1912 American League All-Star Team

5^th Time All-Star-There came a time in my life as I got older that I had to get out of slo-pitch softball. It got to the point where the only position I could play was pitcher and I started to get scared of the ball being hit up the middle. I was thinking of that as I imagined facing Walter Johnson at the plate. I think I could do it in my youth, but I couldn’t do it now. I’d bail out of the batter’s box the second he went into his windup. Well, that’s what the American League batters of his time had to face all the time.

Johnson’s great pitching finally led to a good season for his team. The Senators, now managed by Clark Griffith, who left the Reds, finished second with a 91-61 record. It was still 14 games out of first, but at least the nation’s capital had something to watch even when the Big Train wasn’t on the mound. Washington had the best pitching in the league, leading the American League with a team 2.69 ERA.

SABR says, “In the ‘strange but true’ category, the modern records (since 1900) for consecutive wins by a pitcher in a single season were established in that one year; Marquard’s major league 19 and the 16 with which Johnson and Wood recorded American League highs. The A.L. record has since been tied by Lefty Grove of Philadelphia in 1931 and Schoolboy Rowe of Detroit in 1934. The most remarkable display of avoiding a pitching defeat, however, belongs to Carl Hubbell of the New York Giants. King Carl, the ‘Meal Ticket’, ended 1936 with a run of 16 straight wins and then started the 1937 season with 8 more to make it 24 games without tasting defeat.” Read the whole thing for a description of an epic Johnson-Smoky Joe Wood battle.

P-Ed Walsh, Chicago White Sox, 31 Years Old

1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911

27-17, 2.15 ERA, 254 K, .243, 0 HR, 12 RBI

MVP Rank: 2

WAR Rank: 2

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: No

Cooperstown: Yes (Inducted in 1946)

Ron’s: Yes (Inducted in 1910)

Led in:

Games Pitched-62 (5^th Time)

Saves-10 (5^th Time)

Innings Pitched-393 (4^th Time)

Games Started-41 (3^rd Time)

Hits-332 (2^nd Time)

Batters Faced-1,532 (4^th Time)

Games Finished-20 (3^rd Time)

Def. Games as P-62 (5^th Time)

Assists as P-140 (5^th Time)

Errors Committed as P-15

7^th Time All-Star-As longtime readers know (I like to pretend I have readers, humor me), I have two Halls of Fame. First there is the One-a-Year Hall of Fame, or the ONEHOF, which inducts the one best player a year that isn’t already in that Hall of Fame. Then there is the creatively named Ron’s Hall of Fame, which inducts players based on the formula-(No. of All-Star Teams x Career WAR). If that number is over 300, they’re in. If not, they’re out. It’s my way of doing a small Hall of Fame, which inducts the best of the best, and a larger one, which inducts some of the fringe candidates who might have missed being inducted into Cooperstown.

Which leaves me with an Ed Walsh conundrum. During the seven years he made the All-Star team, Walsh was 168-112, with a 1.71 ERA and an incredible 2526 1/3 innings pitched. However, for his career, he wound up with a 195-126 record. Outside of those seven seasons, he didn’t do much. So he definitely deserves Cooperstown and Ron’s, but he’s not going to make the ONEHOF. Hey, all you Ed Walsh groupies, don’t write me mean letters! (I like to pretend people still write letters.)

Walsh’s White Sox, now managed by Jimmy Callahan, stayed in fourth place with a 76-78 record. As usual, the squad was no hit/all pitch.

After this season, Walsh would peter out fast, never pitching above 97 2/3 innings again. All of those years of pitching incredible amounts of innings and games finally got to him and he’d be out of the league by 1917.

P-Smoky Joe Wood, Boston Red Sox, 22 Years Old

1911

34-5, 1.91 ERA, 258 K, .290, 1 HR, 13 RBI

MVP Rank: 5

WAR Rank: 3

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: No

Cooperstown: No

Ron’s: No (Would require six more All-Star seasons. 16 percent chance)

Led in:

Wins-34

Win-Loss %-.872

Complete Games-35

Shutouts-10

Putouts as P-41

2^nd Time All-Star-Wood had easily his best season ever and was largely responsible for Boston winning the American League pennant. He finished third in WAR (11.5), behind Washington’s Walter Johnson (14.8) and Chicago’s Ed Walsh (12.2); third in WAR for Pitchers (10.2), trailing Johnson (13.7) and Walsh (11.5); second in ERA (1.91), with only the Big Train (1.39) ahead of him; third in innings pitched (344), again behind Walsh (393) and Johnson (369); and second in Adjusted ERA+ (177), way behind Johnson (243).

Playing in its new park and managed by its new manager, Jake Stahl, Boston finished 105-47 to win the AL crown. In Game 1, Wood allowed three runs in a complete game victory. In Game 4, Wood pitched another complete game, allowing one run and putting the Red Sox ahead 2-1-1. Wood fell apart in Game 7, allowing six runs in one inning as New York tied up the Series 3-3-1. As for the deciding Game 8, Wikipedia says, “Equally compelling in drama, Wood’s Red Sox faced John McGraw‘s New York Giants in the historic 1912 World Series. After slugging it out in seven close games, the teams met for the deciding game eight at Fenway with future Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson starting for the Giants. After Boston tied the score 1–1 in the bottom of the seventh, Wood came in to pitch. He matched Mathewson in the eighth and ninth, and the game went into extra innings. In the top of the tenth, Fred Merkle got to Wood knocking in a run with a single. But in the bottom of the tenth, Clyde Engle, pinch-hitting for Wood, hit an easy fly ball to Fred Snodgrass in center field, and Snodgrass dropped the ball. Given new life, the ‘Snodgrass Muff’ cost the Giants as Speaker and Larry Gardner each knocked in a run to overcome the 1-run deficit. Wood and the Red Sox won the game 3–2 and the series 4–3–1. For Wood, the game was his third win in the series against one loss. He also struck out 11 batters in one game, becoming the first pitcher to record double-digit strikeouts in a World Series game.”

