Drying Off the Spitty 1910s, Part 2: The Careers
Last time we introduced a method of re-casting the seasons from 1913 through 1919 that removes the apparent impact of the legal spitball, and raises the overall average scoring levels of those years to be equal to the seasons surrounding them (1911-12 and 1920-21).
This time we’ll take a close look at the careers of the most significant hitters through the period. All figures presented here from the years before 1913 and after 1919 are actuals, and all those from 1913 through 1919 are adjusted, presented in dark blue. (The multipliers are provided in the References and Resources section below.)
The Two George Burnses
First off, let’s address the raging confusion: just who were the two George Burnses, and was either of them the same guy who played God opposite John Denver?
OK, I’m pretty sure the cigar-wielding comedian was actually named Nathan Birnbaum.
But let’s consider the baseball-playing G.B.’s. To be candid, I had never paid much attention to either one until now. It was my loss.
“Tioga George” was a pretty big (6’1”, 180 – please tell me why bb-ref.com doesn’t display all players’ heights!) line-drive-hitting right-handed first baseman. In the period we’re examining here, he was kind of all over the place; and we should note that following 1921, he re-established himself as a good regular, and in 1926, at age 33, he set the then-record for doubles (64), and was awarded that year’s version of the MVP.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1914 21 DET AL 137 495 67 156 26 6 8 69 33 54 .315 .358 .440 .798 1915 22 DET AL 105 404 60 111 22 3 8 61 23 49 .275 .314 .405 .719 1916 23 DET AL 135 496 73 154 26 7 6 89 23 29 .310 .340 .430 .770 1917 24 DET AL 119 418 51 103 17 12 2 49 15 32 .247 .274 .354 .627 1918 25 PHA AL *130 527 74 *200 26 10 10 85 24 24 .379 .406 .523 .930 1919 26 PHA AL 126 487 77 156 35 10 13 69 20 17 .320 .347 .513 .860 1920 27 PHA-CLE AL 66 116 8 29 7 1 1 20 10 10 .250 .326 .353 .679 1921 28 CLE AL 84 244 52 88 21 4 0 49 13 19 .361 .398 .480 .878
This guy was a small (5’7”, 160) leadoff-hitting left fielder. He was remarkably good; a durable, consistent, on-base machine. He was very comparable to a Richie Ashburn or a Brett Butler. He could play.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1911 21 NYG NL 6 17 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .059 .111 .059 .160 1912 22 NYG NL 29 51 11 15 4 0 0 3 8 8 .294 .400 .373 .773 1913 23 NYG NL 150 626 99 194 44 5 3 66 60 *71 .310 .370 .411 .781 1914 24 NYG NL 154 582 *122 191 42 12 5 73 92 51 .328 .420 .464 .884 1915 25 NYG NL 155 *643 101 190 32 16 5 62 58 55 .295 .353 .418 .771 1916 26 NYG NL 155 *644 *128 195 29 9 8 50 65 45 .303 .367 .414 .781 1917 27 NYG NL 152 619 *125 202 30 15 8 55 *77 53 .326 .401 .462 .863 1918 28 NYG NL 119 482 97 152 26 7 6 62 44 36 .315 .373 .438 .811 1919 29 NYG NL 139 554 *105 182 36 10 3 56 *85 36 .328 *.417 .448 .865 1920 30 NYG NL 154 631 *115 181 35 9 6 46 *76 48 .287 .365 .399 .764 1921 31 NYG NL 149 605 111 181 28 9 4 61 *80 24 .299 .386 .395 .781
And He Reminds Me Of …
An exact age contemporary who was another OBP specialist. Neither Groh nor Burns is in the Hall of Fame or belongs there, but both deserve prominent places in the Hall of Very Good.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1912 22 NYG NL 27 48 8 13 2 1 0 6 8 7 .271 .375 .354 .729 1913 23 NYG-CIN NL 121 413 62 126 23 6 5 58 39 36 .305 .365 .423 .788 1914 24 CIN NL 139 471 72 147 22 5 3 39 66 27 .312 .397 .398 .795 1915 25 CIN NL *160 608 88 191 38 10 5 61 52 32 .314 .368 .435 .803 1916 26 CIN NL 149 571 103 167 29 16 3 34 *87 33 .293 .386 .416 .802 1917 27 CIN NL *156 621 111 *204 *47 13 2 65 73 29 .329 .400 .453 .852 1918 28 CIN NL 126 512 *105 177 *34 3 2 45 56 23 .346 *.410 .434 .845 1919 29 CIN NL 122 465 96 156 20 13 8 77 58 25 .336 .409 .486 *.895 1920 30 CIN NL 145 550 86 164 28 12 0 49 60 29 .298 .375 .393 .768 1921 31 CIN NL 97 357 54 118 19 6 0 48 36 17 .331 .398 .417 .815
Okay, Wait …
We can’t proceed until we deal with this guy: one of the very oddest careers in MLB history, for sure. Even recognizing the great prominence of triples in the 1910s, Wilson’s 1912 was something to behold. But fluky as that one season was, we shouldn’t overlook the fact that his power and speed were both clearly extraordinary.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1911 27 PIT NL 148 544 72 163 34 12 12 107 41 55 .300 .353 .472 .826 1912 28 PIT NL 152 583 80 175 19 *36 11 95 35 67 .300 .342 .513 .855 1913 29 PIT NL 155 599 86 173 14 16 16 89 33 60 .289 .326 .447 .773 1914 30 STL NL 154 598 78 168 32 14 14 89 33 63 .281 .319 .454 .773 1915 31 STL NL 107 360 40 108 16 7 5 47 20 41 .300 .336 .421 .757 1916 32 STL NL 120 365 37 95 10 2 5 39 21 44 .261 .301 .339 .640
Three Stars
