Baseball world loses a legend as Frank Robinson dies at 83

One of baseball's greatest sluggers -- and overlooked superstars on in the hobby -- is gone.

Hall of Famer Frank Robinson was a Triple Crown winner, the only player in MLB history to win the MVP in both leagues, a social pioneer on the managerial side, and one of the top home run hitters in the game. He retired fourth on the career list with 586 back in 1976 -- behind only Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and Willie Mays -- before continuing his life in baseball as a manager and MLB executive. He lost an ongoing battle with cancer on Thursday at age 83.

"Frank Robinson's résumé in our game is without parallel, a trailblazer in every sense, whose impact spanned generations," MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said. "He was one of the greatest players in the history of our game, but that was just the beginning of a multi-faceted baseball career."

Robinson was the 1956 NL Rookie of the Year at age 20 to begin a career that spanned 21 seasons with the Reds, Orioles, Dodgers, Angels and Indians. He hit .294 with 2,943 hits and 1,812 RBI before he was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1982. The 14-time All-Star and two-time World Series champ still ranks 10th on the career home run list, 35th on the hit list, 21st on the RBI list and 12th in extra-base hits. He became the first black manager in MLB in 1975 -- while still playing -- and won 1,065 games in 17 seasons leading the Indians, Giants, Orioles and Expos/Nationals.

When it comes to cardboard, it all began with his Rookie Card in the 1957 Topps set and he appeared on more than 4,700 different baseball cards with more than 1,400 of those being certified autographs. His earliest certified autographs to appear in packs (via redemption) were in 1995 Upper Deck, while 1997 Donruss Signature's Signature Series arrived not long after that. He was a regular signer for years with Topps, Upper Deck and Donruss/Playoff (now Panini America) cards all relatively affordable and findable additions showing him with mostly the Reds and Orioles.

Robinson even received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 -- and that, too, can be found on its own card.

"Frank Robinson and I were more than baseball buddies. We were friends," said Aaron the former home run king, via Twitter. "Frank was a hard-nosed baseball player who did things on the field that people said could never be done. I’m so glad I had the chance to know him all of those years. Baseball will miss a tremendous human being."

For more on the life and career, check out this piece from The Baltimore Sun.

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