Roy Campanella, baseball player, 260 home runs, 1948-1957

Roy Campanella

⭐ Hall of Fame 1969

Born: 11/19/1921 in Philadelphia, PA, USA

Died: 6/26/1993 in Woodland Hills, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1948-04-20 | Final Game: 1957-09-29

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 190 lbs

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Biography

Roy Campanella, born in 1921, was a prominent figure in Major League Baseball, known for his exceptional skills as a catcher and his powerful hitting. Playing primarily for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1948 until his retirement in 1957, Campanella established himself as one of the premier players of his era. Over the course of 1,215 games, he amassed 1,161 hits, 242 home runs, and 856 RBIs, finishing his career with a batting average of .276. He was not only a formidable slugger but also a solid defensive player, earning eight All-Star selections during his career. Campanella's impact on the game extended beyond his impressive statistics; he was a key figure in the integration of baseball, following in the footsteps of Jackie Robinson. His contributions to the Dodgers helped the team secure several pennants and a World Series championship. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1969, Campanella's legacy remains significant in the annals of baseball history, reflecting both his on-field excellence and his role in breaking down racial barriers in the sport. His career was tragically cut short by an automobile accident that left him paralyzed, but his influence on the game and the players who followed him endures.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1034.0 934.0 191.0 330.0 64.0 18.0 30.0 144.0 83.0 13.0 18.0 0.353 0.407 0.557 0.964

Pitching

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
6.0 0 0 3.0 2.0 0 0 0.0 13.0 14.0 0 1.0 0 0 0.00

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1937 29.0 28.0 3.0 6.0 3.0 0 0 4.0 0 0 0 0.214 0.214 0.321 0.535
1938 33.0 32.0 4.0 7.0 1.0 0 0 4.0 1.0 0 0 0.219 0.242 0.250 0.492
1939 89.0 76.0 9.0 19.0 1.0 0 1.0 15.0 7.0 1.0 1.0 0.250 0.326 0.303 0.629
1940 126.0 120.0 16.0 32.0 5.0 1.0 6.0 16.0 4.0 1.0 1.0 0.267 0.294 0.475 0.769
1941 107.0 94.0 20.0 34.0 8.0 3.0 4.0 14.0 13.0 5.0 2.0 0.362 0.444 0.638 1.082
1942 160.0 143.0 24.0 48.0 8.0 4.0 2.0 18.0 12.0 0 1.0 0.336 0.384 0.490 0.874
1944 215.0 202.0 57.0 93.0 22.0 6.0 8.0 39.0 11.0 0 10.0 0.460 0.486 0.748 1.234
1945 275.0 239.0 58.0 91.0 16.0 4.0 9.0 34.0 35.0 6.0 3.0 0.381 0.462 0.594 1.056

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

Season W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
1944 0 0 0 1.0 1.0 0 0 0.0 0 2.0 0 0 0 0 0.00
1945 6.0 0 0 2.0 1.0 0 0 0.0 13.0 12.0 0 1.0 0 0 0.00

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
1 0 2 2 1 0 0 15.3 13 9 1 6 16 5.28 0

Career ERA 5.28 vs. league average 3.67 across their career seasons — 44.1% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1945 BEG NN2 1 0 2 2 1 0 0 15.3 13 9 6 16 5.28 3.67 (-44%) 315.1

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1455 5050 787 1427 235 32 260 1015 39 608 514 0.283 0.363 0.496 0.859 19494.1

Career AVG .283 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — +7.3% above league average.

Career OBP .363 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — +8.4% above league average.

Career SLG .496 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — +29.7% above league average.

