Baltimore Orioles: 50th Anniversary of the Frank Robinson Trade

Jul 26, 2015; Cooperstown, NY, USA; Hall of Famer Frank Robinson waves to the crowd after being introduced during the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies at Clark Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

It was on this date of December 9^th in 1965 that the Baltimore Orioles traded three players to gain Frank Robinson.

For modern fans of the Baltimore Orioles, if you think the O’s got a good deal with Adam Jones and Chris Tillman coming from Seattle a few years ago, this trade was even better.

I remember it well, even as a fourth grade student. Though living in New Jersey, I had gone to a couple of Orioles games and was already hooked for life as an O’s fan. Milt Pappas pitched the first game I attended, and he was the principle part of the deal for Robinson.

A teacher in my school knew that I was crazy about the Orioles (having seen me wear the gear every day), and he had heard on the radio about the deal and told me of it while on the playground. Even as a 10-year-old, I asked him to repeat it to me a second time, because I could not believe my ears! Frank Robinson for Milt Pappas a couple of guys neither of us had heard of? It seemed incredible; and it was indeed.

Everyone who followed baseball at all at that time knew who Frank Robinson was. He was Rookie of the Year in 1956 (not that I remember that!) and was the National League MVP in 1961. Robinson had batted as high as .342 with 39 homers and 136 RBIs in 1962.

But in 1965, his average had “dropped” to .296, and he was headed into his age 30 season. The trade was made for Pappas, Dick Simpson, and Jack Baldschun.

Milt Pappas was a starting pitcher who will often be found on lists of top Baltimore Orioles players in O’s history. He was coming off an All-Star season in 1965, going 13-9 with a 2.60 ERA in 221 innings pitched (not unusual in those days … he threw 251 the year before). All totaled for the Orioles over nine years, he was 110-74 with a 3.24 ERA. In three seasons for the Reds, he was merely 30-29 with a 4.04 ERA.

Dick Simpson was with the Orioles for one week in that offseason, having been traded to them by the California Angels. At that time he was age 22 and had appeared in a total of 35 MLB games. In AAA that 1965 season he has hit .301 with strong power numbers. But for Cincinnati over the next two years, he would hit .246 in only 161 plate appearances. His final career average was .207 with 15 home runs.

Jack Baldschun was an innings-eater sort of relief pitcher who averaged 109 innings per season from 1961-1965 for the Phillies, going 39-34 with a 3.18 ERA. He was traded to the Orioles three days earlier than the Robinson deal. For the Reds in two seasons, he was a combined 1-5 with an ERA of 5.25 in 51 games.

It was on this date of December 9th in 1965 that the Baltimore Orioles traded three players to gain Frank Robinson.

It was on this date of December 9^th in 1965 that the Baltimore Orioles traded three players to gain Frank Robinson.