Happy Birthday to one of the greatest players in Atlanta Braves franchise history and one of the greatest Third Baseman in baseball history, Eddie Matthews. In a seventeen-year career mainly with the Braves but also with the Houston Astros and Detroit Tigers, Matthews had a Hall of Fame career and is regarded as one of the best power hitters of his time.

Career Statistics/Accolades (1952-1968):

.271 BA 2,315 HITS 512 HR 1,453 RBI 1,509 RUNS .376 OBP

  • 12x All-Star
  •  2x World Series Champion (1957 & 1968)

As a Left-Handed hitter, Matthews hit 30 or more HRs in nine seasons. Matthews scored 100 or more RUNS eight times and drove in 100 or more RBIs five times. Career-wise, his Walks and Strikeouts totals were close, 1,444 Walks to 1,487 Strikeouts. Matthews also led the league in walks four times. 

“I’ve only known three or four perfect swings in my time. This lad has one of them.” – Ty Cobb on Eddie Matthews

For several years, opposing teams would apply the “Matthews Shift” when he came to the plate. The second baseman would move toward first base, and the shortstop would move to the side of the bag of second base. This left a gap between second and third, and Matthews occasionally punched a ball there. Along with Hank Aaron, besides Ruth and Gehrig, they are the greatest duo in baseball history, homering in the same game 75 times. While he didn’t win an MVP, he finished runner-up in 1953 & 1959. 

As a Fielder, he played at Third Base for 19,012.1 Innings, with a lifetime .956 Fielding Percentage, higher than the league average during his career among Third Baseman. 

Overall, Matthews’ is one of the five greatest Third Basemans in baseball history. I have Mike Schmidt, Chipper Jones, Brooks Robinson, and maybe George Brett ahead of him, but that’s it. Despite having over 500 Home Runs, it took until his fifth year of eligibility to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1978. Matthews ranks #63 on The Sporting News list of 100 Greatest Ballplayers. 

References:

  1. Eddie Matthews’ via Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Mathews#
  2. Eddie Matthews Career Statistics via Baseball-Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/matheed01.shtml