The greatest catcher in Dodgers history is the 54th inductee into the Baseball Hall of Immortals.
After 8 years in the Negro Leagues, Roy Campanella made his major league debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1948, one year after fellow Negro Leaguer Jackie Robinson broke the “color barrier.” Campy would play for the Dodgers for 10 years, and along with Jackie, Duke Snider, and Pee Wee Reese, would become the core of the team that brought Brooklyn its first and only World Series championship in 1955.
Over the course of his 10 seasons, Campanella won 3 MVP awards – only the 4th player to do so to that point, sharing that distinction with crosstown backstop Yogi Berra. Interestingly, both Campy and Yogi won the award in 1951 and 1955. Incidentally, Campy would also receive MVP votes in 4 other seasons, meaning he was considered an MVP candidate in 7 of the 10 years he played.
At the plate, Campy was dominant, belting 20 or more homeruns in 7 seasons, and driving in 100 or more runs in each of his 3 MVP years. He would finish his career with 242 homeruns and 850+ RBIs.
Behind the plate Campy was described as having cat-like agility and a strong throwing arm.
Campanella’s career was cut short after the 1957 season when he suffered a paralyzing car accident.
As one of the best catchers to ever play the game, Roy Campanella is an Immortal.
For some background on what this is, check out the introduction post here.
