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Top 100 Cleveland Indians: #2 Tris Speaker

One of the most forgotten stars of the early twentieth century, Tris Speaker was likely the greatest center fielder the game has ever known.

Tris Speaker with his mother
Tris Speaker with his mother
nydailynews.com

Tristram E. Speaker (The Grey Eagle)

Center Fielder, 1916-1926

Height: 5'11" Weight: 193 lbs

Throws: Left Bats: Left

How Acquired: Traded by the Boston Red Sox for Sam Jones, Fred Thomas and $55,000 (April 9, 1916)

Left Via: Released (January 31, 1927)

Tris Speaker's family was not originally from the South. But a series of moves took them from Pennsylvania to Ohio to Illinois, eventually winding up deep in the heart of Texas during the land-grant days of the 1850s. For the Speakers, settling into Texas after the War of Independence from Mexico drove home the laurels and exploits of the many Texas battles and heroes. So when the Civil war broke out, almost the entire Speaker clan enlisted with the Confederate Army. At just nine years old, Speaker's father A.O. (Archery Oscar) was too young to enter,, but Tris would hear about the many battles his uncles and relatives fought during that war.

The family landed in Hubbard, Texas, which is very close to the geographic center of the state. A.O. married Nancy Jane (Jenny) Poer, another staunch Confederate family. The couple had seven children, of which Tristram, who was born in 1888, was the youngest. The odd name "Tristram" most likely came from the King Arthur legends, but he shortened it to "Tris" very early on.

Tris was definitely a wild child. He and his pals would throw rocks at the passing trains and he was carrying a pistol by age 12. His father, who passed away when Tris was just 10 years old, taught him the cowboy ways very early, including hunting, fishing and riding. He liked to ride bareback and did so also at a very early age. His uncles most likely introduced him to "ball" at this time as well, as that was what was played in the Civil War camps. He was a natural at the game and was known around town for his prowess. But his wild side also blossomed as he continued to emulate rodeo cowboys.

He was just 10, when he was thrown from a bronco and had multiple fractures of his lower right arm, a broken right humerus and collarbone. Determined to miss as little ball time as possible, Tris taught himself how to throw left handed and bat left handed. By high school, he was also playing football. Between his athletic prowess and academics, he was accepted to Fort Worth Poly (later Texas Wesleyan). He injured his left arm playing football and concentrated on baseball after that. Speaker at this time was both an outfielder and a pitcher.

While playing for a semi-pro team in 1906, during the off season of his sophomore year, he was noticed by Doak Roberts, the owner of the Texas League’s Cleburne (TX) Railroaders. Roberts was there to scout a different player, but Speaker was throwing a mean curve ball that day and also hit two home runs. He was offered a contract to play for them, which he accepted to his mother's chagrin. She had hoped he would have finished school and become a cattle rancher or oilman.

Initially a pitcher, Speaker's orneriness got him into trouble during his first pro game. He rubbed a few players the wrong way and they conveniently dropped a few easy chances, tagging Speaker with the loss on the mound. This continued for a bit longer until one day, the Railroaders’ right fielder was beaned and couldn't continue. Speaker took his place and proved to be a natural chasing down hits to the outfield. He didn't hit overly well, batting .268 that first season,, but he stole 33 bases. The manager, one of the players he had argued with on day one, helped him with the nuances of playing the outfield.

In 1907, owner Roberts shifted his franchise to Houston, at this time a thriving oil boom town, and renamed the club the Buffaloes. For the first time,country boy Speaker was introduced to city life and all of its trappings, such gambling and gin houses. Before the season started, Roberts got the St. Louis Browns to agree to some exhibition games. Former Cleveland Blues manager Jimmy McAleer was the Browns’ skipper and was really impressed by Speaker. He let Roberts know he wanted Speaker when he was ready. Two months in, Roberts wired McAleer that he was ready but received no reply. After a few more unsuccessful tries, Roberts tried to interest the Pirates, who deferred because Speaker was a cigarette smoker.

Finally, the Boston Americans (later the Red Sox) were able to acquire Speaker for a mere $800. But Speaker's mother did not want to let him go as she felt he was being traded like a slave or cattle (depends on the reports). Speaker stayed in Texas for the remainder of the year, leading the league in hitting at .314 and eventually got a short cup of coffee in Boston. He hit poorly and amazingly the downtrodden Americans released him that off season.