As a very young player, Magee had long been among the best extra-base-hit producers in the extremely low-scoring environment up to 1910. His career kind of spun out in his thirties, but for a good while there, this guy was a world-class hitter.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1911 26 PHI NL 121 445 79 128 32 5 15 94 49 33 .288 .366 .463 .849 1912 27 PHI NL 132 464 79 142 25 9 6 66 55 54 .306 .388 .438 .825 1913 28 PHI NL 138 488 112 162 43 7 18 85 39 35 .332 .381 .557 .938 1914 29 PHI NL 146 565 117 *192 *47 13 24 *125 57 40 .340 .400 *.595 .995 1915 30 BSN NL 156 591 88 180 41 14 3 106 56 37 .304 .364 .436 .800 1916 31 BSN NL 122 431 54 113 20 6 5 66 45 50 .263 .333 .370 .703 1917 32 BSN-CIN NL 117 396 50 120 19 9 2 63 30 29 .303 .352 .410 .763 1918 33 CIN NL 115 415 56 134 18 15 3 *93 38 17 .322 .379 .461 .840 1919 34 CIN NL 56 167 13 39 7 1 0 26 27 18 .235 .341 .292 .632
This fellow was awarded the NL’s peculiar version of the MVP award in 1913, for what that’s worth. In an era (of rampant bunting and poor gloves) when first basemen were rightly prized for being quick and sure-handed, he was understood to be a much better player than he would have been seen as in later years. Another secure member of the Hall of Very Good.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1911 27 BRO NL 149 573 89 176 17 8 5 45 51 56 .307 .366 .391 .757 1912 28 BRO NL 145 559 81 172 19 16 3 66 48 45 .308 .369 .415 .784 1913 29 BRO NL 139 530 93 200 20 8 3 63 45 38 *.377 .426 .464 .891 1914 30 BRO NL 126 493 108 175 20 8 10 55 31 33 *.355 .393 .488 .881 1915 31 BRO NL 150 564 75 184 25 9 3 57 59 46 .326 .390 .421 .811 1916 32 BRO NL 127 497 91 170 19 8 5 40 39 37 .341 .390 .442 .831 1917 33 BRO NL 125 483 72 137 5 5 3 37 53 29 .284 .354 .333 .687 1918 34 BRO NL 108 411 61 137 14 *17 3 57 28 17 .333 .376 .476 .851 1919 35 CIN NL *140 555 96 166 12 14 3 54 36 22 .299 .342 .388 .730 1920 36 CIN NL 142 553 97 168 28 13 4 48 47 29 .304 .362 .423 .785 1921 37 CIN NL 136 516 69 158 18 12 2 64 24 16 .306 .341 .399 .740
At age 25 in 1912, he was probably the best player in the National League and looked to have a superstar career on the way. But it never quite happened; not even our goosing of his 1913-19 numbers obscures the fade. He ended up being declared ineligible as part of the 1920 gambling scandal that eventually led to the exposure of the Black Sox, and one is left to wonder to what degree Zimmerman always played his best.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1911 24 CHC NL 143 535 80 164 22 17 9 85 25 50 .307 .343 .462 .805 1912 25 CHC NL 145 557 95 *207 *41 14 *14 99 38 60 *.372 .418 *.571 *.989 1913 26 CHC NL 127 464 84 157 34 14 14 116 42 38 .339 .394 .564 .958 1914 27 CHC NL 146 585 91 188 43 14 6 106 21 44 .321 .344 .475 .819 1915 28 CHC NL 139 537 79 155 34 13 5 75 22 32 .289 .316 .425 .741 1916 29 CHC-NYG NL 147 568 93 176 35 6 10 *101 24 41 .310 .338 .442 .780 1917 30 NYG NL 150 606 74 195 26 10 8 *124 17 41 .322 .340 .439 .780 1918 31 NYG NL 121 478 52 141 23 12 2 68 13 22 .296 .315 .401 .716 1919 32 NYG NL 123 458 68 127 24 7 6 71 22 29 .277 .310 .402 .711
Speaking of Which …
“Could he have really existed, or was he perhaps invented by Robert Louis Stevenson, along with the Master of Ballantrae, Long John Silver and the good Dr. Jekyll? Hal Chase is remembered as a shining, leering, pock-marked face, pasted on a pitchdark soul; there is some evidence to say that he appeared in the flesh, but I lean more toward the invention theory. What mother, if real, what Rosemary could have given birth to such a creature? His parentage is not much discussed in the literature, but he should have been, I would say, the bastard son of a bishop, by way of a woman down on her luck.”
– Bill James
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1911 28 NYY AL 133 527 82 166 32 7 3 62 36 21 .315 .342 .419 .761 1912 29 NYY AL 131 522 61 143 21 9 4 58 33 17 .274 .299 .372 .671 1913 30 NYY-CHW AL 141 547 78 158 16 16 3 58 28 52 .289 .324 .394 .718 1914 31 CHW AL 58 213 33 62 12 6 0 24 24 18 .290 .361 .401 .762 1915 32 (In Federal League) 1916 33 CIN NL 142 565 80 *207 35 14 6 100 20 46 *.366 .387 .510 .898 1917 34 CIN NL 152 *623 86 188 34 17 6 105 15 47 .301 .318 .441 .760 1918 35 CIN NL 74 269 37 88 14 7 3 46 13 14 .326 .358 .467 .825 1919 36 CIN NL 110 422 71 130 20 8 8 55 18 38 .308 .336 .452 .788
A Matched Keystone Pair
The 1910s were still a time in which second base was generally considered an offense-first position, pretty much the way third base is today. The combination of rather poor gloves and lots of bunting and stealing meant that double plays were rare, and thus being quick on the pivot wasn’t a priority. Being nimble was more of a characteristic of third basemen and first basemen than second basemen.
