Mantle, Mickey 1931-

MANTLE, MICKEY 1931-

Baseball player

Career Summary

A brief summary of Mickey Mantle's record would read something like this: New York Yankee outfielder who was one of the dominant power hitters of the 1950s and early 1960s. Blended a rare combination of speed and switch-hitting power. Won the American League Triple Crown in 1956, was three-time American League Most Valuable Player (1956, 1957, 1962), led the league in home runs four times, and played on seven World Series winning teams.

The Best

This summary, however, would not tell the whole story. The truth is that Mantle may have been, during the 1950s, better than any player in history. At this time Mantle was a far better performer than his great National League contemporary, Willie Mays.

Sabermetricians

Researchers who study baseball are known as sabermetricians. These researchers have more mathematical means available to compare performances among baseball players than in any other sport. By virtu-ally every conceivable measure, Mantle's performances in 1956 and 1957 amount to the greatest back-to-back years in baseball history.

What a Season!

In 1956 Mantle won the Triple Crown, leading the league with a .353 batting average, 130 runs batted in (RBIs), and 52 home runs. Even more impressive was Mantle's slugging percentage (measuring the base-production of his hits) of .705 (anything over .500 is considered excellent). Mantle would smash doubles, but he would also use his blinding speed to turn singles into doubles. In 1957 Mantle spent part of September in the hospital for shinsplints, but for a season played hurt, his .365 batting average, 94 RBIs, and 34 home runs are quite extraordinary.

What a Decade

Between 1955 and 1964 Mantle finished first or second in the race for Most Valuable Player six times. During his career the Yankees won more pennants and World Series than they did in the careers of any of the other great players—Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, or Babe Ruth. Mickey Mantle's most significant contribution to his team, however, was his leadership. On a great team this great player often played injured and in pain; in fact, Mantle's ability to play hurt is legendary. In a decade that saw some of the finest offensive players in baseball history have their best years—Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Ernie Banks, Roy Campanella, Don Newcombe, Stan Musial—Mickey Mantle outperformed them all.

Sources:

Mickey Mantle, The Mick (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1985);

Gene Schoor, Mickey Mantle of the Yankees (New York: Putnam, 1959).