Mail Day: Bob Lennon, of, New York Giants
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If you were collecting autographs in 1954, you would probably be falling over yourself to get New York Giants minor league outfielder Bob Lennon.
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Lennon, In 1954 while playing for the Giants AAA club, the Nashville Volunteers, won the Southern League Triple Crown. He led the league in RBI (161), AVG (.345), and home runs (64). The home runs were partly because of his home field, whose right field was a very short 262 feet from home plate. Still, 64 homers are 64 homers.
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What’s crazy? That wasn’t even the most home runs anyone hit that year. Over in the Longhorn League, Joe Bauman hit 74 dingers for the Roswell Rockets. Bauman’s record for the most home runs in organized ball stood until Barry Bonds hit 73 for the Giants in 2001.
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Lennon only spent parts of three seasons in the majors, never hitting over .200. But his minor league career was something else. Aside from his 64 homerun campaign in 1954, he had one 31 HR season (1955) and four others when he hit at least 20. When he retired following the 1961 season, he had hit 278 HR in the minors. He had a fine career in professional baseball.