Mike Donlin
From BR Bullpen
Michael Joseph Donlin (Turkey Mike)
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 5' 9", Weight 170 lb.
- Debut July 19, 1899
- Final Game October 1, 1914
- Born May 30, 1878 in Peoria, IL USA
- Died September 24, 1933 in Hollywood, CA USA
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[edit] Introduction
Turkey Mike Donlin was an excellent player, with a major league OPS+ of 144, who later became an actor.
[edit] Baseball career
Donlin played professional baseball in Santa Cruz and San Jose, CA, before coming to the 1899 St. Louis Perfectos where he had excellent batting and slugging averages. The following year with the Cards he appeared in 78 games and hit 10 home runs, good for third in the league.
He moved over to the American League in 1901, in its first year as a major league, and finished second in the batting championship. He was managed by John McGraw, who was to be his manager later in his career also.
He moved to the Cincinnati Reds for the next 2 1/2 years, posting top batting averages in 1903-04 (he was third in the league in 1903 and second in 1904). He then moved to the New York Giants, managed by John McGraw, and had perhaps his best year in 1905, when he hit .356 and had an Adjusted OPS+ of 167. He had a broken leg in 1906.
After another great season in 1908, (he hit .334 and drove in 106 runs), he left baseball for a couple years while he tried acting. He came back in 1911-12, still an above-average hitter, and then retired in 1913 rather than play for the Philadelphia Phillies. He came back one more time in 1914 to play for his old manager John McGraw, but at age 36 he hit under .200.
He later scouted for the Boston Braves and the New York Giants. He also played some semi-pro ball and managed Memphis in 1917.
[edit] Acting career and later life
In Hollywood, he became an actor while still a ballplayer. He appeared on stage, and then was in numerous movies. The Internet Movie Database lists over 60 credits for him from 1915-35.
One of his two wives was a vaudeville star.
When he had heart troubles in 1927, his acting friends raised money to send him to the Mayo Clinic for an operation.
[edit] Career analysis
Donlin had an OPS+ of the sort that often gets a player into the Hall of Fame. He ranks # 52 on the all-time list, tied with Sam Crawford and Hack Wilson. However, his career was only 12 years, and he had less than 4,000 at-bats. He was frequently in the top five in batting categories, but was almost never the leader.
[edit] Sources
Sources include:
- New York Times obituary at deadballera.com
- baseballlibrary.com
[edit] Notable Achievements
- NL Runs Scored Leader (1905)
- 2-time NL Singles Leader (1905 & 1908)
- 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (1908)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons; 3 (1901, 1903 & 1905)
- 200 Hits Seasons: 1 (1905)
- Won a World Series with the New York Giants in 1905
