Jackie Robinson Day: Dodgers’ Legend’s MLB Career By The Numbers

Jackie Robinson had a forever impact on baseball. On April 15, 1947, Robinson, who was 28, made his MLB debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. In doing so, he officially broke MLB’s racial barrier, becoming the first black player to compete in the sport in modern history. And what followed was Robinson becoming one of the best infielders of all time, having a Hall of Fame career and MLB honoring his legacy with “Jackie Robinson Day” every April 15, which sees players wear his No. 42. Here’s Robinson’s 10-year MLB career (1947-56) by the numbers. 1A: Robinson won the 1949 National League MVP in a campaign that saw him lead the NL in batting average (.342), wins above replacement (9.3) and stolen bases (37), while totaling a career-high 203 hits and 124 RBIs. 1B: He won the 1947 NL Rookie of the Year Award in a season that saw Robinson post a .297/.383/.427 slash line (batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage), steal an NL-high 29 bases and post 4.1 wins above replacement. 2: Robinson led the NL in stolen bases twice: 1947 and 1949. 3A: The infielder is third in Dodgers’ history with 61.8 wins above replacement. 3B: Robinson led the NL in wins above replacement in three seasons: 1949, 1951 and 1952. 4A: He finished top-10 in NL MVP voting in four seasons: 1947, 1949, 1951 and 1952. 4B: Robinson is fourth in Dodgers’ history with a career .409 on-base percentage. 6: Robinson is sixth in Dodgers’ history with 740 walks. 7A: Robinson is seventh in Dodgers’ history with 947 runs scored. 7B: He earned an All-Star nod in seven of his 10 seasons in the sport. 40: Robinson recorded just 40 strikeouts in 1952, which would be the most strikeouts he posted in a single season. 132: He finished with a career 132 OPS+. 145: Robinson made 145-plus starts at four positions: second base, first base, third base and left field. He also made 33 starts at shortstop. 311: Robinson finished his Dodgers’ career with a combined .311/.409/.474 slash line. 440: He led the NL with a .440 on-base percentage in 1952. 500: Robinson posted a slugging percentage of at least .500 in five of his 10 MLB seasons. 1955: He was part of the Dodgers’ 1955 World Series triumph, the first in franchise history.