Instead, second basemen were often looked to for extra-base hit and RBI production, and here are two standouts in that regard.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1912 24 SLB AL 152 570 76 172 26 15 5 69 36 -- .302 .348 .426 .774 1913 25 SLB AL 155 613 73 196 37 15 3 106 41 55 .320 .363 .445 .808 1914 26 SLB AL 158 604 103 185 41 15 8 79 52 43 .307 .361 .463 .824 1915 27 SLB AL 159 623 74 196 37 13 5 95 27 41 .315 .343 .438 .782 1916 28 SLB AL 158 616 78 179 42 14 8 125 56 54 .290 .349 .442 .791 1917 29 SLB AL 123 464 49 125 26 9 2 65 34 35 .269 .319 .376 .695 1918 30 NYY AL 126 493 79 147 23 8 3 67 36 25 .298 .346 .397 .743 1919 31 NYY AL 140 546 84 173 32 8 6 68 37 23 .317 .360 .441 .801 1920 32 NYY AL 154 574 84 180 37 8 4 97 50 24 .314 .372 .427 .798 1921 33 BOS AL 135 521 80 169 36 10 5 102 44 10 .324 .378 .461 .839
Doyle was perhaps a little better than Pratt, but both were really good. Not Hall of Fame caliber, but just below it.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1911 24 NYG NL 143 526 102 163 25 *25 13 77 71 39 .310 .397 .527 .924 1912 25 NYG NL 143 558 98 184 33 8 10 90 56 20 .330 .393 .471 .864 1913 26 NYG NL 132 499 82 152 30 7 8 89 61 28 .304 .380 .440 .820 1914 27 NYG NL 145 556 106 157 23 9 8 77 60 24 .283 .352 .400 .752 1915 28 NYG NL 150 614 105 *212 *48 12 6 85 33 27 *.345 .379 .492 .871 1916 29 NYG-CHC NL 122 495 74 149 35 13 5 66 29 23 .301 .340 .452 .792 1917 30 CHC NL 135 491 58 136 23 6 10 74 50 27 .277 .343 .405 .748 1918 31 NYG NL 75 265 46 75 8 5 5 44 38 10 .284 .374 .404 .778 1919 32 NYG NL 113 395 74 124 17 12 11 63 32 16 .313 .365 .499 .864 1920 33 NYG NL 137 471 48 134 21 2 4 50 47 28 .285 .352 .363 .715
Some Sluggers
Perhaps the least-known back-to-back home run champ of all time. Robertson could hit, although his plate discipline was virtually nonexistent.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1912 22 NYG NL 3 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 .500 .500 .500 1.000 1914 24 NYG NL 82 264 30 76 14 3 3 39 10 25 .289 .316 .406 .721 1915 25 NYG NL 141 564 88 180 20 12 5 71 23 50 .319 .345 .421 .766 1916 26 NYG NL 150 609 107 202 22 9 *19 84 14 54 .332 .347 .492 .839 1917 27 NYG NL 142 549 78 155 19 10 *19 66 10 45 .282 .296 .460 .756 1919 29 NYG-CHC NL 28 98 10 22 2 0 2 12 1 10 .228 .236 .301 .537 1920 30 CHC NL 134 500 68 150 29 11 10 75 40 44 .300 .363 .462 .815 1921 31 CHC-PIT NL 82 266 36 82 21 3 6 62 13 19 .308 .345 .477 .823
Has there ever been a more unfair legacy? Pipp is now almost entirely known as the guy who begged out of the Yankees’ lineup with a headache, providing the opening that was grabbed by The Iron Horse; Pipp’s image is hapless and vaguely comic. But he was a very fine player, a consistent run producer for a long time.
It is interesting that his approach at the plate appears to have evolved in the opposite direction of the Ruth-led mainstream: it looks as though, as his career progressed, Pipp strove to avoid strikeouts and became less concerned with home runs.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1913 20 DET AL 12 32 4 6 0 3 0 6 2 6 .178 .228 .396 .624 1915 22 NYY AL 136 493 72 132 24 15 6 73 68 78 .268 .357 .417 .774 1916 23 NYY AL 151 563 85 161 24 16 *19 113 56 79 .285 .350 .488 .838 1917 24 NYY AL 155 605 100 161 35 14 *14 85 62 63 .266 .334 .440 .774 1918 25 NYY AL 91 362 58 119 18 10 3 54 23 33 .329 .368 .462 .831 1919 26 NYY AL 138 541 90 162 28 12 11 61 40 40 .299 .348 .455 .802 1920 27 NYY AL 153 610 109 171 30 14 11 76 48 54 .280 .339 .430 .768 1921 28 NYY AL 153 588 96 174 35 9 8 97 45 28 .296 .347 .427 .774
In terms of total run production, Baker Bowl in Philadelphia was a good hitters’ park in the 1910s, but not a great one. It’s important to note that it didn’t assume its really extreme character of enhancing scoring until the 1920s and 1930s – undoubtedly due to its very short porch in right field, which became more of a factor after the 1910s, as more batters hit for power.
Home runs are only one portion of run production, of course, and in a game in which home runs are infrequent — as they actually were in the baseball of the 1910s — their influence on scoring is minimized. And in a game in which home runs are infrequent, the sample size from which we measure them is also minimized, and we have to be careful about what conclusions we draw from the data we have. Nevertheless it must be understood that all of the Phillie sluggers profiled here hit the huge majority of their four-baggers in their home ballpark.
Beals Becker was a muscular little guy (5’9”, 170) whose left-handed swing was apparently made to order for Baker Bowl: his actual (non-adjusted) total of home runs hit while a Phillie was 20 at home, 9 on the road. I don’t know the explanation for why he disappeared from the major leagues after age 28; it sure looks like he could still hit. It’s difficult to assess a player who takes special advantage of conditions: clearly Becker in a different ballpark wouldn’t have been as valuable as he was in Baker Bowl, but taking advantage of conditions is a good thing, and Becker was an extraordinarily valuable player in Baker Bowl.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1911 24 NYG NL 88 172 28 45 11 1 1 20 26 22 .262 .359 .355 .713 1912 25 NYG NL 125 402 66 106 18 8 6 58 54 35 .264 .354 .393 .747 1913 26 CIN-PHI NL 118 430 78 147 29 15 14 71 29 40 .342 .383 .579 .963 1914 27 PHI NL 138 535 93 188 30 6 14 80 38 57 .351 .394 .509 .903 1915 28 PHI NL 112 348 46 93 19 5 18 43 27 46 .268 .320 .501 .821
Becker’s Phillie teammate was this stocky (5’11”, 185) left-handed-hitting first baseman. For a few years there he hit for quite impressive power. Clearly Baker Bowl benefited him: his non-adjusted home run total in his Philadelphia career was 62 home, 21 away. Quite like Wally Pipp, though, it certainly would appear that in mid-career he modified himself from a flyball hitter into more of a contact-oriented line drive hitter. It’s worth pondering why this might be: possibly, both responded to old-school input that home runs weren’t important, that good hitters hit for a high average.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1911 25 PHI NL 146 551 69 166 24 11 16 99 40 76 .301 .353 .472 .825 1912 26 PHI NL 148 572 77 147 31 5 10 69 44 65 .257 .318 .381 .699 1913 27 PHI NL *155 607 82 173 38 8 29 105 35 49 .285 .324 .517 .841 1914 28 PHI NL 121 457 67 124 19 6 19 67 34 30 .271 .321 .464 .785 1915 29 PHI NL 141 518 67 176 43 8 11 75 43 35 .340 .391 .519 .910 1916 30 PHI NL 146 526 63 161 31 3 8 65 42 31 .305 .357 .424 .781 1917 31 PHI NL 154 539 69 153 29 5 8 88 67 34 .283 .363 .399 .761 1918 32 PHI NL 125 485 66 152 28 2 8 82 43 32 .313 .369 .429 .798 1919 33 PHI NL 138 527 73 167 36 7 8 60 56 46 .317 .383 .457 .840 1920 34 PHI NL 16 32 1 5 2 0 0 4 3 6 .156 .229 .219 .448
The Chicago Cubs moved into Wrigley Field in 1916, which played as a good-to-neutral hitters’ park in its early years, at least in terms of total scoring. Until then they played in West Side Park, which played very neutral in run production. But still, the power exploits displayed by Cub hitters would seem to be have gotten a home field boost: the combined (actual, non-adjusted) home run output of Vic Saier, Frank Schulte, and Cy Williams while playing with the Cubs from 1911 through 1917 was 96 at home versus 55 on the road.
