McCovey rekindles fire after trade to Padres

From 1959 to 1973, Willie McCovey was a fixture in the San Francisco Giants’ lineup, earning 1959 National League Rookie of the Year honors, the 1969 NL Most Valuable Player Award and six All-Star Game selections.

Unfortunately, by the later stages of his career, McCovey had dealt with chronic knee pain and his numbers at the plate had dipped, so San Francisco made the decision to move McCovey to make room for younger talent on the mound. On Oct. 25, 1973, the Giants sent McCovey and minor leaguer Bernie Williams to the San Diego Padres in exchange for lefty pitcher Mike Caldwell.

Caldwell would have a strong first year in San Francisco, going 14-5 with a 2.95 ERA, but would struggle in his next two. Eventually, he found his way into the starting rotation for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1977, and he would finish second in Cy Young Award voting in 1978.

“McCovey has given the Giants a great many years of service,” San Francisco manager Charlie Fox told United Press International, “but there comes a time when you have to give way to the young people.”

McCovey, however, believed there was more in the tank.

“I’m just 35 and I can still play three or four more years on the field,” McCovey told UPI. “I feel in pretty good shape and stay in pretty good shape.”

Knowing his history as an All-Star slugger, Padres president Buzzie Bavasi was confident in McCovey’s ability to provide a return on the club’s investment.

“He’ll pay for himself,” Bavasi told the Associated Press. “He might mean another 150,000 in attendance.”

Heading into Spring Training in 1974, McCovey was excited to start fresh.

“I feel like a rookie in my first big league camp,” McCovey told the San Diego Union. “I spent 19 years in the Giants organization and I think I got into a rut. I’d go to Spring Training and see the same faces, except for a few new rookiesevery year.

“Now I’m with the Padres and I’m excited about spring training for the first time in years. I like what I see here, everyone is optimistic.”

Closing in on age 40, McCovey’s batting average never rose above .253 during his time in San Diego, but power still remained. In his first two years with the Friars, he hit 22 and 23 home runs respectively. Though San Diego was not a contender in McCovey’s two-plus season stint, and he had struggled through the 1976 season, the former MVP would once again prove he had more to give.

After ending the ‘76 season with the Oakland Athletics, McCovey returned to San Francisco in 1977. Earning a spot with the Giants once more, he finished in the Top 20 in MVP voting at age 39, hitting .280 with 28 homers and 86 RBI. McCovey would retire with the Giants in 1980. In a career in which he tallied 521 home runs and 1,555 RBI, the fear he struck into pitchers helped him lead the National League in intentional walks four times. McCovey remained a key presence within the Giants organization in his post-playing days, as he spent 18 years as a senior advisor to the club.

He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986 in his first year of eligibility.

Aaron McCoy was the 2023 public relations intern in the Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program for Leadership Development