Al Rosen - Major League Baseball Career

Major League Baseball Career

Rosen made his first appearance in the major leagues in 1947 at the age of 23. In 1948, Rosen played most of the year in minor leagues with the Kansas City Blues, before joining the Indians in September and winning a World Series ring as a reserve behind regular third baseman, Ken Keltner.

When Keltner was traded in 1950, Rosen took over as the Indians' third baseman, leading the American League in home runs with 37, hitting more than any previous American League rookie. It stood as the AL rookie record until Mark McGwire surpassed it in 1987. He homered in four straight games in June, a feat not matched by an Indians rookie until Jason Kipnis did it in 2011. He also averaged a league-best homer every 15.0 at bats, and led the league as well in HBP (10). He batted .287 and had 116 runs batted in, while coming in 5th in the league with 100 walks and a .543 slugging percentage. His 100 walks were still a team rookie record for a right-handed batter, through 2010. Despite his home run title, he only came in 17th in the American League MVP Award voting.

In 1951 he led the league in games played, and was 5th in the league in RBIs (102), extra-base hits (55), and walks (85). He batted .265, with 24 home runs. He hit four grand slams, a team season record that was not broken until Travis Hafner hit five in 2006.

Rosen led the American League with 105 RBIs and 297 total bases in 1952. He also was 3rd in the league in runs (101) and slugging percentage (.524), 5th in hits (171) and doubles (32), 6th in home runs (28), and 7th in batting average (.302). On April 29, he matched the team record, which still stood through 2010, of three home runs in one game. Still, he only came in 10th in the American League MVP Award voting.

In 1953, Rosen led the American League in home runs (43), runs batted in (145; still a record for an Indian third baseman, through 2010), runs (115), slugging percentage (.613), and total bases (367). He also came in second in OBP, and third in hits (201), and tied for 8th in stolen bases. He also had a 20-game hitting streak. Defensively, he had the best range factor of all third basemen in the league (3.32), and led it in assists (338) and double plays (38).

He batted .336, and missed winning the batting title – and with it the Triple Crown – on the last day of the season—by less than a percentage point. Still, his overall excellence was enough to earn him the American League MVP Award by an unprecedented unanimous vote.

In 1954 he hit an even .300, led the league in sacrifice flies with 11, was 4th in SP (.506), and 5th in home runs (24), RBI (102), and obp (.404). He also hit consecutive home runs in the All-Star game despite a broken finger, earning him the game MVP. His five home runs in the game matched the record set by Ted Williams five years earlier, which still stood through the 2011 season.

Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel said of him: "That young feller, that feller's a ball player. He'll give you the works every time. Gets all the hits, gives you the hard tag in the field. That feller's a real competitor, you bet your sweet curse life." Cleveland won the pennant, but lost the World Series. In spite of Rosen's 5th straight year with 100 or more RBIs Cleveland cut his $42,500 ($367,800 today) salary to $37,500 ($325,300 today) for 1955.

In 1955 Rosen was in the top 10 in the league in at-bats per home run, walks, and sacrifice flies.

By 1956 back problems and leg injuries caught up with Rosen and he retired at just 32 at the end of the season.