Saier, another 5’11”, 185-pound lefty-hitting first baseman, suffered a broken leg in 1917 that quite obviously wrecked his career. He would certainly appear to be the kind of talent that might have put up some scintillating numbers in the early 1920s.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1911 20 CHC NL 86 259 42 67 15 1 1 37 25 37 .259 .340 .336 .676 1912 21 CHC NL 122 451 74 130 25 14 2 61 34 65 .288 .340 .419 .759 1913 22 CHC NL 149 537 114 168 18 *24 22 112 64 60 .313 .386 .562 .949 1914 23 CHC NL 153 553 106 145 29 9 29 88 97 59 .262 .372 .504 .876 1915 24 CHC NL 144 513 90 147 42 13 18 78 66 60 .287 .368 .521 .889 1916 25 CHC NL 147 513 73 141 30 3 11 61 82 65 .276 .375 .413 .788 1917 26 CHC NL 6 22 6 6 1 0 0 2 2 1 .260 .324 .315 .639 1919 28 PIT NL 58 171 23 42 4 3 3 21 19 12 .244 .318 .362 .679
I could be wrong about this, but I’m pretty sure that there are only three guys in MLB history to have a single season containing at least 20 doubles, triples, and homers. Willie Mays (1957) and George Brett (1979) would be the other two. Pretty nice company for old Wildfire.
Ten of those twenty-one 1911 home runs were hit on the road.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1911 28 CHC NL 154 577 105 173 30 21 *21 *107 76 71 .300 .384 *.534 .918 1912 29 CHC NL 139 553 90 146 27 11 12 64 53 70 .264 .336 .418 .754 1913 30 CHC NL 132 514 103 155 34 7 14 83 40 65 .301 .352 .478 .830 1914 31 CHC NL 137 479 66 126 26 8 8 74 40 53 .263 .320 .402 .721 1915 32 CHC NL 151 567 80 154 24 7 19 75 51 65 .271 .331 .440 .771 1916 33 CHC-PIT NL 127 421 52 127 19 5 8 50 38 52 .301 .360 .426 .786 1917 34 PIT-PHI NL 94 259 39 61 18 1 2 27 27 35 .234 .306 .331 .638 1918 35 WSH AL 93 276 43 86 17 3 0 54 49 35 .313 .415 .398 .814
A Matched Pair of Sluggers
These next two are among the most interesting players of this period. Both arrived in Philadelphia at age 30 in 1918 and proceeded to become home run specialists (well, Williams already was). Both produced stat lines that are extremely modern in shape; many of these lines would be more at home in the 1950s, or even today, than they were at the time. (I’ve cheated here and added 1922 and 1923 for both of these guys, to display the remarkable home run spikes both enjoyed in their thirties.) It looks as though Walker suffered some kind of injury or illness in 1923 that hindered his performance and curtailed his career, but I don’t know what it was.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1911 23 WSH AL 95 356 44 99 6 4 2 39 15 -- .278 .311 .334 .645 1912 24 WSH AL 39 110 22 30 2 1 0 9 8 -- .273 .333 .309 .642 1913 25 SLB AL 23 88 9 28 5 1 0 13 2 9 .319 .334 .399 .734 1914 26 SLB AL 151 536 82 173 29 18 10 95 53 69 .323 .383 .499 .882 1915 27 SLB AL 144 527 65 154 24 8 8 60 37 74 .292 .339 .414 .752 1916 28 BOS AL 128 482 83 139 35 13 5 56 24 43 .289 .322 .443 .765 1917 29 BOS AL 106 347 50 93 22 8 3 45 26 37 .268 .319 .405 .724 1918 30 PHA AL 114 429 68 137 24 0 *18 58 42 42 .319 .380 .498 .879 1919 31 PHA AL 125 472 57 149 36 7 16 78 27 39 .316 .353 .523 .876 1920 32 PHA AL 149 585 79 157 23 7 17 82 41 59 .268 .321 .419 .739 1921 33 PHA AL 142 556 89 169 32 5 23 101 73 41 .304 .389 .504 .892 1922 34 PHA AL 153 565 111 160 31 4 37 99 61 67 .283 .357 .549 .906 1923 35 PHA AL 52 109 12 30 5 2 2 16 14 11 .275 .368 .413 .781
He was probably better than Walker (and his career thrived through the 1920s), even taking the Baker Bowl factor into account: from 1918 through 1923, Williams hit 76 (actual, non-adjusted) homers at home versus 39 away, but Walker was somehow finding Shibe Park even more accommodating, as his actual figures in those years were 73 home, 27 away.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1912 24 CHC NL 28 62 3 15 1 1 0 1 6 14 .242 .309 .290 .599 1913 25 CHC NL 49 160 21 39 4 3 6 39 5 25 .245 .269 .431 .699 1914 26 CHC NL 55 96 15 21 2 2 0 6 13 12 .221 .317 .294 .611 1915 27 CHC NL 151 534 72 149 26 7 21 78 27 47 .279 .314 .472 .786 1916 28 CHC NL 118 419 67 127 23 10 *19 80 53 62 .303 .381 *.545 *.925 1917 29 CHC NL 138 482 65 127 26 5 8 51 39 *75 .263 .319 .387 .706 1918 30 PHI NL 94 363 60 109 17 1 10 47 28 29 .300 .350 .432 .782 1919 31 PHI NL 109 450 66 136 25 1 14 47 31 41 .302 .347 .459 .806 1920 32 PHI NL 148 590 88 192 36 10 *15 72 32 45 .325 .364 .497 .861 1921 33 PHI NL 146 562 67 180 28 6 18 75 30 32 .320 .357 .488 .844 1922 34 PHI NL 151 584 98 180 30 6 26 92 74 49 .308 .392 .514 .905 1923 35 PHI NL 136 535 98 157 22 3 *41 114 59 57 .293 .371 .576 .947
The Cream of the Crop
It’s one of the great ironies of baseball history that of all the great sluggers to have played, it’s this fellow who grabbed the nickname “Home Run,” when of course in real life he never hit more than 12 in any season. He was given the handle for his performance in the 1911 World Series, when he hit two key homers against the Giants. But of course it’s true that Baker was a hell of a good hitter, and is well deserving of his place in the Hall of Fame.
