and his critics assumed the worst on the subject of his conduct. On August 24, 1967, whereas attempting to push his stalled automobile up a driveway, he put his proper hand by way of a headlight, severing tendons and nerves and requiring a five-hour operation that left his profession unsure and ended his season 40 video games early. Rumors unfold that he had been stabbed in a bar battle or jumped out a window after being caught with a teammate’s spouse. Allen misplaced some sensation in two of his fingers, struggled with throwing throughout the remainder of his profession, particularly in chilly climate, and by no means spent a full season at third base once more.

Although Allen negotiated a wage of $85,000 for 1968 — the very best for a fourth-year participant within the recreation at that time — he needed out of Philadelphia. With free company not but an possibility, he embarked upon a collection of minor transgressions in hopes of triggering a commerce. He left spring coaching with out permission, claiming to have gone to see a health care provider in Philadelphia about his hand. He confirmed up for video games late and, in late Could, drunk. The crew suspended him for 2 weeks, protecting by saying he had a groin harm. When he returned, Allen declared “a sit-down strike” and refused to play till he might give his aspect of the story.

Behind closed doorways, Allen agreed to a truce, telling Carpenter he was able to play. An incensed Mauch gave the proprietor a “me or him” ultimatum, and was fired on June 15, when the crew was 27–27. He took the excessive street on the way in which out. “I’m not going to knock Richie Allen… That son-of-a-gun gave me many a thrill. There was nothing private in my dealing with of Allen.” Nonetheless, the press hung the blame for Mauch’s firing on Allen, and whereas he went on a scorching streak underneath new supervisor Bob Skinner, the crew completed 76–86.

Within the winter of 1968–69, the Phillies tried to commerce Allen, however their asking worth was too excessive. Quickly he was lacking flights and even video games. He needed out, blamed the press for turning followers towards him, and spoke brazenly concerning the half he felt race performed within the matter:

“Bob Carpenter has been actual good to me, however I’ve obtained to play some place else… I get alongside nice with my teammates. However you fellas have created an environment the place individuals who have by no means met me, hate me. You possibly can knock me and say I’m a no good black so and so and I can nonetheless be your good friend. However when you don’t ask me about one thing and take another person’s phrase for it and write it as reality, then I obtained to chop you free. Generally I get so disgusted. I actually do like to play the sport, however the writers take all of the enjoyable out of it.

Allen’s teammates tore into him for his lackadaisical method and lack of hustle, which solely led the slugger to insurgent additional. He missed a doubleheader towards the Mets in favor of a horse race, and the crew suspended him indefinitely — 26 days, ultimately, costing him $11,700 in wage — with Allen returning solely after possession agreed to commerce him on the finish of the season. The controversy led Phillies followers to abstain from voting him into the All-Star Sport or onto the franchise’s all-time crew as a part of baseball’s centennial celebration.

After a drawn-out battle over Allen’s eschewing of the crew locker room in favor of utilizing of a storage space as a personal dressing room, Skinner resigned, and Allen was once more scapegoated. A Sporting Information editorial took a stand towards him: “If ever a younger man wanted some counseling and steering, that man is Richie Allen. The Phillies slugger has $1,000,000 price of expertise and 10¢ price of skill to grasp what his function is with a crew that has 24 different gamers moreover himself. Except a agency hand is taken with Allen, he’ll undergo extra managers than Bluebeard does wives.”⁠

Going nowhere given their pitching, the Phillies completed 63-99. Allen took benefit of interim supervisor George Myatt’s refusal to fire up additional hassle, and commenced scratching out phrases within the grime round first base, comparable to “OCT. 2” (the ultimate date of the season), “BOO” (the followers obliged), “NO” and “WHY?” (in response to commissioner Bowie Kuhn’s order to cease doing that). On October 7, 5 days after the tip of the season, he was traded to the Cardinals in a seven-player blockbuster, with Tim McCarver and Curt Flood heading the opposite route. Flood — who would later describe Philadelphia as “America’s northernmost Southern metropolis” — refused to report, setting off a problem to the Reserve Clause that will go all the way in which to the US Supreme Court docket.

Allen was overjoyed by the commerce, saying, “You don’t know the way good it feels to get out of Philadelphia. They deal with you want cattle.” He added, “It was like a type of slavery. When you step out of bounds, they’ll do every thing attainable to destroy your soul.”