P-Vean Gregg, Cleveland Naps, 27 Years Old

1911

20-13, 2.59 ERA, 184 K, .175, 0 HR, 13 RBI

WAR Rank: 9

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: No

Cooperstown: No

Ron’s: No (Would require 11 more All-Star seasons. Impossible)

2^nd Time All-Star-Gregg couldn’t match his rookie season of 1911, but it was an impressive year nonetheless. He finished ninth in WAR (7.1); fourth in WAR for Pitchers (7.4); seventh in ERA (2.59); eighth in innings pitched (271 1/3); and sixth in Adjusted ERA+ (133). He probably has one more All-Star season left.

Cleveland had two new managers this year, Harry Davis and Joe Birmingham. Davis, in his oly year of coaching, went 54-71 and was released. Birmingham, however, did an impressive job, going 21-7, and he’d stick with the Naps for a little while. Altogether, the Naps went 75-78, finishing in fifth place.

SABR says, “After much off-season dickering, Gregg finally agreed to a 1912 contract calling for $3,500, plus a $1,500 bonus should he win 25 games. With sporadic arm soreness and visits to the noted chiropractor Bonesetter Reese, Gregg managed to win 20 games. While Cleveland retrograded to a sub-.500 fifth-place team in 1912, Gregg continued to impress, even with a sore arm. Naps manager Harry Davis, who tired of a bickering, faction-torn team and resigned a month before the end of season, claimed, ‘That fellow Gregg is an exact duplicate of Waddell when the Rube was at his best.’”

When I think of someone like Gregg, with so much potential, but little durability, my mind can’t help but go to Cy Young, who retired after the 1911 season, but only after finishing 511-316, pitching 7,356 innings and completing 749 of his 815 games started. Why did his arm last while Gregg’s didn’t? By the way, in order for 2017 innings leading pitcher Chris Sale to pitch 7,356 innings he’d have to pitch 214 1/3 innings, which was what he had that season, over 35 years.

P-Jack Warhop, New York Highlanders, 27 Years Old

1909

10-19, 2.86 ERA, 110 K, .207, 0 HR, 6 RBI

WAR Rank: 10

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: No

Cooperstown: No

Ron’s: No (Would require 17 more All-Star seasons. Impossible)

2^nd Time All-Star-Warhop didn’t make the All-Star teams in 1910 or 1911 as both seasons his ERA was 3.00 or above. This season, most likely his last time on this list and his best year ever, he finished 10^th in WAR (7.0); fifth in WAR for Pitchers (6.8); and 10^th in Adjusted ERA+ (127).

As for the Highlanders, Harry Wolverton took over the managerial reins and the team plummeted to last place with a 50-102 record. It would be his only managing job.

Wikipedia says, “Warhop’s penchant for tough luck was best exemplified in the 1912 season, when he finished with a 10–19 record—the second highest number of losses in the AL—despite compiling a 2.86 ERA and 6.7 Wins Above Replacement (WAR). Both his ERA and WAR were tenth best in the AL, though he also finished second in hit batsmen (16) and fifth in errors as a pitcher (7). In a July 5 road game against the Washington Senators, he entered the game in the second inning and lost 6–5 in a walk-off, despite dueling Walter Johnson up to the 16th inning. Then, in a game on August 22, he held the Chicago White Sox to just two hits and no runs in the first five innings. While pitching with a 3–0 lead, Warhop surrendered one run in the sixth inning, before getting shelled in the seventh, giving up four runs and the lead. After another four runs were given up in the ninth inning, the Highlanders lost the game 9–4. Towards the end of the season, Warhop was again on the losing side of a bad luck game, when he lost a 3–0 pitchers’ duel against the St. Louis Browns, having held them scoreless for the first five innings.”

P-Ray Collins, Boston Red Sox, 25 Years Old

1910

13-8, 2.53 ERA, 82 K, .169, 0 HR, 2 RBI

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: No

Cooperstown: No

Ron’s: No (Would require 10 more All-Star seasons. Impossible)

2^nd Time All-Star-Collins went 11-12 in 1911 and didn’t make this list, but he’s back this season, finishing sixth in WAR for Pitchers (5.7); fifth in ERA (2.53); and fifth in Adjusted ERA+ (134). In the World Series, he started Game 2 against Christy Mathewson and allowed five runs, three earned, in seven-and-a-third innings. The game ended up being a 6-6 tie. In Game 6, Collins relieved Buck O’Brien in the second inning and pitched seven scoreless innings in what ended up a 5-2 loss.

This is as good of time as any to talk about a new ballpark that is still around this day. Wikipedia says, “The Red Sox moved to Fenway Park from the old Huntington Avenue Grounds. In 1911, owner John I. Taylor purchased the land bordered by Brookline Avenue, Jersey Street, Van Ness Street and Lansdowne Street and developed it into a larger baseball stadium.

“Taylor claimed the name Fenway Park came from its location in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston, which was partially created late in the nineteenth century by filling in marshland or “fens“,^[14] to create the Back Bay Fens urban park. However, given that Taylor’s family also owned the Fenway Realty Company, the promotional value of the naming at the time has been cited as well. Like many classic ballparks, Fenway Park was constructed on an asymmetrical block, with consequent asymmetry in its field dimensions. The General Contractor was the Charles Logue Building Company.

“The first game was played April 20, 1912, with mayor John F. Fitzgerald throwing out the first pitch and Boston defeating the New York Yankees, 7-6 in 11 innings. Newspaper coverage of the opening was overshadowed by continuing coverage of the Titanic sinking a few days earlier.”