Upon returning from his 1915 holdout, Baker appears to have completely lost his speed — those triples figures are miniscule for the era — but he kept his power to the very end, even following another entirely missed season (1920) which he sat out following the death of his wife.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1911 25 PHI AL 148 592 96 198 42 14 *11 115 40 -- .334 .379 .508 .887 1912 26 PHI AL 149 577 116 200 40 21 *10 *130 50 -- .347 .404 .541 .945 1913 27 PHI AL 149 587 141 213 41 10 *19 *142 65 30 .363 .427 .566 .993 1914 28 PHI AL 150 592 102 204 28 12 *14 108 55 36 .345 .400 .503 .904 1916 30 NYY AL 100 372 56 109 28 2 16 63 37 29 .293 .357 .509 .866 1917 31 NYY AL 146 572 69 175 29 2 10 86 50 26 .306 .361 .415 .776 1918 32 NYY AL 126 523 79 173 29 6 10 75 39 12 .331 .377 .463 .840 1919 33 NYY AL *141 587 85 186 26 1 16 101 45 17 .317 .366 .448 .814 1921 35 NYY AL 94 330 46 97 16 2 9 71 26 12 .294 .353 .436 .789
In 1903, the inaugural season of the Pacific Coast League, 22-year-old Clifford “Gavvy” Cravath was a regular in the outfield for the Los Angeles Angels. His batting average was an unremarkable .274, but he showed outstanding power, finishing second in the league in home runs (7) and third in the league in doubles (51). He remained a fixture in the Los Angeles outfield through 1907, hitting for power all the time: Cravath led the league in doubles in 1906 and 1907, was second in the league in homers every year.
He was purchased by the Boston Red Sox, and as a muscular (5’10”, 186) 27-year-old rookie in 1908 he had a fine year (OPS+ of 136) as a part-time regular in their outfield. Nevertheless the Red Sox sold Cravath that August to the Chicago White Sox, who for some reason didn’t play him in a single game the rest of the year. He got off to a slow start for the White Sox in 1909, and in May they traded him to the Washington Senators, who played him in just 4 games before sending him back to the minors.
In 1910 and 1911 Cravath played for the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association, and at the age of 30 in 1911 he had a monster season, leading the league with a .363 average and 53 doubles, and leading all of organized baseball with 29 home runs. The Philadelphia Phillies acquired him, and he hit his way into the regular right field job there in 1912. He would go on to become far and away the premier home run slugger of the 1910s, until surpassed by you-know-who.
Cravath is an extremely difficult player to properly assess. His major league career is choppy and truncated, leaving us to wonder if his best seasons were spent in the minors, or if he genuinely blossomed in his thirties. Furthermore, his signature major league performances came while playing in Baker Bowl, leaving us to wonder to what degree we’re being fooled by a park illusion. It’s important to note that Cravath was a right-handed batter, so if he was taking special advantage of the short wall in right, he must have been quite an opposite-field hitter. Nevertheless, of all the era’s home run hitters, Cravath’s home-road split is the most extreme: in his career with the Phillies, he hit 92 (actual, non-adjusted) homers in Baker Bowl, and only 25 elsewhere.
The Hall of Fame honors what actually happened, not what might have happened; on that basis I’m satisfied that Cravath doesn’t belong in Cooperstown. But the “what might have been” scenarios here are mesmerizing: what if he had played a 15-20 year major league career? What if he had played in a more neutral hitting environment, allowing us to view his stats with less skepticism? What kind of numbers would he have put up if he had been born a generation or two later?
Cravath became a lawyer and then a judge following his baseball career. The original Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract presents (p. 106) a charming photograph of Judge Cravath, looking quite dapper with a bow tie, silver hair, and pencil-thin moustache. One of the reasons I prefer the original BJHBA to its sequel is the inclusion of more treasures like that.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1912 31 PHI NL 130 436 63 124 30 9 11 70 47 77 .284 .358 .470 .828 1913 32 PHI NL 147 547 95 *201 41 16 *30 *156 57 61 .367 .427 *.668 *1.095 1914 33 PHI NL 149 517 93 167 32 9 *30 122 86 69 .323 *.420 *.598 *1.018 1915 34 PHI NL 150 540 *108 167 37 8 *38 *140 *89 74 .310 *.407 *.622 *1.029 1916 35 PHI NL 137 464 85 143 25 9 18 85 66 *86 .308 .394 .516 .910 1917 36 PHI NL 140 520 85 158 35 18 *19 101 72 55 .304 .389 *.553 .942 1918 37 PHI NL 121 438 52 111 32 6 *13 66 56 44 .254 .338 .442 .779 1919 38 PHI NL 83 223 41 82 22 6 *19 55 36 20 .368 .456 .775 1.231 1920 39 PHI NL 46 45 2 13 5 0 1 11 9 12 .289 .407 .467 .874
A Couple of Old Lions
That’s right, he was still hitting like that in his forties. And as a shortstop.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1911 37 PIT NL 130 473 87 158 23 16 9 89 67 34 *.334 .423 .507 *.930 1912 38 PIT NL 145 558 91 181 35 20 7 *102 59 38 .324 .395 .496 .891 1913 39 PIT NL 114 428 62 139 22 5 5 68 27 38 .325 .365 .431 .796 1914 40 PIT NL 150 569 73 156 18 10 2 61 53 49 .274 .336 .351 .686 1915 41 PIT NL 156 585 83 174 38 20 10 95 40 62 .297 .343 .479 .822 1916 42 PIT NL 123 447 55 139 18 10 2 47 35 35 .311 .361 .409 .770 1917 43 PIT NL 74 237 18 68 8 1 0 29 25 16 .288 .356 .333 .689
Just what was the deal with Sam Crawford and his triples, anyway? I get the fact that triples were a staple of the game in those days, for several reasons: the ballparks, the gloves, and the tactical value of the extra base. But even in that context, Crawford stands way, way out. For fans like myself, who consider the three-base hit the single most exciting play in baseball, he owns a special place of honor.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1911 31 DET AL 146 574 109 217 36 14 7 115 61 -- .378 .438 .526 .964 1912 32 DET AL 149 581 81 189 30 21 4 109 42 -- .325 .373 .470 .843 1913 33 DET AL 153 *633 95 217 38 *26 14 101 54 27 .342 .394 .555 .949 1914 34 DET AL 157 604 90 205 26 *30 13 *127 71 30 .340 .409 .546 .956 1915 35 DET AL 156 634 99 205 37 *22 6 *136 68 28 .324 .389 .482 .871 1916 36 DET AL 100 333 50 103 13 15 0 51 38 10 .310 .381 .439 .820 1917 37 DET AL 61 106 7 20 5 0 3 15 4 6 .190 .221 .326 .547
