Johnny Mize
The Big Cat could park one in any ballpark, but his most remarkable feat might be leading the National League in home runs and strikeouts the same season — twice. Mize's 1947 campaign saw him slug 51 homers while fanning just 42 times, a ratio that seems impossible in today's game.
His .312 career average paired with 359 home runs made him the prototype for the modern slugging first baseman, decades before the position became synonymous with power. Mize averaged better than 30 home runs per 162 games while maintaining elite contact skills throughout his prime with the Cardinals and Giants.
The Veterans Committee finally recognized his unique blend of power and precision in 1981, validating a career that bridged baseball's dead-ball past and its power-hitting future.
Career · Batting
15 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | STL | 126 | 414 | 19 | 93 | .329 | — | — |
| 1937 | STL | 145 | 560 | 25 | 113 | .364 | — | — |
| 1938 | STL | 149 | 531 | 27 | 102 | .337 | — | — |
| 1939 | STL | 153 | 564 | 28 | 108 | .349 | — | — |
| 1940 | STL | 155 | 579 | 43 | 137 | .314 | — | — |
| 1941 | STL | 126 | 473 | 16 | 100 | .317 | — | — |
| 1942 | NY1 | 142 | 541 | 26 | 110 | .305 | — | — |
| 1946 | NY1 | 101 | 377 | 22 | 70 | .337 | — | — |
| 1947 | NY1 | 154 | 586 | 51 | 138 | .302 | — | — |
| 1948 | NY1 | 152 | 560 | 40 | 125 | .289 | — | — |
| 1949 | NY1 | 119 | 411 | 19 | 64 | .263 | — | — |
| 1950 | NYY | 90 | 274 | 25 | 72 | .277 | — | — |
| 1951 | NYY | 113 | 332 | 10 | 49 | .259 | — | — |
| 1952 | NYY | 78 | 137 | 4 | 29 | .263 | — | — |
| 1953 | NYY | 81 | 104 | 4 | 27 | .250 | — | — |
| Career | 1884 | 6443 | 359 | 1337 | .312 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.