Books and articles about Willie Montanez

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Signed as a first baseman by St. Louis in 1965, lefthanded Willie Montanez was lost to the Angels in that November's draft, but was returned to the Cardinals in mid-1966. On April 8, 1970, he was sent to the Phillies with pitcher Bob Browning as compensation for Curt Flood's failure to report the previous October. Used in centerfield in lieu of Flood, Montanez hit a career-high 30 homers and drove in 99 runs as a rookie in 1971. He led the NL with 39 doubles and 22 outfield assists the following year. Returning to first base, he became the flashiest fielder at that position since fellow Puerto Rican Vic Power; famous for his snap catches, Montanez was widely considered a hot dog. He led NL first basemen in assists with the Phillies and Giants in 1975; with the Giants and Braves in 1976; and with the Mets in 1978. His wide-ranging, aggressive play also led to a league-leading 22 errors in 1976. He batted more than .300 each year from 1974 to 1976, but hit .287 in his All-Star 1977 season with Atlanta. He was traded nine times; twice the deals involved John Milner. (MC)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » April 8, 1970: The Phillies acquire minor league 1B Willie Montanez as partial compensation for their loss in the October 7, 1969 deal in which Curt Flood refused to report. » November 24, 1971: C-IF Earl Williams, who belted 33 home runs and knocked in 87 runs for the Braves, wins the NL Rookie of the Year honors. Williams gets 18 of 24 votes, with the others going to Phillie Willie Montanez. » April 19, 1972: Steve Carlton, facing his former teammates for the first time, scatters three hits in outdueling Bob Gibson and the Cardinals, 1–0. The lone run comes on a Willie Montanez triple and a single by Johnson. » July 27, 1972: Marking the debut of manager Whitey Lockman, Fergie Jenkins allows one hit in the Cubs 4–0 win over the Phillies. Willie Montanez's 4th inning double is the only hit. Reliever Jack Aker falters in the nitecap, and the Phils win, 4–1. » September 11, 1974: The Phils top the Pirates 5–3 to cut Pittsburgh's National League East lead to two 1/2 games. A line drive by Willie Montanez fractures the hand of Pirate P Dock Ellis, who will miss the rest of the season. Ellis is 12–9. » September 15, 1975: Braves rookie Al Autry goes five innings and gets the win in a 4–3 decision over the Astros. Willie Montanez's 3-run homer is the big blow for Atlanta as a crowd of just 970 watches. For Autry, this is his only big league decision: Earl Huckleberry, of the 1935 A's, is the last pitcher to bow out with a 1–0 record. » June 13, 1976: The Braves trade infielders Darrell Evans and Marty Perez to the Giants for 1B Willie Montanez, SS Craig Robinson, and two minor league infielders. » July 14, 1977: In Cincinnati, George Foster cracks three home runs to drive in five runs against the Reds 7–1 whipping of the Braves. Tom Seaver pitches a two hitter for the win, and doesn't give up a hit until the 7th inning when Willie Montanez doubles. » December 8, 1977: The Rangers engineer a series of deals with the Braves, Mets, and Pirates, unloading a total of six players and getting three in return. Among those involved are 1B Willie Montanez (to New York), Bert Blyleven (Pittsburgh), and Al Oliver (Texas). » February 15, 1980: The San Diego Padres trade 41-year-old pitcher Gaylord Perry and a pair of minor leaguers to the Texas Rangers for 1B Willie Montanez.