The Phillies acquired Montanez from St. Louis in 1970 because Curt Flood refused to report to the Phillies when he was traded the previous winter. Flood wanted to be declared a free agent rather than play in Philadelphia. So the Phillies got Montanez, a left-handed hitting outfielder and first baseman, instead.
While walking to the plate, Montanez would flip his bat, from end to end, before arriving in the batter's box. It was cool. Everybody in the neighborhood would try to do it when we'd play ball. Here, the San Diego Chicken does his best impression of Willie.
Then there was the glove snap. When Montanez would catch a throw or a fly ball, he would close his glove and snap it down toward the ground. We all imitated that as well. The ball would often fall out of our gloves in the process. But it was still cool.
In 1971, his first full season with the Phils, Montanez clubbed 30 homers and knocked in 99 runs as a 23-year-old outfielder. He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting to Earl Williams of the Braves. In 1972, he led the National League in doubles with 39. In 1975, the Phillies traded Montanez to the Giants for Garry Maddox, who became a beloved member of the great Phillies teams of the late 70s and early 80s.
Willie got traded. A lot. He played for 9 different teams. He was even involved in trades for two Hall of Famers (Gaylord Perry and Bert Blyleven). He was part of a ridiculously complicated four-team, 10-player trade in 1977. He was an All-Star with the Braves in 1977. Check out this list of transactions from baseball-reference.com:
Some say Montanez was a hot dog. A show off. Flamboyant. I submit that he was too stylish for his time.
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