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Top Baseball Hitters of the 1950sMays, Mantle, and the Duke Are Among the Decade's Top BatsmenAfter a decade interrupted by war, baseball returned to its full glory during the 1950s. Here are the very best hitters from the Rock n' Roll decade.
Baseball in the 1950s was dominated by New York City. In every year except 1958, the World Series winner was a team that either played in New York, or in the case of the 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers, had recently left the Big Apple for sunny Califormia. It is only fitting, therefore, that four of the five Best Hitters of the 1950s played in New York City. 1. Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees.Mickey Mantle came to the Yankees in the spring of 1951 under extreme pressure created by manager Casey Stengel, who proclaimed that Mantle would someday be Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio all rolled into one. Under the weight of those expectations, Mantle had a tough rookie year. But by 1952, the 20-year old kid from Oklahoma stepped up his game, hitting .311 with 23 HR and 87 RBI, and finishing third in voting for the American League MVP. He got increasingly better over the next three seasons, averaging .301 with 29 HR, 100 RBI, and 120 runs scored over that period. Then, in 1956, Mantle put together a season for the ages, hitting .353 with 52 home runs and 130 RBI to become the first winner of the American League Triple Crown in 10 years. He also won the American League MVP for 1956. Mantle won the award again in 1957, when he hit .365 with 40 home runs. During the entire decade of the 1950s, Mantle hit .310 and averaged 32 Home Runs, 111 Runs, 94 RBI, 100 Walks and a .438 OBP. He also led the Yankees to seven American League pennants and five World Series titles. 2. Willie Mays, New York/San Francisco GiantsAlthough Mays initially had some trouble when he first broke into the Majors in 1951, he quickly came around and went on to win the 1951 Rookie of the Year award. He then missed significant time during 1952 and lost the entire 1953 season while serving in the military during the Korean War. Once he returned to baseball, however, the Say Hey Kid really turned it on. In 1954, Willie won the first of his two MVP awards when he hit .345 with 41 homers and 110 RBI. That fall, Willie was also the hero of the World Series, which the Giants won by sweeping the heavily favored Cleveland Indians. Mays outdid himself in 1955, hitting .319 with 51 HR and 127 RBI. However, the writers denied him a second straight MVP Award when they ranked him fourth in the voting behind Roy Campanella, Duke Snider and Ernie Banks. Over the whole decade, Mays hit .316, and averaged 31 Home Runs, 97 Runs, 89 RBI, 63 Walks and a .398 OBP. 3. Duke Snider, Brooklyn/Los Angeles DodgersAlthough he was considered the least accomplished of the three New York centerfielders, Snider was still a very special Hall of Fame player who was easily one the Best Hitters of the 1950s. During the decade, Snider topped .300 in seven seasons, hit 40 or more home runs five years in a row, and drove in 100 or more runs in six different seasons. Snider also made eight All-Star teams and led the Dodgers to five National League pennants and two World Championships in the 1950s. For the decade, Snider hit .307 with an average of 33 Home Runs, 103 RBI, 97 Runs, 70 Bases on Balls and a .386 OBP. 4. Stan Musial, St. Louis CardinalsAlready ranked as one of the best hitters of the 1940s, Stan the Man is also one of the Top Hitters of the 1950s. While he did not win the three MVP Awards and three World Series trophies he took home during the prior ten-year span, Musial may have actually been a better hitter during the Eisenhower years. From 1950 to 1959, Musial won four more batting titles, bringing his career total to seven. He also led the National League in hits twice, doubles three times, extra base hits twice and runs scored three times. For the decade, he hit .328 and averaged 27 home runs and 97 RBI. 5. Gil Hodges, Brooklyn DodgersJoining Duke Snider on those historic Brooklyn Dodgers teams of the 1950s was First Baseman Gil Hodges. Often overshadowed by the more celebrated Dodgers such as Snider, Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe and Pee Wee Reese, Hodges was not only one of the best Dodgers during the 1950s, but he was also one of the best hitters of the decade. From 1950 through 1956, Hodges hit at least 30 home runs and drove in at least 100 runs every season. His best year came in 1954, when he batted .304, smashed 42 round-trippers and picked up 130 RBI. For the decade, Hodges made 7 All-Star teams, batted .282, and averaged 31 home runs and 100 RBI. Those are the best hitters of the 1950s. ____________________________
The copyright of the article Top Baseball Hitters of the 1950s in Baseball is owned by James Lincoln Ray. Permission to republish Top Baseball Hitters of the 1950s in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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