Al Dark

Born: 1/7/1922 in Comanche, OK, USA

Died: 11/13/2014 in Easley, SC, USA

MLB Debut: 1946-07-14 | Final Game: 1960-10-02

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Alvin Ralph Dark

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Biography

Al Dark was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball, whose career spanned from 1946 to 1960. Born in 1922, Dark made an immediate impact upon his debut, eventually earning the title of Rookie of the Year. Over the course of his 1,828 games, he compiled an impressive batting average of .289, amassing 2,089 hits, including 126 home runs and 757 RBIs. Known for his consistent offensive production and ability to get on base, Dark also demonstrated speed on the basepaths with 59 stolen bases throughout his career. Dark was selected as an All-Star three times, showcasing his talents during a competitive era in baseball that was defined by the transition from the post-war period into a more modern game. His contributions were not only felt on the field, where he exhibited a blend of power and average, but also in the clubhouse, as he was considered a leader among his teammates. Al Dark's legacy remains significant, as he was part of a generation of players who helped shape the game during the late 1940s through the 1950s, a time characterized by the integration of baseball and the emergence of new playing styles.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1.0 1 2 1 1 0 18.00 0

Career ERA 18.00 vs. league average 4.14 across their career seasons — 335.0% 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
1953 NY1 NL 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1.0 1 2 1 0 18.00 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1828 7219 1064 2089 358 72 126 757 59 430 534 0.289 0.333 0.411 0.744 3029.6

Career AVG .289 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — +11.5% above league average.

Career OBP .333 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .411 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — +6.3% above league average.

Career OPS 0.744 vs. league average 0.719 across their career seasons — near 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
1946 BSN NL 15 13 0 3 3 0 0 1 0 0 3 0.231 — — — — 0.0
1948 BSN NL 137 543 85 175 39 6 3 48 4 24 36 0.322 .263 (+22%) .340 (+4%) .379 (+14%) .719 (+9%) 794.2
1949 BSN NL 130 529 74 146 23 5 3 53 5 31 43 0.276 .262 (+5%) .343 (-8%) .384 (-7%) .727 (-8%) -938.9
1950 NY1 NL 154 587 79 164 36 5 16 67 9 39 60 0.279 .265 (+5%) .346 (-4%) .401 (+9%) .747 (+3%) 175.2
1951 NY1 NL 156 646 114 196 41 7 14 69 12 42 39 0.303 .260 (+16%) .336 (+4%) .385 (+18%) .721 (+12%) 1339.8
1952 NY1 NL 151 589 92 177 29 3 14 73 6 47 39 0.301 .252 (+19%) .326 (+9%) .369 (+17%) .696 (+13%) 1503.2
1953 NY1 NL 155 647 126 194 41 6 23 88 7 28 34 0.300 .264 (+13%) .335 (avg) .397 (+23%) .733 (+12%) 1363.4
1954 NY1 NL 154 644 98 189 26 6 20 70 5 27 40 0.293 .261 (+12%) .333 (-3%) .390 (+14%) .723 (+6%) 624.1
1955 NY1 NL 115 475 77 134 20 3 9 45 2 22 32 0.282 .258 (+9%) .332 (-4%) .393 (avg) .726 (-2%) -247.8
1956 NY1 NL 48 206 19 52 12 0 2 17 0 8 13 0.252 .258 (-2%) .331 (-16%) .397 (-14%) .728 (-15%) -619.0
1956 STL NL 100 413 54 118 14 7 4 37 3 21 33 0.286 .258 (+11%) .331 (-3%) .397 (-4%) .728 (-4%) -619.0
1957 STL NL 140 583 80 169 25 8 4 64 3 29 56 0.290 .257 (+13%) .323 (+1%) .391 (-3%) .715 (-1%) -229.2
1958 STL NL 18 64 7 19 0 0 1 5 0 2 6 0.297 .257 (+15%) .324 (-2%) .394 (-13%) .719 (-8%) -77.9
1958 CHC NL 114 464 54 137 16 4 3 43 1 29 23 0.295 .257 (+14%) .324 (+4%) .394 (-7%) .719 (-2%) -77.9
1959 CHC NL 136 477 60 126 22 9 6 45 1 55 50 0.264 .256 (+3%) .323 (+6%) .392 (-2%) .715 (+2%) 204.8
1960 PHI NL 55 198 29 48 5 1 3 14 1 19 14 0.242 .255 (-5%) .323 (-3%) .387 (-17%) .711 (-10%) -307.6
1960 ATL NL 50 141 16 42 6 2 1 18 0 7 13 0.298 .255 (+17%) .323 (+2%) .387 (+1%) .711 (+1%) -307.6

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
16 65 9 21 4 0 1 4 3 6 0.323

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1954 WS NY1 4 17 2 7 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.412
1951 WS NY1 6 24 5 10 3 0 1 4 2 3 0.417
1948 WS BSN 6 24 2 4 1 0 0 0 0 2 0.167

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 15 8 67 6 2 5
2B 29 0 68 72 2 17
3B 320 287 294 605 50 56
OF 43 25 73 3 2 1
P 1 0 0 0 0 0
SS 1404 557 2672 4168 286 933

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1946 BSN OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1946 BSN SS 12 0 5 14 2 2
1948 BSN SS 133 0 253 393 25 66
1949 BSN 3B 4 0 1 8 1 0
1949 BSN SS 125 0 232 387 25 76
1950 NY1 SS 154 0 288 465 30 101
1951 NY1 SS 156 0 295 465 45 114
1952 NY1 SS 150 0 324 423 27 116
1953 NY1 2B 26 0 68 72 2 17
1953 NY1 3B 8 0 12 17 3 5
1953 NY1 OF 17 0 26 1 0 1
1953 NY1 P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1953 NY1 SS 110 0 219 343 19 79
1954 NY1 SS 154 154 289 487 36 105
1955 NY1 SS 115 114 213 324 21 70
1956 NY1 SS 48 48 89 132 9 27
1956 SLN SS 99 99 178 292 20 66
1957 SLN 3B 1 1 0 2 0 0
1957 SLN SS 139 134 276 419 25 105
1958 SLN 3B 8 5 4 12 1 0
1958 SLN SS 8 8 10 23 2 6
1958 CHN 3B 111 111 107 225 18 24
1959 CHN 1B 4 4 26 4 1 1
1959 CHN 3B 131 121 111 255 20 20
1959 CHN SS 1 0 1 1 0 0
1960 PHI 1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1960 PHI 3B 53 48 57 84 7 7
1960 ML1 1B 10 4 40 2 1 4
1960 ML1 2B 3 0 0 0 0 0
1960 ML1 3B 4 1 2 2 0 0
1960 ML1 OF 25 25 46 2 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 1
First Base 15
Second Base 29
Third Base 320
Shortstop 1402
Left Field 39
Right Field 4

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1955 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1954 TSN All-Star SS
1948 Baseball Magazine All-Star SS
1948 Rookie of the Year

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Louisiana State University Baton Rouge LA 1943
University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette LA 1944

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1957 Most Valuable Player NL 17th 12.0 336 0
1954 Most Valuable Player NL 5th 110.0 336 1
1952 Most Valuable Player NL 12th 24.0 336 0
1951 Most Valuable Player NL 12th 30.0 336 0
1949 Most Valuable Player NL 25th 3.0 336 0
1948 Most Valuable Player NL 3rd 174.0 336 1
1948 Rookie of the Year ML 1st 27.0 48 27