Dave Concepcion--1972
After a decade of light-hitting
shortstops in the 1960s, David
Concepcion emerged as the shortstop
of the 1970s. A slick fielder who
collected five Gold Gloves;
Concepcion was far from an out at the
plate, bringing speed (19 or more SB
in 7 of 10 seasons in the 1970s), while
hitting .271 or better from 1973 thru
1979.
On the back of Concepcion’s 1972
card, we are enlightened with
Cincinnati manager Sparky Anderson’s
prediction on his young middle infielder:
“I think he’s going to be one of the
real great shortstops and will be
around for a long time to come. This
boy is a good one. You’re going to
hear a lot about Concepcion.”
Because of this, I (like many) kept the
card. Gotta keep the stars--- especially
when Sparky predicts greatness.
And even though the native
Venezuelan could swing the wood,
what I remember most is the highlights
of a young Concepcion ranging to the
hole and throwing off-balance to
deliver a strike to first baseman Tony
Perez (or Dan Driessen) that skipped
off the Riverfront Stadium Astroturf. It
was poetry in motion and an innovative
way to get an out.
That is why during my early days of
working in baseball with the Reds, it
was difficult to watch an aging
Concepcion struggle at shortstop and
be moved to second and first base
during his last two seasons. Gone was
the lean body look, as the former nine-
time All-Star was then heavy-legged
with a softer body. With range that was
virtually limited to his reach on either
side, Davey was a shadow of his
former self.
One has to wonder if Concepcion held
on too long. Looking to become the
first Venezuelan to play 20 seasons
(he finished with 19, besting his
countryman idol Luis Aparicio), the
final years for Davey left an impression
on the baseball writers (and myself)
that was nowhere close to the images
of his youth.
And while he has fallen short in the
eyes of the Hall of Fame voters, the
wiry infielder was an important
component of the Big Red Machine
and one damn good shortstop.
(Editors Note: Omar Vizquel played in
his 20th major league season in 2008
to top the charts for Venezuelan
shortstops)
(3/21/09)
shortstops in the 1960s, David
Concepcion emerged as the shortstop
of the 1970s. A slick fielder who
collected five Gold Gloves;
Concepcion was far from an out at the
plate, bringing speed (19 or more SB
in 7 of 10 seasons in the 1970s), while
hitting .271 or better from 1973 thru
1979.
On the back of Concepcion’s 1972
card, we are enlightened with
Cincinnati manager Sparky Anderson’s
prediction on his young middle infielder:
“I think he’s going to be one of the
real great shortstops and will be
around for a long time to come. This
boy is a good one. You’re going to
hear a lot about Concepcion.”
Because of this, I (like many) kept the
card. Gotta keep the stars--- especially
when Sparky predicts greatness.
And even though the native
Venezuelan could swing the wood,
what I remember most is the highlights
of a young Concepcion ranging to the
hole and throwing off-balance to
deliver a strike to first baseman Tony
Perez (or Dan Driessen) that skipped
off the Riverfront Stadium Astroturf. It
was poetry in motion and an innovative
way to get an out.
That is why during my early days of
working in baseball with the Reds, it
was difficult to watch an aging
Concepcion struggle at shortstop and
be moved to second and first base
during his last two seasons. Gone was
the lean body look, as the former nine-
time All-Star was then heavy-legged
with a softer body. With range that was
virtually limited to his reach on either
side, Davey was a shadow of his
former self.
One has to wonder if Concepcion held
on too long. Looking to become the
first Venezuelan to play 20 seasons
(he finished with 19, besting his
countryman idol Luis Aparicio), the
final years for Davey left an impression
on the baseball writers (and myself)
that was nowhere close to the images
of his youth.
And while he has fallen short in the
eyes of the Hall of Fame voters, the
wiry infielder was an important
component of the Big Red Machine
and one damn good shortstop.
(Editors Note: Omar Vizquel played in
his 20th major league season in 2008
to top the charts for Venezuelan
shortstops)
(3/21/09)
