With the Dodgers, third baseman Cey was part of an
All-Star infield that included
Steve Garvey (
first baseman),
Davey Lopes (
second baseman) and
Bill Russell (
shortstop). The four infielders stayed together as the
Dodgers' starters for eight and a half years. In 1977, he was named NL Player of the Month in April after helping the Dodgers to a fast start by batting .425 with 9 home runs and a major league record 29 RBIs for the month of April. The Dodgers won the Western Division title that season on their way to the National League pennant. Cey continued to have productive seasons with the Dodgers, helping them to pennants in 1978 and 1981. After the 1982 season, the Dodgers traded Cey to the
Chicago Cubs for two minor leaguers so that
Pedro Guerrero could move to third base and rookie
Mike Marshall could get in the Dodgers' outfield. Cey provided veteran leadership for the Cubs over four seasons and, in 1984, helped lead the Cubs to the National League East Division title, hitting 25 homers and driving in 97 runs, both team highs. Cey spent the final year of his career in 1987 as a part-time player with the
Oakland A's. Cey finished in the top 25 in
National League MVP voting four times with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1974–1977) and once with the Chicago Cubs (1984). His highest position in MVP voting came in 1977, when he finished eighth with a career-high 30 home runs and 110 RBIs. In 1973, he finished sixth in National League Rookie of the Year voting. Cey was named co-MVP along with
Steve Yeager and
Pedro Guerrero, and won the annual
Babe Ruth Award. He is still a part of the Dodgers organization and continues to make appearances on the team's behalf. "Cey, called Penguin for his peculiar way of running, was a grumpy little guy," recalled Dodger teammate
Tommy John. "If you came into the locker room and said 'Hi, how you doing, Penguin?' and he gave you a grunt, you knew he liked you. We called him Mr. Personality. As a defensive player, his range was limited and so was his arm, but he was accurate. If he caught the ball, it was an out. Offensively, he was capable of outbursts of slugging that could carry the team." In 1990, Cey appeared as himself in the "
Uneasy Lies the Crown" episode of the television series "
Columbo", which aired on the ABC network. In the episode, Cey played poker with actors
Dick Sargent and
Nancy Walker.
Career statistics ==See also==