BATTER UP WITH VADA PINSON JR.

Vada Pinson Jr. was an African American professional baseball player and coach. He was a lefty that played center field in the Major Leagues for 18 years from 1958–1975. His most notable years was with the Cincinnati Reds from 1958 to 1968 where he was as a four-time National League All Star and Gold Glove winner.

Vada Pinson Jr. played two seasons in the minor leagues playing with the Wausau Lumberjacks in the Northern League in 1956 batting .278 in 75 games and in 1957 with the Visalia Redlegs in the California League batting .367 with 209 hits in 135 games. After just two minor league seasons and being only 19 years old, Vada Pinson Jr. made his major league debut on April 15, 1958 for the Cincinnati Reds against the Philadelphia Phillies. Pinson Jr. had one hit in five at-bats in his major league debut.

In 1959 Vada Pinson Jr. first full year in the majors didn’t take him long to getting accustomed to the major leagues. Vada hit himself to being an All Star with a .316 batting average and a .371 OBP in 154 games with a league high 131 runs, 205 hits, 47 doubles also a league high with 20 home runs and 21 stolen bases. He was selected to the All-Star Game and finished 15th in Most Valuable Player voting that year.

In 1961 Vada Pinson Jr. had stepped up his play to another level and was still providing the same consistent production playing in all 154 games for the third straight year while hitting a career high and league high again 208 hits on 607 at-bats with 101 runs, 34 doubles, 16 home runs and 87 RBIs batting .343 with a .379 OBP. Pinson Jr. finished 3rd in the MVP voting while receiving his first Gold Glove. He had a career high .883 OPS. That year Vada Pinson Jr. also finished 2nd for the batting title to Roberto Clemente of the Pittsburgh Pirates who had just edged him out by eight percentage points. That year Vada led the league in putouts again with 391 for the third straight year. The Reds won the league pennant going 93-61 improving by 26 games and earning a trip to the 1951 World Series against the New York Yankees. Pinson Jr. had two hits in the World Series with a .091 batting average as the Cincinnati Reds lost to the New York Yankees in five games.

When Vada Pinson Jr. decided to step away from the game of baseball as a player he got into coaching. Pinson Jr. coached for the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, and the Florida Marlins. Vada Pinson Jr. retired from the game of baseball entirely after the 1996 season. During Pinson Jr. respectable 18 year career he was a 4x All Star and a 2x time Gold Glove winner finishing with 2,757 Hits 256 HR .286 BA with 54.1 WAR. Vada Pinson Jr. became eligible for the Hall of Fame in 1981 though he was never voted in and was taken off the ballot in 1996 after receiving only 10.9% votes. However Vada Pinson Jr. was elected to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1977. Pinson Jr. best friend and teammate was Cincinnati great Frank Robinson who was inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. After suffering from a stroke Vada Pinson Jr. died on October 21, 1995.