From the Collection: Tony Horton, 1b, Cleveland Indians

Tony Horton made the majors in 1964 with the Boston Red Sox. While the Red Sox considered him a legit prospect, he struggled to find playing time behind another promising rookie, George Scott. So in June 1967 the Red Sox, in contention and in need of pitching, traded Horton and Don Demeter to Cleveland for Gary Bell.

Tony Horton landed in Cleveland and was immediately given the first base job, and responded by hitting a very respectable .281/.321/.421 with 10 HR, good for a 117 OPS+. The next season he hit .249/.302/.411 with 14 HR and a 116 OPS+, which is more impressive when you take into account the depressed offensive stats across the league.

Horton broke out in 1969, at the age of 24, with a 27 HR season. There was every reason to think that Cleveland had not only found a long-term answer at first base, but also a young superstar. But…that would not be the case.

In August, 1970 Horton was hitting .269/.321/.453 with 17 HR. Very respectable numbers. But he was struggling with serious, debilitating anxiety. On 28 August 1970 Horton would play his last game. It would come out later that he had attempted suicide, though luckily was unsuccessful. But at the age of 25, Tony Horton would never play–or even talk–about baseball ever game.