Dolph Camilli

Camilli was born on April 23, 1907, in San Francisco, where he was raised. He attended Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory. == Minor league career ==

Camilli had an eight-year minor league career before making his Major League debut with the Chicago Cubs at the end of the season. That same season, he also played for the Double-A San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League, batting .312, with seven home runs and 25 doubles in 81 games. Camilli began the 1927 season with the Seals, but did not meet expectations during the first part of the season, and was benched for two weeks in May. He hit only .244 with two home runs in 81 games, and spent the rest of the season with Logan, batting .311 in 47 games. In 1928, he played for the Salt Lake City Bees in the Utah-Idaho League, batting .333 with 20 home runs in 117 games. From 1929 to 1933, he played with the Sacramento Senators in the Pacific Coast League. During that five-year period, his seasonal batting averages ranged from .275 to .322, and home runs ranged from 12 to 20. ==Major league career==

Camilli did not play a full season of Major League Baseball until he was 27-years old. Although only 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 185 lb (83 kg), the left-handed hitting Camilli hit 23 or more home runs in eight consecutive seasons, between the ages of 28 and 35, often near the NL lead in home runs during those years. He struck out over 100 times in three more seasons (1938, 1939 and 1941), leading all Major League Players in strikeouts in 1939 and 1941; yet was also the NL's Most Valuable Player in 1941. He was in the top 25 voting for NL Most Valuable Player seven times. Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies In August 1933, the Sacramento Senators sold Camilli's contract rights to the Chicago Cubs for $24,000. He started 16 games at first base for the Cubs, batting .224 with two home runs that season. New York Giants Hall of Fame first baseman, and manager, Bill Terry, who coveted Camilli for the Giants, said the Phillies trade for Camilli was one of the smartest moves he had seen during his entire tenure in baseball. Overall that season, he hit .267 with 16 home runs and 87 RBIs. He led the National League in strikeouts (94). In 1935, his first full season with the Phillies, he hit .261, with 25 home runs, 83 RBIs and 88 runs scored. He also struck out more than any other Major League player (113). He finished 24th in NL Most Valuable Player voting. On May 30, 1935, he recorded the last out of Babe Ruth's career. He was second in the NL in home runs and OPS behind Hall of Fame outfielder Mel Ott (33 and 1.036), second in walks behind Arky Vaughan's 118, fourth in on base percentage and total bases (306), tied for fifth in RBIs and eighth in runs scored. He was tied for 16th in NL Most Valuable Player voting. In 1935 and 1936, he played in 156 and 151 games, respectively. In 1937, he played in 131 games. He hit a career-high .339, with 27 home runs, 80 RBIs, 101 runs scored and 90 bases on balls. His .446 on base percentage led the NL, and his 1.034 OPS was second only to Hall of Fame outfielder Joe Medwick (1.056). He was third in home runs behind Medwick and Ott (31), second in walks and tied for eighth in RBIs. After leading the National League's first basemen in errors in 1934 (18) and all Major League first basemen with 20 in 1935 (tied with Phil Cavarretta), in 1937 he only had eight errors; and his .994 fielding percentage led the National League. Even in 1935, his .987 fielding percentage was tied for fourth in the NL, and he led all NL first basemen in putouts. He was likewise fourth again in fielding percentage in 1936 (.988), and once more led all NL first basemen in putouts. On July 30, 1937, he played the entire game at first base in a 1–0 win over the Cincinnati Reds without recording a put out. Later in his career (1939), he led all Major League first basemen in assists. Brooklyn Dodgers , circa 1938. From 1933 to 1937, the Brooklyn Dodgers never had a winning record and never finished above fifth place. The team once had been the most profitable in MLB, but in 1936 and 1937 attendance had declined significantly. He tied Jimmie Foxx and Hank Greenberg with a Major League leading 119 walks. He was third in the NL in runs scored, fourth in home runs, sixth in RBIs, and seventh in on base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. He had a .995 fielding percentage at first base, in a season where the top fielding percentage among all Major League first basemen was .996. The Dodgers still had a losing season, finishing in seventh place (only ahead of the Phillies who lost 105 games that season without Camilli). In 1939, the Dodgers had a winning season (84–69) and came in third place. Camilli hit .290 with 26 home runs, 104 RBIs, 105 runs, 110 walks, a .409 on base percentage and a .933 OPS. He had a .990 fielding percentage at first base (fifth in the NL). Camilli was first in the NL in walks, third in home runs, and fourth in on base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, RBIs, runs and WAR (6.4). Camilli led all Major League first basemen with 129 assists. He also struck out a Major League leading 107 times, and was the first MLB player to have three 100-strikeout seasons. Camilli was selected to the All-Star team for the first time, and was 12th in NL Most Valuable Player voting. The 1940 Dodgers improved to 88–65, and finished in second place. Camilli hit .287, with 23 home runs, 96 RBIs, 92 runs, 89 walks, a .397 on base percentage and .926 OPS; along with a .992 fielding percentage. He was second in the NL in OPS, third in slugging percentage, fourth in on base percentage and home runs, seventh in RBIs, eighth in WAR (5.3) and ninth in runs. His .992 fielding percentage was third in the NL. He was again 12th in NL Most Valuable Player voting. In 1941, Camilli was the National League's Most Valuable Player, and the Dodgers won the NL pennant for the first time since 1920 (when they were the Brooklyn Robins). He was also second in the NL in OPS and slugging percentage (only behind teammate Pete Reiser) and walks, third in on base percentage, fourth in WAR, and sixth in runs. Camilli was selected to his second All-Star Game. In the 1941 World Series, the Dodgers lost to the New York Yankees in five games. Camilli batted .167 in the World Series with one RBI, one run and a double in 18 at bats. In 1941, he also surpassed Rabbit Maranville's National League career strikeout record of 756. In , Camilli hit .252, with 26 home runs, 109 RBI, 89 runs, 97 walks and an .843 OPS. He was the Dodgers' team captain. That year, he also broke Zack Wheat's club record of 131 career home runs. Gil Hodges surpassed his final Dodgers' total of 139 in , and Duke Snider broke Camilli's mark for left-handed batters later the same year. At the end of the 1942 season, McPhail retired as general manager to serve as a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, and was replaced by Branch Rickey. Camilli struggled at the beginning of the 1943 season, and Rickey traded him, among other higher salaried players in light of the difficulties the team faced during World War II. Camilli was hitting .246 with six home runs when the Dodgers traded him and Johnny Allen to the New York Giants on July 31, 1943 for Bill Lohrman, Bill Sayles and Joe Orengo. The 36-year old Camilli refused to report to the Dodgers' hated rivals. Camilli said years later, "'I hated the Giants. This was real serious; this was no put-on stuff. Their fans hated us, and our fans hated them. . . . I said nuts to them, and I quit". He played in 11 games, with six hits in 17 at bats for the Oaks in 1945, and pitched five innings in an Oaks win, before joining the Boston Red Sox on June 15, . == Legacy and honors ==

