3 Interesting Facts to Help Appreciate Eddie Mathews' Legendary Power
Hank Aaron wasn't the only Braves slugger mashing in the '50s and '60s -- Eddie Mathews was right there with him, consistently racking up taters.
When you think about legendary Braves sluggers in the 1950s and 1960s, the first name that likely comes to mind for many is Hank Aaron. But he had a Hall of Fame partner in crime smashing baseballs with him each night — third baseman Eddie Mathews.
After slugging 25 homers with 58 RBI as a rookie in 1952, Mathews rattled off nine straight years of 30-plus homers. He kicked off this streak with a bang, too:
1953: 47 homers and 135 RBI
1954: 40 homers and 103 RBI
1955: 41 homers and 101 RBI
Oh, and he put up those numbers between his age-21 and age-23 seasons. Mathews rode this early-career power surge to Cooperstown, but not before he finished his playing days with 512 taters and 1,453 RBI across 17 seasons. To shed some light on just how good of a slugger he was, here are three reasons to appreciate the native of Texarkana, Texas.
Mathews Immediately Put Himself on a Hall of Fame Trajectory
The left-handed slugger wasted no time producing at the big-league level, immediately launching taters as a 20-year-old for the Braves. His first seven seasons from 1952–58 led to a .277/.382/.541 line with 253 homers, 663 RBI, and 703 runs scored.
Nobody hit more homers than him during this period, and when we compare that total through his age-26 season to some other legendary sluggers, it becomes even more impressive.
Aaron’s first seven big-league campaigns all happened by the time he turned 26. He hit 219 homers during that time. Mickey Mantle played parts of eight seasons for the New York Yankees by the time he turned 26 and slugged 249 homers.
The First Third Baseman to Join the 500-Homer Club
Simply being part of the 500-homer club is an incredible accomplishment for a big-league hitter. After all, only 28 players have surpassed that total before hanging up their spikes for good.
Mathews crossed the threshold on July 14, 1967, as a member of the Houston Astros. He was just the seventh (!) hitter to reach the milestone at the time. He joined the likes of Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Mel Ott, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, and Mantle (who did it two months prior).
Of course, Mathews distinguished himself within this group by being the first third baseman to punch his ticket. That’s still a pretty small subset within the 500-homer club, as my eyeballs only detected two other players who spent a significant number of innings at the hot corner (Alex Rodriguez and Mike Schmidt).
Mathews’ Unique Place in Braves History
We obviously associate the Braves with Atlanta, a place they’ve been since moving there in 1966. But before that happened, they bounced around, also making stops in Boston and Milwaukee along the way.
Mathews stuck around just long enough to be the only player in franchise history to appear for the Braves in all three locations:
1952: Boston
1953–65: Milwaukee
1966: Atlanta
While he slugged 452 of his 493 career homers with the organization in Milwaukee, he still racked up 25 dingers in Boston and another 16 in Atlanta.
Single-Season HR Performances | Career HR Performances | Postseason HR Leaders | HR Derby Performances
If you liked this post from MLB Daily Dingers, please share it with your friends and family!
Content provided on MLB Daily Dingers is always free. But if you’re interested, become a paid subscriber and help support the newsletter. You’ll get certain perks, such as unlimited access to all the digital products on my Gumroad storefront!