MVP Profile: Mickey Cochrane, 1934

Catcher, Detroit Tigers

 Age:  31 (April 6)

1^st season with Tigers

Bats – Left, Throws – Right

Height: 5’10” Weight: 180

Prior to 1934:

Cochrane, from Bridgewater, Massachusetts, played sandlot baseball and also excelled in football and basketball in high school and at Boston University. With baseball being the athletic option that had the best economic potential in the 1920s, he played under an assumed name with Dover of the Eastern Shore League while still in college in 1923, where he hit .322 in 65 games while performing at the unfamiliar position of catcher. Cochrane then signed with the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League in 1924. Initially a poor fielding catcher, he established himself as a hitter, batting .333 for the Beavers. Drawing the attention of Philadelphia Athletics owner/manager Connie Mack, he joined the A’s in 1925 where he was painstakingly developed into a catcher, taking advantage of his excellent throwing arm, sharp mind, and leadership skills. He hit .331 as a rookie with 6 home runs and 55 RBIs. By 1928 Cochrane was a key player on an Athletics club that was on the rise, and he won the League Award as American League MVP that year as he batted .293 with 92 runs scored, 10 home runs, and 57 RBIs. Having become an excellent all-around catcher who was a fine handler of pitchers, the presence of the tenacious Cochrane played no small part in the A’s winning three straight pennants from 1929 to ’31, including two World Series triumphs. He remained with the A’s through 1933, a season in which he hit .322 and drew 106 walks. He had an excellent batting eye and rarely struck out. With the A’s shedding talent to stay afloat financially, Cochrane was traded to Detroit for a player and $100,000. The Tigers named him player/manager, hoping his intensity and winning background would help to elevate a team that had not won a pennant since 1909.

1934 Season Summary

Appeared in 129 games

C – 123, PH – 14

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 523

At Bats – 437

Runs – 74

Hits – 140

Doubles – 32 [17, tied with Bill Knickerbocker, Bill Rogell & Fred Schulte]

Triples – 1

Home Runs – 2

RBI – 75

Bases on Balls – 78 [10]

Int. BB – N/A

Strikeouts – 26

Stolen Bases – 8

Caught Stealing – 4

Average - .320 [11, tied with Roy Johnson]

OBP - .428 [4]

Slugging Pct. - .412

Total Bases – 180

GDP – N/A

Hit by Pitches – 4 [3, tied with five others]

Sac Hits – 5

Sac Flies – N/A

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 15, HR - 2, RBI - 31, AVG. - .293, OBP – .422

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 6 AB) vs. St. Louis Browns 8/9

Longest hitting streak – 15 games

HR at home – 0

HR on road – 2

Most home runs, game – 1 (in 5 AB) at Phila. A’s 5/11, (in 5 AB) at Chi. White Sox 6/3

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 5 vs. St. Louis Browns 8/9

Pinch-hitting – 1 of 6 (.167) with 3 R & 3 RBI

Fielding

Chances – 593

Put Outs – 517

Assists – 69

Errors – 7

DP – 7

Pct. - .988

Postseason Batting: 7 G (World Series vs. St. Louis Cardinals)

PA – 33, AB – 28, R – 2, H – 6, 2B – 1, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 1, BB – 4, IBB – N/A, SO – 3, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .214, OBP - .313, SLG - .250, TB – 7, GDP – N/A, HBP – 0, SH – 1, SF – N/A

Awards & Honors:

AL MVP: BBWAA Award

All-Star

Top 5 in AL MVP Voting:

Mickey Cochrane, Det.: 67 pts. - 84% share

Charlie Gehringer, Det.: 65 pts. – 81% share

Lefty Gomez, NYY : 60 pts. – 75% share

Schoolboy Rowe, Det.: 59 pts. – 74% share

Lou Gehrig, NYY: 54 pts. – 68% share

Tigers went 101-53 to win the AL pennant by 7 games over the New York Yankees while leading the league in runs scored (959), hits (1643), doubles (349), stolen bases (125), batting (.300), OBP (.376), and total bases (2320). Lost the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals, 4 games to 3.  

Aftermath of ‘34:

The Tigers won the pennant again in 1935, with Cochrane batting .319 and finishing seventh in the AL MVP voting. This time Detroit went on to defeat the Cubs in the World Series where Cochrane hit .292. For his efforts he was promoted to general manager in addition to his manager and player duties which caused him to suffer a nervous breakdown in 1936, a season in which he hit .270 in 44 games and Detroit finished in second place. Upon returning to action in 1937 a severe beaning nearly killed him and finished off his playing career. He managed again in 1938 until he was fired in August, leaving the Tigers with a 348-250 record that included two pennants and a World Series title. Overall as a player, Cochrane batted .320 with 1652 hits that included 333 doubles, 64 triples, and 119 home runs. He also accumulated 830 RBIs and drew 857 walks while rarely striking out (217 batter strikeouts in 5169 at bats). His production with the Tigers alone amounted to a .313 average on 335 hits with 83 doubles, 5 triples, 11 home runs, and 150 RBIs. His value as an on-field leader and abilities as a catcher were the key factors in his winning two MVP awards during his career. In retirement Cochrane joined the Navy during World War II and managed the baseball team at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center. Later he briefly returned to the Philadelphia A’s in a front office role. Widely considered to be the best catcher of his era, Cochrane was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947, 15 years before his death from cancer at age 59.   

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MVP Profiles feature players in the National or American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award (1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present) as Most Valuable Player.