Mickey Owen
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1937-1954)
Mickey Owen was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1937 to 1954 for 4 teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 18 seasons. In 1,209 career games, he hit .255 with 929 hits, 14 home runs, and 378 RBI. Mickey Owen was a 4-time All-Star.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 190 lb
- Died
- 7/13/2005 in Mount Vernon, MO, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1937-05-02
- Last Game
- 1954-09-11
- Awards
- 4× All-Star
Full name: Arnold Malcolm Owen
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,209 | 3,649 | 338 | 929 | 163 | 21 | 14 | 378 | 36 | 326 | 181 | .255 | .318 | .322 | .640 | -5,529 |
Career AVG .255 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .318 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 5.1% below league average.
Career SLG .322 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — 14.6% below league average.
Career OPS .640 vs. league average .712 across their career seasons — 10.2% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | SLN | NL | 80 | 234 | 17 | 54 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 15 | 13 | .231 | .276 (-17%) | .342 (-19%) | .398 (-33%) | .740 (-27%) | -1016.0 |
| 1938 | SLN | NL | 122 | 397 | 45 | 106 | 25 | 2 | 4 | 36 | 2 | 32 | 14 | .267 | .272 (-2%) | .341 (-5%) | .392 (-6%) | .734 (-5%) | -368.4 |
| 1939 | SLN | NL | 131 | 344 | 32 | 89 | 18 | 2 | 3 | 35 | 6 | 43 | 28 | .259 | .274 (-6%) | .342 (+1%) | .393 (-11%) | .735 (-6%) | -249.0 |
| 1940 | SLN | NL | 117 | 307 | 27 | 81 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 4 | 34 | 13 | .264 | .267 (-1%) | .335 (+2%) | .387 (-15%) | .722 (-7%) | -294.6 |
| 1941 | BRO | NL | 128 | 386 | 32 | 89 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 44 | 1 | 34 | 14 | .231 | .262 (-12%) | .332 (-11%) | .373 (-23%) | .705 (-17%) | -1024.0 |
| 1942 | BRO | NL | 133 | 421 | 53 | 109 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 44 | 10 | 44 | 17 | .259 | .253 (+2%) | .323 (+2%) | .349 (-11%) | .672 (-5%) | -231.4 |
| 1943 | BRO | NL | 106 | 365 | 31 | 95 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 54 | 4 | 25 | 15 | .260 | .255 (+2%) | .324 (-5%) | .346 (-13%) | .671 (-9%) | -494.9 |
| 1944 | BRO | NL | 130 | 461 | 43 | 126 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 42 | 4 | 36 | 17 | .273 | .261 (+5%) | .325 (avg) | .357 (-6%) | .683 (-3%) | -216.1 |
| 1945 | BRO | NL | 24 | 84 | 5 | 24 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 10 | 2 | .286 | .260 (+9%) | .328 (+12%) | .354 (+11%) | .683 (+11%) | 164.4 |
| 1949 | CHN | NL | 62 | 198 | 15 | 54 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 1 | 12 | 13 | .273 | .262 (+4%) | .343 (-8%) | .384 (-1%) | .727 (-4%) | -191.1 |
| 1950 | CHN | NL | 86 | 259 | 22 | 63 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 2 | 13 | 16 | .243 | .265 (-9%) | .346 (-18%) | .401 (-23%) | .747 (-21%) | -926.9 |
| 1951 | CHN | NL | 58 | 125 | 10 | 23 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 19 | 13 | .184 | .260 (-29%) | .336 (-13%) | .385 (-40%) | .721 (-27%) | -522.4 |
| 1954 | BOS | AL | 32 | 68 | 6 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 6 | .235 | .261 (-10%) | .333 (-7%) | .390 (-17%) | .723 (-13%) | -158.4 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 1,209 | 3,649 | 338 | 929 | 163 | 21 | 14 | 378 | 36 | 326 | 181 | .255 | — | — | — | — | -5,529 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1209 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 617 | 1817 | 164 | 483 | 5 | 196 | .266 |
| Away | 592 | 1831 | 173 | 446 | 9 | 185 | .244 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954-09-11 | BOS | CLE | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954-09-05 | BOS | PHA | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1954-08-28 | BOS | BAL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954-08-21 | BOS | NYY | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1954-08-18 | BOS | MIN | W | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954-08-14 | BOS | NYY | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1954-08-12 | BOS | MIN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1954-08-11 | BOS | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1954-08-08 | BOS | BAL | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954-08-06 | BOS | BAL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3B | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| C | 1175 | 16 | 4527 | 581 | 96 | 93 |
| SS | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | SLN | C | 78 | 0 | 287 | 49 | 9 | 6 |
| 1938 | SLN | C | 116 | 0 | 463 | 67 | 11 | 8 |
| 1939 | SLN | C | 126 | 0 | 452 | 52 | 9 | 8 |
| 1940 | SLN | C | 113 | 0 | 378 | 56 | 9 | 8 |
| 1941 | BRO | C | 128 | 0 | 530 | 64 | 3 | 7 |
| 1942 | BRO | C | 133 | 0 | 595 | 66 | 9 | 12 |
| 1943 | BRO | 3B | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 1943 | BRO | C | 100 | 0 | 414 | 47 | 6 | 11 |
| 1943 | BRO | SS | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944 | BRO | 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944 | BRO | C | 125 | 0 | 506 | 57 | 12 | 8 |
| 1945 | BRO | C | 24 | 0 | 92 | 13 | 4 | 2 |
| 1949 | CHN | C | 59 | 0 | 219 | 35 | 8 | 5 |
| 1950 | CHN | C | 86 | 0 | 318 | 39 | 8 | 8 |
| 1951 | CHN | C | 57 | 0 | 188 | 28 | 7 | 6 |
| 1954 | BOS | C | 30 | 16 | 85 | 8 | 1 | 4 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 1175 |
| Second Base | 1 |
| Third Base | 3 |
| Shortstop | 1 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1942 | TSN All-Star | C |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 4th | 103.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Mickey Owen (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Mickey Owen: the record in brief
May 2, 1937 and September 11, 1954 bracket Mickey Owen's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Club by club, the record runs the St. Louis Cardinals (1937 to 1940), the Brooklyn Dodgers (1941 to 1945), the Chicago Cubs (1949 to 1951), and the Boston Red Sox (1954). Listed as a catcher, Owen threw and hit right-handed. Owen is listed at 5 feet, 10 inches and 190 pounds. The birth record reads April 4, 1916, in Nixa, MO, USA. The bio records the death on July 13, 2005, in Mount Vernon, MO, USA. The given name on file is Arnold Malcolm Owen.
Owen finished with 929 hits from 3,649 at bats in 1,209 games, which works out to .255; the totals also include 14 homers, 378 RBI, and 36 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .318 and the slugging percentage .322, for an OPS of .640. Owen hit .255 while the league hit .264 over the same span, a figure close to average. The highest hit total in a season was 126, in 1944.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mickey Owen
- What years did Mickey Owen play?
- Mickey Owen played in Major League Baseball from 1937 to 1954.
- Was Mickey Owen a pitcher?
- No. Mickey Owen was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Mickey Owen hit?
- Mickey Owen hit 14 career home runs with 929 hits.
- What was Mickey Owen's career batting average?
- Mickey Owen batted .255 over his career, with 929 hits in 3,649 at bats.
- How many RBI did Mickey Owen have?
- Mickey Owen drove in 378 runs in his career.
- Is Mickey Owen in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Mickey Owen has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.