Remembering John Powell: Doing the Baltimore Boog-aloo

Once, after striking out, a disgusted Boog Powell slammed his bat to the ground and splintered it. He was that strong.

He could be just as devastating to rival pitchers as he was to uncooperative bats. In a 17-season big league career, John Powell hit over 300 home runs and was integral to the Baltimore Orioles success in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Signed by the Orioles in 1959, Powell joined the big league club for keeps as an outfielder in 1962, hitting 15 home runs and driving in 53 runs in 124 games. His .606 slugging percentage led the American League in 1964.

By 1966, he had moved full-time to first base. There he helped the Orioles win the American League pennant (and was no doubt an "insurance" factor in Frank Robinson's Triple Crown that year) by hitting .287 with 34 home runs and 109 RBIs. He was slowed by injuries in 1967, but rebounded in 1968 (22 HRs and 85 RBIs.

Powell was outstanding in the Orioles' pennant-winning  1969 season. He bashed with 37 homers with 121 RBIs while hitting a career-high .304. He also hit 25 doubles with a career-best 162 hits during the season.

While 1969 was his best overall season to-date, that personal best would last only one season. In 1970, Powell led the Orioles to the American League championship by hitting 35 home runs with 114 RBIs, good enough to win the Most Valuable Player award. He also hit 28 doubles and scored 82 runs in 1970.

In the 1970 World Series, Powell batted .294 with a double, a pair of home runs, and 5 RBIs. He also scored 6 runs in the 5-game series.

His power numbers gradually declined over the next 4 years, hitting just 12 homers with 45 RBIs in 1974. Prior to the 1975 season, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians in a deal that brought catcher Dave Duncan to the Orioles. His power numbers resurged with Cleveland in 1975, batting .297 with 27 home runs and 86 RBIs. But it would be his last hurrah. After a lackluster 1976 season with the Tribe, Powell was released and signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 1977 season, his last in the majors. He hit .244 in only 41 at-bats, and retired after being released by the Dodgers.

In 17 big league seasons – 4 of them All-Star seasons – Powell hit 339 home runs and drove in over 1100 runs.