He sent telegrams to every team in the league and even tried to walk on during the New York Giants’ spring training. He ended up back with Boston (now called the Red Sox) at their facility in Little Rock. He didn't make the Red Sox and he was sold to the Little Rock Travelers of the Southern League. He promptly tore the cover off the ball for the Travelers and the Red Sox once again purchased his contract , this time for just $500, even though other teams were offering multiple thousands.

Finally in 1909, Speaker opened as the Red Sox center fielder and took the league by storm. He hit 309/362/443 151 OPS+ and was a wizard in the outfield with 35 assists and 10 double plays. He was one of the first to play a super shallow center, daring players to hit balls over his head and catching a lot of flies that normally were singles or throwing them out at first. He had the speed to run down just about anything. His first three years were spent in Huntington Park, before Fenway opened in 1912. From 1909 to 1915, he hit 342/419/490 168 OPS+ averaging 38 steals and playing a Gold Glove- (if it had existed) caliber center field. He won the MVP in 1912 and captured World Series titles with the Red Sox in 1912 and 1915. In 1912 he also became the only player to hit 50 doubles and steal 50 bases in a season.

Speaker was well liked by many in the press, including Grantland Rice. The press took to calling him the Grey Eagle. This was not only because of his early graying hair, but also how he soared around the outfield catching almost anything hit from gap to gap. His teammates, especially the pitchers, loved his defense and most took to calling him "Spoke." The fans adored him as well, preferring him to Ty Cobb. In fact, the great debate at that time was who was better: Cobb or Speaker. Cobb had a slight hitting edge, but Speaker was the much better defender.

But off the field, many of his teammates had issues with him. Speaker was raised a Protestant and he clashed with most of the Catholics on the team, including Babe Ruth. He also clashed with each of the three different Red Sox owners and team president Joe Lannin. He leveraged the existence of the Federal League in 1914 to obtain the highest salary in the game, $18k, turning down a three-year, player-manager deal with Brooklyn worth $100k. But after the 1915 title, Lannin proposed to cut Speaker’s salary down to just $9k because Speaker’s average had dipped three years in a row - although he still hit .322 and his OPS+ was 151. He held out for $12k and instead was dealt to Cleveland just before the start of the season for Sam Jones, Fred Thomas and $55k.

Cleveland agreed to pay him $15k and Speaker responded with his career season in 1916. He led the league in hits (211), doubles (41), average, on base and slugging (386/470/502), and, obviously, OPS and OPS+ (972 and 186, respectively). Moving to Cleveland's Dunn Field also allowed Speaker to fully show off his defensive skills as center was 460 feet straightaway. He would finish in the top five in putouts, assists and double plays over the next 10+ seasons, with most of them top three finishes. The batting average title broke a string of nine straight by Cobb. The Indians however finished only at .500 and in sixth place.

In 1917, even though he didn't lead the league in any one category, he was still exceptional, posting a, 358/432/489 line with a 172 OPS+. Meanwhile, the Indians improved and finished in third place. Offensively, Speaker had his poorest season to date in 1918, but still managed a 143 OPS+. Defensively, however, he was still fantastic. In April 1918, he was credited with two unassisted double plays at second base. He also routinely took the pick off throws at second base due to his extremely shallow position. His thought process on the shallow center field was that he recorded more outs on the short line drives than what he gave up when someone actually got one over his head.

The Indians were in contention all of 1918 as well, finishing second to the Red Sox, just 2.5 games back in war-shortened season (ending on Sept. 1). He enrolled in the aviator training program in support of the war, but the war ended shortly after the season. However, he completed his training anyway and ended up serving in the naval reserves.

Heading into 1919, Indians manager Lee Fohl had been at the helm for four seasons. He implicitly trusted Speaker, who much of the time acted as something of a co-manager. Speaker often signaled to Fohl when a starter was done and which pitcher to bring in. Mid-season, Fohl misread a signal from Speaker and brought in the wrong pitcher, who promptly got shelled. Feeling embarrassed, Fohl resigned and Speaker was named player-manager the next day. Even though Speaker's hitting was again worse than the year before (296/395/433 126 OPS+), the team responded to his new role by finishing 40-21 to finish just 3.5 games back of the Black Sox.

