Yankees Mickey Mantle: Casey Stengel’s Crown Jewel Faced Unbearable Pressure
June 7, 2011 · Harold Friend · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Mickey Mantle was the crown jewel of Casey Stengel’s managerial career, but it took a while.
Mantle had a sensational spring in 1951, which put tremendous pressure on the New York Yankees to keep him on the roster, but Stengel knew Mantle’s potential and wanted him to develop properly.
Stengel told the press that Mantle would have to play every day if he made the team, which would be risky. Near the end of spring training, Mantle was signed to a contract with the Yankees‘ top farm club in Kansas City. Stengel emphasized that didn’t mean Mantle wouldn’t make the Yankees.
Mantle was placed onto the Yankees roster on Apr. 7. He was under tremendous pressure to succeed.
The fact that he played in New York City for the greatest team in baseball history created as much duress as the praise he received from baseball men.
Stengel was as guilty as the rest, telling anyone who would listen, “he’s got more natural power from both sides than anybody I ever saw.”
Later, Stengel told reporters: “If that kid hit only right-handed, he’d be tree-mendous. If he only hit left-handed, he’d be tree-mendous. But since he does his hittin’ both ways, he’s just tree-mendous.”
Joe DiMaggio, showing his class, chipped in calling Mantle “the greatest prospect I can remember.”
Mantle hated the hyperbole. He knew that he was good, but he also knew that he was as green as today’s environmentalists want the planet to become.
Years later, Mantle told his good friend and confidant Tom Molito that he was extremely embarrassed by all the praise. He hated the fact that he was supposed to live up to other individuals’ expectations.
“It was hard enough just trying to play baseball, but I was only 19 and I didn’t want to hear about how great I was going to be. I was trying to do the best I could, but I was being distracted. I mean, Joe DiMaggio had done it all. How could anyone expect me to step in and replace him when he quit?”
After a good start, batting over .300 and leading the league in RBIs. Mantle slumped. By the middle of July, he was hitting .260 with seven home runs, nine doubles, five triples and 45 RBIs. He was striking out too much.
Mantle was demoted to Kansas City.
Stengel softened the blow as much as possible, telling reporters “This boy is good and make no mistake about that. He showed me he could do everything, run, field, throw, and hit the long ball. They don’t come any faster. However, he struck out too often.”
Mickey was devastated by the demotion.
Years later, he revealed to Molito that the stories about him wanting to give it all up were true.
“If my father hadn’t come to Kansas City to stop me, I was gone. I was really depressed, especially because I was striking out so much.”
Mantle’s first game after his return in August was against the Cleveland Indians in Cleveland. He started in right field and batted second, behind Phil Rizzuto.
Mickey told Molito how nervous he had been, but that he knew he had to overcome the tension.
“We were trailing the Indians by three games. We knew we had to win, but Early Wynn was on the mound. The stories about him brushing back his mother if she hit against him were true. He would do anything to win, and he was the pitcher I had to face in my first game back.”
After Rizzuto flied out to left, Mickey stepped into the batter’s box and hit a slow roller to the left side of the infield. Shortstop Ray Boone (Bob Boone’s father and Aaron and Bret Boone’s grandfather) charged the ball and fired to first but Mantle beat it out for a single. It wouldn’t be the first time his enormous speed kept him out of a prolonged slump.
In the third inning, Mantle walked, but that was it. He struck out twice and grounded out his other at-bats.
Stengel’s crown jewel had an ordinary rookie season, but Casey and just about everyone else knew that Mickey was adjusting to the Yankees and that he would only get better.
References:
Mickey Mantle at Bleacherreport
Special to THE NEW,YORK TIMES. (1951, Jul 16). Mantle, yankees’ prize rookie, shipped back to kansas city to make way for schallock. New York Times (1923-Current File), pp. 28. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/112067048?accountid=46260
Read more New York Yankees news on BleacherReport.com
Yankee Tickets
Shop Yankee
