Al Rosen

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Rosen was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, to Louis and Rose (née Levin) Rosen. His father left the family shortly thereafter, and Rosen's mother and grandmother moved the family to Miami, Florida, when he was 18 months old. Rosen suffered from asthma as a child, which prompted his family to move further south. While growing up, his two favorite baseball players were Lou Gehrig and Hank Greenberg. He attended Riverside Elementary School, Ada Merritt Junior High School, and then Miami Senior High School for a year before attending Florida Military Academy in St. Petersburg, Florida, on a boxing scholarship. After graduating from Florida Military Academy, Rosen enrolled in the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. He left the university after a semester to play minor league baseball in North Carolina. Rosen enlisted in 1942, and spent four years in the U.S. Navy fighting in the Pacific during World War II, delaying his professional baseball career. He navigated an assault boat in the Battle of Okinawa. He left the Navy as a lieutenant the following year, returning to baseball. Rosen played for the Pittsfield Electrics, where he was initially given a back-up role. Upon leading the Canadian–American League in home runs (16) and RBIs (86), while batting .323, however, he was bestowed his idol Hank Greenberg's nickname, "the Hebrew Hammer". Rosen played for the Oklahoma City Indians of the Texas League in , and had one of the finest individual seasons in league history. He led all hitters in average (.349), hits (186), doubles (47), extra-base hits (83), RBIs (141), total bases (330), slugging percentage (.619), and on-base percentage (.437). He won the Texas League Player of the Year Award. Rosen played for the New York Yankees' Kansas City Blues farm team in 1948. He was loaned to the Blues for the duration of the team's American Association season as part of a deal that sent reliever Charley Wensloff from the Yankees to the Indians. Rosen was named Rookie of the Year in the American Association for his play with the Blues.

In Their Own Story

In 1953, Rosen delivered what Bill James later named the greatest season ever by a third baseman. He led the American League in home runs (43), runs batted in (145), runs (115), slugging percentage (.613), and total bases (367). On April 29, he matched the team record with three home runs in one game. Defensively, he posted a league-best range factor of 3.32 for third basemen, leading in assists (338) and double plays (38). He batted .336 but missed the batting title by just over one percentage point on the final day. Elected AL MVP by a unanimous vote—the first since Hank Greenberg—Rosen's RBI total remains the most for an Indians third baseman through 2017. Despite a broken finger, he hit consecutive home runs in the 1954 All-Star Game, earning MVP honors and matching Ted Williams' five-RBI record.

Reader's Guide

Rosen made his first appearance in the major leagues in at age 23. In 1948, Rosen played most of the year in minor leagues with the Kansas City Blues, before joining the Indians in September. He played in the 1948 World Series as a reserve behind regular third baseman Ken Keltner despite only playing five games during the season after the Indians requested his inclusion on the World Series roster. When Keltner was traded in , Rosen took over as the Indians' third baseman, leading the American League in home runs with 37, hitting more than any previous American League rookie. It stood as the AL rookie record until Mark McGwire surpassed it in 1987. He homered in four straight games in June, a feat unmatched by an Indians rookie until Jason Kipnis in 2011. Rosen averaged a league-best homer every 15.0 at bats, and led the league as well in HBP (10). He batted .287 and had 116 runs batted in, while finishing fifth in the league with 100 walks and a .543 slugging percentage. His 100 walks remained a team rookie record for a right-handed batter, through 2014. He also remained the most recent AL rookie to record at least 100 walks until Aaron Judge in 2017. Despite his home run title, he finished 17th in the American League MVP Award voting. In Rosen led the league in games played, and was fifth in the league in RBIs (102), extra-base hits (55), and walks (85). He batted .265, with 24 home runs. Rosen hit four grand slams, a team season record that was not broken until Travis Hafner hit five in 2006. Rosen led the American League with 105 RBIs and 297 total bases in . He also was third in the league in runs (101) and slugging percentage (.524), fifth in hits (171) and doubles (32), sixth in home runs (28), and seventh in batting average (.302). On April 29, he matched the then team record of three home runs in one game, which was surpassed only when Rocky Colavito tied the Major League single-game record with four home runs on June 10, 1959. Rosen came in tenth in the American League MVP Award voting. In , Rosen led the American League in home runs (43), runs batted in (145), runs (115), slugging percentage (.613), and total bases (367). He also came in second in OBP, and third in hits (201), and tied for eighth in stolen bases. He also had a 20-game hitting streak. Defensively, he had the best range factor of all third basemen in the league (3.32), and led it in

Did You Know?

• Rosen was the first rookie to lead the American League in home runs.
• He drove in 100 or more runs for five consecutive years (1950–1954).
• He was bestowed the nickname 'the Hebrew Hammer' from his minor league play, originally associated with his idol Hank Greenberg.
• In the 1954 All-Star Game, he hit consecutive home runs despite a broken finger.