I was really hoping to feature a 2023 APBA card courtesy of APBA GO but they’re not quite ready. Kudos to Jeremy of APBA GO who has been giving regular updates on the forums at APBA GO to those checking. I appreciate how understanding folks are too. It’s out of Jeremy’s hands right now and he says once he gets the data files, it’s a matter of a few minutes to get them online.
1948 Dale Mitchell
- .336 batting average
- 204 hits
- 17 Ks in 656 PA
So, I’m going with a card from the past this week. It’s Dale Mitchell of the 1948 Cleveland Indians. This card hails from the original Great Teams of the Past (GTOP) set. APBA fan Brandon Wright posted on Facebook and Mitchell’s card caught my eye.
To be clear, Mitchell certainly was not a slugger. He hit four homers though he did slap eight triples along with 30 doubles. However, for his time, he could hit. In 1948, he collected 204 hits in 141 games which helped him to a .336 batting average.
Mitchell was definitely a contact hitter. He only struck out 17 times in 656 plate appearances. His rate of 35.8 K/AB ranked 2nd in the AL to teammate Lou Boudreau. With 45 walks, he has a very respectable .383 OBP.
Mitchell has seven 2s in his second column to help replicate his eight triples.
| Split | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 Totals | 141 | 656 | 608 | 82 | 204 | 30 | 8 | 4 | 56 | 13 | 19 | 45 | 17 | .336 | .383 | .431 |
I know, I know. Mitchell’s 1948 card has only two zeros. Once you get past that, he makes a great #2 hitter in the lineup.
Now to the fun stuff. Dale Mitchell has FIVE 7s that extend out to 51-7. Why is that? He also has a 15-10 and a 25-10 as well.
Some APBA fans will like this; Dale Mitchell’s 1948 card has no 13s! I wager he might still exceed his actual 17 strikeouts between pitchers’ strikeout ratings, the 12 result number with runner on second and the occasional bases loaded 35.
Mitchell does manage to claim two 14s.
Dale’s data
- 1948 Dale Mitchell is rated as a fast baserunner and a OF-2. For what it’s worth, he led AL outfielders in fielding percentage and came in second in range factor.
- Mitchell led the league in one category, caught stealing. He was stopped 19 times compared to his 13 successful attempts. I don’t know if there was a Master Game version of GTOP but if there was, I would be curious to know his Steal rating.
- Mitchell has eight flyout play result numbers (30-32) on his card.
- The red player result number numbers on this 1948 card (and I’m assuming others in the set) seem to be offset a bit lower than the black dice roll numbers.
Thanks, Brandon! Hopefully, next week we will see a 2023 APBA card. I’m not sweating it too much but I know some who are hitting refresh on their browser. The 2023 set will come when it will come.
Great little card and a nice change from the bashers. The font of those old GTOP teams is my favourite bar-none and the cards were simply crisp and clean to say the least. Yes the red #s are offset just a hair (nice catch there no pun intended). As for his MG steal number its D-17…ouch.
Thanks, Gerard! It is a bit different from the five power number guys but a 51-7 always gets my attention.
Yeah, a D-17. Sometimes, it’s best to leave that baserunner on. Our league used to have a modification where a catcher’s fielding could affect whether the runner steals safely on a hit and run but nothing related to the runner’s steal rate.
If we did, Mitchell would not be a good candidate.
Tom
No way on Earth will that card result in only a .336 average. I’m replaying the 1954 season, and APBA tends to overrate hitters, partly because they under-grade pitchers so badly.
Hi Jim,
You’re right. He’ll probably hit around .350. And yes, the pitchers are under graded for that era.
I didn’t even notice that this card only has one 8! That means he may hit better against B pitchers than Cs. Though his 10s will reduce that effect a little.
Still, it’s pretty rare to see that.
Totally agree with you regarding the Mitchell card. Have been playing since 1962 and the hitting is too good. To note, 62′ Mets. Both Craig and Jackson are both “D” pitchers, 233 inn. pitched and 231 inn pitched respectively. There is no way they are going to pitch that many innings in a replay and their ERA’s not thru the roof.
I’ve tweeked the rules a bit. Any pitcher who throws over 200 innings, I give him a “C” rating. Only caveat is said pitcher cannot move up in grade. It seems to help keep the hitting more realistic.