Age: 30
1st season
with Braves
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’0” Weight: 185
Prior to 1947:
A native
Californian, Elliott played football as well as baseball in school and went on
to play semipro baseball in El Centro where he caught the attention of a scout
for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After signing with the Pirates he was assigned to
Savannah of the Class B South Atlantic League where he batted .292 with 12 home
runs and 84 RBIs in 1936 at age 19. Still with Savannah in 1937 the
line-drive-hitting Elliott was a league all-star after again hitting .292 with
16 triples as well as 21 doubles and 9 home runs in 139 games. He moved up to
Knoxville of the Class A-1 Southern Association in 1938 for 11 games before
being returned to Savannah where he batted .325 with 30 doubles, 11 triples,
and 12 home runs. He started the 1939 season with the Louisville Colonels of
the Class AA American Association and was quickly promoted to Toronto of the
Class AA International League where he hit .328 in 115 games with 27 doubles, 8
triples, and 7 home runs. Elliott was brought up to the Pirates in September
where he batted .333 in 32 games with 3 home runs and 19 RBIs. Originally an
outfielder, he spent the 1940 and ’41 seasons with the Pirates appearing
primarily in right or center field. In his first full year in ’40 he hit .292
with 34 doubles, 11 triples, 5 home runs, and 64 RBIs. He made the NL All-Star
team in 1941, a year in which he batted .273 with 24 doubles, 10 triples, 3
home runs, and 76 RBIs. Elliott was shifted to third base in 1942 and was again
an All-Star in a year in which he hit .296 with 26 doubles, 7 triples, and 9
home runs with 89 RBIs. He also led all NL third basemen with 36 errors as he
adjusted to his new position. In 1943 he batted .315 with 30 doubles, 12
triples, 7 home runs, and 101 RBIs while showing improvement in the field. Rejected
for World War II military service due to head injuries suffered while playing
baseball, Elliott worked for an aircraft manufacturer in San Diego during the
offseason. He was once again an All-Star in 1944 during a season in which he
hit .297 with 28 doubles, 16 triples, and 10 home runs while driving in 108
runs. The highly consistent Elliott was a .290 hitter with 108 RBIs in 1945 but
saw his production drop to .263 with 68 RBIs in 1946. In the offseason he was
traded to the Braves along with catcher Hank Camelli for four players. A good
but unspectacular player, Elliott was set to benefit from moving to a more hitter-friendly
home venue in Boston’s Braves Field.
1947 Season Summary
Appeared in 150
games
3B – 147, PH –
3
[Bracketed
numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 645 [11]
At Bats – 555 [11]
Runs – 93 [12]
Hits – 176 [8]
Doubles – 35 [2]
Triples – 5
Home Runs – 22 [9]
RBI – 113 [4]
Bases on Balls
– 87 [7, tied with Whitey Kurowski & Bill Nicholson]
Int. BB – N/A
Strikeouts – 60
[10, tied with Connie Ryan]
Stolen Bases – 3
Caught Stealing
– N/A
Average - .317
[2]
OBP - .410 [7]
Slugging Pct. -
.517 [6]
Total Bases – 287
[6]
GDP – 15 [10,
tied with Tommy Holmes, Frank Gustine & Eddie Miller]
Hit by Pitches
– 0
Sac Hits – 3
Sac Flies – N/A
Midseason
snapshot: HR – 7, RBI – 52, AVG. - .301, SLG PCT – .466
---
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 4 AB) vs. Pittsburgh 5/8, (in 4 AB) vs. St. Louis Cards 8/26
Longest hitting
streak – 11 games
HR at home – 7
HR on road – 15
Most home runs,
game – 2 (in 4 AB) at Pittsburgh 9/13
Multi-HR games
– 1
Most RBIs, game
– 5 at NY Giants 5/11
Pinch-hitting –
0 of 2 (.000)
Fielding
Chances – 451
Put Outs – 129
Assists – 302
Errors – 20
DP – 25
Pct. - .956
Awards & Honors:
NL MVP: BBWAA
All-Star
Top 5 in NL MVP
Voting:
Bob Elliott,
BosB.: 205 pts. - 9 of 23 first place votes, 61% share
Ewell
Blackwell, Cin.: 175 pts. – 2 first place votes, 52% share
Johnny Mize,
NYG.: 144 pts. – 2 first place votes, 43% share
Bruce Edwards,
Brook.: 140 pts. – 3 first place votes, 42% share
Jackie
Robinson, Brook.: 106 pts. –1 first place vote, 32% share
(2 first place
votes for Pee Wee Reese, Brook., who ranked eighth; 1 first place vote apiece
for Larry Jansen, NYG, who ranked seventh, Dutch Leonard, Phila.P, who ranked
13th, Willard Marshall, NYG, who ranked 16th & Dixie Walker,
Brook., who ranked 19th)
---
Braves went 86-68
to finish third in the NL, 8 games behind the pennant-winning Brooklyn Dodgers
while leading the league in doubles (265), sacrifice hits (129), and fewest
batter strikeouts (502). It was the team’s highest finish and best record since
1916.
Aftermath of ‘47:
Elliott was a
solid contributor to the Braves in their 1948 pennant-winning season, receiving
the nickname “Mr. Team” due to his key role in the lineup, batting .283 with 23
home runs and 100 RBIs while drawing an NL-leading 131 walks. He finished thirteenth
in league MVP voting in addition to being an All-Star. Elliott remained with the
Braves through 1951 until he was dealt to the New York Giants just prior to the
1952 season. After years of being a durable and productive player, he appeared
in just 98 games for the Giants and batted .228 with 10 home runs and 35 RBIs.
Released in the offseason, he went to spring training with the St. Louis Browns
in 1953 and made the club as a part-time third baseman. He hit .250 in 48 games
with the Browns until he was traded to the Chicago White Sox in June. Hindered
by a leg injury, he produced only a .260 average for the White Sox the rest of
the way and was released after the season, thus ending his major league career.
Overall, he batted .289 with 2061 hits that included 382 doubles, 94 triples,
and 170 home runs. He also compiled 1195 RBIs, 60 stolen bases, and scored 1064
runs. With the Braves he had a .295 batting average with 763 total hits, 145 doubles,
22 triples, and 101 RBIs. Elliott was a seven-time All-Star (three with the
Braves) and in addition to his lone MVP award, finished in the top 10 three
times. He went on to become a minor league manager for several years and
managed in the majors with the Kansas City Athletics in 1960. The A’s were a
poor club that finished last in the AL with a 58-96 record, after which he was
let go. He died six years later in San Diego at age 49.
--
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.
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