The Cardinals had received back-to-back pennants in 1967–68, however slipped to fourth place within the new NL East in ’69. Allen hit nicely (.279/.377/.560 with 34 homers in 122 video games), however a hamstring harm restricted him to 5 of the crew’s closing 44 video games. On October 5, 1970, he was despatched packing once more, traded to the Dodgers for 2 younger gamers. Whereas he prevented hassle in St. Louis, the Cardinals needed to emphasise protection, which wasn’t Allen’s forte; immediately’s metrics estimate that he was 16 runs under common splitting time between first, third, and left discipline. He was wholesome and productive in Los Angeles, producing 5.4 WAR whereas once more bouncing across the diamond, however he chafed at proprietor Walter O’Malley’s calls for for public relations commitments, claiming they distracted him from the mission at hand: successful. The Dodgers, who had not reached the postseason since 1966, went 89-73, ending one recreation again within the NL West.

For the third offseason in a row, Allen was traded, this time to the White Sox for 2 gamers, together with pitcher Tommy John. Taking part in for supervisor Chuck Tanner, a local of New Fort, Pennsylvania (not removed from Wampum), and once more letting the media know that he most well-liked to be known as Dick as an alternative of Richie (a request that was nonetheless routinely ignored), Allen settled in at first base and hit .308/.420/.603 with a 199 OPS+, 37 homers, 113 RBI, and eight.6 WAR. All of these numbers besides his batting common led the league. The White Sox, who had not completed above .500 since 1967, went 87-67, ending 5 1/2 video games out, and Allen was the runaway AL MVP, receiving 21 of 24 first-place votes.

Allen’s look on the June 12, 1972 problem of Sports activities Illustrated produced one of the vital indelible covers within the journal’s historical past:

Dick Allen on the quilt of Sports activities Illustrated, June 12, 1972. pic.twitter.com/AGR2zNxQls

— Baseball In Pics (@baseballinpix) December 5, 2021

After signing a three-year, $675,000 deal, the most important within the recreation on the time, Allen was equally efficient in each 1973 and ’74, however accidents restricted him to only 200 video games over the 2 seasons. On June 28, 1973, he suffered a hairline fracture of his left fibula throughout a collision at first base as he stretched for a throw. He returned 5 weeks later and went 3-for-4 in his first recreation again, however was noticeably limping, and was shut down for the season after two pinch-hitting appearances. Some accused him of malingering, however as White Sox basic supervisor Roland Hemond later informed Wright, “The leg wasn’t healed. The physician knew it, however Dick needed to attempt. He was attempting to assist the crew, however we noticed he couldn’t do it… His teammates appreciated the hassle, however some individuals within the press could not have understood. He appeared indestructible to them.”

Allen returned to hit .301/.375/.563 in 1974, incomes All-Star honors for the final of seven instances and main the league in each slugging proportion and homers (32) regardless of taking part in in simply 128 video games. Alas, a mid-August shoulder harm sapped each his energy and his will to play. On September 13, he confirmed up at Comiskey Park, took batting and infield observe, then gave an emotional speech to his teammates and introduced his retirement at age 32, with a 12 months and $225,000 nonetheless to go on his contract. “That is exhausting for me to say,” he informed them. “I’ve by no means been happier wherever than right here.”

Hemond and Tanner talked Allen out of formally submitting retirement paperwork, which might have prevented him from returning till six weeks into the next season. By all accounts, the slugger was not trying to drive a commerce when he retired, although by November he was reconsidering his choice. On the off probability that he may play, the Braves acquired his rights for a participant to be named later in December. In the meantime, Phillies broadcaster Richie Ashburn, whose time with the crew (1948–59) had lengthy preceded Allen, lobbied the group to reacquire him. Now owned by Bob Carpenter’s son Ruly, and taking part in in Veterans Stadium somewhat than Connie Mack Stadium, which had been located in a racially divided neighborhood, the Phillies had been a distinct crew. Laden with younger abilities Mike Schmidt (who grew up idolizing Allen), Greg Luzinski, Dave Money, Larry Bowa, and Bob Boone, they had been managed by Danny Ozark, who had coached the Dodgers throughout Allen’s 1971 keep.

