A favorite late-night pastime of mine is opening up the Baseball Encyclopedia to a random page to review the career of whichever player I might hit upon. You can find some real interesting players in just such a random way; players who were once considered minor, or even major, stars but who have now faded into the background, overshadowed by the immortals. One such player is Mickey Vernon.
Mickey Vernon
Years: 1939 - 1960
Teams: Washington, Cleveland, Boston AL, Milwaukee NL, Pittsburgh
Position: 1B
Height: 6'2" Weight: 170
Class: Sisler Class First Baseman
Vernon is an interesting player. No, he does not have the statistics of such immortals as Ruth, Gehrig and Williams. Nor do his overall lifetime statistics place him just beneath such Baseball gods and demi-gods. Vernon may fall into a third-tier. A talented ball player whose inconsistencies seem to diminish his career, particularly in light of today's inflated numbers. Yet, some players take on a new sheen when their numbers are analyzed and put into context.
James "Mickey" Vernon is such a player. Vernon played 16 full seasons from 1939 - 1960 and hit as high as .353 and as low as .242. Sometimes he stole bases (25 in 1942, 15 in 1948) sometimes he didn't (1 in 1954, 4 in 1953). He belted out 20 homeruns in 1954 and 3 in 1948. Bill James wondered about Vernon's seeming inconsistency only to discover that Vernon had played hurt for many years. One off season Vernon underwent surgery and his back problems ceased. In the 1940's and 1950's, players tended to hide injuries, rather than ride the bench, lest they lose their job to younger, healthier players.
Despite the inconsistent statistics, Vernon is an impressive player who should not be forgotten.
His lifetime statistics are quite good.
Avg. .286
Hits 2495
Doubles 490
Homeruns 172
Runs 1196
RBI's 1311
SB's 137
Vernon led the league in batting average twice and doubles three times. He lost two years to WWII.
Vernon's best year may have been 1953:
Batting Average: .337
Hits: 205
Doubles: 43
Homeruns: 15
RBI's: 115
Runs: 101
On Base%: .403
Vernon was third in the MVP voting that year. Not bad, particularly for a thirty-five year-old. Players in the '40's and '50's tended to peak at 27-30 years of age. Today, players seem to peak at 32-35.
I make the argument that Vernon's numbers, as good as they are, belie his talent and abilities. I do not argue that a player who may have been great but for injuries, should be considered great, only that the statistics accumulated by a player need to be viewed outside the context of today's inflated, eye-popping statistics.
Runs Batted In
I'm not sure where Vernon batted in the line-up and that is going to effect his RBI numbers. He looks like a classic 2nd place hitter: speed, a contact hitter, good doubles numbers. That's just my impression. He may have led off, batted third or fourth.
He was with the Washington Senators for 13 out of his 16 full seasons. Not a good team during those years. I believe they reached .500 twice between 1946 - 1955. Still, except for 1948, Vernon drove in at least 80 RBI's a year for the lack-luster Senators. In 1956 he went to Boston and in 119 games , hit .310 and drove in 84 runs (more than Ted Williams that year and Williams hit .345).
I believe, had he played for a better team during his prime, Vernon would have been a consistent 90+ RBI man. Also, Griffith's Stadium was a tough stadium for homeruns. It's likely his power numbers would have been at least slightly better in a different park.
Speed
Although his stolen bases look paltry by today's standards, Vernon was probably a fast runner. Between 1942 and 1950 (excluding his two war years), Vernon was one of the top ten leaders in stolen bases for the American League. He wasn't a terribly successful base swiper. He stole 137 bases in his career and was tossed out 90 times.
Fielding
The accounts I've found indicate he was either a very good or superb fielder. He led the league three times in fielding percentage ('51, '52, 54). He also led the league in errors three time, though all three times were before 1951. One could speculate that his back problems may have hurt him in those years.
Conclusion
Vernon is an interesting First Baseman, especially for the '40's and '50's. Unlike most of the top first basemen, Vernon had speed, a good glove, some pop in his bat and he could hit for average, a Sisler Class rather than Gehrig Class first baseman. Probably comparable to Mark Grace, though Vernon displayes a bit more power. I find that particular skill set interesting in a first baseman from that era. He was the best First Baseman in the A.L. in the 1950's.
Notes
1. Vernon made the All-Star Team seven (7) times;
2. He did reasonably well on the Leader Boards. He was in the top ten:
4 times for batting average
6 times for hits
9 times for both doubles and triples
8 times for RBI's
7 times for stolen bases
Vernon was also President Eisenhower's favorite player.
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