And Three Young Lions
The breakout year he enjoyed in 1921 at age 26 has always been obvious. But this exercise demonstrates that he’d been building toward it for a while; his 1919 was awfully impressive.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1914 19 DET AL 69 187 30 46 10 1 3 22 23 28 .246 .328 .361 .689 1916 21 DET AL 136 467 69 143 36 13 3 89 43 38 .306 .365 .458 .822 1917 22 DET AL 150 575 69 175 26 13 8 105 42 52 .305 .352 .436 .788 1918 23 DET AL 79 296 41 89 12 7 8 47 36 10 .300 .376 .469 .845 1919 24 DET AL 140 558 90 193 36 17 13 113 38 39 .346 .388 .541 .929 1920 25 DET AL 145 543 66 168 28 5 9 89 39 32 .302 .358 .429 .787 1921 26 DET AL 149 602 114 *237 43 14 19 139 53 37 *.394 .444 .606 1.051
When Sisler’s name does come up nowadays (and if it weren’t for Ichiro!, it practically never would), he often seems to be kind of dismissed, considered overrated. On a career basis I suppose he is, but that’s entirely a function of the dropoff he suffered following his severe eye trouble in 1923. Up to that time he was earning every bit of the glowing praise.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1915 22 SLB AL 81 284 34 88 12 2 5 35 7 26 .309 .326 .418 .744 1916 23 SLB AL 151 602 101 199 25 13 6 93 41 36 .330 .373 .446 .819 1917 24 SLB AL 135 562 73 213 36 10 3 63 31 18 .379 .412 .497 .909 1918 25 SLB AL 114 471 84 173 25 10 3 50 41 16 .367 .418 .485 .903 1919 26 SLB AL 132 533 117 202 37 17 16 101 28 19 .379 .410 .604 1.014 1920 27 SLB AL *154 *631 137 *257 49 18 19 122 46 19 *.407 .449 .632 1.082 1921 28 SLB AL 138 582 125 216 38 *18 12 104 34 27 .371 .411 .560 .971 1922 29 SLB AL 142 586 *134 *246 42 *18 8 105 49 14 *.420 .467 .594 1.061
The spectacular blossoming that occurred in his mid-twenties sprang forth from extremely vigorous roots. So much of the discussion of Hornsby these days seems to center around his (obnoxious) personality, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that he was a staggeringly great player.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1915 19 STL NL 18 59 6 16 2 0 0 5 2 6 .268 .293 .308 .601 1916 20 STL NL 139 514 77 174 20 17 10 79 41 61 .339 .388 .502 .889 1917 21 STL NL 145 544 105 192 29 *20 13 80 46 33 .353 *.404 .548 *.952 1918 22 STL NL 115 430 62 131 23 13 8 73 41 41 .305 .366 .473 .839 1919 23 STL NL 138 532 83 183 18 10 13 86 50 39 .344 .400 .489 .889 1920 24 STL NL 149 589 96 *218 *44 20 9 *94 60 50 *.370 *.431 *.559 *.990 1921 25 STL NL *154 592 *131 *235 *44 *18 21 *126 60 48 *.397 *.458 *.639 *1.097 1922 26 STL NL 154 623 *141 *250 *46 14 *42 *152 65 50 *.401 *.459 *.722 *1.181
And Then There’s This Guy …
… who I’m never quite sure what to do with. He was a splendid hitter, but this exercise makes it quite clear that he peaked in that regard at ages 24 and 25. Especially when factoring his very-highly-regarded center field defense into the matter, Roush deserves his Hall of Fame plaque. But I remain a little perplexed about just how good he really was. (I’m not presenting Roush’s Federal League stats here, nor those of Hal Chase above, because I’m also not sure what to make of them. The Federal League is recognized as a major league, but I’m not convinced it was truly “major” in quality of play, nor do I have any basis upon which to know whether the spitball adjustment factors I’m using here are valid for the F.L.)
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1913 20 CHW AL 9 10 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .100 .100 .100 .200 1914 21 (In Federal League) 1915 22 (In Federal League) 1916 23 NYG-CIN NL 108 352 46 102 8 17 0 24 14 22 .290 .318 .412 .730 1917 24 CIN NL 136 544 100 200 23 16 6 82 28 23 *.367 .398 .504 .902 1918 25 CIN NL 113 453 74 163 22 12 8 75 23 10 .360 .390 *.511 *.901 1919 26 CIN NL 133 524 89 182 23 14 6 86 43 18 *.347 .397 .480 .877 1920 27 CIN NL 149 579 81 196 22 16 4 90 42 22 .339 .386 .453 .839 1921 28 CIN NL 112 418 68 147 27 12 4 71 31 8 .352 .403 .502 .905
Three Very Fine Left Fielders
His career wasn’t quite as long as Wheat’s, and Wheat did have a remarkable late-career flourish in 1924-25, but based on what they did in their twenties and early thirties, it isn’t at all obvious why Wheat is in the Hall of Fame and Veach isn’t.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1912 24 DET AL 23 79 8 27 5 1 0 15 5 -- .342 .388 .430 .818 1913 25 DET AL 137 507 66 148 26 12 0 78 55 30 .292 .361 .390 .751 1914 26 DET AL 149 549 68 164 23 16 2 88 52 28 .299 .359 .408 .766 1915 27 DET AL 152 591 99 200 48 12 5 *136 70 41 .338 .408 .483 .891 1916 28 DET AL 150 587 112 194 39 17 5 111 54 39 .331 .387 .481 .868 1917 29 DET AL 154 593 96 204 37 14 13 *125 63 42 .344 .407 .518 .926 1918 30 DET AL 127 516 72 156 25 15 5 *95 36 22 .302 .348 .437 .785 1919 31 DET AL 139 561 106 *214 *54 *20 5 123 34 32 .382 .417 .573 .991 1920 32 DET AL *154 612 92 188 39 15 11 113 36 22 .307 .353 .474 .827 1921 33 DET AL 150 612 110 207 43 13 16 128 48 31 .338 .387 .529 .917
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1911 23 BRO NL 140 534 55 153 26 13 5 76 29 58 .287 .332 .412 .744 1912 24 BRO NL 123 453 70 138 28 7 8 65 39 40 .305 .367 .450 .818 1913 25 BRO NL 138 555 78 181 34 12 11 71 26 43 .326 .356 .488 .844 1914 26 BRO NL 145 554 80 191 31 10 14 108 49 48 .345 .397 .516 .914 1915 27 BRO NL 146 545 78 153 18 14 8 80 54 40 .280 .345 .408 .753 1916 28 BRO NL 149 590 93 199 38 15 14 89 44 47 .337 .383 .526 *.910 1917 29 BRO NL 109 376 46 127 18 13 2 50 21 17 .338 .372 .466 .838 1918 30 BRO NL 105 426 47 154 18 3 0 62 17 16 *.361 .385 .420 .805 1919 31 BRO NL 137 556 85 179 28 13 8 75 34 26 .321 .361 .460 .820 1920 32 BRO NL 148 583 89 191 26 13 9 73 48 21 .328 .385 .463 .848 1921 33 BRO NL 148 568 91 182 31 10 14 85 44 19 .320 .372 .484 .857
He was a tremendous player. I’m fully in support of the decision to declare him ineligible, and to keep him out of the Hall of Fame, but if it weren’t for the Black Sox stain , he would clearly deserve to be in Cooperstown.
