Nolan Ryan once said that Willie McCovey was the one hitter he couldn't get his fastball by. Said no matter how hard he threw it, McCovey could get around on it. High praise.
He dealt with a bum knee for most of his career. I know that injuries are a part of the game, but his knee problem became so bad after retirement that eventually he was confined to a wheelchair. Just imagine what he could have done with two good knees. He was one of my baseball heroes in the 60s and early 70s.
A group of terrorized pitchers stood around the batting cage watching Willie McCovey belt some tremendous line drives over the right-field fence. Every time a ball bounced into the seats we’d all make little whimpering animal sounds. “Hey Willie,” I said, “Can you do that whenever you want to?” He didn’t crack a smile. “Just about,” he said, and he hit another one. More animal sounds. -extract from Ball Four, Jim Bouton’s diary of the 1969 season.
he was before my time but i have always loved watching footage of him blasting home runs. imagine someone like him available to play in the 20's and 30's and he's not allowed to: insane.
Looks like he is swinging a 36" bat 😁 Edit: Found this description for a McCovey signed bat for sale - "This official Louisville Slugger H&B blocked letter model bat measures 35-1/2″ in length and weighs 34 oz"
