Outfielder, New
York Yankees
12th
season with Yankees
Bats – Both,
Throws – Right
Height: 5’11” Weight: 195
Prior to 1962:
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, in 1952 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 became 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. Mantle came through with an outstanding
season in which he won the Triple Crown by batting .353 with 52 home runs and
130 RBIs. He also topped the AL in runs scored (132), slugging (.705), and
total Bases (376), and received league MVP recognition. He added three more
home runs in the seven-game World Series victory over Brooklyn, one of which
came in support of RHP Don Larsen in his Game 5 perfect game. 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 Mantle again 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 although 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.
1962 Season Summary
Appeared in 123
games
CF – 94, RF –
23, PH – 6
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 502
At Bats – 377
Runs – 96 [7,
tied with Rich Rollins & Leon Wagner]
Hits – 121
Doubles – 15
Triples – 1
Home Runs – 30
[7]
RBI – 89 [15,
tied with Norm Cash]
Bases on Balls
– 122 [1]
Int. BB – 9 [6,
tied with four others]
Strikeouts – 78
[20, tied with Roger Maris]
Stolen Bases – 9
[16, tied with Jackie Brandt, Willie Kirkland & Bob Johnson]
Caught Stealing
– 0
Average - .321
[2]
OBP - .486 [1]
Slugging Pct. -
.605 [1]
Total Bases – 228
GDP – 4
Hit by Pitches
– 1
Sac Hits – 0
Sac Flies – 2
League-leading bases
on balls drawn were +12 ahead of runner-up Norm Siebern
League-leading
OBP was +.074 ahead of runner-up Norm Siebern
League-leading
slugging pct was +.060 ahead of runner-up Harmon Killebrew
Midseason
snapshot: HR – 17, RBI – 36, AVG - .333, SLG – .721, OBP – .515
---
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 5 AB) vs. Cleveland 8/27, (in 4 AB) vs. Washington 9/25
Longest hitting
streak – 15 games
HR at home – 16
HR on road – 14
Most home runs,
game – 2 on five occasions
Multi-HR games
– 5
Most RBIs, game
– 7 at KC A’s 8/19
Pinch-hitting –
1 for 6 (.167) with 1 HR & 3 RBI
Fielding
Chances – 223
Put Outs – 214
Assists – 4
Errors – 5
DP – 1
Pct. - .978
Postseason
Batting: 7 G (World Series vs. San Francisco)
PA – 29,AB – 25,
R – 2, H – 3, 2B – 1, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 0, BB – 4, IBB – 0, SO – 5, SB – 2,
CS – 0, AVG - .120, OBP - .241, SLG - .160, TB – 4, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 0,
SF – 0
Awards & Honors:
AL MVP: BBWAA
Gold Glove
All-Star (Started
for AL in RF, first game)
Top 5 in AL MVP
Voting:
Mickey Mantle,
NYY.: 234 points - 13 of 20 first place votes, 84% share
Bobby
Richardson, NYY: 152 points – 5 first place votes, 54% share
Harmon
Killebrew, Min.: 99 points – 1 first place vote, 35% share
Leon Wagner,
LAA: 85 points – 30% share
Dick Donovan,
Clev.: 64 points – 23% share
(1 first place
vote for Tom Tresh, NYY who ranked 12th)
---
The Yankees
went 96-66 to win the AL pennant by 5 games over the Minnesota Twins while
leading the league in runs scored (817), hits (1509), RBIs (791), batting
(.267), slugging (.426), and total bases (2404). The Yankees were among the
leaders in the AL from the start and took over first place to stay on July 8,
although they faltered in August and September. A May leg injury sidelined
Mantle for five weeks, but when healthy he helped to spur the club along with
2B Bobby Richardson and RHP Ralph Terry. Rookie Tom Tresh performed ably at
shortstop until Tony Kubek returned from his military commitment, at which time
he moved to left field in a Rookie of the Year performance. Won World Series
over the San Francisco Giants, 4 games to 3. Terry and Tresh were heroes in a
key fifth-game win.
Aftermath of 1962:
In the offseason, the club gave Mantle 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 thanks to 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.
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