Vada Pinson

Vada Edward Pinson Jr. (August 11, 1938 – October 21, 1995) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played as a center fielder in Major League Baseball for 18 years (1958–1975), most notably for the Cincinnati Reds, for whom he played from 1958 to 1968 as a four-time National League All-Star. He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1977. The 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), 170 lb (77 kg) Pinson, who batted and threw left-handed, combined power, speed, and strong defensive ability.

Pinson was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and his family moved to California when he was a child. He attended Oakland's McClymonds High School, a school attended by Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Frank Robinson (a Pinson teammate in the major leagues for nine years), star centerfielder Curt Flood, and Basketball Hall of Fame center Bill Russell. Pinson had interest in the trumpet in the school's band, to the point where he considered playing trumpet as a career, but his baseball coach George Powles convinced him otherwise, developing him into a player by cultivating his athletic ability and talent.

Right before Pinson turned 18, the Cincinnati Redlegs offered him a $4,000 bonus contract, which he signed. He played two seasons in the minor leagues, playing with the Wausau Lumberjacks in the Northern League for 1956 (hitting .278 in 75 games) and the Visalia Redlegs in the California League the following year, hitting .367 with 209 hits in 135 games.

After two minor league seasons and still only 19 years old, he earned a spot on the Redlegs' 25-man roster out of spring training, making his major league debut on April 15, 1958, against the Philadelphia Phillies at home in Crosley Field. Batting second and starting in centerfield, Pinson had one hit in five at-bats, his first hit a single off future Baseball Hall-of-Famer Robin Roberts. Three days later, in the Redlegs' next game, he hit his first home run, a grand slam off Pittsburgh Pirates' starter Ron Kline at Forbes Field. A slump in May that lowered his average to .194 resulted in him being sent to the Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League. He played in 124 games and hit .343 before being called up by the Redlegs, going .412 in 12 games in September. He finished the year with a .271 batting average in 27 games and 96 at-bats with a .352 OBP.

The next season, 1959, was his first full year in the majors. He responded with big numbers: 154 games, a .316 batting average, a .371 OBP, 131 runs scored (a league high), 205 hits, 47 doubles (also a league high), 20 home runs, and 21 stolen bases. He had an .880 OPS. He was selected to both All-Star Games played that year (not playing in the first while pinch running in the second) and finished 15th in Most Valuable Player voting. He led the National League in putouts as an outfielder with 423.

The following year, he played in 154 games again while having 107 runs on 187 hits, 37 doubles (a league high), 20 home runs, 61 RBIs, and 32 stolen bases on a .287 batting average and .339 OBP while finishing 18th in MVP voting. He had an OPS above 800 once again, having an .811 OPS. He led the league again in putouts with 401. He was named to both of the All-Star Games that year, batting once in the first game and having no at-bat in the second game. However, the Reds went 67-87 and 6th in the National League. This was the worst season in terms of record in Pinson's tenure.

1961 was much of the same in consistent production, playing in all 154 games for the third straight year while having 208 hits (a career high and league high) on 607 at-bats with 101 runs, 34 doubles, 16 home runs and 87 RBIs on a .343 batting average and .379 OBP. He finished 3rd in the MVP voting while receiving a Gold Glove, his only career win. He had a career high .883 OPS. He finished 2nd for the batting title to Roberto Clemente, who edged him out by eight percentage points. For the third year in a row, he led the league in putouts with 391. That year, the Reds won the league pennant, going 93-61 (a 26-game improvement) while gaining the right to play the New York Yankees in the 1961 World Series. Pinson had two hits in 22 at-bats for a .091 batting average as the Reds lost to the Yankees in five games. As it turned out, this was his only postseason appearance in his career.

The following year, he played 155 games (with this being the first season of the National League having 162 games), having 181 hits with 107 runs, 31 doubles, 23 home runs, 100 RBIs, 26 stolen bases on a .292 batting average and a .341 OBP. He had a .817 OPS, his fourth straight year with an OPS above 800. He had 344 putouts as an outfielder, 5th best in the league. However, his season was marred by an embarrassing incident in which he took a swing at club reporter Earl Lawson, who suggested that Pinson would be able to hit for .350 if he went for bunts every so often instead of going for home runs along with questionable fielding. The charges were dropped, but Pinson stated that this was the most embarrassing moment of his career.