P-Russ Ford, New York Highlanders, 29 Years Old

1910 1911

13-21, 3.55 ERA, 112 K, .286, 1 HR, 8 RBI

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: No

Cooperstown: No

Ron’s: No (Would require six more All-Star seasons. Impossible)

Led in:

Home Runs Allowed-11

Losses-21

Earned Runs Allowed-115

3^rd Time All-Star-As Ford’s scuff ball got less effective, his pitching dominance started to fade. However, he still was good enough to finish ninth in WAR for Pitchers (4.7); and fifth in innings pitched (291 2/3). He also had his best hitting year also, slashing .286/.322/.384 for an OPS+ of 97.

SABR says of his scuff ball, “In a 1935 interview with The Sporting News, Ford explained that he first discovered the secret behind the emery pitch in 1908, when he was still with Atlanta. On a rainy spring morning Ford was warming up under the stands with catcher Ed Sweeney when he became wild. One pitch struck a wooden upright; another sailed sideways about five feet. When Sweeney returned the ball, Ford examined it and saw that it was rough where it had hit the upright. He wondered if the roughened surface was responsible for the ball’s odd movement, so he gripped the sphere on the side opposite its roughened surface and when he pitched it, the ball shot through the air with a sailing dip. ‘It never occurred to me that I had uncovered what was to become one of the most baffling pitches that a Cobb, Lajoie, Speaker or Delahanty [sic] would be called upon to bat against in the big leagues,’ Ford told The Sporting News.

“But opposing batters had a much easier time handling Ford’s deliveries in 1912, as the pitcher lost a league-high 21 games, though his 3.55 ERA was still slightly better than the league average.”

Photo of Fred Blanding

P-Fred Blanding, Cleveland Naps, 24 Years Old

18-14, 2.92 ERA, 75 K, .226, 1 HR, 9 RBI

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: No

Cooperstown: No

Ron’s: No (Would require 34 more All-Star seasons. Impossible)

Led in:

Double Plays Turned as P-6

1st Time All-Star-Wikipedia says, “Frederick James Blanding (February 8, 1888 – July 16, 1950), nicknamed “Fritz,” was an American baseball player. He played five seasons as a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Naps from 1910 to 1914. He pitched a six-hit shutout against Walter Johnson in his Major League debut in September 1910. His best seasons were 1912 and 1913, during which time he compiled a record of 33–24. His career record with Cleveland was 46-46.

“In 1911, Blanding spent the season with Cleveland and compiled a 7–11 record in 29 games. In July 1922, Blanding was praised in the press for his “manly qualities in makeup” after he asked the Cleveland team president Somers to allow him to return to the minor leagues. Blanding told Somers that “he felt that he was not giving value received for his salary and that in justice to the team he thought he had better go back to a minor league.” Somers declined the offer, told Blanding to put the defeats behind him and expressed confidence that Blanding would “shake off his hoo-doo.”

“In 1912, he posted a record of 18–14 with 23 complete games in 262 innings pitched. His earned run average in 1912 was 2.92 — well below the league average of 3.44. His Adjusted ERA+ was 118.”

P-Buck O’Brien, Boston Red Sox, 30 Years Old

20-13, 2.58 ERA, 115 K, .138, 0 HR, 6 RBI

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: No

Cooperstown: No

Ron’s: No (Would require 42 more All-Star seasons. Impossible)

1^st Time All-Star-Thomas Joseph “Buck” O’Brien was born on May 9, 1882 in Brockton, MA. He started with Boston in 1911 and his six games were so dazzling, he earned himself a regular spot in the rotation in 1912. He went 5-1 with a 0.38 ERA in 47 2/3 innings pitched. This season, easily his best ever, O’Brien finished seventh in WAR for Pitchers (5.4); sixth in ERA (2.58); seventh in innings pitched (275 2/3); and eighth in Adjusted ERA+ (131).

Buck’s World Series was tough, as he lost both games he started, giving up seven runs, five earned, in a total of nine innings pitched. Still, Boston won, so O’Brien was able to claim one championship for his career.

It was a career that ended the next season as his fluke season turned out to be just that, a fluke. At 31 years of age, in 1913, he pitched for both the Red Sox and the White Sox, finishing 4-11 and O’Brien’s Major League career was done.

Wikipedia says of the World Series, “O’Brien started Game 3 of the 1912 World Series against the New York Giants, but lost. Boston eventually took a 3–1 series lead, with ace pitcher Smokey Joe Wood slated to start Game 6. However, club owner Jimmy McAleer wanted the series to go back to Boston so he could get the gate receipts; he ordered manager Jake Stahl to start O’Brien instead of Wood. Buck, not knowing that he was going to pitch, was hungover the day of the game. He gave up three earned runs in the first inning, and Boston lost.”

Photo of Earl Hamilton

P-Earl Hamilton, St. Louis Browns, 20 Years Old

11-14, 3.24 ERA, 139 K, .178, 0 HR, 4 RBI

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: No

Cooperstown: No

Ron’s: No (Would require 12 more All-Star seasons. 17 percent chance)

1st Time All-Star-Paul Hofmann of SABR writes, “Given the fact that Navin Field had been open for less than four months, it could easily be assumed that visiting pitcher Earl Hamilton’s gem on August 30 was the first no-hitter thrown at Navin Field. However, this honor went to the Tigers’ George Mullin. Mullin, who recorded 209 victories for the Tigers in 12 years with the club, celebrated his 32nd birthday by pitching a no-hitter during the second game of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Browns on July 4, 1912. The Browns returned to Detroit on August 30 and Hamilton tossed the second no-hitter in Navin Field history. Though the two games were separated by 57 days of travel and baseball, they were consecutive games in the season series between the Tigers and Browns.

“Hamilton continued to baffle the Tigers with his fine control, puzzling delivery, and excellent curveball. He also was the benefactor of strong defensive play behind him. Center fielder Burt Shotton made two fine catches and shortstop Heine Smoyer and Austin “on more than one occasion made splendid stops and throws” on difficult drives.

“After Hamilton retired Donie Bush and Cobb to start the bottom of the ninth, only Crawford stood between him and baseball immortality. The Tigers’ future Hall of Famer came to the plate and laced a liner to left field. Fortunately for Hamilton, Browns left fielder Pete Compton was able to catch up to it and haul it in to preserve the first no-hitter in St. Louis Browns history.”

