Happy Birthday to the late and great Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle. In a career that lasted 18 seasons, all being with the New York Yankees, primarily in Center Field, Mantle didn’t display himself as a Hall of Fame player but as an IMMORTAL for his incredible all-around play in the bright lights of New York. As a Switch-Hitter, Mantle is widely regarded as the best Switch-Hitter who ever played. In a career that had ups and downs on and off the field, Mantle accomplished what very few ballplayers have ever aspired to achieve. 

Career Statistics/Accolades (1951-1968):

.298 BA 2,415 HITS 536 HR 1,509 RBI .421 OBP 1,676 RUNS

  • 20x All-Star
  •  7x World Series Champion
  •  3x MVP
  • 1956 Batting Champion/Triple Crown
  • 1962 Gold-Glove

At a young age, Mantle learned how to hit from both sides of the plate with the help of his father. He is the only player in baseball history to homer 150 times from both sides of the plate. Mantle is regarded as one of the greatest power hitters of all time; however, he could hit for average, batting over .300 ten times. At the plate, Mantle drew more Walks (1,733) than Strikeouts (1,710). Mantle is one of those players who has “Black/Bold Face Type” all over the back of his baseball card. He led the league in Walks and Runs five times, led in Home Runs four times, and three times in OBP. The best part of his career was in 1956; he would later publish a book called My Favorite Summer 1956, which saw him win his first MVP, the Triple Crown, and the Yankees would win the World Series. His stat line throughout 150 games was [ .353BA 188 HITS 52 HR 130 RBI .464 OBP 132 RUNS ]. Mantle was a big-time player when it came to the World Series, in which he appeared 12 times. He holds the all-time World Series record for the most Home Runs (18), RBIs (40), Runs (42) and Walks (43).

Defensively, Mantle took over the reins as the Yankees Centerfielder after Joe DiMaggio retired. I will remind you that MLB didn’t start handing out Gold Gloves until 1957; while Mantle would only win one in his career in 1962, he was a very good defensive Centerfielder. Spending 14,878.1 Innings in Center Field, Mantle had a lifetime Fielding Percentage of .984%. At the end of his career, the Yankees moved him to First Base to make life easier for Mantle. He spent 2,151 Innings there and had a lifetime .991 Fielding Percentage.

I mention ups and downs because while there were many ups in Mantles’ career, there were some downs. Mantle spent his whole career fighting nagging injuries, going back to the 1951 World Series. Going after a fly ball in the series, Mantle fell and tore his ACL in his right knee, which he would play with for the rest of his career. Later in his career, by swinging a bat, Mantle would feel severe pain in his right knee. Besides the nagging injuries, Mantle and some teammates were known for enjoying their lives off the field in New York City, often going out to party and drinking heavily. Despite all the nagging injuries and hard party living, Mantle could still be on the field and produce. If not for the injuries and him taking better care of himself, one would imagine how much better he could’ve been as a ballplayer. However, playing hurt and playing well made Mantle a beloved leader in the Yankees clubhouse during his entire career.

What’s crazy is that Mantle isn’t even the greatest Yankee of all time when you consider that Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Joe DiMaggio came before him. Wearing #7 for the vast majority of his time with the Yankees, they retired his number and given a plaque in Monument Park in 1969. In 1974, his first year of eligibility, alongside longtime teammate Whitey Ford, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1999, he was ranked #17 on The Sporting News list of 100 Greatest Ballplayers. 

References:

  1. Mickey Mantle via Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Mantle#
  2. Mickey Mantle Career Statistics via Baseball-Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mantlmi01.shtml