Allen remained at residence by way of the spring till the Phillies negotiated a four-player commerce on Could 7. He debuted on Could 14, receiving a standing ovation from the Veterans Stadium crowd of 30,908. “You don’t know what it means to me,” he informed reporters. “It’s a distinct state of affairs altogether.” The followers might heal solely a lot, nonetheless. Although the crew went 86-76, Allen hit simply .233/.327/.385 with 12 homers in 119 video games.

Even with the good thing about a full spring coaching the next season, Allen discovered himself at odds with Ozark, who benched him in favor of light-hitting however good-fielding Tommy Hutton, then discovered Allen unwilling to pinch-hit. After a bout of shoulder soreness landed him on what was then the disabled checklist, Allen returned and was largely productive regardless of being dropped to seventh within the batting order, lacking 39 video games because of dizziness after a jarring collision (maybe concussion-like signs) and additional shoulder troubles, and brazenly questioning why the crew’s Black gamers weren’t getting as a lot taking part in time as he felt they merited. Even with a 3-for-40 hunch in September, he hit .268/.346/.480 with 15 homers in 339 PA. The Phillies received 101 video games and their first NL East flag. In his solely postseason look, Allen went 2-for-9 with three walks, however made a key error in Sport 2 of the NLCS because the Phillies had been swept by the Reds.

Knowledgeable that he wouldn’t be re-signed, Allen caught on with the A’s, who had been decimated by the primary winter of free company. After a robust April (.313/.395/.507 with 4 homers), he cooled off, and refused to DH; unbeknownst to supervisor Jack McKeon, proprietor Charlie Finley had written a clause into Allen’s contract excusing him from DH obligation. Ultimately shoulder issues, a hunch, and one other unexcused absence led to his launch. Whereas he went again to spring coaching with the A’s the next season, and whereas Tanner tried to speak him into becoming a member of the Pirates — whom he was then managing — in 1979, when Allen was 37, he by no means performed once more.

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Allen spent extra time at first base (807 video games) than third (652) or left discipline (256), however for JAWS functions, he’s a 3rd baseman as a result of that’s the place he accrued essentially the most worth. 5 of his prime six WAR totals got here in seasons the place he performed extra third than wherever else. To get into the trivia, for classification functions a participant at a number of positions has that 12 months’s WAR complete apportioned by place as a proportion of innings performed. For Allen, the breakdown appears to be like like this:

Allen’s profession was comparatively quick by Corridor of Fame requirements, partially because of his accidents and different absences, together with his early retirement. Solely 9 of the 42 enshrinees at both nook infield place performed fewer video games than his 1,749, together with 4 whose careers started within the nineteenth century and only one (Hank Greenberg) who performed after World Struggle II, however missed greater than 4 seasons because of navy service. There’s an analogous drawback with Allen’s 1,848 complete hits. As I famous at a number of turns, till the 2022 election of Tony Oliva, no place participant whose profession crossed into the post-1960 growth period had been elected with fewer than 2,000 hits — a state of affairs that underscored the uphill battle Allen confronted on the subject of conventional counting stats, however one which now may characterize much less of an impediment.

Allen’s complete of 351 homers is much less spectacular for its quantity than its context. Within the 16-season span from 1961-76, a low-scoring interval bracketed by the primary and third waves of growth, Allen hit 346 homers, greater than all however Harmon Killebrew (489), Willie McCovey (439) and Norm Money (355). From 1964–74, the 11-season coronary heart of his profession, he led his league twice, ranked second twice and had 4 different top-10 finishes.

The speed stats additional illustrate Allen’s dominance. In that very same 11-year interval, he had 20 top-10 finishes in a slash stat, main in OBP twice and in slugging 3 times. He led in OPS+ 3 times and was twice runner-up, with 5 extra finishes within the prime 10. All of which is to say that yearly in that span by which he certified for the batting title — 10 out of 11 seasons — he ranked among the many league’s 10 most potent hitters.

Profession-wise, amongst gamers with at the very least 7,000 PA, Allen’s 156 OPS+ is tied for 14th all-time with Frank Thomas (the White Sox slugger, not the Phillies assailant) — Thomas had a for much longer profession, however that’s the purpose of the cutoff. Convert that efficiency to batting runs and Allen’s 435 above common ranks 57th, a tad much less spectacular however inside 10 runs in both route of Corridor of Famers Wade Boggs, Ken Griffey Jr., Willie Stargell, Vladimir Guerrero, and George Brett, all of whom wanted at the very least 1,712 extra plate appearances to approximate Allen’s complete.