C-Jack Lapp, Philadelphia Athletics, 27 Years Old

1911

.292, 1 HR, 35 RBI

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: No

Cooperstown: No

Ron’s: No (Would require 23 more All-Star seasons. Impossible)

2^nd Time All-Star-One of Philadelphia’s most underrated players during its five-year stretch in which it won four pennants, Lapp made his second American League All-Star team. He didn’t match his incredible .353 average and .902 OPS of 1911, but he still did great for a catcher, slashing .292/.337/.399/.735 for an OPS+ of 113. In an era in which catchers couldn’t hit, Lapp was the exception.

SABR says, “Lapp didn’t bark at umpires. He never complained about his standing in Philadelphia’s catching order, nor became embroiled in team politics. He was a light drinker, an avid golfer, and enjoyed off-season hunting vacations with his teammates. His most defining characteristic was his premature baldness. ‘Johnny Lapp, who owns the closest haircut in the American,’ a correspondent quipped in August 1912, ‘is catching great ball for the champs; in fact, he is now the Athletic Club’s most dependable catcher.’

“But by that point in the 1912 season, perhaps in a championship hangover, Philadelphia had fallen out of the race, and would eventually finish in third place. Thomas battled health issues. Mack had sold Livingston, and brought back Ben Egan, who couldn’t hit major-league pitching. Lapp’s playing time thus increased to 91 games, in which he achieved a .292 BA, .337 OBP, and .399 SLG. He threw out 47% of would-be base stealers, and committed a career-high 20 errors.”

It is almost impossible to look at the stats of a catcher and judge whether or not he’ll make another All-Star team. If I had to guess, Lapp probably has one left in him.

Photo of Alva Williams

C-Alva Williams, Washington Senators, 30 Years Old

.318, 0 HR, 22 RBI

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: No

Cooperstown: No

Ron’s: No (Would require 62 more All-Star seasons. Impossible)

1st Time All-Star-Bill Nowlin of SABR writes, “His nickname was said to be “Rip,” but virtually every newspaper article during his career called him Alva Williams. Alva Mitchell Williams was his given name, one given to him by his parents Wessly (we suspect the census taker misspelled Wesley) and Sarah Williams when he was born on January 31, 1882 in Carthage, Illinois. The family lived on their farm at Walker, Illinois. Perhaps due to her husband’s departure in death, Sarah Williams was the head of the family in 1900; living with Alva and his younger sister Sela in Keene, Illinois, Sarah worked as a weaver and Alva was working as a farm laborer. Sela was just 14 at the time.

“He’d almost left the game after 1911, however. He was not sufficiently impressed with the contract offered him by the Red Sox for 1912 and said he wouldn’t play unless they met his terms. Instead, the Red Sox dealt him to the New York Highlanders in February for $2,500 and later that same month, he was traded on to Washington on the 22nd as the player to be named later in a deal done on the 17th. He was, the Washington Post wrote, “a large, lanky person, extremely awkward and excessively earnest.” He was 5-foot-11 and weighed 187 pounds, but those were both above the norm a century ago. The Post added that what he needed most was “a course in Delsarte and a good tailor. He lacks grace and an ability to wear a uniform so that it looks right, but he is long on interest in his work, and was always much in the game when he showed here.” The ballclub couldn’t find him at first and so enlisted the aid of the sheriff of Carthage who wired back that Williams was hunting in Stuttgart, Arkansas.

“He arrived in Charlottesville for spring training, and impressed the Evening Star correspondent: “When it comes to injecting ginger into a ball team, leave it to Alva Williams. He can make more noise during practice than all the others put together, and he keeps everyone on edge and hustling. Williams is an incessant worker. He is never still and is always one of the first to begin and last to quit work.”

“Though the third catcher on the team, injuries to both John Henry and Eddie Ainsmith gave Williams more playing time and he took advantage. He appeared in 60 games and hit for a .318 batting average. It was the highest he would ever hit.”

1B-Stuffy McInnis, Philadelphia Athletics, 21 Years Old

.327, 3 HR, 101 RBI

MVP Rank: 21

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: No

Cooperstown: No

Ron’s: No (Would require eight more All-Star seasons. 25 percent chance)

Led in:

Putouts-1,533

Def. Games as 1B-153

Putouts as 1B-1,533

Assists as 1B-100

Errors Committed as 1B-27

Double Plays Turned as 1B-88

Range Factor/9 Inn as 1B-10.84

Range Factor/Game as 1B-10.67

1^st Time All-Star-John Phalen “Stuffy” or “Jack” McInnis was born on September 19, 1890 in Gloucester, MA. The five-foot-nine, 162 pound righty was small for a first baseman, but would have a long, decent career and be a big part of the Athletics’ dynasty. He started with Philadelphia in 1909, then moved from shortstop to first base in 1911 and would be a regular in the lineup for many years. This season, McInnis finished seventh in WAR Position Players (5.7); seventh in Offensive WAR (5.1); seventh in batting (.327); eighth in on-base percentage (.384); ninth in slugging (.433); and eighth in Adjusted OPS+ (137).

SABR says, “The Athletics won the 1911 American League pennant, limping into the World Series with the aged Davis replacing Stuffy at first base. It was the second year in a row that McInnis’ team played in the World Series without Stuffy taking a meaningful part in the outcome. However, with the Athletics up 13-2 with two outs in the ninth inning, and a 3-2 series lead, Mack put Stuffy into the game defensively at first base, so that Stuffy could say he’d played in a World Series. A’s pitcher Chief Bender promptly induced Giants catcher Artie Wilson to ground weakly to Frank Baker at third base. The Series ended as Stuffy touched the ball for the first time, nabbing Baker’s throw for the final putout. For Stuffy, it was the first of five World Series with three different teams.” It was this season of 1912 McInnis took over regularly for Harry Davis, a four-time qualifier on this list.

