WHY I THINK MARTY MARION SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK MARTY MARION SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

By- Damien 

 

Marty Marion was, easily, the best defensive shortstop of his day and the best ever behind Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith and Mark Belanger. I know that a lot of people will not listen to what I write from now on, thinking that guys like Larry Bowa, Pee Wee Reese, Luis Aparicio, or Phil Rizzuto were better with the glove. Marion was the best of the bunch. Marion could also hit, stroking a NL high 38 doubles in 1942, batting as high as .280 in a season, and leading the NL in sacrifice hits on two occasions. For a fielder of the likes of Marion, if he were not hitting at all he would be important to his Cardinals. He won the NL MVP Award in 1944 hitting .267 with six home runs, winning the award mostly on his superb defensive play. Though he never hit with much power, Marion did hit a few key home runs in his day, but he used his speed and ability at finding the gaps to be a decent slap hitter all his life. Marion started his career in 1940 by batting .278. After a .252 season, he hit .276 and led the NL in doubles. He then hit .280, .267, and .277 before dropping to a career low .233 batting average. He still fielded brilliantly and hit 29 doubles, however. After batting .272 in 1947 Marion dropped to a respectable .252 and then hit .272 again in 1949. After hitting only .247 in 1950 Marion decided to manage the Cardinals to a third place finish but didn’t play. He came back in 1952 after being traded to the Browns to bat .247 and manage a lowly team. After going 0-for-7 in three games in 1953 the great Marty Marion retired. Marion will always be known as a fielding wizard, a smart baseball player, and a man who helped the St. Louis Cardinals to four pennants and three World Series titles in the 1940s, but still not as a Hall of Famer. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS

Games career: 1,572 season high: 155 in 1941 led NL: 155 in 1941

At Bats career: 5,506 season high: 547 in 1941

Hits career: 1,448 season high: 147 in 1947

Doubles career: 272 season high: 38 in 1942 led NL: 38 in 1942

Triples career: 37 season high: 6 in 1947

Home Runs career: 36 season high: 6 in 1944

Runs career: 602 season high: 70 in 1948

Runs Batted In career: 624 season high: 74 in 1947

Stolen Bases career: 35 season high: 9 in 1940

Walks career: 470 season high: 59 in 1946

Strikeouts career: 537 season high: 58 in 1947

Batting Average career: .263 season high: .280 in 1943

On Base Percentage career: .323 season high: .343 in 1942

Slugging Percentage career: .345 season high: .375 in 1942

Total Bases career: 1,902 season high: 190 in 1947 and 1949

Sacrifice Hits career: 151 season high: 28 in 1941 led NL: 28 in 1941, 17 in 1949

Fielding Percentage career: .969 season high: .981 in 1947 led NL SS: .972 in 1944, .981 in 1947, .974 in 1948

Double Plays career: 978 season high: 105 in 1946 led NL SS: 105 in 1946, 104 in 1947

Putouts career: 2,987 season high: 329 in 1947 led NL SS: 290 in 1946, 329 in 1947

Assists career: 4,829 season high: 489 in 1941 led NL SS: 489 in 1941, 480 in 1946

Games Managed career: 731 season high: 155 in 1951 and 1955

Wins career: 356 season high: 91 in 1955

Losses career: 372 season high: 100 in 1953

Ties career: 3 season high: 1 in 1951, 1952, and 1955

Winning Percentage career: .489 season high: .591 in 1955

Ejections career: 8 season high: 3 in 1956

DID YOU KNOW?

-brother of Red Marion 

-nicknamed “the Octopus”, “Mr. Shortstop”, and “Slats”

-broke his leg at age ten and later had it rebroken for a better setting, and for the rest of his life his right leg was an inch shorter than his left one

-hit one of his career home runs off of Carl Hubbell, plus another more off of Hall of Fame snub Allie Reynolds

-hit 20 or more doubles in seven separate seasons, 19 once, and over 30 twice

-had ten or more sacrifice hits seven times, nine twice and over 20 twice

-was an eight time all-star and is the only shortstop in NL history to handle ten chances in one game

-was the 1944 Major League Player of the Year

-hit .357 with a homer, a stolen base, three walks, a .714 slugging percentage and a pair of doubles in the 1943 World Series 

-slammed three doubles in the 1944 World Series

-batted .250 with two doubles in the 1946 World Series

-finished seventh in the 1942 NL MVP voting, eighth in 1945, 13th in 1943, 24th in 1941, 25th in 1949, and 28th in 1946

-got over 200 putouts ten years in a row and 180 in the eleventh 

-turned over 90 double plays four times, 87 once and 85 once

-made 300 or more assists eleven years straight and over 400 in eight of those years

-had over 50 RBI’s in a season seven times and over 70 twice

-scored 50 or more runs eight times