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Al "Flip" Rosen(1925 -)In 1953, the Cleveland Indians’ Al Rosen was Major League Baseball's first-ever unanimous selection as Most Valuable Player. Having played parts of ML seasons from 1947-49, Al became the Indians full-time third-baseman in 1950, and proceeded to drive-in 100 or more runs for five consecutive seasons (l950-l954). He led the American League in RBIs in l952 (105) and l953 (145). Rosen was AL homerun champion twice. In l950, he hammered 37 round-trippers, and was the first AL rookie to win the homerun title. He won the AL homerun title again in 1953 with 43--just missing the Triple Crown when his .336 batting average fell .0011 short of winning the American League batting title. Flip led the AL in total bases in l952-l953, as well as slugging percentage in l953. He was elected to the ML All Star Game four consecutive times--1952-55, clubbing two home runs and five RBIs in the l954 contest. Persistent injuries forced Rosen's premature retirement following the l956 season. |
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