Mix all that along with his seven All-Star appearances and his Rookie of the 12 months and MVP awards, and Allen scores a 99 on the Corridor of Fame Monitor, within the basic neighborhood of a “possible” Corridor of Famer. That rating is held down by his minimal postseason résumé and his defensive shortcomings. He was nothing near a Gold Glove candidate, however given the way in which the Phillies and different groups dealt with him, what ought to anybody have anticipated?

Through Whole Zone, Allen’s complete of 110 runs under common in any respect positions is tied for the 18th-worst in historical past. He was 45 runs under common at third (9 per 1,200 innings), 40 under common at first (seven per 1,200 innings), and 24 under common in left discipline (13 per 1,200 innings). That’s practically DH-caliber, however in fact the DH didn’t exist in these days, and Allen was none too eager on the concept as soon as it did. But even whereas costing his crew a median of 9 runs per 12 months along with his glove, Allen’s bat carried the load and extra. He ranked among the many league’s prime 10 in WAR six instances, with a league lead and two different appearances within the prime 5. For that 1964–74 span, solely 5 different gamers topped Allen’s 58.3 WAR, all of them enshrined: Hank Aaron, Carl Yastrzemski, Roberto Clemente, Santo, and Brooks Robinson.

Measured towards third basemen, Allen’s profession complete of 58.7 WAR ranks seventeenth, 10.7 wins under the usual; relative to the Corridor of Famers, he’s forward of solely the three bottom-tier guys (George Kell, Pie Traynor and Fred Lindstrom) and two with their roots within the nineteenth century (Deacon White and Jimmy Collins). His 45.9 WAR peak is 2.6 wins above the usual, nonetheless, and ranks tenth, forward of 9 of the 17 non-Negro Leagues enshrinees on the place, to not point out in style defense-first outsiders comparable to Graig Nettles and Buddy Bell. General, his 52.3 JAWS ranks seventeenth, 4.0 factors under the usual.

Contemplating Allen as a primary baseman doesn’t change a complete lot. At that place he would rank twenty third in profession WAR (8.1 wins under the usual), twelfth in peak (3.9 above the usual) and 18th in JAWS, the latter 1.1 factors under the usual however forward of 14 enshrined first basemen, together with short-timer Greenberg, plus Killebrew, one other slugger who bounced across the diamond in an effort to cover his glove.

Any manner you slice it, Allen’s a bit quick in JAWS, so selecting to vote for him means specializing in that appreciable peak whereas giving him the good thing about the doubt on the elements that shortened his profession. To those eyes, the litany is sizable sufficient to justify that. Allen did nothing to deserve the racism and hatred he battled in Little Rock and Philadelphia, or the condescension of the lily-white, paternalistic media that refused to even name him by his right identify. To underplay the extent to which these forces formed his conduct and his public persona thereafter is to carry him to an impossibly excessive commonplace; not everybody will be Jackie Robinson or Ernie Banks, nor ought to they need to be. The distortions that influenced the damaging views of him — together with Invoice James’ crushing dismissal (“[Allen] did extra to maintain his groups from successful than anyone else who ever performed main league baseball. And if that’s a Corridor of Famer, I’m a lug nut.”) in The Politics of Glory — had been damaging. To offer them the higher hand is to reject sincere inquiry into his profession.

Sabermetrician Don Malcolm known as that passage “absolutely the nadir of Invoice James’ profession, a abstract assertion so blatantly biased that his long-time good friend and affiliate Craig Wright felt compelled to write down an essay refuting Invoice’s perspective… Everybody is aware of that Dick Allen was an important hitter; there’s simply all that different baggage that they’re afraid to open.” Having opened it, nicely, it’s not fairly, however by now it’s abundantly clear that it wasn’t all Allen’s baggage to start with. Wright’s work, which featured interviews with all however certainly one of Allen’s large league managers (the late Dodgers skipper Walter Alston) in addition to a number of teammates, strongly refutes the notion that Allen was a divisive clubhouse presence or a selected drawback for his managers except for his early-career tardiness (and his excessive habits in 1969). “His teammates all the time preferred him,” stated Mauch. “He wasn’t doing something to harm [his teammates] play of the sport, and he didn’t contain his teammates in his issues. When he was personally rebellious, he didn’t attempt to carry different gamers into it.”

