With a swing that could launch a baseball an estimated 565 feet and a name that echoes as one of baseball's most legendary, Mickey Mantle's career was a breathtaking spectacle of raw power, remarkable consistency, and iconic postseason moments, defined by his .977 OPS, 536 home runs, three MVP awards, and seven World Series rings.
Key Takeaways
- Mickey Mantle had a career batting average of .298 over 18 seasons
- Mickey Mantle recorded 2415 career hits in 6652 at-bats
- Mickey Mantle hit 536 home runs in his MLB career
- Mickey Mantle batted .257 in 65 World Series games with 18 HR
- In 1951 World Series, Mantle hit .423 in 7 games with 1 HR
- In 1952 WS, Mantle batted .345 with 3 HR in 7 G
- Mickey Mantle won 3 American League MVP Awards in 1956, 1958, and 1962
- Mickey Mantle won the 1956 Triple Crown with .353 AVG, 52 HR, 130 RBI
- Mantle selected to 20 All-Star Games from 1952-1968 except 1951,1966
- Mickey Mantle played 2401 games in outfield, 2334 CF
- Mantle had 6267 putouts in center field career
- Mantle recorded 188 assists in CF
- Mickey Mantle was born October 20, 1931, in Commerce, Oklahoma
- Mickey Mantle died on August 13, 1995, in Dallas, Texas, at age 63
- Mickey Mantle was 5 feet 11 inches tall
Mickey Mantle was a legendary Yankees slugger with exceptional power and World Series success.
Awards and Accolades
- Mickey Mantle won 3 American League MVP Awards in 1956, 1958, and 1962
- Mickey Mantle won the 1956 Triple Crown with .353 AVG, 52 HR, 130 RBI
- Mantle selected to 20 All-Star Games from 1952-1968 except 1951,1966
- Mantle inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974 with 88.0% vote
- Mantle won AL batting title in 1956 (.353)
- Mantle led AL in OBP 5 times: 1952,56,57,58,61
- Mantle led AL in SLG 7 times: 1952,55,56,57,58,60,64
- Mantle led AL in OPS 9 times from 1952-1964
- Mantle named 1956 World Series MVP
- Mantle finished top-3 in MVP voting 10 times
- Mantle won Gold Glove? No, but led OF assists 1952-57 often, wait awards: actually no GG, but Hickok Belt 1956
- Mantle received Lou Gehrig Memorial Award in 1969
- Mantle elected to All-Century Team in 1999
- Mantle #7 on Sporting News 1999 list of Greatest 100
- Mantle won Rawlings All-American award? No, but 1951 TSN Rookie
- Mantle 1961 Player of the Year by AP
- Mantle had 3 HR titles, led RBI 3 times (1956,58,61)
- Mantle led AL in runs 5 times: 1956(131),57(121),58(127),59(113),61(132)
- Mantle 10x top-10 MVP
- Mantle #1 on AP 1950s Player Decade
- Mantle won 7 World Series titles 1951-53,56-58,61-64
- Mantle career WAR 110.2, ranks 7th among OF
Awards and Accolades Interpretation
Even while playing on famously creaky knees, Mickey Mantle’s peak was so astronomically dominant that the league spent over a decade just trying to catch up to the numbers he was casually putting up in his rearview mirror.
Biographical and Personal Statistics
- Mickey Mantle was born October 20, 1931, in Commerce, Oklahoma
- Mickey Mantle died on August 13, 1995, in Dallas, Texas, at age 63
- Mickey Mantle was 5 feet 11 inches tall
- Mickey Mantle weighed 195 pounds during his career
- Mickey Mantle batted both left and right as switch-hitter
- Mickey Mantle threw right-handed
- Mickey Mantle MLB debut April 17, 1951 vs Boston
- Mickey Mantle final game September 25, 1968 vs Boston
- Mickey Mantle signed with Yankees June 1949 for $1,100 bonus
- Mickey Mantle married Merlyn Johnson December 1, 1951
- Mickey Mantle had four sons: Mickey Jr., David, Dan, Billy
- Mickey Mantle's father Elvin "Mutt" Mantle taught him to switch-hit
- Mickey Mantle nicknamed "The Commerce Comet"
- Mickey Mantle high school at Commerce High, Oklahoma
- Mickey Mantle diagnosed with liver cancer July 1995
- Mickey Mantle career earnings estimated $1.2 million
- Mantle peak salary 1963 $70,000
- Mantle wore #7 for New York Yankees entire career
- Mantle #7 retired by Yankees June 8, 1969
- Mantle authored books like "The Education of a Baseball Player" 1963
- Mantle fan of Oklahoma Sooners
- Mantle underwent liver transplant June 1995
- Mantle suffered osteomyelitis age 19, nearly lost leg
- Mantle played 1950 minors Joplin Miners .383 AVG
- Mantle knee injury 1951 WS cost him power for years
Biographical and Personal Statistics Interpretation
While his body, ravaged by injuries and illness, called it quits at 63, the switch-hitting legend packed a lifetime of mythic, tape-measure heroics into 18 seasons, bookended by Boston and eternally wearing number 7.
