"The Scooter" was a quick, slick-fielding shortstop and the leadoff man for several great Yankees teams. Rizzuto signed with the Yankees in 1937 and in 1941, at age 23, pushed veteran Frank Crosetti out of a job. Rizzuto batted .307 that year, and .284 the next before going into the service during World War II. The war cost him three prime years, and when he returned his bat had slipped a bit. In 1950, though, he was terrific, batting .324 with 92 walks and fielding everything in the infield. He won the MVP that year.
Rizzuto was into his 30s by then, and soon started losing his speed. In 1954 he batted just .195, and that ended his days as a regular. He was released in midseason 1956 at age 38, and soon after went into the broadcast booth, where he was a fixture for many years. Rizzuto finished with a 93 OPS+, which was good considering he lost those three years, and was a terrific fielder.
Rizzuto earned 135.5 ratings points, adjusted for war service.
Rizzuto's stats: .273 average, 1588 hits, five-time All-Star, seven World Series rings. posted by Shawn Weaver at 6:44 AM