Dick Allen, a seven-time all-star who won the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year Award, and the 1972 American League Most Valuable Player Award, died on Monday, at the age of 78. Allen had been battling cancer, however, the cause of death was not announced by the family, according to Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Allen, a native of Wampum, PA, was the National League rookie of the year with the Phillies in 1964. That season he led Major League Baseball with 125 runs scored, and 13 triples, and the National League with 352 total bases. Allen also batted .318, with 29 home runs, 91 runs batted in, 201 hits, 38 doubles, three stolen bases, an on base percentage of .382, and a slugging percentage of .557.
Eight years later, Allen won the American League Most Valuable Player with the Chicago White Sox. In 1972, he batted .308 with 37 home runs and 113 runs batted in. Allen led Major League Baseball with a .420 on base percentage, and the American League that season in home runs, runs batted in, walks (99), and slugging percentage (.603). Allen also scored 90 runs that season, and had 156 hits, 28 doubles, five triples, 19 stolen bases, and 305 total bases.
Also in Allen’s career, he led the National League with a .632 slugging percentage with the Phillies in 1966, and a .404 on base percentage with the Phillies in 1967. Also with the White Sox in 1974, Allen led the American League in home runs (32), and Major League Baseball in slugging percentage (.563).
Primarily a corner infielder, Allen played 807 games at first base, and 652 games at third base. In addition to the Phillies and White Sox, Allen played with the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Oakland Athletics over 15 seasons from 1963 to 1977. He was a National League All-Star with the Phillies in 1965, 1966, and 1967, a National League All-Star with the Cardinals in 1970, and an American League All-Star with the White Sox in 1972, 1973, and 1974.
Despite his outstanding career, Allen is not in Cooperstown. He did however have his number 15 retired by the Phillies in 2020.
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