2B-Eddie Collins, Philadelphia Athletics, 25 Years Old

1909 1910 1911

.348, 0 HR, 64 RBI

MVP Rank: 6

WAR Rank: 8

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: No

Cooperstown: Yes (Inducted in 1939)

Ron’s: Yes (Inducted in 1911)

Led in:

Runs Scored-137

Putouts as 2B-387 (4^th Time)

Errors Committed as 2B-38

Double Plays Turned as 2B-63 (3^rd Time)

4^th Time All-Star-At what point do you realize a player is a genuine superstar and not just a fluke? Whatever that time may be, Collins has reached it, making his fourth straight All-Star team as the American League’s best second baseman. This season, Collins finished eighth in WAR (8.8); fifth in WAR Position Players (8.8); fifth in Offensive WAR (8.1); fifth in batting (.348); fourth in on-base percentage (.450); eighth in slugging (.435); second in steals (63), trailing Washington centerfielder Clyde Milan (88); and fifth in Adjusted OPS+ (158). It was an outstanding season anyone would kill to have, yet it was actually an off season for Collins. His eighth place finish in WAR was his lowest in the eight-year stretch from 1909-1916.

SABR mentions some of the superstitions of Cocky: “The bright, confident, and successful Collins was given to a litany of less than ‘rational’ practices and observances. At the plate he kept his gum on his hat button until two strikes, then would remove it and commence chewing. He loathed black cats, and would walk or drive out of his way to avoid crossing paths with one. If he saw a load of barrels, he believed he’d make one or two hits that day. Finding a hairpin meant a single, two hairpins a double. Scraps of paper littering the dugout steps drove him crazy. He would refrain from changing game socks during a winning streak, and as player-manager for the White Sox is said to have fired a clubhouse man for acting in violation of this practice. He believed it lucky to have someone spit on his hat before a game. Each winter Collins soaked his bats in oil, dried them out, and rubbed them down with a bone. This practice became the stuff of lore, as it has even been said that he buried his bats in cow dung piles to ‘keep ’em alive.’ On the more practical side, he would wear heavier shoes as spring approached so that his feet would feel lighter when the season opened.”

2B-Nap Lajoie, Cleveland Naps, 37 Years Old

1897 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910

.368, 0 HR, 90 RBI

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: Yes (Inducted in 1908)

Cooperstown: Yes (Inducted in 1937)

Ron’s: Yes (Inducted in 1901)

Led in:

AB per SO-40.7 (3^rd Time)

12^th Time All-Star-Twilight is coming on the great career of Nap Lajoie. My guess is he has only one more All-Star team left after this season. He was among the first great stars of the American League, along with Cy Young, and even now, at the age of 37, could still rip the ball. Lajoie has also made more All-Star teams than anyone at his position. Click here for the whole list. If I was doing a greatest of all time list in 1912, Lajoie would probably rank fifth behind Cy Young, Honus Wagner, Cap Anson, and Kid Nichols. By next year, his 13^th All-Star team will put him ahead of Nichols.

Lajoie didn’t make the All-Star team in 1911, because he only played 90 games. According to the Baseball Think Factory, he ruptured a leg muscle. Poli missed his share of games over his career or it could have been even greater.

Of course, the saddest part of his career was his lack of championships. No Lajoie team ever won the pennant, so he never made the World Series. Some people use players’ postseasons to judge players and that can be useful. However, baseball isn’t like basketball where one player can turn a team around. One player can’t do it all or Mike Trout would have a room full of World Series trophies.

This season, Lajoie finished 10^th in WAR Position Players (5.3); seventh in Offensive WAR (5.1); fourth in batting (.368); fifth in on-base percentage (.414); sixth in slugging (.462); and sixth in Adjusted OPS+ (146).

3B-Home Run Baker, Philadelphia Athletics, 26 Years Old

1909 1910 1911

.347, 10 HR, 130 RBI

MVP Rank: 7

WAR Rank: 6

Hall of Fames;

ONEHOF: No

Cooperstown: Yes (Inducted in 1955)

Ron’s: No (Would require one more All-Star season. Sure thing)

Led in:

Home Runs-10 (2^nd Time)

Runs Batted In-130

AB Per HR-57.7 (2^nd Time)

Double Plays Turned as 3B-25 (2^nd Time)

Range Factor/9 Inn as 3B-3.67

Range Factor/Game as 3B-3.61

4^th Time All-Star-Baker is in a great stretch of his career, making the All-Star team for his fourth straight season. He finished sixth in WAR (9.3); third in WAR Position Players (9.3), behind Boston centerfielder Tris Speaker (10.1) and Cleveland rightfielder Shoeless Joe Jackson (9.5); fourth in Offensive WAR (8.3); fifth in Defensive WAR (1.5); sixth in batting (.347); sixth in on-base percentage (.404); fourth in slugging (.541); seventh in steals (40); and fourth in Adjusted OPS+ (174).

SABR says, “Despite his newfound fame, Baker remained a rugged individualist, retiring to his Maryland farm every offseason where he kept in shape by chopping wood and hunting for quail. Sportswriters who managed to track him down for a hot stove feature soon learned that the quickest way to get Frank to open up was to go hunting with him. ‘Frank is the best shot in Talbot County, and he’s wild about duck shooting,’ one friend explained. ‘Whenever you look at him he’s either just shot fifteen or twenty ducks or is just going to, and he’ll call you blessed if you save him the trouble of bringing up the subject. After that he’ll discuss anything under the sun with you.’

“From 1912 to 1914, Baker continued to lead the league in home runs every season, and also collected his first RBI title in 1912, with a career high 130, and a second in 1913, when he drove in 117 runs. Continuing to rank among the league leaders in assists and putouts, Baker was also widely regarded as one of the game’s best fielding third basemen.”