Being 32 years old, coming off back-to-back "down" seasons and with a new full-time role as manager, nobody expected Speaker to rebound in 1920. But that is just what he did, and then some. He played in all but four games, and tore the cover off the ball with a 388/483/562 172 OPS+ season. He led the league with 50 doubles, most of them slapped off of the 60-foot right field wall in Dunn Field. He held the team together after the death of shortstop Ray Chapman in August and led the Indians to their first-ever pennant with a 98-56 record.

He is credited with having developed the first platoon system during that season. When a left hander was on the mound, he put all right handed batters in the lineup, except for himself of course. He was too valuable to sit. In the franchise's first ever World Series, he hit 320/393/480 in the 5-2 series win over the Brooklyn Robins. He clubbed an RBI triple in the last game.

The team headed into 1921 looking to repeat. And they stayed in contention all the way to the end, falling just 4.5 games back of the Yankees. But Speaker continued to mash all year. He hit 362/439/538 146 OPS+ and once again led the league in doubles, this time with 52. The Indians could not keep pace with the elite teams from 1922-1924, but Speaker still hit. He led the league in doubles in both 1922 and 1923 (48 and 59 respectively) and had 177 and 182 OPS+ seasons.

In 1925 at the age of 37, Speaker had a Renaissance season. As the game migrated from the dead ball to a more lively one, he hit 389/479/578 166 OPS+ in 518 plate appearances. He led the league in slugging paced by his 12 home runs (second most in his career to the 17 in 1923). But the Indians finished sixth for the second straight year.

Although Speaker the hitter looked as good as ever, heading into 1926 the Indians hadn't really been a factor in four seasons. Speaker the manager was under scrutiny. After a tepid start, the club went 47-28 in the second half and finished just three games back of the Bronx Bombers. Old man Speaker was still hitting well, too. He hit 304/408/469 127 OPS+ in 661 plate appearances and rapped another 52 doubles, his fifth season with 50 or more. There was little doubt he would return for his ninth season at the helm.

However, that off season, Dutch Leonard, a former teammate, accused Speaker, Ty Cobb and Smoky Joe Wood of throwing a game in 1919. Leonard held a grudge against Cobb, his former manager, and Speaker because he believed his old teammate would sign him after the Tigers released him. He felt he was being blackballed out of the league. The reason the game was alleged thrown was because if the Tigers finished in third during the 1919 season, they received a portion of postseason bonuses. However the Yankees beat them out by half a game and Leonard felt he had been double crossed as Speaker went 3-6 with 5 RBI.

Leonard allegedly also had letters from both Wood and Cobb. The American League president, Ban Johnson, did not want to risk another scandal as the Black Sox one had just begun to wane from the public consciousness. He bought the letters off Leonard and forced both Cobb and Speaker to resign and retire. After bringing it to Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis' attention, he revoked Johnson's ban and both ended up moving onto different franchises in 1927. Cobb headed to the Athletics while Speaker joined the Washington Senators.

Speaker had another very good year for a 39 year old, 327/395/444 119 OPS+ in 596 plate appearances and 43 doubles. And in 1928, he joined Cobb in Philadelphia and played part-time. He only hit 267/310/450 95 OPS+ in just 212 plate appearances. After 22 seasons in the majors, Speaker retired. To this day, he still holds the career record for doubles (792), as well as career records for outfielder assists (449), double plays as an outfielder (143), and both assists (292) and double plays (99) for a center fielder.

In 1929, he signed on as the player-manager of the Newark Bears in the International League, although he played only sparingly before resigning in the middle of the 1930 season. In 1933, he purchased a share of the Kansas City Blues of the American Association. At 45, he didn't play, but did manage the entire year. He sold his share in 1936. After baseball, he was involved in many other interests as well. He owned a wholesale liquor business as well as chairing the Cleveland boxing commission. He helped start an Indoor Baseball League in 1939 which did not last more than a month.

Although Speaker rarely missed much time during his playing days, the injury bug caught up to him later in life. In 1937, he fell from his second story at his home, fracturing his skull and breaking his arm. He had a nasty case of pneumonia in 1942 that hospitalized him. In 1954 he had a heart ailment and perforated intestine, which almost killed him.

