Denis Menke

Born: 7/21/1940 in Bancroft, IA, USA

Died: 12/1/2020 in Tarpon Springs, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1962-04-14 | Final Game: 1974-07-10

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Denis John Menke

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Biography

Denis Menke was a professional baseball player born in 1940, who made his mark in Major League Baseball from 1962 until his retirement in 1974. Primarily a position player, Menke played in a total of 1,598 games throughout his career, where he showcased his skills as a reliable hitter and an adept fielder. He accumulated 1,270 hits, hitting for a batting average of .250. Menke's power at the plate was evident as he belted 101 home runs and drove in 606 RBIs. Additionally, he demonstrated notable speed on the bases, finishing his career with 34 stolen bases. Menke was recognized for his talents, earning All-Star selections in two seasons. His career spanned a transformative era in baseball, where the game was evolving with the introduction of more power hitters and the increasing importance of strategy in play. Known for his versatility, Menke played various infield positions, contributing to his teams' success during a time when the sport was gaining popularity and entering a new phase of athleticism and competition. His contributions to the game are remembered by fans and historians alike, solidifying his place in baseball history.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1598	5071	605	1270	225	40	101	606	34	698	853	0.250	0.343	0.370	0.713	6407.5

Career AVG .250 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .343 vs. league average .316 across their career seasons — +8.5% above league average.

Career SLG .370 vs. league average .370 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.713 vs. league average 0.686 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
1962	ATL	NL	50	146	12	28	3	1	2	16	0	16	38	0.192	.257 (-26%)	.326 (-15%)	.393 (-32%)	.719 (-24%)	-607.9
1963	ATL	NL	146	518	58	121	16	4	11	50	6	37	106	0.234	.246 (-5%)	.308 (-7%)	.371 (-8%)	.680 (-7%)	-763.5
1964	ATL	NL	151	505	79	143	29	5	20	65	4	68	77	0.283	.250 (+13%)	.312 (+18%)	.377 (+27%)	.690 (+23%)	2326.2
1965	ATL	NL	71	181	16	44	13	1	4	18	1	18	28	0.243	.245 (-1%)	.310 (+1%)	.371 (+6%)	.682 (+3%)	92.1
1966	ATL	NL	138	454	55	114	20	4	15	60	0	71	87	0.251	.248 (+1%)	.309 (+15%)	.376 (+9%)	.685 (+12%)	1226.4
1967	ATL	NL	129	418	37	95	14	3	7	39	5	65	62	0.227	.242 (-6%)	.306 (+9%)	.357 (-9%)	.663 (-1%)	174.3
1968	HOU	NL	150	542	56	135	23	6	6	56	5	64	81	0.249	.236 (+5%)	.298 (+12%)	.340 (+2%)	.638 (+7%)	835.9
1969	HOU	NL	154	553	72	149	25	5	10	90	2	87	87	0.269	.248 (+9%)	.320 (+15%)	.369 (+5%)	.689 (+10%)	1311.4
1970	HOU	NL	154	562	82	171	26	6	13	92	6	82	80	0.304	.253 (+20%)	.325 (+20%)	.385 (+14%)	.711 (+17%)	2168.7
1971	HOU	NL	146	475	57	117	26	3	1	43	4	59	68	0.246	.249 (-1%)	.316 (+4%)	.365 (-12%)	.682 (-5%)	-352.4
1972	CIN	NL	140	447	41	104	19	2	9	50	0	58	76	0.233	.243 (-5%)	.310 (+4%)	.353 (-3%)	.664 (avg)	114.1
1973	CIN	NL	139	241	38	46	10	0	3	26	1	69	53	0.191	.256 (-26%)	.325 (+13%)	.378 (-29%)	.703 (-9%)	-117.8
1974	HOU	NL	30	29	2	3	1	0	0	1	0	4	10	0.103	—	—	—	—	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
15	49	3	8	1	0	2	3	7	11	0.163

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1973	NLCS	CIN	3	9	1	2	0	1	1	1	2	0.222
1972	NLCS	CIN	5	16	1	4	1	0	0	4	3	0.250
1972	WS	CIN	7	24	1	2	0	1	2	2	6	0.083

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	162	109	1080	75	4	101
2B	233	212	506	543	21	103
3B	420	328	296	715	49	64
OF	5	4	8	0	0	0
SS	841	753	1218	2355	144	419

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1962	ML1	1B	2	1	11	0	0	3
1962	ML1	2B	20	16	49	47	2	10
1962	ML1	3B	15	14	9	37	2	4
1962	ML1	OF	1	1	2	0	0	0
1962	ML1	SS	9	9	16	25	4	6
1963	ML1	1B	1	0	3	1	0	1
1963	ML1	2B	22	20	51	51	3	12
1963	ML1	3B	51	47	58	96	12	9
1963	ML1	OF	1	1	2	0	0	0
1963	ML1	SS	82	71	120	250	9	45
1964	ML1	2B	15	15	29	31	2	8
1964	ML1	3B	6	4	1	2	0	0
1964	ML1	SS	141	124	253	422	25	76
1965	ML1	1B	8	4	42	1	0	4
1965	ML1	3B	4	3	3	5	2	1
1965	ML1	SS	54	42	65	140	7	22
1966	ATL	1B	7	3	25	1	0	2
1966	ATL	3B	39	32	38	58	3	4
1966	ATL	SS	106	94	165	282	21	50
1967	ATL	3B	3	0	2	1	0	0
1967	ATL	SS	124	119	181	349	19	65
1968	HOU	1B	5	2	29	1	0	2
1968	HOU	2B	119	115	269	285	10	47
1968	HOU	3B	4	3	3	6	0	1
1968	HOU	SS	35	29	45	92	5	21
1969	HOU	1B	9	7	52	9	1	3
1969	HOU	2B	23	20	42	47	2	9
1969	HOU	3B	1	1	2	2	0	0
1969	HOU	SS	131	126	161	356	24	63
1970	HOU	1B	5	0	14	0	0	0
1970	HOU	2B	21	18	51	62	1	14
1970	HOU	3B	5	2	1	4	1	1
1970	HOU	OF	3	2	4	0	0	0
1970	HOU	SS	133	131	192	394	28	66
1971	HOU	1B	101	87	845	59	3	77
1971	HOU	2B	5	4	7	11	1	2
1971	HOU	3B	32	29	24	41	4	4
1971	HOU	SS	17	8	16	40	2	5
1972	CIN	1B	11	4	40	2	0	5
1972	CIN	3B	130	120	85	258	16	20
1973	CIN	1B	1	0	1	0	0	0
1973	CIN	2B	5	3	7	5	0	1
1973	CIN	3B	123	70	68	189	9	19
1973	CIN	SS	7	0	4	3	0	0
1974	HOU	1B	12	1	18	1	0	4
1974	HOU	2B	3	1	1	4	0	0
1974	HOU	3B	7	3	2	16	0	1
1974	HOU	SS	2	0	0	2	0	0