Roy Campanella
The National League Most Valuable Player in 1951, 1953, and 1955, Roy Campanella was the second black man approached by Branch Rickey to play major league baseball. He debuted in 1948 and held down the Dodger catching job for a decade, leading the team to five pennants and a World Series title. A tragic automobile accident ended his career before he could play a single game in the Dodgers new west coast home.
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 1215 |
4205 |
1161 |
627 |
242 |
856 |
25 |
.276 |
.500 |
.360 |
.860 |
118.4 |
|
Where does Roy Campanella rank among baseball greats?
Roy Campanella ranks #4 among the Top 50 all-time at C. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1953
Winning his second MVP Award, Campanella set career-highs in games, at-bats, runs (103), homers (41), RBI (142), walks (67), and slugging (.611). Like many catchers, he was an inconsistent performer offensively, having a terrible season in 1954, before bouncing back again in 1955 for his final MVP Award.
Factoids
For five years, from 1949 through 1953, Roy Campanella caught every inning of every All-Star game for the National League.
Roy Campanella was the first black man to manage a game in a white minor league.
In 1946, Walter Alston, manager of the Nashua Dodgers, was ejected from a game. As he left the field he told Roy Campanella to take over. Thus, Campanella became the first african-american to manage (though unofficially) a regular season game in organized white baseball.
Good To Be Alive
In 1959 the Yankees and Dodgers held an exhibition game in Campanella's honor at Los Angeles Coliseum. The crowd of 93,103 remains a baseball record. The emotional Campanella addressed the crowd from his wheelchair, stating: "I thank God that I'm living to be here. I thank every one of you from the bottom of my heart." After concluding his remarks, the lights went out and everyone in attendance lit a match to honor his courage.
Where He Played
Catcher, exclusively (1,183 games). However, Campanella caught as many as 140 games in just two seasons.
Born
Roy Campanella was born on November 19, 1921, in Philadelphia, PA.
Died
June 26, 1993, Woodland Hills, CA
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Major League Debut
4 20,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1948
Roy Campanella
Richie Ashburn
Robin Roberts
Mike Garcia
Carl Erskine
Hank Bauer
Ray Boone
Don Mueller
Satchel Paige
Nicknames
Campy
Uniform Numbers
#33 (1948), #56 (1948), #39 (1948-1957)
Similar Players
Ivan Rodriguez
Related Players
Yogi Berra, Johnny Bench, Jackie Robinson
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1964 |
BBWAA |
115 |
57.2% |
1964 |
Run Off |
138 |
61.3% |
1966 |
BBWAA |
197 |
65.2% |
1967 |
BBWAA |
204 |
69.9% |
1967 |
Run Off |
170 |
55.6% |
1968 |
BBWAA |
205 |
72.4% |
1969 |
BBWAA |
270 |
79.4% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1949 World Series
1952 World Series
1953 World Series
1955 World Series
1956 World Series
Awards and Honors
1951 NL MVP
1953 NL MVP
1955 NL MVP
Notes
Campy hit safely in each of the Dodgers' first seven games in 1952, hitting .443 (13-for-30). Despite the hot start, he hit just .258 the remainder of the season, slumping 56 points below his average from the previous year.
Injuries and Explanation for Missed Playing Time
Campanella chipped a bone in his left hand during spring training in 1954 causing nerve damage that was tough to overcome. He batted only .207 for the year. But the following year he made an incredible comeback - winning a third MVP award. He batted .318 with 32 home runs and 107 runs batted in. Yet in '56 Campy was at it again - struggling in an even-numbered year. The pattern actually could be traced back to the 1952 season, when he batted just .269 while battling nagging injuries. Campy's curious record in even years: .248, .447 SLG, 20 home runs, 71 RBI. In odd-years, he averaged .301, .546 SLG, 28 homers, and 100 RBI.
Transactions
In a dispute with Elite Giants owner Tom Wilson which resulted in a $250 fine that he refused to pay, Campanella made a jump to the Mexican League in 1942. In 1942 and 1943 he made just $100 a month plus expenses playing for the Mexican Monterey team. Campanella returned to the Negro leagues for the 1944 season after Wilson dropped the fine he had previously imposed. Campanella's salary was raised to $3,000 a year and he received a $300 signing bonus.
All-Star Selections
1949 NL
1950 NL
1951 NL
1952 NL
1953 NL
1954 NL
1955 NL
1956 NL
Replaced
Campanella beat out Bruce Edwards, who had a very good season as a 23-year old in 1947, hitting .295 with nine homers and 80 RBI. But Campanella's power and defensive ability were superior, and Edwards served as Campy's caddy until 1951, when he was traded to the Cubs.
Replaced By
Johnny "Rosie" Roseboro, a rookie catcher in 1957, who assumed the starting job in 1958 after Camp was paralyzed in his car accident. Roseboro remained the Dodger starting catcher for a decade, contributing to four pennant-winners.
Best Strength as a Player
Power
Largest Weakness as a Player
Running speed
Learn More about Roy Campanella
Search Amazon.com for Books about Roy Campanella ⇒
Search for Roy Campanella at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
Sources used for the Roy Campanella Player Page:
I Was Right on Time, by Buck O'Neill.