Even Skinner and Ozark, the 2 managers portrayed as essentially the most brazenly crucial of him, informed Wright that Allen wasn’t the issue with their groups and that they’d have him again once more if given the prospect.

Maybe not surprisingly given his tumultuous profession and modest counting stats, Allen by no means fared nicely in entrance of BBWAA voters. He obtained simply 3.7% in his 1983 debut (when venerable scribes comparable to Jack Lang and Charley Feeney patronizingly resurrected “Richie Allen” of their Sporting Information protection), sufficient to bump him off the poll. Through a 1985 compromise between the writers and the Corridor over some rejiggering of the 5 P.c Rule, 150 such candidates had been reviewed by the BBWAA Screening Committee, with 11 getting “another probability”: Allen, Flood, Santo, Ken Boyer, Clay Carroll, Ron Pretty, Harvey Haddix, Denny McLain, Dave McNally, Vada Pinson, and Wilbur Wooden. Allen obtained 7.1%, greater than all the others save for Boyer (17.2%) and Santo (13.4%), sufficient at the very least to maintain his identify in circulation. He lingered on the poll by way of 1997, topping out at 18.9% in ’96.

After growing older off the writers’ poll, Allen fell underneath the purview of the enlarged Veterans Committee, with equally tepid outcomes: 16.0% in 2003, 15.0% in ’05, 13.4% in ’07 and 10.9% in ’09. He was bypassed for the 2012 Golden Period Committee poll, by way of which Santo was posthumously elected, however was on in ’15. Due to the outreach marketing campaign led by Carfagno, a former Phillies grounds crew member, his candidacy drew widespread consideration. On a committee that included Hemond, in addition to former teammate Jim Bunning (the Phillies’ ace throughout Allen’s first stint) and Pat Gillick (then the president of the Phillies), Allen obtained 11 of 16 votes — tied with Oliva for the very best among the many 10 candidates, however one vote in need of election nonetheless. It was a bittersweet outcome. Gillick did try to reassure the general public that Allen’s candidacy was seen with a recent eye, saying, “If anyone had any concern about any press that was related to Dick, that was not a priority.”

Earlier than the Golden Period Committee might reconvene, a 2016 rule change reconfigured the three committees into 4, voted upon at differing frequencies, with the Golden Days Period Committee thus not scheduled till December 2020. Then the pandemic hit. Notably with no present baseball to cowl, the buzz round Allen started to construct. In June, the Pennsylvania Home of Representatives even handed a decision urging his election to the Corridor of Fame. On August 13, lower than two weeks earlier than the Corridor introduced its postponement, the Phillies revealed a plan to retire Allen’s quantity — a shift in coverage for the franchise, which had beforehand restricted that honor to gamers within the Corridor, and one spearheaded by John Middleton, the membership’s managing companion. Stated Middleton on the socially distanced ceremony:

“As I considered that coverage and its influence on gamers like Dick, I remembered certainly one of my favourite quotes. Not too long ago our nation misplaced an important civil rights chief, however John Lewis’ reminiscence will endure due to his lasting message to all of us; ‘Once you see one thing that isn’t proper, not truthful, not simply, you must converse up. It’s a must to say one thing. It’s a must to do one thing.’

“Dick, your brilliance has compelled me to vary our long-standing coverage. At present, the Phillies group is doing and saying one thing to right what’s traditionally not proper, not truthful, not simply.

Allen died simply three months later, then fell one vote quick when thought of for the 2022 Golden Days poll whereas Oliva, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat and Minnie Miñoso had been elected. Luckily, he not has to compete for votes with these candidates, all of whom had obtained eight to 11 votes on the earlier two Golden Period ballots in 2012 and ’15. Whereas he’s come nearer to election than anybody else on this poll, his supporters know higher than most that there’s nothing computerized about this course of. Nonetheless, there’s motive to be optimistic that his time is coming. To those eyes, it’s clear Allen belongs within the Corridor, and if I had a committee poll, he’d be a simple alternative for certainly one of my three spots. Allen was an elite hitter who clashed with a world that was typically far too gradual to embrace him as both a participant or an individual. We’re greater than able to rejoice each now.