Although he had left the game primarily in 1933, he continued to dabble in baseball through the years. He scouted for Cleveland and also did some broadcasting. In 1947, he was able to suit up again at owner Bill Veeck's behest. His role was as special coach, specifically hired to help Larry Doby learn the defensive nuances of the outfield. That is long way from the young Texas lad who supposedly was a member of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1910's. He continued to be a special adviser, coach and scout for the Indians up until his death in 1958 at age 70. He suffered a massive heart attack while fishing.

Speaker was voted into the Hall of Fame's second class in 1937. He was also part of the inaugural class of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1951. The ballpark in Cleburne, TX was renamed in his honor shortly after his death. In 1961, the BBWAA created the Tris Speaker Award for players or officials who make outstanding contributions to baseball. He was named to the MLS's All-Century Team and part of the Indians Top 100 of All-Time.

As noted below, Speaker has a few career Indian marks, including doubles, offensive WAR and runs created. He is top five in many more categories and is in the top ten of most of them. A very dominant player in his eleven seasons in Cleveland, and the manager of our first World Championship, Speaker is well worthy of being the top position player on this list.

Sources

Wikipedia; SABR Biography Project by Don Jensen; Tris Speaker: The Rough-and-Tumble Life of a Baseball Legend by Timothy M. Gay; The Fix Is In by Daniel E. Ginsburg

Indians Career Stats
Year Age Tm G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ TB
1916 28 CLE 151 646 546 102 211 41 8 2 79 35 27 82 20 .386 .470 .502 .972 186 274
1917 29 CLE 142 614 523 90 184 42 11 2 60 30 67 14 .352 .432 .486 .918 172 254
1918 30 CLE 127 553 471 73 150 33 11 0 61 27 64 9 .318 .403 .435 .839 143 205
1919 31 CLE 134 591 494 83 146 38 12 2 63 19 73 12 .296 .395 .433 .828 126 214
1920 32 CLE 150 674 552 137 214 50 11 8 107 10 13 97 13 .388 .483 .562 1.045 172 310
1921 33 CLE 132 588 506 107 183 52 14 3 75 2 4 68 12 .362 .439 .538 .977 146 272
1922 34 CLE 131 518 426 85 161 48 8 11 71 8 3 77 11 .378 .474 .606 1.080 177 258
1923 35 CLE 150 695 574 133 218 59 11 17 130 8 9 93 15 .380 .469 .610 1.079 182 350
1924 36 CLE 135 575 486 94 167 36 9 9 65 5 7 72 13 .344 .432 .510 .943 141 248
1925 37 CLE 117 518 429 79 167 35 5 12 87 5 2 70 12 .389 .479 .578 1.057 166 248
1926 38 CLE 150 661 539 96 164 52 8 7 88 6 1 94 15 .304 .408 .469 .877 127 253
CLE (11 yrs) 1519 6633 5546 1079 1965 486 108 73 886 155 66 857 146 .354 .444 .520 .965 158 2886

