Vinegar Bend Mizell, baseball player, 1952-1962

Vinegar Bend Mizell

Born: 8/13/1930 in Leakesville, MS, USA

Died: 2/21/1999 in Kerrville, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 1952-04-22 | Final Game: 1962-07-25

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 205 lbs

Full name: Wilmer David Mizell

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Biography

Vinegar Bend Mizell was a professional baseball pitcher who played from 1952 to 1962, establishing himself as a notable figure in Major League Baseball during the post-war era. Born in 1930, Mizell made a name for himself as a durable and reliable left-handed pitcher, finishing his career with a record of 90 wins and 88 losses, alongside an earned run average (ERA) of 3.85. Over the span of his career, he recorded 918 strikeouts, showcasing his ability to overpower batters despite the evolving offensive strategies of the time. Mizell was selected as an All-Star twice, reflecting his status as one of the top pitchers of his era. Mizell's playing style was characterized by his impressive command and ability to induce ground balls, which was particularly valuable in an era where pitching dominated the game. He played for several teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Mets, contributing significantly to each franchise during his tenure. Although he did not record any saves throughout his career, his contributions as a starter and his resilience on the mound made him a respected figure among his peers. Mizell's legacy is remembered not only for his individual achievements but also for his role in a transformative period in baseball, where the game began to see an influx of talent 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
90 88 268 230 61 15 0 1528.7 1434 654 143 680 918 3.85 0

Career ERA 3.85 vs. league average 3.91 across their career seasons — near 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
1952 STL NL 10 8 30 30 7 2 0 190.0 171 77 103 146 3.65 3.70 (+1%) -
1953 STL NL 13 11 33 33 10 1 0 224.3 193 87 114 173 3.49 4.14 (+16%) -
1956 STL NL 14 14 33 33 11 3 0 208.7 172 84 92 153 3.62 3.96 (+9%) -
1957 STL NL 8 10 33 21 7 2 0 149.3 136 62 51 87 3.74 3.83 (+3%) -
1958 STL NL 10 14 30 29 8 2 0 189.7 178 72 91 80 3.42 3.86 (+11%) -
1959 STL NL 13 10 31 30 8 1 0 201.3 196 94 89 108 4.20 3.90 (-8%) -
1960 STL NL 1 3 9 9 0 0 0 55.3 64 28 28 42 4.55 3.82 (-19%) -
1960 PIT NL 13 5 23 23 8 3 0 155.7 141 54 46 71 3.12 3.82 (+18%) 2709.2
1961 PIT NL 7 10 25 17 2 1 0 100.0 120 56 31 37 5.04 4.03 (-25%) -2086.1
1962 PIT NL 1 1 4 3 0 0 0 16.3 15 9 10 6 4.96 3.96 (-25%) -956.8
1962 NYN NL 0 2 17 2 0 0 0 38.0 48 31 25 15 7.34 3.96 (-86%) -3203.7

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
268 513 28 57 8 3 1 30 0 20 196 0.111 0.149 0.144 0.293 -4181.0

Career AVG .111 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 56.9% below league average.

Career OBP .149 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — 54.5% below league average.

Career SLG .144 vs. league average .392 across their career seasons — 63.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.293 vs. league average 0.719 across their career seasons — 59.2% below 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
1952 STL NL 30 68 2 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 31 0.044 .252 (-83%) .326 (-86%) .369 (-76%) .696 (-81%) -916.0
1953 STL NL 33 83 4 7 1 1 1 8 0 3 42 0.084 .264 (-68%) .335 (-65%) .397 (-61%) .733 (-63%) -920.1
1956 STL NL 33 75 5 8 1 0 0 4 0 4 16 0.107 .258 (-59%) .331 (-51%) .397 (-70%) .728 (-61%) -782.6
1957 STL NL 33 45 1 4 2 0 0 3 0 3 17 0.089 — — — — 0.0
1958 STL NL 30 61 3 7 1 0 0 1 0 1 25 0.115 .257 (-56%) .324 (-60%) .394 (-67%) .719 (-64%) -652.8
1959 STL NL 31 75 7 14 1 1 0 7 0 3 29 0.187 .256 (-27%) .323 (-33%) .392 (-42%) .715 (-38%) -480.9
1960 STL NL 9 18 1 2 1 0 0 2 0 1 10 0.111 — — — — 0.0
1960 PIT NL 23 51 2 7 0 0 0 3 0 2 14 0.137 .255 (-46%) .323 (-38%) .387 (-65%) .711 (-53%) 0.0
1961 PIT NL 25 23 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 2 9 0.130 — — — — 0.0
1962 PIT NL 4 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1962 NYN NL 17 8 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.250 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1960 WS PIT 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 2 1 0 2.3 4 4 2 1 15.43

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1960 WS PIT 0 1 2 1 0 2.3 4 4 2 1 15.43

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 268 167 79 217 21 14

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1952 SLN P 30 0 7 25 4 1
1953 SLN P 33 0 13 35 7 2
1956 SLN P 33 33 19 30 2 2
1957 SLN P 33 21 8 29 0 3
1958 SLN P 30 29 6 31 3 3
1959 SLN P 31 30 9 23 3 1
1960 SLN P 9 9 2 11 0 0
1960 PIT P 23 23 7 17 0 1
1961 PIT P 25 17 6 7 2 1
1962 PIT P 4 3 1 5 0 0
1962 NYN P 17 2 1 4 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 268