1.
Eddie Collins
–
Edward Trowbridge Collins, Sr. nicknamed Cocky, was an American Major League Baseball second baseman, manager and executive. He played from 1906 to 1930 for the Philadelphia Athletics and Chicago White Sox, a graduate of Columbia University, Collins holds major league career records in several categories and is among the top few players in several other categories. Collins coached and managed in the major leagues after retiring as a player and he also served as general manager of the Boston Red Sox. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939 and he died several years later after having suffered from heart problems for a number of years. As a native of Millerton, a 384-acre village in Dutchess County, New York and he graduated from Columbia University, at a time when few major league players had attended college. He started his American professional baseball career on September 17,1906 when he signed with the Philadelphia Athletics at the age of 19, when he signed with the Philadelphia organization, Collins was still a student at Columbia. He played some of his minor league games under the last name of Sullivan so that he could protect his collegiate status. After spending all but 14 games of the 1907 season in the leagues, he played in 102 games in 1908. That season, he registered a.347 batting average and 67 steals, in 1910, Collins stole a career-high 81 bases and played on the first of his six World Series championship teams. He was part of the Athletics so-called $100,000 infield which propelled the team to four American League pennants and he earned the leagues Chalmers Award in 1914. In 1914, the newly formed Federal League disrupted major league contract stability by luring away established stars from the AL, to retain Collins, Athletics manager Connie Mack offered his second baseman the longest guaranteed contract that had ever been offered to a player. Collins declined, and after the 1914 season Mack sold Collins to the White Sox for $50,000, the Sox paid Collins $15,000 for 1915, making him the third highest paid player in the league, behind Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker. In Chicago, Collins continued to post top-ten batting and stolen base numbers and he was part of the notorious Black Sox team that threw the 1919 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds. However Collins was not accused of being part of the conspiracy and was considered to have played honestly, in August 1924, he was named player-manager of the White Sox and held the position through the 1926 season, posting a record of 174-160. Collins returned to Philadelphia to rejoin the Athletics in 1927 as a player-coach and he recorded only 143 plate appearances in his last four years, mostly as a pinch hitter. He did not play in any World Series games for the 1929 or 1930 World Series champion As, Collins finished his career with 1,300 runs batted in. To date, Collins is the only MLB player to play for two teams for at least 12 seasons each and he still holds the major league record of 512 career sacrifice bunts, over 100 more than any other player. He was the first major leaguer in history to steal 80 bases in a season, and still shares the major league record of six steals in a game
2.
Infielder
–
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive infield positions on the baseball field. In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. Although there are rules to baseball, in general the team playing offense tries to score runs by batting balls into the field that enable runners to make a complete circuit of the four bases. There are nine defensive positions on a baseball field, the part of the baseball field closest to the batter is known as the infield The infield is composed of four positions, first base, second base, third base and shortstop. Generally, the first three have responsibility for plays at their bases, although the shortstop often shares responsibility for second base with the second baseman. Each position requires a different set of skills, the second baseman tries to field balls hit between first and second base. The shortstop does the same second and third base. Once fielded, the balls must be thrown to the first baseman before the batter can reach first base, second basemen and shortstops—known as the middle infielders—also share responsibility for tagging runners who are attempting to steal second base. Because a shortstop has a throw to make to first base, he must reach the ball faster. For this reason, the shortstop must have the best fielding skills of any infielder, the third baseman primarily fields balls hit and bunted down the third base line, but can also attempt to reach balls hit between second and third base. The third baseman must also have a strong arm, since the throw from his position to first base is the longest on the infield. The first baseman is largely responsible for keeping one foot on first base while catching throws from the three infielders before the batter can reach first base. Because these throws are often hurried and thus off-target, the first baseman must have the ability to cleanly field thrown balls that hit the ground before they reach first base. Since the first baseman mostly stands close to his base, his mobility and throwing skills do not need to be high, good hitters who are slow of foot are often placed at first base. In some cases, a third baseman or outfielder who has lost some speed but is still a good hitter will be moved to first base to keep his bat in the line-up
3.
