I don’t think you could find, in the history of baseball, any other player who suffered as many setbacks as Roy Sievers did, and still prevail to become one of the most feared and respected hitters in 1950’s baseball. After having an award winning rookie season in 1949, Roy, from 1950 to 1953, suffered through a year and a half of a slump, a devastating, near career ending injury and a major position change, only to come back in 1954 and become the Washington Senators’ franchise home run leader and the biggest gate attraction since Walter Johnson.
Aside from a few short on-line biographies citing dry statistics, there has never been an in-depth look into Roy Sievers, the person. In my interviews with Roy and his teammates, I came to realize there was more to him than just numbers. Here was a baseball player who fought tremendous adversity to go on to lead a decrepit baseball franchise into some semblance of propriety, all the while remaining kind, humble, and considerate. It was the character, the essence of the man that prompted the writing of this book.