Huh?! Was he awful at first? That's not something I've heard previously.
If not, his batting stats are a separate and distinct entity from where he played in the field. And while I agree that his last year was bench worthy, his previous two years were decent enough.
Meanwhile I hated the Big Red Machine in the 1970's because I was a Pittsburgh Pirates and Montréal Expos fan when it came to the National League but I now respect Pete Rose for his all out style of play. And so now I'm defending him! A lifetime .303 batting average despite playing for 24 years until 1986 warrants high praise.
