House That Hank Built
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Atlanta Braves add Joe Adcock to the Braves Hall of Fame

By Fred Owens

BRONX, NY - JULY 13: (L) Joe Adcock and Eddie Mathews (C) of the Milwaukee Braves and Bob Skinner of the Pittsburgh Pirates pose for a portrait with representives of Rawlings Sporting Goods prior to the MLB All-Star Game on July 13, 1960 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. (Photo by Olen Collection/Diamond Images/Getty Images)
BRONX, NY - JULY 13: (L) Joe Adcock and Eddie Mathews (C) of the Milwaukee Braves and Bob Skinner of the Pittsburgh Pirates pose for a portrait with representives of Rawlings Sporting Goods prior to the MLB All-Star Game on July 13, 1960 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. (Photo by Olen Collection/Diamond Images/Getty Images) /
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Former Atlanta Braves first baseman and Milwaukee Braves first baseman Joe Adcock have a lot in common. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images) /

More than a slugger

Adcock was a skilled first baseman, but it wasn’t always so:  Not in the Hall described Adcock’s defense like this:

". . . Adcock didn’t want to play at First Base because he preferred it, he was also really good at it.  He would finish first in Range Factor per Game and Fielding Percentage three and four times respectively as a Brave among all National League First Basemen."

SABR’s  Gregory Wolf called Adcock ” One of the most feared sluggers of the 1950s and early 1960s.”

"an accomplished and underrated first baseman whose long arms helped him dig out errant throws . . . led first basemen in fielding percentage four times, including three consecutive seasons . . retired with the third-highest fielding percentage (.994) at first base in major-league history. . ."

Would you like an Atlanta Braves comp with that?

We talk about comps a lot these days, so here’s a comp for you.  In ten years as a Brave, Adcock

  • batted.285/.343/.511/.855
  • hit 239 homers,
  • 197 doubles,
  • 22 triples and
  • 1206 hits in 1207 games. An average of .999 hits a game for ten years.
  • posted a 131 OPS+, .374 wOBA, and 134 wRC+

In Freddie Freeman’s first ten years with the Atlanta Braves, he:

  • batted .293/.379/.504/.883
  • hit 227 homers,
  • 319 doubles
  • 22 triples
  • and 1451 hits in 1346 games; and an average of 1.07 hits a game
  • Posted a 136 OPS+, 376 wOBA, and 136 wRC+

So aside from being right-handed throwers, Freeman and Adcock had a lot in common.

Joe Adcock played his last game on October 1, 1966. He passed away on May 3, 1999, at 71.

That’s a wrap.

Adcock benefitted by being in the same lineup as Henry Aaron and Eddie Mathews. Aaron and Mathews receive most of the press, and rightfully so, but Adcock was an offensive force and one of the most feared sluggers of his era.

We marvel at Atlanta Braves’ third baseman Austin Riley hitting a homer 450 feet, but Adcock did that regularly. Had injury and idiotic managerial decisions not shortened his career, he’d have hit 500 homers and have a plaque in Cooperstown.

I’m delighted that the Atlanta Braves are honoring Adcock and sorry that it took so long.

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