Mickey Cochrane (1947)


Date of Birth: 4/6/1903
Date of Death: 6/28/1962
Birthplace: Bridgewater, Massachusetts
College: Boston University

Mickey Cochrane was an all-around athlete at Boston University, playing five sports. He excelled in both football and basketball. He started his professional baseball career in 1923, in the minor leagues, with a team in the Eastern Shore League. The following year, he played in the Pacific Coast League. He was traded to the Philadelphia Athletics in November, 1924.

Philadelphia Athletics

In 1925, his first season in the major leagues, Cochrane batted .331 with 139 hits, 21 doubles, 55 RBIs, and 19 strikeouts to 44 walks in 134 games. The next year, he batted .273 with 101 hits and 47 RBIs in 120 games. He led all AL catchers in putouts in 1926 with 502.

Cochrane played well both offensively and defensively in 1927. He batted .338 in 126 games, and he had 146 hits, 20 doubles, and 80 RBIs. Defensively, he again led AL catchers in putouts with 559.

Cochrane won the American League MVP award in 1928. That season he batted .293 with 137 hits, 26 doubles, a career high 12 triples, 10 home runs, and 57 RBIs in 131 games. He walked 76 times and struck out just 25 times. He again led AL catchers in putouts with 645.

Cochrane was a good defensive player and he continued to lead AL catchers in putouts in 1929 (659), 1930 (654), and 1932 (652). He also led them in assists in 1930 (69) and 1932 (94).

In 1929, Cochrane batted .331 with 170 hits, 37 doubles, and 95 RBIs. He had an even better season in 1930, when he had career highs in hits with 174, doubles with 42, and batting average with .357. He played in 130 games that year and he had 85 RBIs. He followed that season with another strong one in 1931, when he batted .349 with 160 hits, 31 doubles, 17 home runs, and 89 RBIs in 122 games.

Cochrane played in a career high 139 games in 1932. He batted .293 with 152 hits, 35 doubles, and career highs in home runs with 23 and in RBIs with 112. He walked 100 times and struck out just 22 times.

Cochrane led the AL in on-base percentage in 1933 with .459. He finished the season with 138 hits, 30 doubles, 15 home runs, 60 RBIs, and a .322 batting average in 130 games. He walked 106 times and again struck out only 22 times.

Detroit Tigers

After nine years with the Athletics, Cochrane's contract was sold by Connie Mack to the Detroit Tigers on December 12, 1933. He played for the final four seasons of his career in Detroit.

Cochrane became the Tigers' player-manager in 1934, and he led the team to two World Series (1934, 1935). In his first season with the Tigers, Cochrane won his second AL MVP award, batting .320 with 140 hits, 32 doubles, and 76 RBIs that year.

In 1935, Cochrane batted .319 in 115 games. He had 131 hits, 33 doubles, and 4l7 RBIs. He walked 96 times and struck out just 15 times. He played in only 44 games in 1936, and he batted .270.

Cochrane's playing career ended early in the 1937 season when he was hit in the head by a pitch.

Awards

  • AL MVP (2 times)

Career Statistics

Batting statistics for Cochrane in 11 full seasons (1925-1935) in the major leagues include:

  • 7 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 42 in 1930
  • 8 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .357 in 1930

Career batting statistics for Cochrane include:

  • 1,482 games played
  • 1,652 hits
  • 333 doubles
  • 119 home runs
  • 832 RBIs
  • 217 strikeouts to 857 walks
  • .320 batting average
  • .419 on-base percentage
  • .897 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Cochrane as a catcher include:

  • 1,451 games played
  • 111 errors
  • 840 assists
  • 6,414 putouts
  • .985 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Cochrane include:

  • 5 postseasons
  • 31 games played
  • 110 at-bats
  • 27 hits
  • 4 doubles
  • 2 home runs
  • 7 RBIs
  • 8 strikeouts to 25 walks
  • .245 batting average

Post Playing Career

Cochrane continued to manage the Tigers in 1938. His record as a manager from 1934 through 1938 was 348 wins to 250 losses.

In 1950, Cochrane worked for the Athletics as a coach and general manager.

Cochrane was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1947 on the sixth ballot with 79.5% of the vote.

Cochrane died on June 28, 1962, from lymphatic cancer.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Mickey Cochrane
ESPN - Mickey Cochrane
Baseball Reference - Mickey Cochrane

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