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 Dick Allen Photo Gallery
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A Tribute to Dick Allen, RIP

“One day people will understand that standing up for yourself and your dignity makes you a man and not a malcontent.” —SABR member Mitchell Nathanson, speaking of Dick Allen

“Dick Allen hits the ball harder than any player I’ve ever seen.” –Willie Mays

I don’t have to go into a lot of great detail to convince you that this year, 2020, has been the most dysfunctional year in baseball history, superseding the previous leader, 1918, by a long shot. But what’s even worse is that, with still three weeks to go, we’ve already lost six Hall-of-Famers.

Now we add another great player to the list. Although he’s not enshrined in the Hall, many think he belongs. So this week, we must bid a sad farewell to Dick Allen. 

A while back I wrote about the Phillies’ historic 1964 collapse. Some of our readers commented at the time that Allen has been overlooked for the Hall of Fame. I’d heard this before, so I decided to do a little research into his career. After doing so, I came to the conclusion that a strong case can be made that Dick Allen belongs in the Hall.

Of the 24 first baseman already in the Hall of Fame, he would fit in rather well. For instance, his 351 home runs would place him ahead of ten. He falls short in some of the typical benchmarks for enshrinement. He didn’t hit 500 home runs or amass 3000 hits. But one thing I learned for sure: When you look past the surface and delve deeper into his career, you discover that Dick Allen was a better all-around player than a good number of those who are already in. 

Dick Allen’s Career Statistics

The Waumpum, Pennsylvania native played 15 seasons (1963-’77) in the majors for the Phillies (1963-’69, 1975-’76), Cardinals (1970), Dodgers (1971), White Sox (1972-’74), and Athletics (1977). Over his career, he hit .292, with 351 homers, 1119 RBIs, a .534 slugging percentage, and a .378 on-base percentage. Allen had a remarkable 11-year peak, putting up .299/.386/.554 numbers from 1964 through 1974. That’s a slash line that would be impressive in the high-scoring 1930s, but Allen did it in the heart of the “Pitchers’ Era” (think Koufax, Gibson, Drysdale, Jenkins). 

Allen was a seven-time All-Star, National League Rookie of the Year (1964), American League MVP (1972), two-time American League home run leader, and one-time American League RBI leader. He led the National League in slugging percentage once, and the American League twice. Four times he was the OPS leader. Allen hit over 30 home runs six times. For many years he held the highest slugging percentage among players not in the Hall. 

Dick Allen’s rookie year of 1964 ranks among the greatest rookie seasons ever. He led the league in runs (125), triples (13), extra-base hits (80), and total bases (352); and finished in the top five in batting average (.318), slugging average (.557), hits (201), and doubles (38).

When the Phillies suffered their collapse in 1964 by losing ten straight games to blow a 6 ½ game lead with 12 to play, Allen was one of the few bright spots, hitting .438, with five doubles, two triples, three home runs, and 11 RBI in those last 12 games.

After suffering much abuse in Philadelphia, often racially tainted, he thrived under manager Chuck Tanner in Chicago after the White Sox obtained him in a trade for Tommy John. Many years later, he still remains one of the most popular players in White Sox history, despite playing only three seasons with the Sox. As the franchise’s first Black star, the Phillies gave him the long-overdue honor of retiring his number 15 last September. 

Allen’s OPS+ Tells The Story!

Many historians point out that Dick Allen began his career during the mid-1960s, a period so dominated by pitchers that it’s sometimes called the “second Dead Ball Era.” He also played much of his career in pitcher-friendly parks like Busch Memorial Stadium, Dodger Stadium, and Comiskey Park. That’s why his offensive numbers and his 156 OPS+ are so impressive. This valuable sabrmetric stat adjusts a player’s OPS for the era and parks in which he played, with 100 being the major league average.

Of the players whose careers intersected with him, only Mickey Mantle‘s lifetime OPS+ of 172 topped Allen’s lifetime 156. In addition, his career 156 currently ranks Allen 20^th all-time. What’s even more impressive, he ranks sixth all-time among right-handed hitters, tied with Frank Thomas and Willie Mays, and ahead of such sluggers as Hank Aaron and Joe DiMaggio. 

One Of The Most Powerful Sluggers Ever

Not only did Dick Allen put up great offensive numbers, he was also a complete ballplayer. He was an outstanding fielder and a smart, aggressive baserunner, including 133 stolen bases. His massive physical strength often resulted in prodigious, tape-measure blasts. Baseball historian Bill Jenkinson ranks him with Foxx and Mantle – and just a notch below Babe Ruth – as the four top long-distance sluggers in baseball history. Twice Allen cleared Connie Mack Stadium‘s 65-foot-high right-center field scoreboard, a feat considered virtually impossible for a right-handed hitter. One was a massive blow estimated at 529 feet.

Controversial? His Teammates Loved Him!

Controversy always seemed to find Dick Allen, and perhaps that’s why he’s not yet been elected to the Hall. Bill James rated Dick Allen as the second-most controversial player in baseball history, behind only Rogers Hornsby. But that harsh judgment doesn’t seem to square with comments by his contemporaries. Here are some quotes from Dick Allen’s teammates and others who saw him play:

• “Dick Allen was ahead of his time. He played the game in the most conservative era in baseball history. It was a time of change and protest in the country. His way of doing things would go unnoticed today. If I had been manager of the Phillies, I would have found a way to make Dick Allen comfortable. When Dick Allen was comfortable, balls left the park” -Willie Stargell
• “Allen was not a ‘clubhouse lawyer’ who harmed team chemistry. Dick was the leader of our team, the captain, the manager on the field. He took care of the young kids, took them under his wing. And he played every game as if it was his last day on earth” –Chuck Tanner
• “Dick’s behavior never had a negative effect on the team. His teammates always liked him. I’d take him in a minute.” -Gene Mauch
• “I’ve been around the game a long time, and he’s the greatest player I’ve ever seen play in my life. He had the most amazing season in 1972 I’ve ever seen. He’s the smartest baseball man I’ve ever been around in my life. He taught me how to pitch from a hitter’s perspective, and taught me how to play the game right. There’s no telling the numbers this guy could have put up if all he worried about was stats. The guy belongs in the Hall of Fame.” -Hall-of-Famer Rich Gossage

  

• “I actually thought that Dick was better than his stats. Every time we needed a clutch hit, he got it. He got along great with his teammates and he was very knowledgeable about the game. He was the ultimate team guy.” -Teammate Stan Bahnsen
• “Dick Allen was my mentor. The baseball writers used to claim that Dick would divide the clubhouse along racial lines. That was a lie. The truth is that Dick never divided any clubhouse.” –Mike Schmidt

No question that we lost a great one this week. I’d say Dick Allen has been vastly underrated, vastly mischaracterized, and definitely belongs in the Hall of Fame. What do you think?