Category: Mickey Mantle Fan Club

All things Mickey Mantle. Articles and media document the life and career of The Commerce Comet.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Mickey Mantle

Mickey Mantle was arguably the best switch hitter of all time. He collected a plethora of honors and records during his 18 year career. In this article one will learn the basics on the great Mickey Mantle.

Mickey Charles Mantle was born in Oklahoma on October 20, 1931. He was named after future Hall of Famer Mickey Cochrane. His dad, Mutt Mantle, taught his son everything he knew about baseball so Mickey wouldn’t have to work in the coal mines like him. Mickey took batting practice from both sides of the plate at a young age. This would make him extremely famous later on. Mickey Mantle was signed young by the New York Yankees. He would play his entire career in pinstripes. He would make his Major League debut in 1951 at the age of 19. He was the backup for the retiring Joe DiMaggio. In the 1951 World Series, Casey Stengal told Mickey to cover Joe if he couldn’t get to any balls. When a ball was hit, Mantle charged to get it. DiMaggio called him off, and Mickey’s spike got stuck in a drain when he was trying to stop his momentum. This would mark the first of many injuries in Mantle’s career. Mickey truly became a household name in 1956. In that year, he won the American League Triple Crown award. He led the league in home runs with 52, runs batted in (RBIs) with 130, and batting average with .353. He also led the league in runs with 132, slugging percentage with .705, and wins above replacement (WAR) with 11.0. He went on to win the Most Valuable Player award, too. Mickey would go on to have a season with similar numbers in 1961. That year, he and Roger Maris engaged in a grueling battle to beat Babe Ruth’s home run record. Maris would break the record due to Mantle’s season ending with injuries. Before the injury, Mantle crushed 54 home runs, drove in 128 RBIs, scored 132 runs, and posted a .317 batting average.

When Mantle finished his career, he stood with a Major League record for World Series home runs with 18 and home runs by a switch hitter with 536. Also, Mantle drove in 1,509 RBIs, scored an outstanding 1,677 runs, walked 1,733 times, posted a .298 batting average, and collected 2,415 career hits in 2,401 career games. Mickey also won the MVP award three times; in 1956, 1957, and in 1962. He won his first and only Gold Glove award in 1962. Mickey was a part of seven World Series teams. In 1974, Mickey Mantle’s number 7 was retired by the New York Yankees. Also that year, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame alongside former teammate Whitey Ford. Mickey Mantle passed away in 1995 due to a drinking problem. Despite his death, many Yankee fans still love Mickey. As one can see, Mickey Mantle is one of the greatest players in the history of Major League Baseball.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Mickey Mantle Triple Crown

Mickey Mantle was a legendary switch hitter who played for the Yankees. 1956 will be the subject of this article.

When Mickey Mantle stepped up to the plate during 1951, many knew he would create history. A young kid who came from Oklahoma working in the coal mines shocked everyone. He had speed, power, and fielding. But 1956 was when he really broke out.

In 1952, Mickey Mantle took over for Joe DiMaggio. 1956 matched some of DiMaggio’s great years. In 1956, Mickey Mantle won the American League Triple Crown award. The Triple Crown is when one leads the league in home runs, batting average, and RBIs.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

1961: Mickey Mantle or Roger Maris

Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle had one of the greatest season baseball history. They were both chasing Babe Ruth’s home run record. Roger Maris hit 61 home runs while Mickey Mantle hit 54. Roger Maris won the Most Valuable Player award that year. Even though Roger Maris had more home runs, Mickey Mantle had a slugging percentage of .687 while Roger Maris had a slugging percentage of .620. In the end, Mickey Mantle had a WAR of 10.2. As you can see, both Micke Mantle and Roger Maris had an incredible season in 1961.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Mike Trout or Mickey Mantle

Proclaimed on of the best players in their era, Mike Trout and Mickey Mantle have amazing stats in their first five seasons. Mike Trout hit more home runs, hit more doubles, and steal more bases than the ”Mick,” but Mickey drove in more RBIs, scored more runs, struck out less than Mike, and walked more. Mickey Mantle may have those great statistics but Mike Trout has more awards. He won the American League Rookie of the Year in 2012, an MVP award in 2014, and two All-Star game MVP awards in 2014 and 2015. Mike Trout was also the youngest player to hit for the cycle. One stat that Mickey Mantle and Mike Trout both share is that they have both been voted in to four All-Star games. Thanks in part to their WAR. Mike Trout’s WAR is an amazing 37.8 while Mickey Mantle’s WAR is 28.5. As you can see, Mickey Mantle and Mike Trout are both the greatest players of their era but I guess we will never find out who is better in their first five seasons.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Steal Facts: Mickey Mantle

        Mickey Mantle

  • Mickey Mantle, a legendary switch hitter who played 18 outstanding seasons with the New York Yankees, hit 536 combined home runs from both sides of the plate while posting a lifetime batting average of .298.
  • Mickey Mantle appeared in 12 World Series in his time with the Yankees. In that span, he hit 18 home runs which is a Major League Baseball record.
  • In 1956, Mickey Mantle won the MLB Triple Crown award for hitting a league leading 52 home runs, driving in 130 RBIs, scored 132 times, and posted a .353 batting average. He was awarded the American League Most Valuable Player award and went on to win another World Series ring.
  • Mickey Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on August 12, 1974.

Mickey Mantle passed away on August 13, 1995.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

1956

In the never to be forgotten season of 1956, immortals would rise from the crowd. A 25 year old from Oklahoma would make headlines. A young but experienced pitcher would do the unspeakable in October. The Yankees were the home to many superstars that season. A switch hitting slugger named Mickey Mantle would lead the American League in home runs, RBIs, and batting average all in that same year for a Triple Crown. It was also good for the League MVP award, too. Meanwhile, downtown in Brooklyn, an iconic player who would not only change baseball but the nation would enter his final year in Major League Baseball. Jackie Robinson, the man who Rickey Branch signed to break the color barrier, would enter the final year of his legendary 10 season career. The year before, in 1955, Jackie Robinson and the rest of the Brooklyn Dodgers would beat out the Yankees in a great series. The 1956 World Series, as Mickey Mantle would say in one of his autobiographies, My Favorite Summer 1956, ‘’It would be a rematch of 1955.’’ But both teams didn’t get there just like that. They had to put up a fight.