Al Rosen

Albert Leonard Rosen (February 29, 1924 - March 13, 2015) was the power-hitting third baseman, known as the “Hebrew Hammer”, of the Cleveland Indians in the 1950s, who had a less-then average glove forcing the Indians to shelf the slugger until his fielding improved. Rosen became the everyday third bagger in 1950 and did not disappoint as he led the American League in home runs with 37. Al was a durable player, missing few games in his first four seasons as a starter. Rosen had a career year in 1953 when he led the Al with 115 runs, 43 home runs, 145 RBI, a .613 slugging percentage, a 1.034 on-base percentage while adding 201 hits and batting a career high .336. He was named the 1953 American League Most Valuable Player after that remarkable season. Though when his career began, Al struggled to develop his fielding skills, he finished his career with a respectable .961 fielding percentage with 1,773 assists and 970 putouts in 2,855 chances. Al played his entire career with the Cleveland Indians (1947-1956), was named to four MLB All-Star Games and was a member of the 1948 World Series champions that defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers in six games. Al Rosen retired after the 1956 season due to injuries and incessant booing from Cleveland fans who collected 1,063 hits including 192 home runs, scored 603 runs, drove in 717 RBI and batted a career .285 over ten seasons.