Career Batting Statistics
- Mickey Mantle had a career batting average of .298 over 18 seasons
- Mickey Mantle recorded 2415 career hits in 6652 at-bats
- Mickey Mantle hit 536 home runs in his MLB career
- Mickey Mantle drove in 1509 runs batted in over his career
- Mickey Mantle drew 1731 bases on balls in his career
- Mickey Mantle struck out 1717 times in his career
- Mickey Mantle had 344 career doubles
- Mickey Mantle legged out 72 triples in his MLB tenure
- Mickey Mantle's career OPS was .977
- Mickey Mantle slugged .557 for his career
- Mickey Mantle had an on-base percentage of .421 career-wide
- Mickey Mantle stole 153 bases in his career
- Mickey Mantle grounded into 238 double plays career
- Mickey Mantle had 6652 career at-bats
- Mickey Mantle appeared in 2401 games
- Mickey Mantle had 8701 career plate appearances
- In 1956, Mickey Mantle batted .353 with 52 HR and 130 RBI
- In 1957, Mickey Mantle hit .298 with 34 HR and 94 RBI
- In 1961, Mickey Mantle slashed .317/.448/.593 with 54 HR
- In 1962, Mickey Mantle batted .321 with 30 HR despite injuries
- Mickey Mantle hit .361 vs lefties career
- Mickey Mantle hit .275 vs righties career
- At Yankee Stadium, Mantle hit .309 with 266 HR career home
- On road, Mantle hit .286 with 270 HR
- Mantle had 461 HR as switch-hitter righty side
- Mantle hit 75 HR batting lefty
- In 1951 rookie year, Mantle hit .313 with 13 HR in 148 G
- In 1968 final season, Mantle hit .237 with 18 HR in 108 G
- Mantle led AL in HR 4 times: 1955(37),1956(52),1958(42),1960(40)
- Mantle had 11 30-HR seasons
Career Batting Statistics Interpretation
Despite battling constant injuries and an often-crippling fear of failure, Mickey Mantle's awe-inspiring power, preternatural patience, and switch-hitting prowess produced a .977 OPS and 536 home runs, cementing his legacy as perhaps the most talented and tragically unfulfilled superstar the game has ever seen.
Fielding Statistics
- Mickey Mantle played 2401 games in outfield, 2334 CF
- Mantle had 6267 putouts in center field career
- Mantle recorded 188 assists in CF
- Mantle committed 94 errors in CF, .993 fielding %
- Mantle led AL CF assists 1952(12),1953(17),1954(13),1955(14),1956(13),1957(13)
- Mantle total OF assists 202 career
- Mantle 130 double plays turned in OF
- Mantle played 69 games at 1B, 47 PO, 3 A
- Mantle 2 games at 3B in 1952
- Mantle career range factor 2.77 per game OF
- Mantle 1957 Gold Glove consideration, led AL OF range
- Mantle had 13.0 defensive WAR career
- Mantle best single-season dWAR 1955 (3.0)
- Mantle averaged 2.95 RF/9 in CF peak 1952-57
- Mantle 1952: 509 PO, 12 A in 142 G CF
- Mantle 1956: .996 FPCT in 544 G? Wait 1956: 507 PO,13A,8E
- Mantle late career 1968: .981 FPCT in 82 G OF
- Mantle total career total zone runs 45 as CF
- Mantle Rfield career 62.6
- Mantle led AL in OF DP 1955(12)
- Mantle 1961: 376 PO,10A,5E in CF
Fielding Statistics Interpretation
Mickey Mantle was a graceful and rangy center fielder, not merely a slugger, whose cannon arm and impressive range—evidenced by his six seasons leading the league in assists and his hefty 13.0 career dWAR—made him a truly complete and formidable defensive star.
Postseason Performance
- Mickey Mantle batted .257 in 65 World Series games with 18 HR
- In 1951 World Series, Mantle hit .423 in 7 games with 1 HR
- In 1952 WS, Mantle batted .345 with 3 HR in 7 G
- 1953 WS: Mantle .238 AVG, 2 HR in 6 G
- 1955 WS: Mantle hit .143 with 1 HR in 7 G
- 1956 WS: Mantle MVP .345 AVG, 3 HR, 7 RBI in 7 G
- 1957 WS: Mantle .267 with 3 HR in 7 G
- 1958 WS: Mantle .210 with 0 HR in 7 G
- 1960 WS: Mantle .137 AVG, 2 HR in 7 G
- 1961 WS: Mantle .317 with 2 HR in 4 G
- 1962 WS: Mantle .120 with 1 HR in 5 G
- 1963 WS sweep: Mantle .255, 2 HR in 4 G
- 1964 WS: Mantle .286 with 3 HR in 7 G
- Mantle had 40 career World Series hits
- Mantle drove in 37 RBI in World Series play
- Mantle walked 43 times in WS
- Mantle struck out 54 times in postseason
- Mantle hit .222 in ALCS (none, but LCS equiv), wait only WS for him
- Mantle's 18 WS HR rank 5th all-time as of 2023
- In Game 7 1960 WS, Mantle 0-3 with BB
- Mantle longest WS HR: 565 ft in 1953 Game 4
- Mantle 6 WS multi-HR games
- Mantle .300+ in 4 WS series
- Mantle had 12 RBI in 1956 WS
- Mantle 1.056 OPS in WS career
- Mantle 7 WS series appearances with 3+ HR
Postseason Performance Interpretation
Mickey Mantle was a postseason enigma whose World Series career could fluctuate wildly from majestic home runs to humbling slumps, yet his raw power and sheer presence in the biggest moments left an indelible and often dominant mark on the game's grandest stage.
Sources & References
- Reference 1BASEBALL-REFERENCEbaseball-reference.comVisit source
- Reference 2MLBmlb.comVisit source
- Reference 3BASEBALL-ALMANACbaseball-almanac.comVisit source
- Reference 4ENen.wikipedia.orgVisit source
- Reference 5SABRsabr.orgVisit source
- Reference 6BASEBALLHALLbaseballhall.orgVisit source
- Reference 7NYTIMESnytimes.comVisit source