History of the Philadelphia Athletics
–
The Oakland Athletics, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Philadelphia. This article details the history of the Philadelphia Athletics, from 1901 to 1954, see also, Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame The Western League had been renamed the American League in 1900 by league president Bancroft Johnson, and declared itself the second major league in 1901. Johnson created new franchises in the east and eliminated some franchises in the West, Philadelphia had a new franchise created to compete with the National Leagues Philadelphia Phillies. Former catcher Connie Mack was recruited to manage the club, Mack in turn persuaded Phillies minority owner Ben Shibe as well as others to invest in the team, which would be called the Philadelphia Athletics. Mack himself bought a 25% interest, while the remaining 25% was sold to Philadelphia sportswriters Sam Jones, the new league recruited many of its players from the existing National League, persuading them to jump to the American League in defiance of their National League contracts. One of the players who jumped to the new league was second baseman Nap Lajoie and he won the A. L. s first batting title with a.426 batting average, still a league record. The Athletics and the American League received a setback when, on April 21,1902, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court invalidated Lajoies contract with the Athletics and this order, though, was only enforceable in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Lajoie was sold to Cleveland, but was out of road games in Philadelphia until the National Agreement was signed between the two leagues in 1903. In the early years, the As established themselves as one of the dominant teams in the new league, winning the A. L. pennant six times and they won over 100 games in 1910 and 1911, and 99 games in 1914. The team was known for its $100,000 Infield, consisting of Stuffy McInnis, Eddie Collins, Jack Barry, Rube Waddell was also a major pitching star for the As in the early 1900s. According to Lamont Buchanan in The World Series and Highlights of Baseball, Plank holds the franchise record for career victories, with 284. In 1909, the As moved into the leagues first concrete-and-steel ballpark. This remains the second and last time in history where a new ballpark was built specifically for the As. Later in the decade, Mack bought the 25% of the stock owned by Jones. Shibe ceded Mack full control over the side while retaining control over the business side. In 1914, the Athletics lost the 1914 World Series to the Miracle Braves in a four-game sweep, Mack traded, sold or released most of the teams star players soon after. In his book To Every Thing a Season, Bruce Kuklick points out there were suspicions that the As had thrown the Series, or at least laid down. Mack himself alluded to that years later, but debunked it
4.
First baseman
–
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that players team. A first baseman is the player on the team playing defense who fields the area nearest first base, in the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the first baseman is assigned the number 3. Also called first sacker or cornerman, the first baseman is ideally a tall player who throws left-handed and possesses good flexibility, flexibility is needed because the first baseman receives throws from the other infielders, the catcher and the pitcher after they have fielded ground balls. In order for the runner to be called out, the first baseman must be able to stretch towards the throw and they often are power hitters who have a substantial number of home runs and extra base hits while maintaining a.270 plus batting average. Good defensive first basemen, according to Bill James, are capable of playing off first base so that they can field ground balls hit to the side of first base. The first baseman then relies upon the pitcher to cover first base to receive the ball to complete the out, indications of a good defensive first baseman include a large number of assists and a low number of throwing errors by other infielders. The nature of play at first base often requires first basemen to stay close to the bag to hold runners or to reach the bag before the batter. First basemen are not typically expected to have the range required of a baseman, shortstop. As a result, first base is not usually perceived to be as physically demanding as other positions, however, it can also be a very hard position to play, a large amount of concentration and timing is required. Though many play at first base their entire career, it is common for players to be moved to first base in order to extend their careers or to accommodate other recently acquired players. Facing a possible trade or a reduction in playing time. Catchers and corner outfielders are often moved to first base due to deteriorating health or if their fielding abilities at their position are detrimental to the team. When first base is not occupied by a baserunner, the first baseman usually stands behind first base, the distance he plays from the base and foul line is dependent on the current hitter and any runners on base. The exact position may depend on the first basemans experience, preference. For a known right-handed pull hitter, the first baseman might position himself further towards the second basemans normal fielding position, for a known left-handed pull hitter, the first baseman will position himself closer to the foul line in order to stop a ball hit down the line. To protect against a bunt on the first base side of the infield, as soon as the pitcher commits to throwing towards home plate, the first basemen will charge towards the hitter to field the bunt. During these plays, it is the responsibility of the second basemen to cover first base, with a base runner present at first base, the first baseman stands with his right foot touching the base to prepare for a pickoff attempt. Once the pitcher commits to throwing towards home plate, the first baseman comes off the bag in front of the runner and gets in a fielding position
5.
