Frank Robinson, R.I.P.

Baseball Hall of Fame player Frank Robinson, perhaps best known as MLB's first African-American manager, passed away following a long battle with bone cancer at the age of 83.

Although born in Texas, Robinson spent the majority of his childhood in Oakland, California where he would play high school basketball with future Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell. Robinson would also play high school baseball with future Cincinnati Reds teammates Vada Pinson and Curt Flood.

After attending Xavier University in Cincinnati, Robinson would sign with the Reds (then known as the Redlegs) in 1953. Robinson made the major league roster in 1956 and would win NL Rookie of the Year on the strength of a .290 batting average, 38 HR, 83 RBI and a league leading 122 runs scored. Robinson hit 30 or more HR in seven of his ten seasons with the Reds. To this day, his 324 career with the Reds is second only to Johnny Bench's 389 HR. Robinson would earn a NL MVP in 1961 on a Reds team that would win its first NL pennant since 1940.

Despite Robinson's productivity, by the end of the 1965 season Reds owner Bill DeWitt thought his best days were behind him and referred to him as "not a young 30" and traded him to the Baltimore Orioles for pitchers Milt Pappas, Jack Baldschun and outfielder Dick Simpson. All Robinson did at the age of 30 was win the AL MVP, Triple Crown and a World Series ring. The three players who were traded for him would be out of Cincinnati by 1968 while Robinson was only beginning as the Orioles would win three consecutive AL pennants between 1969 and 1971 including a second World Series title in 1970. Robinson split his final five big league seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, California Angels and the Cleveland Indians. He finished his 21 year MLB career with a .294 batting average, 586 HR (10th on the MLB all-time list), 1812 RBI, 14 time All-Star, two time World Series winner and only MLB player to win the MVP in both leagues. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1982 with nearly 90% of the vote.

But Robinson is probably best known as MLB's first African-American manager. Robinson became a player-manager for the Indians in 1975 and would continue in this role in 1976 before devoting himself entirely to managing in 1977 although he would be dismissed in the middle of that season in favor of Jeff Torborg. Robinson would have other managerial opportunities with the San Francisco Giants (1981-1984), Baltimore Orioles (1988-1991) and had the distinction of being the last manager of the Montreal Expos and first manager of the Washington Nationals (2002-2006). Robinson's managerial record didn't rise to the level of his playing career. Over 16 seasons, Robinson went 1065-1176 and never reached the post-season. However, he did win AL Manager of the Year in 1989 as very nearly took an Orioles that had lost 107 games in 1988 and took them to within a game of winning the AL East.

Robinson also worked behind the scenes. After his managerial stint with the Orioles, Robinson was the team's assistant GM through 1995. Most of the past two decades, Robinson has worked in various capacities for MLB including as a special advisor to Commissioners Bud Selig and Rob Manfred.

I leave you with Robinson's Hall of Fame induction speech from 1982. R.I.P.