3B-Larry Gardner, Boston Red Sox, 26 Years Old

1911

.315, 3 HR, 86 RBI

MVP Rank: 14

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: No

Cooperstown: No

Ron’s: No (Would require five more All-Star seasons. 99 percent chance)

2^nd Time All-Star-It wasn’t easy to be an All-Star third baseman in these days, yet Boston in the American League’s short history has already had two good ones, Jimmy Collins and this man. Gardner finished sixth in WAR Position Players (5.8); ninth in Offensive WAR (5.0); sixth in Defensive WAR (1.3); ninth in batting (.315); ninth in on-base percentage (.383); seventh in slugging (.449); and ninth in Adjusted OPS+ (134). It was his best season ever.

In the World Series, Gardner knocked in the only run in Boston’s 2-1 loss to the Giants in Game 3 at Fenway Park. He was one of the heroes of the Game 4 victory for the Red Sox as he went two-for-three with a triple and scored two of Boston’s three runs. In Game 7, Boston lost 11-4, but Gardner launched a two-run homer. But in Game 8, he proved the difference, hitting a sacrifice fly off of Christy Mathewson that scored Steve Yerkes and won the Series for Boston.

SABR describes the winning hit, saying, “Realizing that Mathewson was working him to hit a low ball, Larry allowed two balls to go by before he swung and missed at the third pitch. A walk meant forcing in the winning run, so Matty couldn’t afford to be cute. His next pitch was over the inside corner, well above the knee. Larry swung and a shout went up as the ball headed for deep right field. ‘I was disappointed at first because I thought the ball was going out,’ Larry remembered, ‘but then when I saw Yerkes tag up, then score to end it, I realized it meant $4,024.68, just about double my earnings for the year.’”

3B-Eddie Foster, Washington Senators, 25 Years Old

.285, 2 HR, 70 RBI

MVP Rank: 14

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: No

Cooperstown: No

Ron’s: No (Would require 12 more All-Star seasons. Impossible)

Led in:

At Bats-618

Def. Games as 3B-154

Assists as 3B-348

1^st Time All-Star-Edward Cunningham “Eddie” or “Kid” Foster was born on February 13, 1887 in Chicago, IL. The five-foot-six, 145 pound third baseman started as a shortstop for the Highlanders in 1910. He didn’t play Major League ball in 1911 and this season had his best year ever for the Senators. Foster finished eighth in WAR Position Players (5.4); and second in Defensive WAR (2.0), behind teammate and shortstop George McBride (2.7). He’d continue to play good defense throughout his 13-year career.

SABR says, “Foster didn’t get into any games for Washington in 1911, but made the club in 1912, played in every one of the 154 games, and hit for an impressive .285. He had, however, been converted into a third baseman, where Washington had more of a need. In the first few weeks of the new season, he made his mark – particularly against the New Yorkers. ‘With his batting and fielding, no one person has helped to keep the Highlanders in last place more than third baseman Eddie Foster, of the Washingtons. And the Highlanders had him once, too.’ Indeed, the Highlanders could have pulled him back from Rochester but had elected to sell his contract to Clark Griffith’s Washington club.

“Foster drove in 70 runs, which remained his career best. His three-run inside-the-park home run on April 27 off New York’s Ray Caldwell came in the bottom of the sixth, neither team having scored, and was ‘a resounding Rooseveltian rap,’ in the words of Sporting Life editor Paul W. Eaton. In his 13 years in the majors, Foster hit six home runs.”

SS-Donie Bush, Detroit Tigers, 24 Years Old

1909 1910

.231, 2 HR, 38 RBI

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: No

Cooperstown: No

Ron’s: No (Would require five more All-Star seasons. 80 percent chance)

Led in:

Bases on Balls-117 (4^th Time)

Assists-547 (3^rd Time)

Assists as SS-547 (3^rd Time)

Range Factor/9 Inn as SS-6.20

Range Factor/Game as SS-6.00

3^rd Time All-Star-Bush’s chance of making my Hall of Fame dropped from 99 percent to 80 percent and that’s because after 1910, the diminutive shortstop lost most of his ability to hit. The reason he’s still going to make All-Star teams is because he could still draw walks and he flashed good leather in the field. This season, Bush finished fourth in Defensive WAR (1.8) and eighth in steals (37). He was the best of a weak pool of American League shortstops this year.

Here’s Wikipedia’s description of his fielding prowess: “Bush was one of the best defensive shortstops of the dead-ball era. He collected more putouts, assists, and total chances than any other shortstop of the era, and his 1914 total of 425 putouts is still the Major League record for shortstops. His 1914 total of 969 chances is also still the American League record. He also led the American League in assists by a shortstop on five occasions: 1909 (567), 1911 (556), 1912 (547), 1914 (544), and 1915 (504). Bush also holds the Major League record (shared with Bid McPhee) for most career triple plays with nine. Bush’s triple plays came on May 4, 1910, April 24, 1911, May 20, 1911, September 9, 1911, April 6, 1912, August 23, 1917, August 14, 1919, May 18, 1921, and September 14, 1921.

“In 1912, Bush led the major leagues with 117 bases on balls. The Sporting Life noted: ‘Bush is one of the hardest men in the game to pitch to. He is so small that a pitcher has to have absolute control to get the ball over for him, and it makes him a most valuable lead-off man for a team, because there is hardly a day that he does not reach the bases one or more times.’”

Photo of Jack Barry

SS-Jack Barry, Philadelphia Athletics, 25 Years Old

1910

.261, 0 HR, 55 RBI

MVP Rank: 14

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: No

Cooperstown: No

Ron’s: No (Would require 10 more All-Star seasons. Impossible)

Led in:

Double Plays Turned as SS-55

2nd Time All-Star-Norman Macht of SABR writes, “At the plate, the weak-hitting Barry was overshadowed by his more famous teammates, as he hit with little power and never batted better than .275 in a single season. But the same headiness that Barry brought to his play in the field, he carried with him into the batter’s box, where the right-hander developed a reputation among his peers as one of the league’s most dangerous clutch hitters. “If Barry’s batting average was only .119 and a hit was needed to win a game for the Athletics, it’s a cinch that 99 percent of the fans would rather have Barry at bat than any other man on Mack’s payroll,” Stony McLinn of the Philadelphia Press observed. An exceptional bunter, Barry was free to call a squeeze play on his own, and was the only man in the lineup who was trusted to call the double squeeze — scoring men from second and third on a bunt. It almost always worked.

