A Look Back at Jackie Robinson’s Career

Jackie Robinson played his first MLB game today in 1947. A great player, his number is now retired for all teams in baseball, except for one day per year when every player wears '42'. A true great.

From MLB.com:

• Robinson twice posted rWARs above 9.5: 9.6 in his MVP Award-winning season of 1949 and 9.7 in 1951. Only eight other players since 1947 have managed to pull off the feat twice, including Ted Williams, Joe Morgan and Mickey Mantle.
• While Robinson's career rWAR of 61.5 ranks only tenth among Hall of Fame second baseman, that is largely a reflection of his World War II service time and segregation (Robinson debuted at the age of 28). Under Jay Jaffe's WAR7, using a player's seven best seasons, Robinson ranks fifth.
• Between 1948-1953, Robinson posted 47.5 rWAR, second only to Stan Musial's 52.3 mark.
• During that time period he was also second in stolen bases, third in average and fifth in on-base percentage among all hitters.
• His career 132 OPS+ is also fifth all-time among second basemen.
• Robinson had three seasons of .300+ average, 15 home runs and 20+ steals. Only Roberto Alomar, Derek Jeter and Hanley Ramirez have four such seasons while playing middle infield.
• Robinson unofficially ranks ninth in all-time steals of home with 19. No one ahead of him on the list played past 1930.