Roy Campanella (1969)


Date of Birth: 11/19/1921
Date of Death: 6/26/1993
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Because his mother was African-American, Roy Campanella was barred from major league baseball until Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947. As a result, Campanella started his professional baseball career in the Negro Leagues in 1937 at the age of just 16. He played in the Negro Leagues through 1945. In 1946 and 1947, he played with minor league teams. He signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1948.

Brooklyn Dodgers

Campanella played in 83 games in 1948, his first season in the major leagues. He had 72 hits, 45 RBIs, and a .258 batting average. He showed his defensive skills as a catcher by leading the NL in caught stealing percentage with 66.7%.

In 1949, Campanella played in 130 games with the Dodgers. He batted .287 with 125 hits, 22 doubles, 22 home runs, and 82 RBIs. He played exceptionally well defensively, again leading the NL in caught stealing percentage with 58.5%. He also led NL catchers in putouts with 684. He had similar numbers offensively and defensively in 1950. In 126 games, he had 123 hits, 19 doubles, 31 home runs, 89 RBIs, and a .281 batting average. Defensively, he again led all NL catchers in putouts with 683 and in caught stealing percentage with 62.5%.

Campanella won his first of three National League MVP awards in 1951. That season he had career highs in hits (164), doubles (33), and batting average (.325). He had 33 home runs and 108 RBIs in 143 games. He walked 53 times while striking out only 51 times. He again excelled defensively, leading NL catchers in assists (72), putouts (722), and caught stealing percentage (69.4%).

Campanella followed his first MVP year with a .269 batting average in 128 games in 1952. He had 126 hits, 18 doubles, 22 home runs, and 97 RBIs. He again had a good strikeout to walk ratio with 59 strikeouts and 57 walks. Once more, he led the NL in caught stealing percentage with 64.7%.

Campanella won his second NL MVP award in 1953. He also won the Sporting News Player of the Year award. He had career highs in games played (144), home runs (41), and RBIs (142). He led the NL in RBIs and he batted .312 that year. Defensively, he led all NL catchers in putouts with 807.

Campanella had a down year in 1954, batting just .207 in 111 games. He had 82 hits, 14 doubles, 19 home runs, and 51 RBIs. He came back strong, however, in 1955, batting .318 and winning his third NL MVP award. He had 142 hits, 20 doubles, 32 home runs, and 107 RBIs in 123 games. He walked 56 times and struck out just 41 times. Defensively, he again led NL catchers in putouts with 672.

In 1956, Campanella struggled offensively, batting just .219 with 85 hits, 20 home runs, and 73 RBIs in 124 games. However, he still showed good discipline at the plate, walking 66 times and striking out 61 times. He once more led NL catchers in putouts with 659. The following season, his batting average improved to .242. He finished the 1957 season with 80 hits and 62 RBIs in 103 games.

Awards

  • NL MVP (3 times)
  • Sporting News Player of the Year
  • MLB career leader in caught stealing percentage (57.4%)

Career Statistics

Batting statistics for Campanella in 10 seasons (1948-1957) in the major leagues include:

  • 2 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 164 in 1951
  • 4 seasons with 20 or more doubles, with a high of 33 in 1951
  • 7 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 41 in 1953
  • 3 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 142 in 1953
  • 3 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .325 in 1951

Career batting statistics for Campanella include:

  • 1,215 games played
  • 1,161 hits
  • 178 doubles
  • 242 home runs
  • 856 RBIs
  • 501 strikeouts to 533 walks
  • .276 batting average
  • .360 on-base percentage
  • .860 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Campanella as a catcher include:

  • 1,183 games played
  • 85 errors
  • 550 assists
  • 6,520 putouts
  • .574 caught stealing percentage
  • .988 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Campanella include:

  • 5 postseasons
  • 32 games played
  • 114 at-bats
  • 27 hits
  • 5 doubles
  • 4 home runs
  • 12 RBIs
  • 20 strikeouts to 12 walks
  • .237 batting average

Post Playing Career

Campanella had his career tragically ended by a car accident in 1958 that left him paralyzed.

After his playing career ended, Campanella worked with the Dodgers as an assistant supervisor of scouting and a special coach in Spring training.

Campanella was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1969 on the fifth ballot with 79.4% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Roy Campanella
ESPN - Roy Campanella
Baseball Reference - Roy Campanella

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