Chat » The San Francisco Giants announced McCovey’s death, saying t

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Willie McCovey http://www.marinersfanproshop.com/authentic-edgar-martinez-jersey , the sweet-swinging Hall of Famer nicknamed “Stretch” for his 6-foot-4 height and those long arms, died Wednesday. He was 80.he fearsome hitter passed “peacefully” on Wednesday afternoon “after losing his battle with ongoing health issues.”A first baseman and left fielder, McCovey was a .270 career hitter with 521 home runs and 1,555 RBIs in 22 major league seasons, 19 of them with the Giants. He also played for the Athletics and Padres.McCovey made his major league debut at 21 on July 30, 1959, and played alongside the other Willie — Hall of Famer Willie Mays — into the 1972 season before Mays was traded to the New York Mets.McCovey batted .354 with 13 homers and 38 RBIs on the way to winning the 1959 NL Rookie of the Year award. The six-time All-Star also won the 1969 NL MVP and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986 after his first time on the ballot.“You knew right away he wasn’t an ordinary ballplayer,” Hall of Famer Hank Aaron said, courtesy of the Hall of Fame. “He was so strong, and he had the gift of knowing the strike zone. There’s no telling how many home runs he would have hit if those knees weren’t bothering him all the time and if he played in a park other than Candlestick.”McCovey had been getting around in a wheelchair in recent years because he could no longer rely on his once-dependable legs, yet was still regularly seen at the ballpark in his private suite. McCovey had attended games at AT&T Park as recently as the season finale.“I love him so much. It’s a very sad day for me. We were very close,” Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda said in a telephone interview. “Willie McCovey was not only a great ballplayer but a great teammate. He didn’t have any fear. He never complained.“I remember one time in 1960 they sent him down to the minor leagues after being Rookie of the Year the year before. He didn’t complain. He was very polite, he was very quiet. He was a great man Marcell Ozuna Jersey , a great friend. I’m going to miss him so much. He didn’t say a bad word about anybody.”While the Giants captured their third World Series title of the decade in 2014, McCovey returned to watch them play while still recovering from an infection that hospitalized him that September for about a month.He attended one game at AT&T Park during both the NL Championship Series and World Series. He even waited for the team at the end of the parade route inside San Francisco’s Civic Center.“It was touch and go for a while,” McCovey said at the time. “They pulled me through, and I’ve come a long way.”McCovey had been thrilled the Giants accomplished something he didn’t during a decorated career in the major leagues.Even four-plus decades later, it still stung for the left-handed slugging “Big Mac” that he never won a World Series after coming so close. The Giants lost the 1962 World Series to the New York Yankees.He often thought about that World Series, and it remained difficult to accept. The Giants lost 1-0 in Game 7 when McCovey lined out to second baseman Bobby Richardson with runners on second and third for the final out.“I still think about it all the time. I still think, ‘If I could have hit it a little more,'” he said on Oct. 31, 2014.In 2012, he said: “I think about the line drive, yes. Can’t get away from it.”McCovey narrowly beat out Mets pitcher Tom Seaver for the 1969 MVP award. McCovey led the NL in home runs (45) and RBIs (126) for the second straight year, batting .320 while also posting NL bests with a .453 on-base percentage and .656 slugging percentage. He was walked 121 times, then drew a career-high 137 free passes the next season.He had been third in the ’68 voting for NL MVP, but after 1969 would never again finish higher than ninth.McCovey and Ted Williams before him were among the first players to really face infield shifts as opponents tried to affect his rhythm at the plate.On Wednesday night Miles Mikolas Jersey , former teammate Felipe Alou recalled inviting McCovey to play winter ball with him in 1958 for Escogido in Alou’s native Dominican Republic.McCovey got homesick, so a still-single Alou moved out of his parents’ home and into an apartment with his dear friend and teammate. They were roommates in the minors and majors, too. McCovey called Alou “Rojas,” his father’s last name. Alou called him “Willie Lee,” McCovey’s middle name.“We had a great relationship. Incredible friend and player and individual,” Alou said. “I have so many good memories.”McCovey was born on Jan. 10, 1938, in Mobile, Alabama. He had spent the last 18 years in a senior advisory role for the Giants.“ Though I’ve a feeling this one may be more of a procession."At the risk of stating the obvious, I’m fairly sure that there is going to be one winner in this category. That’d be the player who actually GOT a mention in Rookie of the Year voting, Yoshihisa Hirano [even if it was from a Japanese reporter]. He was the first Diamondback to be mentioned on anyone’s ballot since Ender Inciarte in 2014. The only potential question is the common one which is asked about Japanese players - are they really “rookies”? Hirano was far and away the oldest player ever to debut for Arizona. Remember the fuss when Matt Buschmann finally got to make his MLB debut at 32, after a decade in the minors? Hirano was almost two years older than that, when he took the mound on Opening Day. There is certainly an argument to be made that it’s unfair to compare a player of that age, who has been pitching since 2006 in the world’s second best league http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com/authentic-marcell-ozuna-jersey , against the likes of Joey Krehbiel or Yoan Lopez, a decade younger and nowhere near as experienced. It’s not one which seems to have ever been successful, as we have seen on several occasions, since the 32-year-old Kazuhiro Sasaki won the American League Rookie of the Year award in 2000. The rules for rookie eligibility only cover time spent in the major leagues, but it at least seems like a conversation worth having, as to whether or not it should apply here. As far as the Pitties are concerned, it’s the first time we’ve had a situation like this.We will also have to other nominees - because, don’t forget, it’s an honor just to be nominated! The list below is of all nine players who were rookie eligible (per the standard rules) and who appeared for the D-backs in 2018. Those in bold have retained their rookie status for 2019, because they didn’t play enough this season. Socrates Brito Yoshihisa Hirano Matt Koch Joey Krehbiel Yoan Lopez Troy Scribner Jimmie Sherfy Ildemaro Vargas Christian WalkerSo, select five of the above to move onto the final stage of voting, and let us know if you think Hirano should be eligible or not.