Dick Allen

Third Baseman/First Baseman
Detroit Griffins (DEN, WAS)
1965-1980

For a guy who was extremely loyal to his club, Dick Allen was also known to be something of a slacker, so it's fitting that he spent most of his UL career in Detroit with other ne'er-do-wells with little to no work ethic. In fact, should Allen have entered the League a bit later, it's quite likely he would have ended up a part of Grieve's Band of Merry Men. Alas, he was just too late. Work ethic aside, let's take a look at the man who the Detroit papers were convinced would take the Griffins to the promised land (which he did, a fact that still confounds Colts GM Mueller to this day). Along the way we'll see if the guy is worthy of Beachville. 

Richard Anthony Allen, never known for his glove, did not have the Owen Wilson "Wow!" factor of his contemporaries at 3B, and he was only decent at 1B, the two positions where he most frequently played throughout his

career.  As is expected when the fielding wasn't there, Allen instead relied on his bat to impress. As a rookie with Detroit in 1965, he burst onto the UL scene by hitting .302/.363/.562 with a .925 OPS, 36 HR, 151 RBIs and a 5.7 WAR, enough to garner him ROY honors.  And although his glove never was his forte, Allen was able to generate enough offense to stay a force in the Griffins' lineup for the next 14 years.

Through 1971, it appeared that Allen was going to soar into Valhalla with Thor, as he hit from 24-40 HRs and averaged about 100 RBIs per year. In 1972 and 1973, though, Allen suffered down years due to a hip injury and only could manage 99 and 108 GS.  Healthy again in 1974, his HR production went back to what it once was, but his RBIs decreased, likely due to the Griffins' inability to get anyone on base in front of him.  As 1975 came around, Allen was key in the Griffins' 1975 WS win (known in Detroit as the "WTF? They Won? Series" to UL fans everywhere). During that miraculous run, Allen carried the team into the playoffs, and in the post-season he hit .300/.417/.460 with a .877 OPS, 2 HRs and 14 RBIs, capturing not only a WS ring but Playoff MVP.

After Detroit's WS win, Griffins upper management decided the team may perform better under longtime manager and native son Sean Holloway, and Holloway's first order of business was a team-wide purge that, alas, saw Allen ruthlessly released after 14 years of faithful service, as his production steadily declined after he became a Dave Kingman K-dog long before it was cool to be one. After being cut, Allen played for a year in Denver before finishing up his career in Washington.  Regardless of how Allen ended his career, he's a solid candidate.  He finished his career with a .268/.345/.480 and .825 OPS line, tallying nearly 2,000 hits, 400 XBH, 372 HRs and 1,172 RBIs, and a career WAR of 50.5. Telling numbers indeed.

Allen was not an "almost" great player; it's actually quite shocking how quietly and consistently Allen produced for the Griffins. The lack of publicity likely was due to the fact that the Griffins were an abomination of a team that couldn't beat little leaguers most years. One look at the UL's historical leaderboards has Allen's name peppered all over it. First peek at his Awards and Accolades, and then see for yourself by perusing UL leaderboards. Put this guy on a team with a winning record, and he's likely a shoe-in, so remember to contemplate long and hard on Dick.  (Sean Holloway)