Stuffy McInnis
–
John Phalen Stuffy McInnis was a first baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. McInnis gained his nickname as a youngster in the Boston suburban leagues, from 1909-27, McInnis played for the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Boston Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies. In a 19-season career, McInnis posted a.307 batting average with 20 home runs and 1,062 RBI in 2,128 games, a native of Gloucester, Massachusetts, McInnis broke into baseball with the Philadelphia Athletics as a shortstop in 1909. Two seasons later, he replaced Harry Davis at first base as a member of the famous $100,000 infield, teaming up with second baseman Eddie Collins, third baseman Frank Baker and shortstop Jack Barry. As prices and costs rose in later years the tag seemed low, the Athletics were in their prime, winning the American League pennant in 1910,1911,1913 and 1914, and back-to-back World Championships in 1910 and 1911. The $100,000 infield broken up after Collins was sold to the White Sox, Baker went to the Yankees, only McInnis stayed, and he was traded to the Red Sox at the end of the 1917 season. McInnis was part of the Red Sox in the 1918 World Series and he drove in the only run of Babe Ruths 1-0 pitching victory over the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of the Series. He joined Cleveland for one season in 1922 before going to the National League in 1923 and he played with the Braves and Pirates, and also managed the Phillies in 1927, his last year in the majors. A good contact line drive hitter, McInnis batted over.300 during 12 of his 19 seasons and his most productive season came in 1912, when he hit.327, though he batted.368 in 59 games for the Pirates champion team in 1925. Extremely hard to strike out, he fanned only 189 times in 7,822 at-bats, in 1921, he struck out only 9 times in 584 at bats. McInnis also excelled in moving ahead with sacrifice hits. His career total of 384 sacrifice hits is third best in MLB history, McInnis also was an especially solid defensive player. He for decades held major league fielding records for first basemen over one season. In 1921, he played in 152 games with the Red Sox and committed one error in 1,651 chances for a.9993 mark. Between May 31,1921, and June 2,1922, on June 25,2007, Kevin Youkilis played in his 120th consecutive game at first base without an error, breaking the prior Red Sox record set in 1921 by McInnis. His streak was snapped at 238 games on June 7,2008, following his retirement as a player, McInnis coached the Norwich University baseball team from 1931 until 1944 and the Harvard baseball team from 1949-54. He died in Ipswich, Massachusetts, at age 69. norwich. edu/89-0/ Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference Baseball Almanac Stuffy McInnis at Find a Grave
6.
Second baseman
–
In baseball and softball, second baseman is a fielding position in the infield, between third and first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and feet, needs the ability to get rid of the ball quickly, in addition, second basemen are usually right-handed, only four left-handed throwing players have ever played second base since 1950. In the numbering system used to record plays, the second baseman is assigned the number 4. Good second basemen need to have very good range, since they have to field balls closer to the first baseman who is often holding runners on, on a batted ball to right field, the second baseman goes out towards the ball for the relay. Due to these requirements, second base is sometimes a primarily defensive position in the modern game, the second baseman catches line drives or pop flies hit near him, and fields ground balls hit near him and then throws the ball to a base to force out a runner. In this case, if the runner is to be forced out at second base then that base is covered by the shortstop. With a runner on first base, on a ball to the shortstop or third baseman the second baseman will cover second base to force out the runner coming from first. com
7.
Shortstop
–
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. The position is filled by defensive specialists, so shortstops are generally relatively poor batters who bat later in the batting order. In the numbering used by scorers to record defensive plays. More hit balls go to the shortstop than to any position, as there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters. Like a second baseman, a shortstop must be agile, for example performing a 4-6-3 double play. Also, like a third baseman, the shortstop fields balls hit to the side of the infield. Doc Adams of the Knickerbockers created the concept of the position, according to Thorn. In the first five years the Knickerbockers played, the team fielded anywhere from eight to eleven players, the only infielders were the players covering each of the bases, if there were more than eight players, extra outfielders were sometimes used. The outfielders had difficulty throwing baseballs into the infield, because of the light weight. Adams shortstop position, which he started playing at some time from 1849 to 1850, was used to field throws from the outfielders, with the advent of higher-quality baseballs, Adams moved to the infield, since the distance the balls could travel increased. Adams had a playing career with the Knickerbockers, he remained a player with the team until 1860. The shortstop ordinarily is positioned near second base on the third-base side, a shortstop must also be extremely agile, because balls hit to or near the shortstop position are usually hit harder than to other infield positions. Shortstops are required to cover second base in double play situations when the ball is hit to the second baseman or first baseman and they also cover second when a runner is attempting a stolen base, but only when a left-handed hitter is batting. This is because the infield will respond to a batter by shifting toward first base. They often become the man on balls to any part of the outfield that are being directed towards third base and all balls to left. Depending on the system the shortstop may cut balls from left field heading home, however, the emphasis on defense makes the position unusually difficult to fill. Historically, a strong shortstop did not have to be a good hitter.200, since the 1960s, however, such mediocre hitting has become rarer as teams increasingly demand players with ability to both field and hit. Alex Rodríguez, Michael Young, or Miguel Tejada, the year in which the player was inducted is given in brackets after his name
8.