Selected Awards/Leaders

  • Hall of Fame: 1937
  • AL WAR: 3rd, 1916-8.6; 3rd, 1923-9.0; 4th, 1925-6.5; 5th, 1920-8.5; 6th, 1922-6.9; 7th, 1917-7.7; 8th, 1918-5.6; 8th, 1921-6.5; 10th, 1926-5.4; 9th, Career-133.9
  • AL WAR Position Players: 1st, 1916-8.6; 3rd, 1917-7.7; 3rd, 1920-8.5; 3rd, 1922-6.9; 3rd, 1923-9.0; 3rd, 1925-6.5; 4th, 1918-5.6; 4th, 1921-6.5; 7th, 1926-5.4; 8th, 1924-4.6; 9th, 1919-5.2; 6th, Career-133.9
  • AL oWAR: 2nd, 1916-8.6; 2nd, 1917-7.2; 2nd, 1923-9.1; 2nd, 1925-6.3; 3rd, 1920-8.2; 4th, 1921-5.5; 4th, 1922-7.0; 5th, 1918-4.9; 5th, 1924-4.9; 9th, 1926-4.9; 10th, 1919-4.0; 8th, Career-123.8
  • AL Average: 1st, 1916-.386; 2nd, 1920-.388; 2nd, 1925-.389; 3rd, 1917-.352; 3rd, 1922-.378; 3rd, 1923-.380; 4th, 1918-.318; 5th, 1921-.362; 8th, 1924-.344; 6th, Career-.345
  • AL On Base Percentage: 1st, 1916-.470; 1st, 1922-.474; 1st, 1925-.479; 2nd, 1917-.432; 2nd, 1920-.483; 3rd, 1923-.469; 4th, 1924-.432; 4th, 1921-.439; 5th, 1918-.403; 9th, 1919-.395; 11th, Career-.428
  • AL Slugging: 1st, 1916-.502; 2nd, 1917-.486; 3rd, 1922-.606; 4th, 1920-.562; 4th, 1923-.610; 4th, 1925-.578; 5th, 1918-.435; 7th, 1921-.538; 8th, 1924-.510; 99th, Career-.500
  • AL OPS: 1st, 1916-.972; 2nd, 1917-.918; 2nd, 1922-1.080; 2nd, 1925-1.057; 3rd, 1920-1.045; 3rd, 1923-1.079; 4th, 1924-.943; 5th, 1918-.839; 5th, 1921-.977; 8th, 1919-.828; 42nd, Career-.928
  • AL Plate Appearances: 4th, 1923-695; 9th, 1918-553; 9th, 1920-674
  • AL Runs Scored: 2nd, 1920-137; 2nd, 1923-133; 3rd, 1916-102; 5th, 1918-73; 6th, 1917-90; 8th, 1919-83; 9th, 1921-107; 10th, 1926-96; 12th, Career-1882
  • AL Hits: 1st, 1916-211; 2nd, 1923-218; 3rd, 1917-184; 5th, 1918-150; 5th, 1920-214; 5th, Career-3514
  • AL TB: 2nd, 1916-274; 2nd, 1923-350; 3rd, 1917-254; 4th, 1918-205; 4th, 1920-310; 16th, Career-5101
  • AL 2B: 1st, 1916-41; 1st, 1918-33; 1st, 1920-50; 1st, 1921-52; 1st, 1922-48; 1st, 1923-59; 2nd, 1917-42; 2nd, 1919-38; 3rd, 1926-52; 1st, Career-792
  • AL 3B: 5th, 1918-11; 6th, 1919-12; 7th, 1921-14; 8th, 1917-11; 9th, 1923-11; 10th, 1924-9; 6th, Career-222
  • AL Home Runs: 4th, 1923-17; 10th, 1924-9
  • AL RBI: 2nd, 1923-130; 4th, 1916-79; 7th, 1918-61; 8th, 1920-107; 2nd, 1923-130; 46th, Career-1531
  • AL Bases on Balls: 2nd, 1920-97; 4th, 1916-82; 4th, 1922-77; 4th, 1923-93; 5th, 1926-94; 6th, 1918-64; 6th, 1919-73; 7th, 1917-67; 9th, 1924-72; 10th, 1921-68; 30th, Career-1381
  • AL Stolen Bases: 5th, 1916-35; 5th, 1918-27; 8th, 1917-30; 56th, Career-436
  • AL Singles: 1st, 1916-160; 8th, 1920-145; 9th, Career-2383
  • AL OPS+: 1st, 1916-186; 2nd, 1917-172; 2nd, 1922-177; 2nd, 1925-166; 3rd, 1923-182; 4th, 1920-172; 4th, 1921-146; 4th, 1924-141; 5th, 1918-143; 18th, Career-157
