Time to check out the back of Pie Traynor's 1972 Kellogg's All-Time Greats card.
He was a defensive star as well as a .320 lifetime hitter.
He was known for covering a lot of ground, more than any player at his position ever says Kellogg's.
He stayed in baseball as a manager, then as a scout. He spent lots of time working with the kids in Pittsburgh.
This set declared him as the Greatest Third Baseman, but Bill James and others would argue that.
I have no idea about the picture on the back of the card above.
You always hear either Schmidt or Robinson's name when the topic of greatest 3rd baseman of all time pops up. This guy was a defensive star and a career .320 hitter? Kinda feel like he deserves a little more respect.
ReplyDeleteHe did play in a time when batting averages were quite higher. Here are some league averages.
ReplyDelete1922 - .288
1924 - .287
1926 - .281
1928 - .281
1930 - .296
1932 - .277
1934 - .279
1966 - .249
1968 - .237
1976 - .255
1978 - .258
1986 - .258
1988 - .254
1996 - .270
1998 - .266
2006 - .269
2008 - .264
2016 - .255
2018 - .248
Oh. Then that makes more sense.
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