The Legend of Rodney Hobbs

Rodney Hobbs never played rookie level or Single A ball. He was signed in 1973 and joined the Richmond AA team for the Toledo Tigers. He was a quick study, batting .260, but stealing 76 bases and knocking in 95 runs in 126 games. He played both left field and first base. The organization was impressed with his speed and his eye — mostly when men were on base.

"Rod had a problem early on. He didn't like hitting with nobody on base. He had a hard time finding focus," commented an early coach William Simms.

In '74, he played every game, mostly in center field, but some in left. He increased his average, but still hit only 19 homers with 106 RBI. He did steal 79 bases.

Simms said, "He didn't like to bat with nobody on, but if he got on base, he usually stole. He was fast. And knew how to run."

In September of '74, Hobbs joined the Toledo Tigers.

Manager Hal Newman loved writing his name into the line–up. Toledo was challenging both the San Diego Chargers and Detroit Autos for the Eastern Division title. Hobbs played sparingly because of the high stakes.

In 10 games, he batted 46 times and hit four homers, knocked in a dozen runs, and stole five bases.

Newman remembers that he wanted to play him more, but wasn't sure how he would respond to the pressure.

"We were mostly a veteran team and I didn't know if I should throw Hobbs into the fire. Plus, I wasn't sure how the veterans would handle the kid. We all called him 'the Kid.'"

The Tigers finished a game out.

Not a lot changed prior to the 1975 season, but Hobbs won a job in spring training. In '75, Hobbs played sparingly again. He was a Tiger all year but only played in 110 games. He hit .232 with a dozen homers and 60 RBI. He did steal 38 bases. Toledo finished five behind the Chargers.

He worked hard during the tough 1976 spring camp and wanted desperately to play more.

He got a chance and played in 133 games. He hit .302 and belted 17 home runs with 80 RBI. He led the league with 91 steals, but only hit 17 doubles. The team finished 30 games behind the Autos and word was that Hobbs might be dealt for more pitching depth.

The year of change

Hobbs hobbled out to a decent start as the full time center fielder in 1977. He was hitting okay and scoring some runs, but the team was falling apart at the seams. A team so close to going to the Championship Series just two short seasons ago looked lost and lethargic.

"Change was gonna happen. We could tell," Hobbs remembers.

Sitting at 30–46, change happened at the All–Star break. Bobby Maxwell was named manager. And a lot of careers changed. Quickly.