Johnny Mize, baseball player, 359 home runs, 1936-1953

Johnny Mize

⭐ Hall of Fame 1981

Born: 1/7/1913 in Demorest, GA, USA

Died: 6/2/1993 in Demorest, GA, USA

MLB Debut: 1936-04-16 | Final Game: 1953-09-26

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 215 lbs

Full name: John Robert Mize

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Biography

Johnny Mize, born in 1913, was a prominent first baseman and outfielder who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball from 1936 until his retirement in 1953. Known for his powerful hitting and exceptional batting average, Mize played a total of 1,884 games, accumulating 2,011 hits and an impressive 359 home runs. His career batting average of .312 and 1,337 RBIs highlighted his ability to drive in runs and contribute to his team's success. Mize also showcased his speed on the bases with 28 stolen bases, a notable achievement for a player of his size and position during the era. Throughout his career, Mize was selected as an All-Star ten times and was celebrated for his offensive prowess, particularly during the post-World War II period when the league experienced a surge in talent and competition. His contributions to the game earned him induction into the Hall of Fame in 1981, solidifying his legacy among baseball's greats. Mize's enduring influence is remembered not just for his impressive statistics, but also for his role in shaping the game in an era characterized by the transition from the deadball era to a more power-centric approach.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
44.0 40.0 7.0 14.0 4.0 1.0 1.0 8.0 4.0 2.0 0 0.350 0.409 0.575 0.984

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1936 19.0 19.0 3.0 6.0 2.0 0 1.0 4.0 0 0 0 0.316 0.316 0.579 0.895
1937 20.0 16.0 3.0 4.0 1.0 0 0 3.0 4.0 2.0 0 0.250 0.400 0.312 0.712
1943 5.0 5.0 1.0 4.0 1.0 1.0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0.800 0.800 1.400 2.200

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1884 6443 1118 2011 367 83 359 1337 28 856 524 0.312 0.397 0.562 0.959 43060.8

Career AVG .312 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — +17.6% above league average.

Career OBP .397 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — +17.7% above league average.

Career SLG .562 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — +46.7% above league average.

Career OPS 0.959 vs. league average 0.721 across their career seasons — +33.1% 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
1936 STL NL 126 414 76 136 30 8 19 93 1 50 32 0.329 .283 (+16%) .349 (+15%) .404 (+43%) .753 (+30%) 2492.2
1937 STL NL 145 560 103 204 40 7 25 113 2 56 57 0.364 .276 (+32%) .342 (+25%) .398 (+49%) .740 (+38%) 4420.1
1938 STL NL 149 531 85 179 34 16 27 102 0 74 47 0.337 .272 (+24%) .341 (+23%) .392 (+56%) .734 (+41%) 4523.0
1939 STL NL 153 564 104 197 44 14 28 108 0 92 49 0.349 .274 (+27%) .342 (+30%) .393 (+59%) .735 (+46%) 5526.7
1940 STL NL 155 579 111 182 31 13 43 137 7 82 49 0.314 .267 (+18%) .335 (+20%) .387 (+64%) .722 (+44%) 5195.0
1941 STL NL 126 473 67 150 39 8 16 100 4 70 45 0.317 .262 (+21%) .332 (+22%) .373 (+43%) .705 (+33%) 3112.2
1942 NY1 NL 142 541 97 165 25 7 26 110 3 60 39 0.305 .253 (+20%) .323 (+17%) .349 (+49%) .672 (+34%) 3436.8
1946 NY1 NL 101 377 70 127 18 3 22 70 3 62 26 0.337 .256 (+31%) .328 (+33%) .358 (+61%) .687 (+47%) 3440.5
1947 NY1 NL 154 586 137 177 26 2 51 138 2 74 42 0.302 .262 (+15%) .336 (+14%) .376 (+63%) .712 (+40%) 4684.4
1948 NY1 NL 152 560 110 162 26 4 40 125 4 94 37 0.289 .263 (+10%) .340 (+16%) .379 (+49%) .719 (+33%) 3943.9
1949 NY1 NL 106 388 59 102 15 0 18 62 1 50 19 0.263 .262 (avg) .343 (+2%) .384 (+15%) .727 (+9%) 678.8
1949 NYY AL 13 23 4 6 1 0 1 2 0 4 2 0.261 — — — — 678.8
1950 NYY AL 90 274 43 76 12 0 25 72 0 29 24 0.277 .265 (+4%) .346 (+1%) .401 (+48%) .747 (+26%) 1297.0
1951 NYY AL 113 332 37 86 14 1 10 49 1 36 24 0.259 .260 (-1%) .336 (+1%) .385 (+3%) .721 (+2%) 146.2
1952 NYY AL 78 137 9 36 9 0 4 29 0 11 15 0.263 .252 (+4%) .326 (avg) .369 (+13%) .696 (+7%) 141.3
1953 NYY AL 81 104 6 26 3 0 4 27 0 12 17 0.250 .264 (-5%) .335 (+1%) .397 (-1%) .733 (avg) 22.6

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
18 42 5 12 2 0 3 9 5 3 0.286

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1953 WS NYA 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1952 WS NYA 5 15 3 6 1 0 3 6 3 1 0.400
1951 WS NYA 4 7 2 2 1 0 0 1 2 0 0.286
1950 WS NYA 4 15 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.133
1949 WS NYA 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 1.000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1667 0 14850 1032 133 1320
OF 8 0 12 1 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1936 SLN 1B 97 0 897 66 6 63
1936 SLN OF 8 0 12 1 0 0
1937 SLN 1B 144 0 1308 67 17 104
1938 SLN 1B 140 0 1297 93 15 117
1939 SLN 1B 152 0 1348 90 19 123
1940 SLN 1B 153 0 1376 80 14 105
1941 SLN 1B 122 0 1157 82 8 104
1942 NY1 1B 138 0 1393 74 8 98
1946 NY1 1B 101 0 928 83 11 80
1947 NY1 1B 154 0 1381 118 6 120
1948 NY1 1B 152 0 1359 111 13 114
1949 NY1 1B 101 0 906 65 6 77
1949 NYA 1B 6 0 47 3 1 5
1950 NYA 1B 72 0 490 31 2 73
1951 NYA 1B 93 0 632 44 4 86
1952 NYA 1B 27 0 218 18 3 32
1953 NYA 1B 15 0 113 7 0 19

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 1668
Right Field 8

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1952 Babe Ruth Award 1B
1948 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1948 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1948 TSN All-Star 1B
1947 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1947 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1947 TSN All-Star 1B
1942 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1942 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1942 TSN All-Star 1B
1940 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1940 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1937 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B

Featured In Rankings

#10
Top 20 First Basemen in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 10 of 20
→

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1951 Most Valuable Player AL 30th 2.0 336 0
1950 Most Valuable Player AL 17th 11.0 336 0
1948 Most Valuable Player NL 17th 22.0 336 0
1947 Most Valuable Player NL 3rd 144.0 336 2
1946 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 14.0 336 0
1942 Most Valuable Player NL 5th 97.0 336 0
1941 Most Valuable Player NL 9th 48.0 336 0
1940 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 209.0 336 6
1939 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 178.0 336 1
1938 Most Valuable Player NL 12th 28.0 336 0
1937 Most Valuable Player NL 10th 18.0 80 0