Bill Melton, who became the first Chicago White Sox player to lead the American League in home runs, has died. Melton accomplished the feat when he hit 33 home runs in 1971, his second consecutive year with that many homers. He was 79 years old.
Bill Melton, who played 10 seasons in the major leagues, including eight with the White Sox, and served as a popular pre and postgame analyst for White Sox telecasts for over two decades, passed away early this morning in Phoenix after a brief illness. He was 79 years old. pic.twitter.com/I5A81Zd8No
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) December 5, 2024
White Sox Star Bill Melton Has Died at 79
Melton, a right-handed hitter, was primarily a third baseman, but for a few outfield appearances early in his career and a few games at first base later. In a 10-year career that stretched from 1968-77, he hit .253/.337/.419, 160 HR, 591 RBI, and 112 OPS+. His best year was 1971. In addition to his AL-leading 33 home runs, he hit .269/.352/.492 and was selected for the All-Star Game for the only time.
The White Sox signed Melton out of Citrus College in Glendora, California in 1964. He appeared in 34 games in 1968 and held his own, going 29-for-109 with two home runs. If the baseball world hadn’t yet taken notice of him, he woke them up early in the 1969 season. On April 20, he smacked two upper-deck home runs at Comiskey Park in a doubleheader against the Seattle Pilots. The first home run won the first game in the 10th inning, 3-2. The second home run occurred in a 13-3 rout of the expansionist Pilots, forever immortalized in Ball Four by Jim Bouton.
Melton apparently liked Pilots pitching and doubleheaders. On June 24, 1969, he hit three homers off Pilots pitchers in the second game of a doubleheader, leading Chicago to a 7-6 victory. Then on April 7, 1971, he hit a two-run shot in Game 1 and a grand slam in Game 2 to lead the Chisox to an Opening Day sweep over the Oakland Athletics.
Enter Allen
The 1971 White Sox were 79-83, third place in the AL West Division. They thought they were one bat away from a 1972 division championship. They thought they acquired that bat when manager Chuck Tanner convinced veteran slugger Dick Allen to join the White Sox. Tanner was licking his chops over the prospect of having Allen and Melton hitting back-to-back. Said Tanner to columnist Roy McHugh of The Pittsburgh Press, Allen “can put you ahead right away, 2 to 0, and if they want to pitch around him to get to Bill Melton, that will be okay with me.”
Alas, what Tanner envisioned never happened in 1972. Any championship hopes the White Sox had essentially died the previous October when Melton fell off his roof while installing a patio in his home, injuring his tailbone. (Can you imagine Alex Rodriguez doing that? Me neither.) Melton gamely tried to play through his injury, but finally was lost for the season on June 23 with a herniated disk in his back. He finished 1972 with just five home runs to report on the back of his baseball card.
It was quite a blow for the Sox, who finished the year in second place in the AL West with an 87-67 record, 5-1/2 games behind the eventual world champion Athletics. That was Allen’s finest year, winning the AL Most Valuable Player Award and becoming the second White Sox (White Sock?) to lead the AL in home runs with 37, one of which was his famous “chili dog” homer.
Enter Santo and Controversy
Melton bounced back in 1973, hitting a solid .277/.363/.439, 20 HR, and 87 RBI. Unfortunately, in 1974 he unwittingly became embroiled in a controversy. The Chicago Cubs were dumping veteran players in a rebuilding effort. Their third baseman, Ron Santo, had “10-and-five” rights, allowing him to veto a trade to any team. Santo wanted to remain in Chicago and would only accept a trade across town to the White Sox. Of course, the White Sox already had a third baseman in Melton. However, owner Bill Veeck never met a headline-grabbing story he didn’t like, and Santo joined the White Sox.
It put Tanner in a tough spot. Santo was the better defensive third baseman. But he was the new kid on the block. Anybody familiar with Tanner’s managerial style had to know that he wasn’t moving Melton off third base. Not after all that Melton had done for his White Sox. Santo was fine with that at first. “No, I don’t mind being a designated hitter,” he told Al Abrams of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, before adding, rather ominously, “But, I’ll tell you one thing, it won’t be long before I am in the regular lineup somewhere.”
Explaining his Opening Day lineup to Milt Richman of United Press International, Tanner said, “Ron Santo will be our designated hitter and bat sixth in the opener and Bill Melton will hit cleanup and play third base. No problem at all.”
Exit Allen and Santo
However, it was a problem. Santo didn’t like being a designated hitter. Tanner began using him as a second baseman, which Santo didn’t like either. Santo soon became the center of a dysfunctional clubhouse and battled with Allen. Fed up, Allen “retired” on September 8. Despite sitting out the remainder of 1974, Allen’s 32 home runs led the AL again. It was the last time a White Sox player won a home run championship. Santo didn’t return to play for the White Sox in 1975, despite being under contract. Meanwhile, Melton had a respectable 1974 season, slashing .242/.326/.404, 21 HR, and 63 RBI while the pennant dreams of the White Sox died again.
Exit Melton
Melton’s production fell off in 1975 and he was traded to the California Angels after the season. Melton hit just .208 with six homers for the Angels but made headlines one last time on July 23, 1976. That’s when Angels manager Dick Williams, sitting in front of the last-place Angels’ bus, turned and hollered, “Quiet, all you winners!” Williams and Melton nearly came to blows in the aisle over Williams’ remark. Owner Gene Autry then fired Williams, citing the incident on the bus as an example of low team morale.
Melton moved on to the Cleveland Indians for the 1977 season. He won the third base job in spring training when he was named the team’s “outstanding exhibition season player.” (Who knew there was such a thing?) However, after hitting .241 with no home runs in 50 regular season games, Melton’s baseball career was over.
Photo Credit: © David Richard-Imagn Images
