WHY I THINK MICKEY VERNON SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK MICKEY VERNON SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN 

By- Damien 

Mickey Vernon was the AL’s top first baseman during his prime. A seven time all-star and two time batting champion, Vernon starred on both offense and defense. At the plate, he collected 2,495 hits, including 490 doubles and 120 triples, and had four seasons over .300. In the field, four time fielding champion Vernon was, in the words of Baltimore Orioles executive Jack Dunn, “the only man in baseball who could play first base in a tuxedo, appear perfectly comfortable, and never wrinkle his suit.” He was especially adept at turning double plays, turning two 2,044 times in his career, more than anyone else in MLB history, at any position. 

James Barton Vernon was born on April 22, 1918, in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania. He acquired the nickname Mickey as a small child. There was no baseball team at his high school, so he played several years in Legion ball. Being a lefty, he knew he couldn’t play infield, so he decided to focus on first base. Vernon received a baseball scholarship from Villanova University, but only played one year at the college. He was signed by the St. Louis Browns in 1937 and played a season in their farm system. The Senators picked him up in 1938 and he was with their big club by 1939. He had his breakout season in 1941, batting .299 with 93 RBI’s. He followed up with another strong season in 1942 (.271, 86 RBI’s, 25 stolen bases) and hit .268 in 1944 before being called into military service with the U.S. Navy. When he returned in 1946, Vernon was better than ever. He batted .353 with 51 doubles, leading the AL in both categories, and finished fifth in the MVP Award voting. Vernon struggled in 1948, which resulted in his trade to the Indians. He had an all-star season in 1949 (.291 - 18 - 83), and like the Prodigal Son returning home, the Senators got him back and enjoyed the AL’s finest first baseman for the next several years. Vernon had the best season of his career in 1953, slashing .337/.403/.518 with 15 homers and 115 RBI’s, winning his second batting crown and finishing third in the MVP voting. He followed up with another stellar season in 1954, hitting a career high 20 homers and driving in 97 runs, and hit over .300 in each of the next two seasons. Vernon returned to Cleveland in 1958 and made his final all-star team at the age of 40, but started to wind down his career after that. He played his last MLB season in 1960, appearing in nine games as a pinch hitter, making him baseball’s 13th four decade player. Having come up one of the youngest players in the game in 1939, he retired in 1960 as the oldest. Vernon later managed the Senators for a few years, posting a .373 winning percentage in parts of three seasons. He also coached for 14 years with four different Big League clubs. He finished up his career in 1988 as a scout for the Yankees. 

Mickey Vernon was considered one of the biggest stars in the game during his time, but is largely underrated nowadays. A lot of people glance over Vernon’s name in Hall of Fame debates, taking one look at his hitting stats without taking them into account. On the surface, his .286 average and 172 homers look modest for a first baseman, but his numbers need a closer look to be truly understood. He played 14 of his 20 Big League seasons in Washington’s cavernous Griffith Stadium, which dramatically affected his power numbers. Out of his 172 career home runs, he hit 115 of them on the road, and might have had 250 homers in a more hitter friendly park. While Vernon’s bat had some significant pop, he wasn’t known as a power hitter, instead capturing two batting titles and three times leading the American League in doubles. He collected 2,495 hits and could have surpassed 2,750 if he hadn’t lost two years during the war. A consistent run producer, he had eleven seasons with 80 or more RBI’s, driving in over 1,300 runs in his career. Vernon was such a feared clutch hitter that the great Satchel Paige himself thought highly enough of him to announce that “If I was pitching and it was the ninth inning and we had a two run lead with the bases loaded and Mickey Vernon was up, I’d walk him and pitch to the next man.” Despite his batting prowess, Vernon stood out most on defense, leading the league in fielding four times and turning 2,044 double plays, making him the first of only three first basemen with over 2,000. His 168 double plays in 1949 are the eighth most of all time, and his 158 in 1953 rank 17th. 

All in all, Mickey Vernon is a very good Hall of Fame candidate. He was a dangerous hitter and one of the best fielding first basemen of all time. I am not sure that he necessarily belongs in Cooperstown, but his career certainly deserves a closer look. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games career: 2,409 season high: 154 in 1947 and 1952 

At Bats career: 8,731 season high: 621 in 1942 

Hits career: 2,495 season high: 207 in 1946 

Doubles career: 490 season high: 51 in 1946 led AL: 51 in 1946, 43 in 1953, 33 in 1954 

Triples career: 120 season high: 14 in 1954 

Home Runs career: 172 season high: 20 in 1954 

Runs Scored career: 1,196 season high: 101 in 1953 

Runs Batted In career: 1,311 season high: 115 in 1953 

Stolen Bases career: 137 season high: 25 in 1942 

Walks career: 955 season high: 89 in 1952 

Strikeouts career: 869 season high: 66 in 1952 

Batting Average career: .286 season high: .353 in 1946 led AL: .353 in 1946, .337 in 1953 

On Base Percentage career: .359 season high: .403 in 1946, 1953, and 1956 

Slugging Percentage career: .428 season high: .518 in 1953 

Total Bases career: 3,741 season high: 315 in 1953 

Sacrifice Hits career: 80 season high: 15 in 1949 

Fielding Percentage career: .990 season high: .994 in 1951 and 1955 led AL 1B: .991 in 1950, .994 in 1951, .993 in 1952, .992 in 1954 

Double Plays career: 2,044 season high: 168 in 1949 led AL 1B: 122 in 1941, 158 in 1953, 144 in 1954 

Putouts career: 19,819 season high: 1,438 in 1949 led AL 1B: 1,438 in 1949, 1,376 in 1953, 1,365 in 1954 

Assists career: 1,448 season high: 155 in 1949 led AL 1B: 155 in 1949 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-also finished ninth in the AL MVP Award voting in 1954, 21st in 1956, and 23rd in 1955 

-made both the AP all-star team and The Sporting News all-star team in 1953 

-beat Al Rosen in the 1953 batting race by less than a thousandth of a point, with Rosen thrown out by half a step in his last at bat of the season, depriving him of a Triple Crown 

-hit for the cycle on May 19, 1946 

-led the MLB in hit by pitch in 1943 (10) 

-led the AL in extra-base hits in 1954 (67) 

-led the AL in putouts at any position in 1949, 1953, and 1954 

-led AL first basemen in games in 1947 (154), 1949 (153), 1954 (148), and 1955 (144) 

-holds AL career records for total chances, putouts, games at first base, and assists from first base 

-turned two triples plays in his career (on September 14, 1941 and May 22, 1953) 

-his 155 assists from first base in 1949 are the 14th most of all time 

-ranks seventh in career putouts at any position 

-among MLB first basemen, ranks fourth in career games, seventh in putouts, and 11th in assists