Boog Powell
Four-time All-Star and 1970 AL MVP who anchored the Orioles dynasty from 1966 to 1971.
John Wesley "Boog" Powell (born August 17, 1941) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and left fielder, most prominently as a member of the Baltimore Orioles dynasty that won four American League pennants and two World Series championships between 1966 and 1971. The four-time All-Star led the American League in 1964 with a .606 slugging percentage and won the American League Most Valuable Player Award in 1970. He also played for the Cleveland Indians and the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 1979, Powell was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.
- Position
- First Baseman and Left Fielder
- Team
- Baltimore Orioles (1961–1974), Cleveland Indians (1975–1976), Los Angeles Dodger
- All-Star Selections
- 4 times
- World Series Championships
- 2 (1966, 1970)
- Career Home Runs with O's
- Not specified in source (Source states he stands third behind Eddie Murray and C
- Retired Number
- No information provided in source
- MVP Award
- 1970 American League Most Valuable Player
- Slugging Percentage Leader
- 1964 (.606)
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Powell was born in Lakeland, Florida on August 17, 1941. He played for that city's team in the 1954 Little League World Series. After his family moved to Key West when he was 15, Powell played at Key West High School and graduated in 1959. Powell received the nickname "Boog" from his father. As Powell explained, "In the South they call little kids who are often getting into mischief buggers (pronounced 'boogers'), and my dad shortened it to Boog."
In Their Own Story
In 1970, Powell reached the pinnacle of his career, earning the American League Most Valuable Player Award. That season, he hit 35 home runs and drove in 114 runs while narrowly missing a .300 batting average until the final week. He served as the starting first baseman and cleanup hitter for the American League in the All-Star Game. The Orioles defeated the Minnesota Twins to win the ALCS, with Powell hitting .429 with six RBIs. In the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, Powell homered in the first two games as Baltimore secured their second title in five years, finishing the series with a 1.160 OPS. Earlier, in 1966, he had posted the highest batting average (.357) of any player during the Orioles' historic four-game sweep of the Dodgers, becoming one of only two players at that time to have played in both the Little League World Series and the MLB World Series.
Reader's Guide
In a 17-season career, Powell posted a .266 batting average with 339 home runs, 1,187 runs batted in, a .462 slugging percentage and a .361 on-base percentage in 2,042 games. Powell hit three home runs in a game three times, and stands third only behind Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken Jr. on the all-time home run list of the Orioles. In 1983, Powell received five votes for the Hall of Fame (1.3% of all Baseball Writers' Association of America voters) in his only appearance on the ballot.
Did You Know?
- Powell signed with the Orioles after a coin flip between the Orioles and Cardinals, which the Orioles won.
- Powell and Jim Barbieri were the first players to have played in both the Little League World Series and MLB World Series.
- Powell won the American League Most Valuable Player Award in 1970.
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