From the Collection: Wally Post, if, Cleveland Indians

Wally Post was a really great player for the Reds’s in the 1950’s–so much so that he was inducted into the Cincinnati Hall of Fame in 1965. But if you are not a fan of the Reds there is a good chance that you have never heard of him.

While Post did spend 15 seasons in the majors his peak was from 1954-1962. During that time he averaged 23 HR with a batting line of .270/.326/.495 with an OPS+ of 113. He was monster in both 1955 (40 HR, 142 OPS+) and 1956 (36 HR, 108 OPS+). In both seasons he led the league in strikeouts, but with that kind of power, it was worth it.

He was not a slouch on defense either and had a powerful and accurate arm in the outfield.

Despite being a pretty great player he never was selected to an All-Star team, and only rated Top 20 MVP votes once (12th in 1955).

I read about him a couple years ago and wanted to add his autograph to my collection. It took almost a year before I finally found one and ended up overpaying for it. It would seem I am not the only guy who is a fan of his.