That said, I think Jackson’s virtual-martyr status is often overblown. Yes, he was terrific, but he wasn’t as good as Speaker or Cobb. He was better than Veach and Wheat, but not an inner-circle guy.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1911 21 CLE AL 147 571 126 233 45 19 7 83 56 -- .408 *.468 .590 1.058 1912 22 CLE AL 154 572 121 *226 44 *26 3 90 54 -- .395 .458 .579 1.036 1913 23 CLE AL 148 552 133 *221 *47 20 11 86 83 25 .401 .479 *.617 *1.096 1914 24 CLE AL 122 472 74 172 26 15 5 65 42 33 .364 .416 .514 .930 1915 25 CLE-CHW AL 128 478 77 159 24 16 8 99 54 22 .333 .400 .501 .901 1916 26 CHW AL 155 617 111 227 48 *24 5 95 47 24 .368 .413 .547 .960 1917 27 CHW AL 146 558 111 182 24 20 8 91 59 24 .326 .390 .482 .873 1918 28 CHW AL 17 68 11 26 2 2 2 24 8 1 .381 .448 .555 1.003 1919 29 CHW AL 139 538 96 203 37 16 11 117 62 10 .378 .442 .569 1.011 1920 30 CHW AL 146 570 105 218 42 *20 12 121 56 14 .382 .444 .589 1.033
The Cream of the Cream of the Crop
When thinking of Collins, I think we’re often times inclined to focus on his little-ball skills, which were legendary: his bunting, stealing, defense, and general smarts. But we should never forget that he was also a hell of a good hitter. If he isn’t still the greatest second baseman of all time based on career value, he’s awfully close.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1911 24 PHA AL 132 493 92 180 22 13 3 73 62 -- .365 .451 .481 .932 1912 25 PHA AL 153 543 *137 189 25 11 0 64 101 -- .348 .450 .435 .885 1913 26 PHA AL 148 557 *152 207 28 15 5 89 88 36 .371 .457 .500 .957 1914 27 PHA AL 152 548 *149 203 28 16 3 103 100 30 .371 .468 .497 .965 1915 28 CHW AL 155 542 144 194 26 12 6 94 *123 26 .358 .477 .485 .961 1916 29 CHW AL 155 566 106 189 17 20 0 63 89 35 .333 .424 .432 .856 1917 30 CHW AL 156 584 111 183 22 14 0 82 92 15 .313 .407 .398 .804 1918 31 CHW AL 97 341 62 102 10 2 3 37 75 12 .299 .426 .369 .795 1919 32 CHW AL 140 538 106 185 23 8 6 97 70 26 .344 .420 .452 .872 1920 33 CHW AL 153 602 117 224 38 13 3 76 69 19 .372 .438 .493 .932 1921 34 CHW AL 139 526 79 177 20 10 2 58 66 11 .337 .412 .424 .836
Best one-sentence summarization of Tris Speaker ever: “Well, if you can imagine George Brett playing center field like Cesar Geronimo, you’d be pretty close.” That’s from the original Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract (p. 395), and the removal of that little “Comparable Recent Players” feature from the updated BJHBA is another reason I prefer the old one. Well, maybe that, and the fact that I’m a cranky old fart.
One measure of Speaker’s greatness is this point James makes, also from page 395: “It was not a unanimous agreement among the observers of Speaker and Cobb’s time that Cobb was the better player. Cobb was a better hitter and a more prolific base stealer, but Speaker was a better outfielder, had a better arm, was probably faster, was a great hitter himself and seemed to wind up on winning teams more often.”
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1911 23 BOS AL 141 500 88 167 34 13 8 70 59 -- .334 .418 .502 .920 1912 24 BOS AL 153 580 136 222 *53 12 *10 90 82 -- .383 *.464 .567 1.031 1913 25 BOS AL 141 543 114 212 42 25 5 86 67 21 .391 .458 .588 1.045 1914 26 BOS AL *158 595 123 *217 *55 21 6 110 79 24 .364 .439 .559 .998 1915 27 BOS AL 150 569 131 198 30 14 0 84 84 13 .348 .431 .449 .880 1916 28 CLE AL 151 572 124 *237 *49 9 3 96 85 19 *.414 *.490 *.549 *1.039 1917 29 CLE AL 142 546 110 207 50 13 3 73 69 13 .379 .449 .535 .983 1918 30 CLE AL 127 489 89 168 *39 13 0 74 66 9 .344 .422 .477 .899 1919 31 CLE AL 134 512 101 164 45 14 3 77 75 12 .320 .407 .482 .889 1920 32 CLE AL 150 552 137 214 *50 11 8 107 97 13 .388 .483 .562 1.045 1921 33 CLE AL 132 506 107 183 *52 14 3 75 68 12 .362 .439 .538 .977
I’m not presenting any pitcher’s careers in this article (come on, isn’t it way too long already?), but I think we can make an exception for this guy, who seems to be the exception to every rule. Chew on this factoid for a while: from 1915 through 1917, Ruth pitched to 3,508 batters, and allowed 5 actual home runs (this exercise adjusts it to 8). In that same period, he came to bat himself 351 times, and hit 9 actual home runs (this exercise adjusts it to 14).
How about another factoid: Fenway Park was a terrible home run park in Ruth’s years there; either the worst in baseball or something very close to it. The Red Sox as a team hit (actual, non-adjusted) 21 home runs at home from 1915 through 1919, and 69 on the road, with Ruth’s portion being 11 at Fenway at 38 away.
