by The Cleveland Indians had suffered through some very lean seasons for three straight decades. They were in need of a change, a player with so much talent and charisma he could single handily change the face of Cleveland Indians baseball for the better. In the spring of 1980, a player came out of nowhere to reshape Indians baseball for one unforgettable season. He was more than just an average Joe; he was super!
Joe Charboneau grew up in California with his single mother in search of a dream. He was taught the game of baseball by his older brother, Rick. Six years older than Joe, Rick had an extreme passion for baseball. Rick, who was a great athlete in baseball and hockey, spent a lot of time with Joe, molding him as a young man both on and off the field. The older Charboneau boy trained his younger sibling in the weight room as well.
Rick helped Joe develop his young body into playing shape. The brothers were so close that Rick helped Joe in weight training from the age of fourteen all the way through his playing days in the major leagues. The guidance Joe received from Rick helped prepare him mentally and physically to reach the professional level.
Joe would be the first person to say that the main trait of a good hitter is to be tenacious. It isn’t just an hour a day thing, but rather a skill that needs daily practice for hours at a time. During an interview at Joe’s Cleveland area home, Joe describes what he thinks it takes to be a good hitter, “I didn’t have a lot of natural talent, so I had to work every day to groove my swing and keep everything in order. It’s a constant ongoing project to be a good hitter. You have to imagine yourself doing a lot of it as well, hitting doubles, triples and home runs. You have to picture yourself succeeding so when you’re not physically doing the work you still have to do it mentally.” It was further evidence that any good ballplayer is not only blessed with physical tools, but also mental ones as well.
Growing up with his older brother, Rick, and constantly watching baseball, Joe had many heroes. He would fondly recall having a Carl Yastrzemski poster in his room, next to a Raquel Welch poster. Not only did he look up to Yastrzemski, but he also idolized both Al Kaline and Stan Musial. His fondness for Musial was so great that he used his bat model to hit with in the majors.
In 1976 after playing ball at Brooksville High School in California, Joe was drafted by the Minnesota Twins. It had a good program that also produced major league pitcher, Mark Langston. When scout, Lee Irwin, showed up at his house to sign the contract, it was pre- determined that the signing bonus would only be $500.
Joe was still trying to take care of his single mother and could not take such little money, so instead he asked for $5,000, which was promptly denied by the Twins. The Philadelphia Phillies took a chance by drafting Joe later that year.
During his time with the Phillies organization, Joe met Cal Emery. Cal had been the last player to hit .400 in Triple A. Charboneau further developed his skills by working with Cal in the Phillies Instructional League. He also had the chance to work with Tony Alivia and Willie Stargell, both great major leaguers in their own right.
Charboneau was traded to the Cleveland Indians before the 1979 season after having a very good 1978 season at the minor league level. He had the fourth best average in the minor leagues in 1978, which caught the attention of the Indians. They were able to acquire him by trading pitcher, Cardell Camper. Charboneau continued his minor league dominance in 1979 by hitting .352 for the Indians Double A team. Joe seemed destined to arrive at the Indians Triple A Charleston affiliate when he was called up to the majors sooner than anyone might have thought.
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