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 Dolph Camilli Photo Gallery
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Another Edition of “Baseball’s Forgotten Stars: Dolph Camilli

 

“Dolph Camilli was a quiet, gentle man but he was as strong as an ox. Nobody knew how well Dolph could fight because, quite frankly, nobody had ever wanted to find out” –Dodger Manager Leo Durocher

With such a favorable response to my recent posts on forgotten stars Wes Ferrell and Ossie Bluege, I’ve decided to go ahead with another overdue tribute.

Today we shine the baseball spotlight on the fine major league first baseman from the 1930s and ’40s, Dolph Camilli. He’s the prototype for players in this series: Forgotten stars who were good-but-not great, largely overshadowed by the many superstars from one of baseball’s Golden Eras, and long overdue for a little recognition. 

In the feature photo, we see Dolph Camilli on the left with fellow Italian-American ballplayer, the great Joe DiMaggio, probably from the 1941 World Series.

Dolph Camilli made his major league debut with the Cubs on September 9, 1933, at age 26. The San Francisco native played 12 seasons in the majors (1933-’45) with the Cubs (1933), Phillies (1934-37), Dodgers (1938-’43), and Red Sox (1945).

Over his career, the two-time All-Star hit .277 with 1482 hits, 261 doubles, 936 runs, 239 home runs, 950 RBIs, a remarkable .388 on-base percentage, and a .492 slugging average. His 135 OPS+ rating places him well above average among his contemporaries (100 being the major league average). From 1935 to 1937, he hit 25 or more home runs each year. In 1937, he hit a career-high .339 and led the league in on-base percentage (.446).

On March 6, 1938, Dodger General Manager Larry MacPhail made one of the best trades in franchise history. He received Camilli from the Phillies for a player named Eddie Morgan and $45,000. The Dodgers definitely got the better end of the deal as Dolph drove in over 100 RBIs in four of the next five seasons, and led them to the 1941 pennant. 

The 5’10” left-hander was a known free-swinger and, as such, led the league in strikeouts four times. He tied Hack Wilson‘s modern National League record of 94 strikeouts in 1934; and in 1935 he set a new league mark with 113. In 1939, Camilli became the first player to have three 100-strikeout seasons. To show how much the game has changed, his league-leading strikeout totals of 94, 113, 107, and 115 pale in comparison with what we see in today’s game.  Today, those totals would be unremarkable for a power hitter.

Dolph’s best year was his 1941 MVP year when he hit .285 and led the league in both home runs (34) and RBIs (120), as the Dodgers won their first National League pennant since 1920. The following year, 1942, he finished second in home runs (26) and RBIs (109), breaking Zack Wheat‘s Dodger club record of 131 career home runs. Dolph was the ninth National Leaguer to hit 200 home runs. After a trade to the Dodgers’ hated rivals, the Giants, in July, 1943, Camilli refused to report and instead managed the Oakland Oaks for the next two seasons. 

Since none of us ever saw him play, Baseball Reference’s Similarity Scores feature is extremely useful. It gives us the context we need to evaluate him. Camilli’s stats compare similarly with David Justice, J.D. Drew, Justin Morneau,Freddie Freeman, Danny Tartabull,  Andre Thorton, and Ryan Klesko. He also compares similarly with old-timers Larry Doby and Hal Trotsky. Using these players as our gauge, we can say for certain that Camilli was a fine ballplayer and deserves some recognition.

Following his playing career, Camilli managed in the Pacific Coast League, winning a pennant with Spokane in 1948. He later was a scout for the Yankees and Angels, and a spring training instructor for the Angels. His son Doug was a major leaguer catcher in the 1960s. His brother Frank was a boxer who died of cerebral hemorrhaging after a bout with Max Baer in 1930. One of Dolph’s career highlights was recording the last out of Babe Ruth’s career.

Doph was inducted into the Dodgers Hall of Fame in 1984, and, at the time, recalled this about Dodger fans: “All they cared about was their family, their job, and the Dodgers. And I don’t know which one was the most important.”

Dolph Camilli passed away in San Mateo, California on October 21, 1997 at age 90.

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Gary Livacari 

Photo Credits: All from Google search

Information: Excerpts edited from the Dolph Camilli’s Wikipedia page.

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