What would have become of Ruth The Pitcher if he hadn’t hit so well? This is, of course, one of the all-time great questions. There’s no doubt he was an authentically brilliant pitcher in 1916 and 1917. But frankly his pitching lines don’t suggest long-term stardom to me. His walk-to-strikeout ratio wasn’t impressive; it looks very much to me that Ruth was a groundball pitcher without especially good control — not the best of combinations. I don’t like the direction that strikeout rate took from 1916 to 1917.
It’s impossible to know what toll Ruth’s focus on hitting, and playing nearly every day, in 1918 and 1919 took on his pitching effectiveness; one certainly has to assume it had a big impact. At any rate the trend lines in 1918 and 1919 were quite alarming. His 9-5 won-lost record in 1919 is a complete illusion: he wasn’t an effective pitcher that season at all.
But the big fellow had a decent year with the bat, didn’t he.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1914 19 BOS AL 5 10 1 2 1 0 0 2 0 4 .200 .200 .300 .500 1915 20 BOS AL 42 96 19 33 12 1 6 26 9 22 .341 .399 .691 1.091 1916 21 BOS AL 67 141 22 42 6 3 5 18 10 22 .296 .344 .490 .834 1917 22 BOS AL 52 128 17 45 7 3 3 15 12 17 .351 .408 .537 .945 1918 23 BOS AL 95 329 61 107 31 13 *18 80 60 *56 .325 .429 *.657 *1.086 1919 24 BOS AL 130 449 *125 156 41 14 *47 *139 104 56 .348 *.470 *.810 *1.281 1920 25 NYY AL 142 458 *158 172 36 9 *54 *137 *150 80 .376 *.532 *.847 *1.379 1921 26 NYY AL 152 540 *177 204 44 16 *59 *171 *145 81 .378 *.512 *.846 *1.359
Year Age Team Lg G GS CG IP W L Sv H BB SO HR ERA 1914 19 BOS AL 4 3 1 23 2 1 0 24 7 3 2 4.76 1915 20 BOS AL 32 28 16 218 18 8 0 186 88 108 5 2.97 1916 21 BOS AL 44 *41 23 324 23 12 1 258 122 163 0 *2.13 1917 22 BOS AL 41 38 *35 326 24 13 2 274 111 123 3 2.45 1918 23 BOS AL 20 19 18 166 13 7 0 140 51 38 2 2.70 1919 24 BOS AL 17 15 12 133 9 5 1 166 60 29 3 3.62 1920 25 NYY AL 1 1 0 4 1 0 0 3 2 0 0 4.50 1921 26 NYY AL 2 1 0 9 2 0 0 14 9 2 1 9.00
Wow
Everything about Ty Cobb is extreme, of course. “Average” or “bland” or “unremarkable” are descriptions of pretty close to nothing about him, on or off the field.
But of all the extreme things regarding Cobb — his crudeness, his boorishness, his temper, his stubbornness, his intensity, his aggressiveness, his alertness, his speed, his insatiable drive for success — his most extreme attribute remains very simple and central: it was his skill with a bat. Whatever else there is we may say about Cobb, and there are so many things worth saying about him, the one thing that can never be overstated is what a great, great hitter he was.
Year Age Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1911 24 DET AL 146 591 *147 *248 *47 *24 8 *127 44 -- *.420 .467 *.621 *1.088 1912 25 DET AL 140 553 120 *226 30 23 7 83 43 -- *.409 .456 *.584 *1.040 1913 26 DET AL 122 449 85 188 22 18 6 82 60 30 *.418 *.487 .591 1.078 1914 27 DET AL 98 361 84 143 26 13 3 69 59 21 *.395 *.480 *.565 *1.046 1915 28 DET AL 156 589 *175 *234 37 15 5 121 122 41 *.397 *.500 .535 *1.035 1916 29 DET AL 145 567 *138 226 37 12 8 83 80 37 .398 .473 .547 1.020 1917 30 DET AL 152 *616 130 *253 *53 *28 10 124 63 33 *.410 *.465 *.633 *1.098 1918 31 DET AL 111 441 101 181 23 *16 5 78 42 20 *.410 *.462 .568 1.029 1919 32 DET AL 124 520 112 *214 43 15 2 85 39 21 *.412 .453 .562 1.015 1920 33 DET AL 112 428 86 143 28 8 2 63 58 28 .334 .416 .451 .867 1921 34 DET AL 128 507 124 197 37 16 12 101 56 19 .389 .452 .596 1.048 1922 35 DET AL 137 526 99 211 42 16 4 99 55 24 .401 .462 .565 1.026
References & Resources
Equalizing the average rates of 19{11,12,20,21} with those of 1913-19 is achieved by using the following multipliers:
Runs: 1.2175
Hits: 1.1228
Doubles: 1.1969
Triples: 1.15209
Home Runs: 1.6035
Walks: 1.0320
Strikeouts: 0.9614
An impact of a greater rate of hits is an increase in at-bats, of course. I use a simple method to increase at-bats: every batter’s at-bats are increased by his number of increased hits. Outs are constant, of course, and I assume as well a constant rate of double plays and baserunning outs – probably not exactly proper assumptions, but close enough for our purposes.
The Bill James quote regarding Hal Chase appears in the player evaluation section of both versions of The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract (Villard Books, 1985), on page 329 of the original (quoted here), and in very slightly different form, on page 462 of the NBJHBA (The Free Press, 2001).
Hal Chase, alas, played college baseball for my beloved hometown school and alma mater: Santa Clara University (known as Santa Clara College in Chase’s day). Santa Clara produced quite a number of major league players in the early decades of the 1900s, but Chase was far and away the best of them. The bit of research I’ve done on the subject suggests that it’s likely Chase (and others of these early Broncos) weren’t truly students at all, but were simply paid ringers. Seems like collegiate athletics hasn’t changed all that much in 100 years.
I don’t know where to find home-road home run totals on the internet; I’m sure there’s a site somewhere, but I’m not familiar with it. The data I’ve cited here comes from The Home Run Encyclopedia: The Who, What, and Where of Every Home Run Hit Since 1876 (Macmillan, 1996), a jewel of a SABR publication compiled by Bob McConnell and David Vincent. Home Run Factors (along with total run-based Park Factors) are also one of the most valuable portions of the original edition of Total Baseball (Warner Books, 1989), edited by John Thorn and Pete Palmer, beginning on page 2167.
The Pacific Coast League performance by Gavvy Cravath is found in The Early Coast League Statistical Record, 1903-1957 (Baseball Press Books, 2004), compiled by Carlos Bauer. I just got this one in the mail a couple of weeks ago, and I can tell already it’s going to be one of my very most valuable resources. My copy came with a very nice handwritten note of thanks from the author. How cool is that?