  • AL RC: 2nd, 1916-124; 2nd, 1917-108; 2nd, 1923-160; 3rd, 1918-82; 3rd, 1920-145; 4th, 1922-123; 4th, 1925-118; 8th, 1919-83; 8th, 1921-118; 9th, 1924-104; 10th, 1926-104; 12th, Career-2152
  • AL Extra Base Hits: 2nd, 1917-55; 2nd, 1918-44; 2nd, 1923-87; 4th, 1916-51; 4th, 1920-69; 4th, 1922-67; 5th, 1919-52; 5th, 1921-69; 5th, 1926-67; 8th, 1924-54; 13th, Career-1131
  • AL Hit By Pitch: 2nd, 1919-8; 5th, 1917-7
  • AL Sacrifice Hits: 3rd, 1926-28; 10th, Career-309
  • AL Caught Stealing: 2nd, 1916-27; 22nd, Career-157
  • AL Putouts as CF: 1st, 1918-355; 1st, 1919-375; 2nd, 1916-359; 2nd, 1917-365; 2nd, 1926-394; 3rd, 1920-363; 3rd, 1921-346; 3rd, 1923-369; 5th, 1922-285; 5th, 1924-323; 21st, Career-4233
  • AL Assists as CF: 1st, 1917-23; 1st, 1923-26; 1st, 1924-20; 1st, 1926-20; 2nd, 1916-25; 2nd, 1919-25; 3rd, 1918-15; 3rd, 1920-23; 3rd, 1922-13; 3rd, 1925-16; 4th, 1921-15; 1st, Career-241
  • AL Errors as CF: 1st, 1924-14; 2nd, 1918-11; 2nd, 1923-13; 3rd, 1917-8; 3rd, 1920-10; 4th, 1916-10; 4th, 1925-11; 5th, 1926-8; 6th, Career-117
  • AL Double Plays Turned as CF: 1st, 1916-10; 1st, 1918-6; 1st, 1922-7; 1st, 1923-7; 1st, 1925-9; 1st, 1926-7; 2nd, 1917-6; 2nd, 1919-9; 2nd, 1920-8; 2nd, 1921-2; 2nd, 1924-3; 1st, Career-79
  • AL Putouts as OF: 1st, 1918-355; 1st, 1919-375; 2nd, 1916-359; 2nd, 1926-394; 3rd, 1917-365; 4th, 1920-363; 4th, 1923-369; 5th, 1921-346; 2nd, Career-6788
  • AL Assists as OF: 2nd, 1916-25; 2nd, 1923-26; 3rd, 1919-25; 4th, 1920-24; 1st, 1924-20; 4th, 1926-20; 5th, 1917-23; 1st, Career-449
  • AL Errors as OF: 3rd, 1923-13; 4th, 1924-14; 5th, 1918-11; 26th, Career-222
  • AL Double Plays Turned as OF: 1st, 1916-10; 1st, 1925-9; 2nd, 1919-9; 2nd, 1920-8; 2nd, 1922-7; 2nd, 1926-7; 3rd, 1923-7; 4th, 1918-6; 1st, Career-143
  • AL Range Factor/Game CF: 1st, 1918-2.89; 1st, 1919-2.99; 2nd, 1921-2.82; 2nd, 1925-3.00; 3rd, 1917-2.73; 3rd, 1922-2.73; 3rd, 1926-2.78; 4th, 1916-2.54; 4th, 1920-2.61; 4th, 1923-2.63; 5th, 1924-2.70; 36th, Career-2.72
  • AL Fielding Percentage CF: 1st, 1919-.983; 1st, 1921-.984; 1st, 1922-.983; 1st, 1926-.981; 3rd, 1917-.980; 3rd, 1920-.975; 4th, 1916-.975; 4th, 1918-.971; 5th, 1923-.968; 5th, 1924-.961; 5th, 1925-.967
  • AL Range Factor/Game OF: 1st, 1918-2.89; 1st, 1919-2.99; 2nd, 1917-2.73; 2nd, 1921-2.82; 2nd, 1925-3.00; 3rd, 1916-2.54; 3rd, 1926-2.78; 4th, 1920-2.61; 4th, 1922-2.70; 4th, 1924-2.68; 5th, 1923-2.63; 24th, Career-2.68
  • AL Fielding Percentage OF: 1st, 1921-.984; 1st, 1922-.983; 2nd, 1926-.981; 3rd, 1919-.983; 4th, 1917-.980;4th, 1920-.977; 5th, 1916-.975; 5th, 1918-.973

