MLB History 9. Bill Dickey
The New York Yankees had some fantastic teams in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Part of that was having players like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Joe DiMaggio. Another central part of that team was the man behind the plate and part of the reason why the New York Yankees have the number eight retired twice.
Bill Dickey started the tradition of great Yankees catchers. He never led the league in any categories, but that doesn’t matter.
Dickey made the All-Star team 11 of his 17 seasons, and he lost two years due to military service. He made the squad every year from 1936-1943.
He hit over 20 homers every year from 1936-1939. He hit over .300 in a season 11 times. He finished in the top 10 in MVP voting five times. His best season may have been in 1936 where he hit .362 with 22 homers, 107 RBI, and a 1.042 OPS, in 120 games.
Among catchers who played in 1000 games, Dickey is second in batting average, fifth in slugging, third in OPS and eighth in RBI.
In eight World Series, Dickey hit over .400 twice. Not bad for the guy who wasn’t thought of with all of the other Hall of Fame talent that were on those Yankees clubs.
Speaking of the Hall of Fame, Dickey was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1954.