12-08-2019, 06:18 PM
(12-08-2019, 02:53 PM)qwerty49 Wrote:(12-08-2019, 12:55 PM)triangle2 Wrote: Stretch...You got it!
SF Chronicle columnist Charles McCabe, the last of the crusty old geezers, had a real vendetta for Willie Mac that 2nd year (1960) for some unfathomable reason, never missed a chance to take a shot at him. I think part of it had to do with Willie sometimes having to play in LF because the Giants already had Orlando Cepeda at 1B. It was a real tossup who was the worse LF, Cepeda or McCovey, and I think the brass finally figured out that Willie would do the least damage out there.
McCovey didn't play LF until 1962, so that probably wasn't the reason.
McCovey and Cepeda were bad outfielders, but for different reasons. McCovey could usually get to the ball, but his catching and throwing skills were abysmal. Cepeda's catching and throwing skills weren't quite as bad, but he couldn't get to the ball as well as McCovey. McCovey was almost exactly an average first baseman. Cepeda was slightly below average as a first baseman. I would have played McCovey at first and Cepeda in LF, and damn the torpedoes. Those two were amazing hitters.
Audaces fortuna iuvat