Bill Dickey, baseball player, 202 home runs, 1928-1946

Bill Dickey

⭐ Hall of Fame 1954

Born: 6/6/1907 in Bastrop, LA, USA

Died: 11/12/1993 in Little Rock, AR, USA

MLB Debut: 1928-08-15 | Final Game: 1946-09-08

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: William Malcolm Dickey

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Biography

Bill Dickey, born in 1907, was a prominent American baseball player whose career spanned from 1928 to 1946. As a key figure in the New York Yankees dynasty during the 1930s and early 1940s, Dickey established himself as one of the premier catchers of his era. Over his 18-year career, he played in 1,789 games, accumulating 1,969 hits, 202 home runs, and 1,209 RBIs, while boasting an impressive batting average of .313. In addition to his offensive prowess, Dickey was known for his defensive skills behind the plate, contributing to his team's success in an era marked by intense competition. Dickey was selected as an All-Star 11 times and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954, solidifying his legacy in the sport. His contributions were especially significant during a time when the Yankees were redefining excellence in Major League Baseball, and he played a crucial role in helping the team secure several championships. Beyond his individual accolades, Dickey's influence extended to future generations of catchers, as he was known for his ability to handle pitchers and manage the game from behind the plate, making him a vital component of the Yankees' storied history.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1789 6300 930 1969 343 72 202 1209 37 678 289 0.313 0.382 0.486 0.868 23908.7

Career AVG .313 vs. league average .274 across their career seasons — +14.2% above league average.

Career OBP .382 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — +12.7% above league average.

Career SLG .486 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — +25.1% above league average.

Career OPS 0.868 vs. league average 0.727 across their career seasons — +19.4% 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
1928 NYY AL 10 15 1 3 1 1 0 2 0 0 2 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1929 NYY AL 130 447 60 145 30 6 10 65 5 14 16 0.324 .289 (+12%) .353 (-2%) .415 (+17%) .769 (+8%) 584.4
1930 NYY AL 109 366 55 124 25 7 5 65 7 21 14 0.339 .293 (+15%) .354 (+6%) .429 (+13%) .784 (+10%) 673.2
1931 NYY AL 130 477 65 156 17 10 6 78 2 39 20 0.327 .276 (+18%) .338 (+12%) .388 (+14%) .726 (+13%) 1226.8
1932 NYY AL 108 423 66 131 20 4 15 84 2 34 13 0.310 .275 (+13%) .335 (+8%) .391 (+23%) .726 (+16%) 1266.5
1933 NYY AL 130 478 58 152 24 8 14 97 3 47 14 0.318 .270 (+18%) .329 (+16%) .377 (+30%) .707 (+23%) 2161.8
1934 NYY AL 104 395 56 127 24 4 12 72 0 38 18 0.322 .278 (+16%) .340 (+13%) .392 (+26%) .733 (+20%) 1503.1
1935 NYY AL 120 448 54 125 26 6 14 81 1 35 11 0.279 .279 (avg) .342 (-1%) .399 (+15%) .742 (+7%) 581.5
1936 NYY AL 112 423 99 153 26 8 22 107 0 46 16 0.362 .283 (+27%) .349 (+22%) .404 (+53%) .753 (+39%) 3258.8
1937 NYY AL 140 530 87 176 35 2 29 133 3 73 22 0.332 .276 (+20%) .342 (+22%) .398 (+43%) .740 (+33%) 3783.5
1938 NYY AL 132 454 84 142 27 4 27 115 3 75 22 0.313 .272 (+15%) .341 (+21%) .392 (+45%) .734 (+34%) 3226.8
1939 NYY AL 128 480 98 145 23 3 24 105 5 77 37 0.302 .274 (+10%) .342 (+18%) .393 (+30%) .735 (+25%) 2575.7
1940 NYY AL 106 372 45 92 11 1 9 54 0 48 32 0.247 .267 (-7%) .335 (avg) .387 (-8%) .722 (-4%) -204.0
1941 NYY AL 109 348 35 99 15 5 7 71 2 45 17 0.284 .262 (+9%) .332 (+12%) .373 (+12%) .705 (+12%) 847.5
1942 NYY AL 82 268 28 79 13 1 2 37 2 26 11 0.295 .253 (+16%) .323 (+11%) .349 (+7%) .672 (+9%) 445.1
1943 NYY AL 85 242 29 85 18 2 4 33 2 41 12 0.351 .255 (+37%) .324 (+37%) .346 (+42%) .671 (+40%) 1818.3
1946 NYY AL 54 134 10 35 8 0 2 10 0 19 12 0.261 .256 (+2%) .328 (+9%) .358 (+2%) .687 (+5%) 159.7

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
38 145 19 37 1 1 5 24 15 12 0.255

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1943 WS NYA 5 18 1 5 0 0 1 4 2 2 0.278
1942 WS NYA 5 19 1 5 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.263
1941 WS NYA 5 18 3 3 1 0 0 1 3 1 0.167
1939 WS NYA 4 15 2 4 0 0 2 5 1 2 0.267
1938 WS NYA 4 15 2 6 0 0 1 2 1 0 0.400
1937 WS NYA 5 19 3 4 0 1 0 3 2 2 0.211
1936 WS NYA 6 25 5 3 0 0 1 5 3 4 0.120
1932 WS NYA 4 16 2 7 0 0 0 4 2 1 0.438

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
C 1708 0 7965 954 108 137

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1928 NYA C 6 0 6 2 0 0
1929 NYA C 127 0 476 95 12 13
1930 NYA C 101 0 418 51 11 5
1931 NYA C 125 0 670 78 3 6
1932 NYA C 108 0 639 53 9 6
1933 NYA C 127 0 721 82 6 15
1934 NYA C 104 0 527 49 8 13
1935 NYA C 118 0 536 62 3 7
1936 NYA C 107 0 499 61 14 10
1937 NYA C 137 0 692 80 7 11
1938 NYA C 126 0 518 74 8 7
1939 NYA C 126 0 571 57 7 8
1940 NYA C 102 0 425 55 3 9
1941 NYA C 104 0 422 45 3 11
1942 NYA C 80 0 322 44 9 7
1943 NYA C 71 0 322 37 2 5
1946 NYA C 39 0 201 29 3 4

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 1704

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1943 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1943 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1942 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1942 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1941 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1941 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1941 TSN All-Star C
1939 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1939 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1939 TSN All-Star C
1938 Baseball Magazine All-Star C1
1938 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1938 TSN All-Star C
1937 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1937 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1936 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1936 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1936 TSN All-Star C
1933 TSN All-Star C
1932 TSN All-Star C

Featured In Rankings

#10
Top 20 Catchers in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 10 of 20
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Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1943 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 58.0 336 2
1942 Most Valuable Player AL 17th 12.0 336 0
1941 Most Valuable Player AL 13th 18.0 336 0
1939 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 110.0 336 3
1938 Most Valuable Player AL 2nd 196.0 336 3
1937 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 22.0 80 0
1936 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 29.0 80 0
1933 Most Valuable Player AL 12th 9.0 80 0
1932 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 8.0 80 0