Happy Birthday to the late and great Rogers Hornsby (April 27th). Born in Texas, he was only two when he lost his father. Four years later, he had his brother started working in the meat packaging industry to help keep the family afloat. In his free time, he played baseball. At 15, he left school to work and play semi-pro baseball. His years playing semi-pro brought the attention of teams like the St. Louis Cardinals, and he would be signed to play for the Cardinals. 

Rogers Hornsby Career Statistics & Awards (1915-1937):

.358 BA, 2.930 HITS, 301 HR, 1,584 RBI, 1,579 RUNS, .434 OBP

Hornsby is the greatest second baseman ever and the greatest right-handed hitter. Over his 23-year career, Hornsby complied a lifetime .358 average, ahead of guys such as Tris Speaker (.345), Ted Williams (.344), Babe Ruth (.342), Lou Gehrig (.340), and Stan Musial (.331): Two-time MVP winner, Two Triple Crowns, and Seven Batting Titles. He started at Shortstop, but his inconsistent fielding led the Cardinals to move him to Second Base beginning in 1920.

He started his career in 1915, still the Dead Ball Era. He entered his prime at the best possible time in his mid-20s when the balls were changed, and it became the Live Ball Era. Hornsby had everything you wanted in a ball player, being good defensively at his position, being a great hitter at the plate being able to hit for average and power. Also, while he didn’t steal many bases, he was very good at baserunning, which shows why he hit double-digit Triples nine times and led in Doubles multiple times. In 1922, Hornsby won the Quadruple Crown, when a batter led the league in AVG, HR, RBI, and HITS, not recognized by MLB. He also led the majors in RUNS and OBP.

Rogers Hornsby 1922 Season:

.401 AVG, 250 HITS, 42 HR, 152 RBI, 141 RUNS, .459 OBP

Unlike Babe Ruth, Hornsby focused on the game off the field. He didn’t drink alcohol or use tobacco and was big on rest, which meant sleeping 12 hours every night. In 1925 he took on the Cardinals’ managerial duties, and in 1926 the Cardinals won the World Series. After 1926, rough contract demands led him to the New York Giants in 1927 and the Boston Braves in 1928, but then found his way to Chicago with the Cubs, where he’d have success early on. Still, an injury in 1930 would be the beginning of the end with on-and-off DL stints, and he would spend the remainder of his playing career as a part-time hitter. As his playing career ended, his performance was managed in terms of Wins and Losses. 

Hornsby was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1942. In 1999, he was ranked ninth by The Sporting News of the 100 Greatest Ballplayers. That year, Hornsby was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Also, he’s a member of the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs Hall of Fames, two of the crown jewel sports franchises.

References:

  1. Rogers Hornsby Career Statistics via Baseball-Reference https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hornsro01.shtml
  2. Paul Rogers III, C. Rogers Hornsby via SABR https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/rogers-hornsby/