“Beginning in 1910, the Athletics won four of the next five pennants and three World Series. Summaries of these Series never single out Barry, but baseball people knew better. In 1910 against the Cubs, Collins batted .429, Baker .409, Barry .235. But several members of the Cubs said it was Barry who beat them with his glove, and Cubs manager Frank Chance called him the best shortstop he had ever seen, including Honus Wagner. And despite Baker’s heroics in the 1911 World Series, the four umpires who worked the games picked a Barry play that looked routine to the crowd as the best of the Series.”

CF-Tris Speaker, Boston Red Sox, 24 Years Old

1909 1910 1911

.383, 10 HR, 90 RBI

MVP Rank: 1

WAR Rank: 4

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: No

Cooperstown: Yes (Inducted in 1937)

Ron’s: Yes (Inducted in 1911)

Led in:

1912 AL MVP

WAR Position Players-10.1

Offensive WAR-9.2

On-Base %-.464

Doubles-53

Home Runs-10

Runs Created-149

Adj. Batting Runs-73

Adj. Batting Wins-7.6

Extra Base Hits-75

Times on Base-310

Power-Speed #-16.8

Assists as CF-35 (2^nd Time)

Double Plays Turned as CF-12 (2^nd Time)

Assists as OF-35 (2^nd Time)

Double Plays Turned as OF-9 (2^nd Time)

Range Factor/Game as CF-2.62 (3^rd Time)

Fielding % as CF-.957 (2^nd Time)

Range Factor/9 Inn as OF-2.73 (3^rd Time)

Range Factor/Game as OF-2.66 (3^rd Time)

4^th Time All-Star-Speaker might always be behind Ty Cobb and Shoeless Joe Jackson in some of the hitting stats, but that doesn’t take away from his own abilities. This season, Speaker was named the American League MVP (I would have picked Walter Johnson) finishing fourth in WAR (10.1); first in WAR Position Players (10.1); first in Offensive WAR (9.2); third in batting (.383), behind Cobb (.409) and Jackson (.395); first in on-base percentage (.464); third in slugging (.567), trailing Cobb (.584) and Jackson (.579); fourth in steals (52); and third in Adjusted OPS+ (189), once again behind Cobb (200) and Jackson (191).

But, hey, Cobb and Jackson, did you make the World Series? Because Speaker did. He was one of the heroes of the clinching Game 8 over the Giants, hitting a single in the 10^th inning to tie up the game, 2-2, before Larry Gardner hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the winning run. Altogether, The Grey Eagle hit .300 (nine-for-30) with a double and two triples.

SABR says, “But when executing a hook slide on the bases, tracking a fly ball at the crack of an opponent’s bat, or slashing one of his patented extra-base hits, Speaker made everything he did look easy. ‘You can write him down as one of the two models of ball-playing grace,’ Grantland Rice wrote of the Grey Eagle. ‘The other was Napoleon Lajoie. Neither ever wasted a motion or gave you any sign of extra effort. … They had the same elements that made a Bobby Jones or the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame — the smoothness of a summer wind.’”

CF-Ty Cobb, Detroit Tigers, 25 Years Old

1907 1908 1909 1910 1911

.409, 7 HR, 83 RBI

MVP Rank: 7

WAR Rank: 7

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: No

Cooperstown: Yes (Inducted in 1936)

Ron’s: Yes (Inducted in 1908)

Led in:

1912 AL Batting Title (6^th Time)

Batting Average-.409 (5^th Time)

Slugging %-.584 (6^th Time)

On-Base Plus Slugging-1.040 (6^th Time)

Hits-226 (5^th Time)

Singles-166 (4^th Time)

Adjusted OPS+-200 (6^th Time)

Offensive Win %-.857 (6^th Time)

Caught Stealing-34

6^th Time All-Star-It wouldn’t be until 1920 that caught stealings would be officially counted. However, they were counted sporadically before then. So I’m shocked how many times Cobb got thrown out trying to steal. I’d always heard he was a good base stealer, stealing 897 times in his career, but in the seasons in which CS are counted, he added very little value to his game through stealing.

Oh well, and the Mona Lisa is wearing an off-the-rack dress, I shouldn’t be so picky. Cobb still had an outstanding year, finishing seventh in WAR (9.2); fourth in WAR Position Players (9.2); second in Offensive WAR (8.9), trailing Boston centerfielder Tris Speaker (9.2); first in batting (.409); third in on-base percentage (.456), behind Speaker and Cleveland rightfielder Shoeless Joe Jackson (.458); first in slugging (.584); third in steals (61), trailing Washington centerfielder Clyde Milan (88) and Philadelphia second baseman Eddie Collins (63); first in caught stealings (34); and first in Adjusted OPS+ (200).

Cobb’s most famous, or should I say, infamous, accomplishment in 1912 was beating up a man in the stands in a game in New York. The New York Times has an article detailing it. Read it all. Here’s a bit of it: “The Tigers’ Sam Crawford asked Cobb what he intended to do. And with that, Cobb suddenly vaulted into the stands toward Lucker, seated about 12 rows up in the grandstand. Knocking Lucker down, Cobb began kicking and stamping him.

“’Cobb,’ someone cried, ‘that man has no hands!’

“’I don’t care if he has no feet!’ he yelled, continuing the attack with his cleats.” Would he have been kicked out of baseball if this happened nowadays?