Cleveland Indians Career Leader

  • 2nd WAR Position Players (74.3)
  • 1st oWAR (70.4)
  • 2nd Average (.354)
  • 1st On Base Percentage (.444)
  • 8th Slugging (.520)
  • 4th OPS (.965)
  • 5th Games Played (1519)
  • 9th At Bats (5546)
  • 4th Plate Appearances (6633)
  • 2nd Runs Scored (1079)
  • 2nd Hits (1965)
  • 2nd Total Bases (2886)
  • 1st Doubles (486)
  • 2nd Triples (108)
  • t-40th Home Runs (73)
  • 5th Runs Batted In (886)
  • 2nd Bases On Balls (857)
  • 10th Stolen Bases (155)
  • 4th Singles (1298)
  • 2nd OPS+ (158)
  • 1st Runs Created (1269)
  • 2nd Extra Base Hits (667)
  • t-12th Hit By Pitch (42)
  • 6th Sacrifice Hits (183)
  • t-8th Caught Stealing (66)

Cleveland Indians Season Leader

  • 8th WAR (9.0, 1923)
  • t-9th WAR (8.6, 1916)
  • 11th WAR (8.5, 1920)
  • 17th WAR (7.7, 1917)
  • t-32nd WAR (6.9, 1922)
  • t-43rd WAR (6.5, 1925)
  • t-48th WAR (6.4, 1921)
  • t-3rd oWAR (9.1, 1923)
  • 6th oWAR (8.6, 1916)
  • t-9th oWAR (8.2, 1920)
  • 16th oWAR (7.2, 1917)
  • t-17th oWAR (7.0, 1922)
  • t-33rd oWAR (6.3, 1925)
  • 3rd Average (.389, 1925)
  • 4th Average (.388, 1920)
  • 5th Average (.386, 1916)
  • 7th Average (.380, 1923)
  • t-9th Average (.378, 1922)
  • 18th Average (.362, 1921)
  • 26th Average (.352, 1917)
  • t-35th Average (.344, 1924)
  • 1st On Base Percentage (.483, 1920)
  • 2nd On Base Percentage (.479, 1925)
  • 3rd On Base Percentage (.474, 1922)
  • 4th On Base Percentage (.470, 1916)
  • 5th On Base Percentage (.469, 1923)
  • t-18th On Base Percentage (.439, 1921)
  • t-24th On Base Percentage (.432, 1917, 1924)
  • 14th Slugging (.610, 1923)
  • 15th Slugging (.606, 1922)
  • 31st Slugging (.578, 1925)
  • 37th Slugging (.562, 1920)
  • 7th OPS (1.080, 1922)
  • 8th OPS (1.079, 1923)
  • 12th OPS (1.057, 1925)
  • 13th OPS (1.045, 1920)
  • 39th OPS (.977, 1921)
  • 41st OPS (.972, 1916)
  • t-38th Plate Appearances (695, 1923)
  • 3rd Runs Scored (137, 1920)
  • 6th Runs Scored (133, 1923)
  • t-45th Runs Scored (107, 1921)
  • 7th Hits (218, 1923)
  • t-11th Hits (214, 1920)
  • 14th Hits (211, 1916)
  • 10th Total Bases (350, 1923)
  • t-32nd Total Bases (310, 1920)
  • 2nd Doubles (59, 1923)
  • t-4th Doubles (52, 1921, 1926)
  • t-10th Doubles (50, 1920)
  • t-13th Doubles (48, 1922)
  • t-36th Doubles (42, 1917)
  • t-45th Doubles (41, 1916)
  • t-21st Triples (14, 1921)
  • t-40th Triples (12, 1919)
  • 10th Runs Batted In (130, 1923)
  • t-26th Bases On Balls (97, 1920)
  • t-33rd Bases On Balls (94, 1926)
  • t-37th Bases On Balls (93, 1923)
  • t-33rd Stolen Bases (35, 1916)
  • t-49th Stolen Bases (30, 1917)
  • 7th Singles (160, 1916)
  • t-21st Singles (145, 1920)
  • t-8th OPS+ (186, 1916)
  • 10th OPS+ (182, 1923)
  • t-15th OPS+ (177, 1922)
  • t-18th OPS+ (172, 1917, 1920)
  • t-28th OPS+ (166, 1925)
  • 2nd Runs Created (160, 1923)
  • t-10th Runs Created (145, 1920)
  • t-39th Runs Created (124, 1916)
  • t-42nd Runs Created (123, 1922)
  • 6th Extra Base Hits (87, 1923)
  • t-42nd Extra Base Hits (69, 1920, 1921)
  • t-50th Extra Base Hits (67, 1922, 1926)
  • t-26th Sacrifice Hits (28, 1926)
  • 1st Caught Stealing (27, 1916)
  • t-39th Caught Stealing (13, 1920)