MVP Profile: Mickey Mantle, 1956

Outfielder, New York Yankees

 

Age:  24

6^th season with Yankees

Bats – Both, Throws – Right

Height: 5’11” Weight: 195

Prior to 1956:

An Oklahoma native, Mantle was named after star catcher Mickey Cochrane, his father’s favorite player. Growing up in the town of Commerce (hence a later nickname, “the Commerce Comet”), his father taught him baseball and developed the natural right-hander into a switch hitter. He honed his skills playing sandlot ball, where he was a shortstop and drew the attention of a scout for the Yankees, who signed him following his high school graduation in 1949 for an $1100 signing bonus and $400 for the remainder of the ’49 season. Assigned to Independence of the Class D Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League he batted .313 in 89 games with 15 doubles, 7 triples, 7 home runs, and 63 RBIs, while also stealing 20 bases. While his hitting was impressive, he had difficulty with his throwing accuracy at shortstop, with bad throws being the cause of most of his 47 errors. Advancing to the Joplin Miners of the Class C Western Association in 1950, Mantle hit a league-best .383 with 30 doubles, 12 triples, 26 home runs and 136 RBIs while committing 55 errors in the field. Called up to the Yankees in September, he rode the bench and observed as the club nailed down the AL pennant. Invited to spring training with the Yankees in 1951, he began the transition to the outfield and drew rave newspaper stories with his batting power from both sides of the plate and great running speed. With Joe DiMaggio’s announcement that the ’51 season would be his last, manager Casey Stengel named Mantle as his successor in center field, putting added pressure on the 19-year-old phenom. Starting the season in right field, he initially hit well until encountering a severe slump in June and July, at which time he was sent down to Kansas City of the Class AAA American Association. In 40 Class AAA games Mantle hit .361 with 11 home runs and 50 RBIs. Recalled by the Yankees, he hit well the rest of the way and ended up batting .267 in 96 major league games with 13 home runs and 65 RBIs. In Game 2 of the World Series against the New York Giants, Mantle tore ligaments in his right knee when he caught his spikes on a drainage outlet while chasing a fly ball, bringing his season to an end, and commencing a long string of injuries that would afflict him during his career. Following surgery in the offseason, he transitioned to center field in May and went on to hit .311 with 37 doubles, 7 triples, 23 home runs, and 87 RBIs while striking out a league-leading 111 times. He was an All-Star for the first time and finished third in AL MVP voting. Mantle hit two more home runs in the World Series triumph over the Brooklyn Dodgers. Powerfully built and capable of driving the ball long distances from either side of the plate, he also impressed with his speed and throwing arm. He also was a target of vocal fan criticism at times, not helped by receiving a deferment from the military draft due to osteomyelitis in his left leg which seemed incongruous in relation to his baseball performance. In 1953 Mantle batted .295 with 21 home runs and 92 RBIs. One of the homers, hit while batting right-handed at Washington’s spacious Griffith Stadium, traveled an estimated 565 feet. The Yankees faced the Dodgers in the World Series again, winning while Mantle contributed another two home runs, one of them a grand slam. While the Bronx Bombers lost out in the 1954 pennant race, “the Mick” topped the AL with 129 runs scored and hit .300 with 27 home runs and 102 RBIs. The Yankees regained the pennant in 1955 while Mantle led the AL in triples (11), home runs (37), walks drawn (113), on-base percentage (.431), and slugging percentage (.611). A hamstring injury limited him to three games in the World Series loss to Brooklyn. By 1956, he was established as a budding superstar who had improved his game with each season despite dealing with nagging injuries and he had received a salary increase from $17,000 to $33,000.   

1956 Season Summary

Appeared in 150 games

CF – 144, PH – 6

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 652 [9]

At Bats – 533 [14, tied with Luis Aparicio]

Runs – 132 [1]

Hits – 188 [4]

Doubles – 22 [19, tied with six others]

Triples – 5 [20, tied with six others]

Home Runs – 52 [1]

RBI – 130 [1]

Bases on Balls – 112 [2]

Int. BB – 6 [12, tied with four others]

Strikeouts – 99 [3]

Stolen Bases – 10 [7]

Caught Stealing – 1

Average - .353 [1]

OBP - .464 [2]

Slugging Pct. - .705 [1]

Total Bases – 376 [1]

GDP – 4

Hit by Pitches – 2

Sac Hits – 1

Sac Flies – 4

League-leading runs scored were +23 ahead of runner-up Nellie Fox

League-leading home runs were +20 ahead of runner-up Vic Wertz

League-leading RBIs were +2 ahead of runner-up Al Kaline

League-leading batting average was +.008 ahead of runner-up Ted Williams

League-leading slugging percentage was +.100 ahead of runner-up Ted Williams

League-leading total bases were +49 ahead of runner-up Al Kaline

Midseason snapshot: HR - 29, RBI - 71, AVG - .371, SLG - .749, OBP – .471

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Most hits, game – 5 (in 5 AB) at Detroit 5/24

Longest hitting streak – 9 games

HR at home – 27

HR on road – 25

Most home runs, game – 2 on seven occasions

Multi-HR games – 7

Most RBIs, game – 6 at Cleveland 7/30

Pinch-hitting – 1 for 4 (.250) with 3 RBI & 2 BB

Fielding

Chances – 384

Put Outs – 370

Assists – 10

Errors – 4

DP – 3

Pct. - .990

Postseason Batting: 7 G (World Series vs. Brooklyn)

