Jackie Robinson’s batting average in his MVP season was .342.
Robinson produced that mark for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949, his third Major League Baseball season. The average led the National League and helped him win the league’s Most Valuable Player Award. He became the first Black player to win the National League MVP.
His 1949 campaign was excellent beyond batting average. Robinson collected 203 hits, scored 122 runs, drove in 124 runs, hit 16 home runs, and stole 37 bases. He also made the All-Star team as the starting second baseman, in the first All-Star Game to include Black players.
The .342 figure is often confused with Robinson’s career batting average, which was .311. It is also distinct from his rookie-year average of .297 in 1947. The MVP season helped establish Robinson as more than a symbol of integration: he was one of the National League’s most complete and productive players.