CF-Clyde Milan, Washington Senators, 25 Years Old

1910 1911

.306, 1 HR, 79 RBI

MVP Rank: 4

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: No

Cooperstown: No

Ron’s: No (Would require five more All-Star seasons. 20 percent chance)

Led in:

Stolen Bases-88

Def. Games as CF-154 (3^rd Time)

Errors Committed as CF-25 (3^rd Time)

Def. Games as OF-154 (2^nd Time)

Errors Committed as OF-25

3^rd Time All-Star-Different eras of baseball have valued the stolen base more than others. This Deadball Era, with its lack of runs and lack of power certainly had more than its share of steals. And since there weren’t statistical nudges around telling players there was only value in thefts if you stole only 70 percent or above, steals were tried frequently without the concern there is nowadays for success. In 1912, there was a total of 1,822 stolen bases, an average of 228 a team, and 1,340 caught stealings, or 168 a team. That’s a 58 percent success rate. Milan, who led the American League in steals with 88 got caught stealing 31 times or a 74 percent rate.

As for the rest of his season, Deerfoot finished ninth in WAR Position Players (5.4); 10^th in Offensive WAR (4.5); and third in caught stealing (31), behind Detroit centerfielder Ty Cobb (34) and Chicago third baseman Harry Lord (33). Lord was thrown out more times than he succeeded (30).

SABR says, “Milan’s peak was from 1911 to 1913 when he played in every game but one, batted over .300 each season, and averaged almost 74 stolen bases per season. In 1912 he finished fourth in the Chalmers Award voting, and his American League record-breaking total of 88 steals would have been 91 if Washington’s game against St. Louis on August 9th hadn’t been rained out in the third inning. unning into Milan on a train that summer, Billy Evans, who had umpired Milan’s first game back in 1907, remarked on his wonderful improvement in every department of the game, base running in particular.”

RF-Shoeless Joe Jackson, Cleveland Naps, 24 Years Old

1911

.395, 3 HR, 90 RBI

MVP Rank: 9

WAR Rank: 5

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: No

Cooperstown: No

Ron’s: No (Would require three more All-Star seasons. Sure thing)

Led in:

Hits-226

Total Bases-331

Triples-26

Assists as RF-24

Errors Committed as RF-13

Range Factor/Game as RF-1.97 (2^nd Time)

2^nd Time All-Star-What a talent this man was! At 24-years-old, he was already one of the American League’s superstars. What kind of stats could Shoeless Joe have compiled if his career wasn’t so short? Oh well, such is life, let’s just focus on the positive. This year, Jackson finished fifth in WAR (9.5); second in WAR Position Players (9.5), behind Boston centerfielder Tris Speaker (10.1); third in Offensive WAR (8.8), trailing Speaker (9.2) and Detroit centerfielder Ty Cobb (8.9); second in batting (.395), only behind Cobb (.409); second in on-base percentage (.458), trailing Speaker (.464); second in slugging (.579), lagging only behind the Georgia Peach (.584); 10^th in steals (35); and second in Adjusted OPS+ (191), behind Cobb (200). The Junior Circuit certainly had its share of great outfielders at this time.

How did he acquire his nickname? According to Wikipedia, “According to Jackson, he got his nickname during a mill game played in Greenville, South Carolina. Jackson had blisterson his foot from a new pair of cleats, which hurt so much that he took his shoes off before he was at bat. As play continued, a heckling fan noticed Jackson running to third base in his socks, and shouted ‘You shoeless son of a gun, you!’ and the resulting nickname ‘Shoeless Joe’ stuck with him throughout the remainder of his life.”

If indeed Jackson helped throw the 1919 World Series, I don’t think he belongs in the Hall of Fame, but remember this Hall of Fame included Ty Cobb, who, as mentioned in his write-up, pummeled a man in the stands. That’s why my Hall of Fame is based purely on stats, because I don’t want to be the morality judge.

RF-Sam Crawford, Detroit Tigers, 32 Years Old, 1912 ONEHOF Inductee

1901 1902 1903 1905 1907 1908 1909 1911

.325, 4 HR, 109 RBI

MVP Rank: 14

Hall of Fames:

ONEHOF: Yes (Inducted in 1912)

Cooperstown: Yes (Inducted in 1957)

Ron’s: Yes (Inducted in 1905)

Led in:

Fielding % as RF-.983 (2^nd Time)

9^th Time All-Star-My dear readers, you probably have been scouring the 1912 NL All-Star list and this list wondering if you missed this year’s ONEHOF Inductee. Nope, it just happened to be the last player of which I’m writing for the 1912 season, Wahoo Sam Crawford. Next year’s nominees are Hardy Richardson, Jimmy Collins, Elmer Flick, Vic Willis, Roger Bresnahan, Cal McVey, Charley Jones, Fred Dunlap, George Gore, Ned Williamson, Bid McPhee, Sam Thompson, Jack Clements, Amos Rusie, Cupid Childs, Clark Griffith, Jesse Burkett, Joe McGinnity, Johnny Evers, Joe Tinker, and Ed Walsh.

Crawford this season finished sixth in Offensive WAR (5.5); eighth in batting (.325); fifth in slugging (.470); sixth in steals (42); and seventh in Adjusted OPS+ (143). Many of you know Yahoo Sam is the leading triple hitter of all time. At this point, Crawford has 228 triples, 16 behind Jake Beckley. When will he catch him? You’ll have to keep reading!

Detroit had a new park this year, according to SABR, which says, “The first game to be played at Navin Field was scheduled for Thursday, April 18, 1912, with the Detroit Tigers hosting the Cleveland Naps. To commemorate this special Opening Day of the season, many activities were scheduled, all to take place on the 18th. A parade featuring both teams was to work its way from the middle of downtown Detroit to the new ballpark at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull Avenues. After the game the Tigers and Naps were to attend a banquet in their honor at the elegant Hotel Pontchartrain, sponsored by the Detroit Board of Commerce. However, once again, the best plans did not occur as planned. It rained hard on April 18 and the game was postponed.”

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1912 American League All-Star Team

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