Boog Powell | |||
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First baseman | |||
Born: Lakeland, Florida |
August 17, 1941 |||
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MLB debut | |||
September 26, 1961, for the Baltimore Orioles | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
August 24, 1977, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Batting average | .266 | ||
Home runs | 339 | ||
Runs batted in | 1,187 | ||
Teams | |||
Career highlights and awards | |||
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John Wesley "Boog" Powell (born August 17, 1941) is a former major league first baseman who played for the Baltimore Orioles (1961–74), Cleveland Indians (1975–76) and Los Angeles Dodgers (1977). He was with the Orioles’ World Series Champion teams in 1966 and 1970, the American League Champion teams in 1966, 1969, 1970 and 1971, and the American League East Division Champion teams in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973 and 1974. The 4-time All-Star won the American League's Most Valuable Player award in 1970 and in 1964 posted a .606 slugging percentage to lead the American League. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed, playing first base, outfield, and designated hitter.
Powell was born in Lakeland, Florida; 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. He joined the Orioles after leading the International League in home runs at Rochester in 1961. He spent his first three seasons in Baltimore as a slow-footed third baseman and left fielder before switching to first base in 1965. At the plate he was an immediate success, hitting 25 home runs in 1963; in 1964 he led the American League in slugging percentage (.606) while blasting a career-high 39 home runs despite missing several weeks because of a broken wrist. He slumped to .248 with 17 home runs in 1965, then won the American League Comeback player of the Year honors in 1966 (.287, 34 home runs, 109 runs batted in) while being hampered by a broken finger.