Willie the Phillie: Veterans Stadium's First Breakout Star

In 1971 the Philadelphia Phillies opened their first new ballpark in more than 60 years - Veterans Stadium. "The Vet", as it immediately became known, was one of the new breed of multi-purpose stadiums built to host baseball, football, and rock concerts. That it did none of these particularly well was not apparent at first. The field featured an artificial grass surface, known as Astroturf, that virtually eliminated rain outs and also insured that balls hit on the ground were turned into missiles and fly balls bounded off the turf like it was a trampoline. 

The opening of the stadium had just about everything, new team mascots, Phil and Phyllis, the first pitch delivered by helicopter to catcher Mike Ryan, a dog sled to bring in Montreal Expos general manager Jim Fanning, and even a new Phillies announcer, Harry Kalas. What The Vet did not have was a good ballclub. The Phillies, coming off a 73-88 fifth place finish in 1970, were destined for a 67-95 last place finish in 1971.

Amidst all the fanfare and the poor play one man emerged as a bright light in the new season and the new ballpark. His name was Guillermo "Willie" Montanez. On the surface Montanez was an unlikely candidate to play the hero. He was only a Phillie by accident. Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals, he was one of the players offered to Phillies general Manager John Quinn after Curt Flood refused to report to the Phillies following the 1969 trade that sent Dick Allen to St. Louis. Phillies manager Frank Lucchesi had seen Montanez play in Puerto Rico while he was managing in winter ball down there. He suggested that Quinn take a chance on the line drive hitting, slick fielding first baseman. 

Montanez had broken his leg sliding into a base in the minor leagues and had missed almost the entire 1969 season. In 1970, he played some right field and first base for the Phillies Triple-A affiliate in Eugene, Oregon as his leg strengthened and his running improved. He was recalled by the Phillies at the end of the season and saw action in 18 games. When spring training 1971 rolled around he was considered a long shot to make the team. The Phillies had veteran slugger Deron Johnson at first base and had traded to get minor league phenom Roger Freed to play right. Lucchesi decided to try Montanez in center field. All Willie did was tear up spring training with hit after hit and surprising power. 

As a center fielder Lucchesi described Montanez as "very adequate to good", while at the plate long time hitting coach Wally Moses called Montanez "that guy with the bat that hits line drives." When the season began Montanez was the starting center fielder and the line drives kept on coming. By the end of April, Montanez was hitting .327 with four home runs. 

Things only got better. According to Philadelphia Daily News sportswriter Bill Conlin, in the locker room in Atlanta before a May 16 game with the Braves, Willie boasted that "I am going to take [Braves starter Pat] Jarvis downtown today." A teammate suggested that the way the Phillies were scoring runs he better hit two. "Okay," replied Willie, "Maybe twice." Montanez then proceeded to homer twice, in the fourth and seventh innings off Jarvis. With the game tied at 3-3, Montanez doubled and scored the winning run on a Don Money single. The legend of Willie Wonderful grew.

Along with his talent for hitting line drives, Montanez attracted attention for the flamboyant way he played the game. In the parlance of the day, Willie was a "hot dog." As he walked to the plate he flipped his bat in his hand like a baton. When he removed his batting helmet he tossed it so that it spun like a top. He would snap his glove flashily when catching routine fly balls. Willies' eccentricities could both delight and frustrate fans, teammates, opponents and managers alike. As Conlin pointed out, "There is a thin line that separates a colorful catch from a showboat catch" and Montanez crossed that line a few times during the year, especially when he dropped fly balls because of his glove snap. Still, as long as he kept hitting, occasional lapses could be forgiven. Willie explained, "It's the way I play my whole life. I can't change now." Skipper Lucchesi said, "I know it's around the league that he's a hot dog. They may think he's a hot dog, but my answer to that is give me 25 hot dogs." 

Through the summer months Montanez' batting average slipped a bit, but his power numbers improved. He was leading the team in doubles, triples and runs batted in and batting third in the order. And while he maintained that he was not a home run hitter, his 16 by July 12 were second on the team to Johnson. He was getting attention from around the league and was a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year. In a headline in the Philadelphia Daily News columnist Stan Hochman dubbed him "Willie the Phillie", and the moniker stuck. 

In August, Montanez suffered through an extended slump that saw his average fall to .246. The slump likely cost him Rookie of the Year honors, but he broke out of it with style. On September 13 in St. Louis, Willie went five for five with a double and two home runs. He led off the 10th inning with a home run off Cardinal lefty Don Shaw to win the game. The slump over, Wille finished the season with a flare. On the last day of the season, he notched his 30th home run, breaking Dick Allen's Phillies rookie record. That record still stands today.

Montanez finished second to Atlanta catcher Earl Williams in Rookie of the Year balloting, but his numbers were nothing to apologize for.  He was top 10 in the league in home runs (30), RBIs (99), extra base hits (63), total bases (282), and led the league in sacrifice flies (13). Not at all bad for an unheralded rookie coming off a broken leg, and playing out of position. "Willie the Phillie" was a beacon of light in a dreary first season at The Vet.

Montanez played for the Phillies until May 1975 , when he made his final big contribution to the fortunes of the Phillies. He was traded to San Francisco for a cornerstone of the great Phillies teams of the late 1970s and early 1980s, centerfielder Gary Maddox.