Jack Barry (baseball)
–
John Joseph Jack Barry was an American shortstop, second baseman, and manager in Major League Baseball, and later a college baseball coach. From 1908 through 1919, Barry played for the Philadelphia Athletics, born in Meriden, Connecticut, Barry spent his nearly entire tenure in the big leagues on winning teams, first the Philadelphia Athletics and later the Boston Red Sox. Athletics manager Connie Mack signed Barry off the campus of the College of the Holy Cross to play shortstop on what would become his famous $100,000 infield. The unit, one of the most famous groups of teammates in history, consisted of first baseman Stuffy McInnis, second baseman Eddie Collins. In 1915, the year after the Boston Braves swept the Athletics in the World Series, Red Sox owner Joe Lannin paid $8,000 for Barrys services, as Mack was dismantling the team. Upon joining the Red Sox, he hit just.262 but played reliable defense at shortstop and he played in the World Series in 1915 and 1916 for the Red Sox. Acknowledged as the teams leader, he became a player-manager in 1917, leading the team to a 90-win season. He served all of 1918 in the military, after poor play in 1919, he decided to retire rather than be sold away in another fire sale following Harry Frazees decision to sell his shortstop back to the Athletics. In an 11-season career, Barry posted a.243 batting average with 10 home runs and 429 RBI in 1223 games. Barry became the coach at Holy Cross in 1921, and continued in that position for 40 years until his death in Shrewsbury. During his tenure, he posted the highest career winning percentage in collegiate history and he was among the initial class of inductees to the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1966. In 2007 he was an inaugural inductee of the College Baseball Hall of Fame along with Lou Gehrig, Christy Mathewson. List of Major League Baseball player–managers Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference Baseball Library
9.
Third baseman
–
In the scoring system used to record defensive plays, the third baseman is assigned the number 5. The third baseman requires good reflexes in reacting to batted balls, the third base position requires a strong and accurate arm, as the third baseman often makes long throws to first base. The third baseman sometimes must throw quickly to second base in time to start a double play, the third baseman must also field fly balls in fair and foul territory. Third base is known as the hot corner, because the third baseman is relatively close to the batter, a third baseman must possess good hand-eye coordination and quick reactions in order to catch hard line drives sometimes in excess of 125 miles per hour. Third basemen often must begin in an even closer to the batter if a bunt is expected. As with middle infielders, right-handed throwing players are standard at the position because they do not need to turn their body before throwing across the infield to first base. Mike Squires, who played fourteen games at third base in 1982 and 1983, is a rare example of a third baseman who threw lefty. Some third basemen have been converted from middle infielders or outfielders because the position does not require them to run as fast. Players who could hit with more ability often were not suited for third base, since the 1950s the position has become more of a power position with sluggers such as Eddie Mathews, Mike Schmidt and Ron Santo becoming stars. There are fewer third basemen in the Baseball Hall of Fame than there are Hall of Famers of any other position
10.
Home Run Baker
–
John Franklin Home Run Baker was an American professional baseball player. A third baseman, Baker played in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1922, for the Philadelphia Athletics, Baker has been called the original home run king of the majors. Baker was a member of the Athletics $100,000 infield and he helped the Athletics win the 1910,1911 and 1913 World Series. After a contract dispute, the Athletics sold Baker to the Yankees, Baker appeared with the Yankees in the 1921 and 1922 World Series, though the Yankees lost both series, before retiring. Baker led the American League in home runs for four consecutive years and he had a batting average over.300 in six seasons, had three seasons with more than 100 runs batted in, and two seasons with over 100 runs scored. Bakers legacy has grown over the years, and he is regarded by many as one of the best power hitters of the deadball era, during his 13 years as a major league player, Baker never played a single inning at any position other than third base. Baker was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1955, Baker was born on March 13,1886, to Franklin Adams Baker and Mary Catherine on their farm in Trappe, Maryland. The Bakers, who were of English descent, had been farmers in Trappe for six generations and his mother, of Scottish descent, was reported to be a distant relative of Robert E. Lee. Baker enjoyed working on his fathers farm, but he aspired to become a baseball player from the age of ten. In Trappe, most of the attended the local baseball teams games on Saturdays. Franks older brother, Norman, was known in the town for his playing ability. Norman once tried out for the Philadelphia Athletics, but he did not like that city, Baker pitched for the local high school baseball team and worked as a clerk at a butcher shop and grocery store owned by relatives. He signed with a local baseball team based in Ridgely, Maryland, in 1905. The team, which was managed by Buck Herzog, paid him $5 per week, Herzog found that Baker could not pitch well, but that he could hit. Baker was unable to play the outfield well, but he was able to move into the infield as a third baseman for Ridgely, in 1906, Baker played for Sparrows Point Club in Baltimore, earning $15 per week. He received an offer to play for a team in the Class C Texas League in 1907 and he instead signed with an independent team based in Cambridge, Maryland. A scout for the New York Giants of the National League noticed Baker while he was playing for Sparrows Point and they arranged for Baker to receive a tryout with the Baltimore Orioles of the Class A Eastern League late in the 1907 season. Playing in five games, Baker recorded two hits, both singles, in 15 at-bats, Orioles manager Jack Dunn decided that Baker could not hit, and Baker was released
