Sam Mele

Born: 1/21/1922 in Astoria, NY, USA

Died: 5/1/2017 in Quincy, MA, USA

MLB Debut: 1947-04-15 | Final Game: 1956-09-16

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 183 lbs

Full name: Sabath Anthony Mele

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Biography

Sam Mele was a professional baseball player who carved out a notable career as an outfielder during the post-World War II era, which was marked by the return of veterans and the gradual evolution of the game. Born in 1922, Mele made his Major League Baseball debut on April 15, 1947, and played until September 16, 1956. Over the course of his nine-season career, he appeared in 1,046 games, amassing 916 hits and demonstrating consistent offensive production with a career batting average of .267. Mele showcased his power at the plate, hitting 80 home runs and driving in 544 runs, underscoring his effectiveness as a run producer in the lineup. Despite playing in a time when the game was transitioning from the deadball era to a more power-oriented approach, he managed to maintain a respectable presence as a position player. Additionally, Mele displayed speed on the bases, recording 15 stolen bases throughout his career. His contributions to the teams he played for, particularly with the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins, left a lasting impact in the league, making him a significant figure in baseball history during a dynamic period of the sport.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1046	3437	406	916	168	39	80	544	15	311	342	0.267	0.328	0.408	0.736	633.5

Career AVG .267 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .328 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .408 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — +5.4% above league average.

Career OPS 0.736 vs. league average 0.723 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
1947	BOS	AL	123	453	71	137	14	8	12	73	0	37	35	0.302	.262 (+15%)	.336 (+6%)	.376 (+19%)	.712 (+13%)	1037.2
1948	BOS	AL	66	180	25	42	12	1	2	25	1	13	21	0.233	.263 (-11%)	.340 (-14%)	.379 (-9%)	.719 (-11%)	-413.2
1949	BOS	AL	18	46	1	9	1	1	0	7	2	7	14	0.196	—	—	—	—	-170.6
1949	WSN	AL	78	264	21	64	12	2	3	25	2	17	34	0.242	.262 (-8%)	.343 (-16%)	.384 (-12%)	.727 (-14%)	-170.6
1950	WSN	AL	126	435	57	119	21	6	12	86	2	51	40	0.274	.265 (+3%)	.346 (+1%)	.401 (+8%)	.747 (+5%)	378.1
1951	WSN	AL	143	558	58	153	36	7	5	94	2	32	31	0.274	.260 (+5%)	.336 (-6%)	.385 (+1%)	.721 (-2%)	-476.6
1952	WSN	AL	9	28	2	12	3	0	2	10	0	1	2	0.429	—	—	—	—	0.0
1952	CHW	AL	123	423	46	105	18	2	14	59	1	48	40	0.248	.252 (-2%)	.326 (avg)	.369 (+8%)	.696 (+4%)	0.0
1953	CHW	AL	140	481	64	132	26	8	12	82	3	58	47	0.274	.264 (+4%)	.335 (+5%)	.397 (+10%)	.733 (+8%)	725.0
1954	BAL	AL	72	230	17	55	9	4	5	32	1	18	26	0.239	.261 (-8%)	.333 (-13%)	.390 (-3%)	.723 (-8%)	-415.8
1954	BOS	AL	42	132	22	42	6	0	7	23	0	12	12	0.318	.261 (+22%)	.333 (+14%)	.390 (+34%)	.723 (+25%)	-415.8
1955	BOS	AL	14	31	1	4	2	0	0	1	1	0	7	0.129	—	—	—	—	0.0
1955	CIN	NL	35	62	4	13	1	0	2	7	0	5	13	0.210	.258 (-19%)	.332 (-16%)	.393 (-18%)	.726 (-17%)	0.0
1956	CLE	AL	57	114	17	29	7	0	4	20	0	12	20	0.254	.258 (-1%)	.331 (-3%)	.397 (+6%)	.728 (+2%)	10.1

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	79	27	596	45	4	55
OF	840	101	1480	67	23	9

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1947	BOS	1B	1	0	5	0	0	0
1947	BOS	OF	116	0	233	10	2	1
1948	BOS	OF	55	0	99	2	3	0
1949	BOS	OF	11	0	20	1	1	0
1949	WS1	1B	11	0	79	7	1	9
1949	WS1	OF	63	0	108	5	4	3
1950	WS1	1B	16	0	149	18	2	13
1950	WS1	OF	99	0	192	8	2	0
1951	WS1	1B	15	0	122	7	0	11
1951	WS1	OF	124	0	263	8	2	1
1952	WS1	OF	7	0	11	0	1	0
1952	CHA	1B	3	0	10	0	0	0
1952	CHA	OF	112	0	157	8	0	1
1953	CHA	1B	2	0	4	0	0	0
1953	CHA	OF	138	0	213	14	1	1
1954	BAL	OF	62	58	97	5	4	1
1954	BOS	1B	22	21	168	8	1	17
1954	BOS	OF	13	11	20	1	1	1
1955	BOS	OF	7	6	14	3	0	0
1955	CIN	1B	1	0	0	0	0	0
1955	CIN	OF	13	11	24	0	1	0
1956	CLE	1B	8	6	59	5	0	5
1956	CLE	OF	20	15	29	2	1	0