Unfortunately for the slugging Stuart, he played before the advent of the designated hitter. Known as Dr. Strangeglove, and The Ancient Mariner (“he stoppeth one in three”), he was perennially the league’s worst-fielding first baseman. After the immodest, lead-footed 6’4″ strongman hit 66 homers at Lincoln (Western League) in 1956, he plastered “66” on his belongings and included the number in his autograph. From 1959 through 1961, he hit 85 homers for Pittsburgh, including three in one game June 30, 1960.
Colorful and controversial, he sold plenty of tickets for Boston in 1963, where they cheered the Comeback Player of the Year’s 42 HR and league-high 118 RBI and booed his 29 errors. Stuart was outraged when Boston traded him to Philadelphia for little-known pitcher Dennis Bennett in November 1964. In 1965, for the first time in eight years, Stuart managed not to lead or tie for the league lead in errors at first base. By 1967 he was playing for Taiyo in Japan. Unhappy there, he recrossed the Pacific and played briefly with California in 1969.