Career OPS 0.859 vs. league average 0.717 across their career seasons — +19.8% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1937 WEG NN2 7 22 3 4 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0.182 — — — — 0.0
1938 BEG NN2 9 30 4 6 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1939 BEG NN2 18 46 6 10 1 0 0 5 0 2 0 0.217 — — — — 0.0
1940 BEG NN2 35 119 18 31 5 1 6 25 1 6 1 0.261 .267 (-3%) .335 (-10%) .387 (+21%) .722 (+7%) 91.2
1941 BEG NN2 37 128 26 41 11 3 4 22 3 12 6 0.320 .262 (+22%) .332 (+18%) .373 (+47%) .705 (+33%) 681.1
1942 BEG NN2 42 150 22 42 8 3 1 26 2 14 6 0.280 .253 (+11%) .323 (+7%) .349 (+12%) .672 (+10%) 221.3
1944 BEG NN2 34 138 28 54 13 2 2 30 4 8 0 0.391 .261 (+50%) .325 (+30%) .357 (+56%) .683 (+44%) 920.9
1944 PS NN2 1 5 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.200 — — — — 920.9
1945 BEG NN2 57 207 51 77 18 5 5 48 3 31 0 0.372 .260 (+43%) .328 (+39%) .354 (+63%) .683 (+52%) 1844.2
1948 BRO NL 83 279 32 72 11 3 9 45 3 36 45 0.258 .263 (-2%) .340 (+1%) .379 (+10%) .719 (+6%) 296.1
1949 BRO NL 130 436 65 125 22 2 22 82 3 67 36 0.287 .262 (+9%) .343 (+12%) .384 (+30%) .727 (+21%) 1939.2
1950 BRO NL 126 437 70 123 19 3 31 89 1 55 51 0.281 .265 (+6%) .346 (+5%) .401 (+37%) .747 (+22%) 1918.2
1951 BRO NL 143 505 90 164 33 1 33 108 1 53 51 0.325 .260 (+24%) .336 (+17%) .385 (+53%) .721 (+36%) 3616.4
1952 BRO NL 128 468 73 126 18 1 22 97 8 57 59 0.269 .252 (+7%) .326 (+8%) .369 (+23%) .696 (+16%) 1434.7
1953 BRO NL 144 519 103 162 26 3 41 142 4 67 58 0.312 .264 (+18%) .335 (+18%) .397 (+54%) .733 (+37%) 3958.1
1954 BRO NL 111 397 43 82 14 3 19 51 1 42 49 0.207 .261 (-21%) .333 (-14%) .390 (+3%) .723 (-5%) -485.6
1955 BRO NL 123 446 81 142 20 1 32 107 2 56 41 0.318 .258 (+23%) .332 (+19%) .393 (+48%) .726 (+35%) 3053.4
1956 BRO NL 124 388 39 85 6 1 20 73 1 66 61 0.219 .258 (-15%) .331 (avg) .397 (-1%) .728 (avg) 108.0
1957 BRO NL 103 330 31 80 9 0 13 62 1 34 50 0.242 .257 (-6%) .323 (-3%) .391 (-1%) .715 (-2%) -103.1

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
41 146 19 36 6 0 5 20 13 20 0.247

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1956 WS BRO 7 22 2 4 1 0 0 3 3 7 0.182
1955 WS BRO 7 27 4 7 3 0 2 4 3 3 0.259
1953 WS BRO 6 22 6 6 0 0 1 2 2 3 0.273
1952 WS BRO 7 28 0 6 0 0 0 1 1 6 0.214
1949 WS BRO 5 15 2 4 1 0 1 2 3 1 0.267
1939 NLC BEG 5 17 3 6 1 0 1 6 0 0 0.353
1939 NLP1 BEG 4 15 2 3 0 0 0 2 1 0 0.200

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 1 1 3 3 1 1
C 1371 606 7501 685 107 89
OF 45 42 66 4 4 2
P 2 2 0 3 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1937 WEG C 7 6 34 2 0 0
1938 BEG C 8 7 36 5 0 0
1939 BEG C 16 15 63 9 3 1
1940 BEG C 32 29 180 25 7 1
1941 BEG C 36 33 182 15 2 0
1941 BEG OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1942 BEG C 27 25 119 27 0 1
1942 BEG OF 15 13 19 2 2 0
1944 BEG C 20 19 112 15 2 2
1944 BEG OF 15 15 25 2 2 2
1944 PS OF 1 1 2 0 0 0
1945 BEG 3B 1 1 3 3 1 1
1945 BEG C 42 41 255 37 8 2
1945 BEG OF 13 13 20 0 0 0
1945 BEG P 2 2 0 3 0 0
1948 BRO C 78 0 413 45 9 12
1949 BRO C 127 0 684 55 11 5
1950 BRO C 123 0 683 54 11 14
1951 BRO C 140 0 722 72 11 12
1952 BRO C 122 0 662 55 4 7
1953 BRO C 140 0 807 57 10 9
1954 BRO C 111 106 600 58 7 7
1955 BRO C 121 118 672 54 6 8
1956 BRO C 121 113 659 49 11 3
1957 BRO C 100 94 618 51 5 5

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 2
Catcher 1370
Third Base 1
Left Field 14
Center Field 7
Right Field 24

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1955 Most Valuable Player
1955 TSN All-Star C
1953 Most Valuable Player
1953 TSN All-Star C
1953 TSN Player of the Year
1951 Most Valuable Player
1951 TSN All-Star C
1950 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1949 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1949 TSN All-Star C

Featured In Rankings

#4
Top 20 Catchers in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 4 of 20
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Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1955 Most Valuable Player NL 1st 226.0 336 8
1953 Most Valuable Player NL 1st 297.0 336 17
1952 Most Valuable Player NL 10th 25.0 336 0
1951 Most Valuable Player NL 1st 243.0 336 11
1950 Most Valuable Player NL 13th 29.0 336 0
1949 Most Valuable Player NL 15th 22.0 336 0
1948 Most Valuable Player NL 21th 8.0 336 0