Gunnar/ Adley . Would Gunnar have been a good choice at 1-1?

[Tony-OH]

2 hours ago, Frobby said:

As an aside, I was shocked how bad Bumbry’s second full year was when I looked it up following my guesses.  .898 as a rookie, then .592.   I also forgot that Jim Gentile had a couple of cups of coffee in other orgs before his rookie year in Baltimore, so he didn’t qualify for the list.  

Bumbry got off to an absolute horrid start to his 1974 season.

According to his SABR bio, he held out and then never made adjustments when pitchers adjusted to him.

Quote

For all of his success in 1973, and despite leading the Venezuelan League in hitting during the winter, Bumbry’s second big-league season was a struggle. Another O’s beat writer, Doug Brown, called Bumbry “a confused, frustrated .233 hitter in 1974.” 22 Following a brief holdout to start the 1974 season, when he was believed to have received a “significant increase” in his salary, Bumbry was due to receive a place in Baltimore’s everyday lineup.23 But when his batting fell off and he stole only 12 bases in 16 attempts in 1974, it led to persistent questions as to whether Bumbry’s standout rookie season was “a fluke.”24

Bumbry’s hitting woes in 1974 were so significant that he failed to drive in a run between July 15 and September 13. Said coach Billy Hunter, “[Bumbry] got to pressing when he realized he was in a slump. He was taking good balls and swinging at bad ones.” Bumbry said that he had been so overwhelmed with hitting advice that he “stopped concentrating on what the pitcher was doing.” Moreover, pitchers had altered their approach to facing him. “They did their homework,” said Bumbry, “and I didn’t adjust to it.”

 

[Frobby]

1 minute ago, Tony-OH said:

Bumbry got off to an absolute horrid start to his 1974 season.

According to his SABR bio, he held out and then never made adjustments when pitchers adjusted to him.

 

Kind of ballsy for a second-year player to hold out.  Of course, there was no fixed second-year salary in those days, but even so, the rare guys who held out were usually long-established stars.   I bet he didn’t hold out the next year!

I remember when Koufax and Drysdale held out for $125 k and $110 k, respectively.  Those were the days!