FRANK ROBINSON - BASEBALL BAT SIGNED - HFSID 137149

FRANK ROBINSON
Rawlings "Big Stick" bat, signed on the barrel in blue ink
Rawlings Adirondack Big Stick Baseball Bat signed: "Frank Robinson". The bat is 34 inches long. Frank Robinson (1935-2019) is an MLB Hall of Fame outfielder. He saw play for five teams during his 21 seasons career, most notably with the Cincinnati Reds (1956-1965) and the Baltimore Orioles (1966-1971). With the Reds, he earned the National League Rookie of the Year Award (1956) and the MVP Award in 1961. In 1966, Cincinnati Reds owner Bill DeWitt traded Robinson to the Baltimore Orioles for Milt Pappas, Jack Baldschun, and Dick Simpson. Robinson was only 30 years old at the time. It would go on to be one of the most lopsided trades in MLB history. Pappas spent just three seasons with the Reds, while Robinson won the Triple Crown and the A.L. MVP Award; he also led the team to its first World Series championship victory. He was selected as the 1966 World Series MVP. Following his successful playing career, he became the first black MLB manager, working with the Cleveland Indians for three seasons (1975-1977). Until 2006, he worked for a few different teams as a coach and a manager, most recently with the Montreal Expos and Washington Nationals from 2002 to 2006. His jersey number (#20) was retired by both the Reds and the Orioles, and he was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 1982. Over the course of his playing career, he notched a .294 batting average, bashed 586 home runs (fourth all-time when he retired), and 1,812 RBIs. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. Fine condition.