In a 12-season career, Camilli posted a .277 batting average with 239 home runs and 950 runs batted in during 1,490 games played. After leading the National League in errors in both 1934 and 1935,; his National League record of 923 was broken by Gil Hodges in . He is now not even in the top 400 players with the most career strikeouts (through 2025). Dodgers manager Leo Durocher said ''Camilli was a quiet, gentle man, but he was strong as an ox". ==Manager and scout==

In 1944, as player-manager of the Oakland Oaks, he led the team to an 86–83 record. In 1950, he managed the Dayton Indians to a 69–63 record. In 1953, he managed the Magic Valley Cowboys to a 48–83 record. He also served as a coach with the Sacramento Solons, until he was released after the 1955 season. It was reported at the time of his death that he had also managed the Solons. He finished his professional baseball career as a spring training instructor for the California Angels. == Personal life and death ==

In his later years he became active among those who played in the Major Leagues before 1947, at a time before there was any MLB pension plan, in seeking pensions. The most money he had ever made in a season was $24,000 and he, like all other players of his time, had to work in the offseasons to make ends meet. His son Dick Camilli played seven seasons in the minor leagues, six in the Detroit Tigers farm system, and a final year (1959) for the Milwaukee Braves Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento Solons. His son Dolph Camilli Jr. played in the New York Yankees minor league system in 1961 and 1962. His son Bruce Camilli played three years in the Yankees' minor league system, 1961 to 1963. Camilli's brother Francisco Camilli was a professional boxer, who fought under the name Frankie Campbell. Campbell was killed at age 26 as the result of a 1930 match against future heavyweight champion Max Baer, in San Francisco. The rules of the fight were set broadly (to keep punching as long as an opponent was standing). Baer had knocked Campbell unconscious with a series of punches under an unusual set of circumstances that had kept Campbell upright even though he could not stand on his own; and after Campell had suffered severe blows to the head earlier in the fight. Campbell died the next morning in the hospital of a double cerebral hemorrhage. Baer was originally arrested and charged with manslaughter, but the charges were later withdrawn; though Baer, the referee and both managers were suspended from working in California for one year by the state's athletic commission. Baer was traumatized by Campbell's death and was never the same person afterward. After becoming champion years later, he fought an exhibition match to raise money for Campbell's wife and son. Camilli stayed in shape, and swam at least one mile a day even into his 80s. He died in San Mateo, California at age 90, on October 21, 1997. He had recently undergone spinal surgery and suffered from pneumonia. His first wife Ruth died in 1980, and he was survived by his second wife, Molly, seven children, 16 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. He was buried at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma, California. ==See also==