PA – 30, AB – 24, R – 6, H – 6, 2B – 1, 3B – 0, HR – 3, RBI – 4, BB – 6, IBB – 1, SO – 5, SB – 1, CS – 0, AVG - .250, OBP - .400, SLG - .667, TB – 16, GDP – 1, HBP – 0, SH – 0, SF – 0

Awards & Honors:

AL MVP: BBWAA

MLB Player of the Year: Sporting News

All-Star (Started for AL in CF)

Top 5 in AL MVP Voting:

Mickey Mantle, NYY.: 336 pts. - 24 of 24 first place votes, 100% share

Yogi Berra, NYY: 186 pts. – 55% share

Al Kaline, Det.: 142 pts. – 42% share

Harvey Kuenn, Det.: 80 pts. – 24% share

Billy Pierce, ChiWS: 75 pts. - 22% share

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Yankees went 97-57 to win the AL pennant by 9 games over the Cleveland Indians while leading the league in runs scored (857), home runs (190), RBIs (788), slugging (.434), and total bases (2306). Staying close to the top through the opening weeks thanks significantly to the efforts of Mantle and catcher Yogi Berra, the Yankees moved into first place in mid-May with a win against Cleveland and cruised the rest of the way. Won World Series over the Brooklyn Dodgers, 4 games to 3, with the key win for the Yanks coming in RHP Don Larsen’s Game 5 perfect game, in which Mantle homered.

Aftermath of ‘56:

The Yankees won another AL pennant in 1957 and Mantle was again the MVP, batting .365 with 34 home runs and 94 RBIs while leading the circuit with 146 walks drawn. Hindered by a leg injury during the seven-game World Series loss to the Milwaukee Braves, Mantle still hit .263 with a home run. In 1958 he topped the AL in home runs (42) as well as walks drawn (129) and total bases (307) while batting .304 with a .443 OBP. He placed fifth in league MVP balloting as the Yankees again won the pennant. He added two more homers in the World Series, as the Yanks came from behind to defeat the Braves in a rematch. In a down year for the club in 1959, Mantle, who was now earning $70,000, hit .285 with 31 home runs and 75 RBIs. Joined in the lineup by right fielder Roger Maris, who was obtained from the Kansas City Athletics in 1960, Mantle led the league with 40 home runs and 119 runs scored while batting .275 with 94 RBIs while hindered by chronic knee problems. He finished a close second to Maris in the MVP voting and further hit .400 with 3 home runs and 11 RBIs in the seven-game World Series loss to Pittsburgh. With manager Casey Stengel replaced by Ralph Houk in 1961, the Yankees won the pennant in a season highlighted by the home run race between Mantle and Maris. The two were neck-and-neck into September, with Maris finally hitting a record 61 homers to 54 for Mantle, who missed 10 of the team’s final 12 games due to injury and illness. In addition, he batted .317 with 128 RBIs and a .448 OBP and led the AL in walks drawn (126) and slugging percentage (.687). The Yankees defeated Cincinnati in the World Series with Mantle appearing in only two games. He finished second to Maris in league MVP voting once again. In 1962, a May leg injury sidelined Mantle for five weeks, but while limited to 123 games, he still hit .321 with 30 home runs and 89 RBIs and led the AL in walks drawn (122), OBP (.486), and slugging percentage (.605). Benefiting from a greater appreciation of how much Mantle dealt with injuries (his legs were wrapped in bandages prior to every game), and a realization of how important he was to the Yankees, who won another pennant, he received his third MVP award. In the offseason, the club gave him a raise to $100,000 per year, which would be his annual salary for the remainder of his career. In 1963, a broken foot limited him to 65 games and a .314 average with 15 home runs and 35 RBIs. Back in action in 1964, and despite being hindered by an August knee injury, Mantle batted .303 with 35 home runs and 111 RBIs while topping the circuit with an on-base percentage of .423. The Yankees narrowly won another pennant but lost the ensuing World Series in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals, despite Mantle’s 3 home runs (one of them a game-winner) and 8 RBIs. 1964 marked the end of a long, sustained stretch of success for the Yankees. In decline along with the club in 1965, Mantle, hindered by a shoulder injury in the season’s second half, missed a total of 40 games and hit just .255 with 19 home runs and 46 RBIs. While his once formidable skills continued to deteriorate, he hit .288 in 1966 with 23 home runs and 56 RBIs. Shifted to first base in 1967 in an effort to reduce wear-and-tear, Mantle appeared in 144 games and batted .245 with 22 home runs and 55 RBIs. Playing in one last season in 1968, he again made 144 appearances and hit .237 with 18 home runs and 54 RBIs, reaching the end of his illustrious career at age 36. For his major league career, played entirely with the Yankees, Mantle batted .298 with 2415 hits that included 344 doubles, 72 triples, and 536 home runs. He scored 1676 runs and compiled 1509 RBIs in addition to 153 stolen bases. He drew 1733 walks and had a .421 OBP and .557 slugging percentage. Appearing in 65 World Series games, Mantle hit a record 18 home runs while batting .257 with 40 RBIs. In addition to being a three-time MVP, Mantle was a 20-time All-Star. An excellent center fielder with his speed and strong throwing arm, he twice led the AL in assists and received a Gold Glove in 1962. The Yankees retired his #7 and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. In the 1980s Mantle accumulated much wealth as a result of the sports memorabilia industry, but years of late-night carousing and heavy drinking took a toll, and he died of liver cancer in 1995 at age 63.

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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.