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Anybody know anything about Dale Mitchell?

PowderedH2OPowderedH2O Posts: 2,443 ✭✭
in Sports Talk
Hi - I was looking at the stats of Dale Mitchell (Cleveland Indians outfielder of the 40's and 50's). I'm looking at these numbers and I am just curious what happened to make him a reserve pinch-hitter and not a regular. From 1947-1953 he hit over .300 six times, almost never struck out, had good on base percentages, and appears to have been a decent outfielder. So why does a guy like this stop playing? Did he get hurt? Was he a bad guy or something? I can't find much on him, so does anyone know?
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Comments

  • markj111markj111 Posts: 2,921 ✭✭✭
    I'm not sure what your point is. He was a regular for seven years through 1953, despite being a corner outfielder with no power (41 career HRs). His OPS was below the league average in 54, and was horrendous after that. He apparently just quit hitting.

    His replacement in 54, Al Smith, had an OPS+ of 127. It looks to me that he just got beat out by a better player. Mitchell did hit the pennant clinching homer in 54. He was called out on strikes for the last out of Larsen's perfect game. The umpire had a hot date waiting.
  • PowderedH2OPowderedH2O Posts: 2,443 ✭✭
    My point is that it is rare to see a player perform well for seven years in a row and then all of a sudden find himself on the bench as a full-time pinch hitter. In 1954 he had 69 plate appearances in 53 games. The previous seven years he had averaged in the high 500's. Was he Mantle or Cobb? No. But I've got to believe that there were a number of teams that could use a .300+ hitter with some speed that walked three times as much as he struck out. So, what I am curious about was whether he was injured, or just got benched, or what?
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