Mickey Cochrane - Career Statistics and Honors

Career Statistics and Honors

Cochrane compiled a .320 batting average while hitting 119 home runs over a 13 year playing career. His .320 batting average was the highest career mark for catchers until Joe Mauer surpassed it in 2009. His .419 on-base percentage is among the best in baseball history, and is the highest all-time among catchers. In 1932, he became the first major league catcher to score 100 runs and produce 100 RBI in the same season. He hit for the cycle twice in his career, on July 22, 1932 and August 2, 1933. In his first 11 years, he never caught fewer than 110 games. He led American League catchers six times in putouts and twice each in double plays assists and fielding percentage.

In 1947, Cochrane became the third catcher enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame after Roger Bresnahan and Buck Ewing. Long after the Athletics left Philadelphia for Kansas City in 1954 without retiring his uniform number 2, the Philadelphia Phillies honored him by electing him to the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame at Veterans Stadium, although the Athletics' plaques from that display have been moved to the Philadelphia Athletics Museum in Hatboro, Pennsylvania. The Tigers honored him by renaming National Avenue (behind the third-base stands of the old Tiger Stadium) Cochrane Avenue, but have never retired the uniform number 3 he wore with them.

In 1999, he was ranked 65th on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Yankee Hall of Fame slugger Mickey Mantle was named after him.