WHY I THINK CECIL TRAVIS SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

 WHY I THINK CECIL TRAVIS SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

By- Damien 

Cecil Travis was one of the finest pure hitters in the history of baseball. He had a lifetime batting average of .314 and batted over .330 three times. He had 218 hits in 1941 and has the highest career batting average of any AL shortstop. Defensively, Travis was better than average, adept at turning the double play, and had enough versatility to play both shortstop and third base. Career long Washington Senator Travis started his career in 1933 by batting .302 in 18 games. He hit over .300 every year until 1939, when he slumped to .292 (bothered by the flu), but soon was on track with a .322 mark in 1940. He had the best season of his career in 1941 when he batted a remarkable .359 with 19 triples and 101 RBI's. At 27, Travis already had 1,370 hits (including 73 three-baggers), and was just entering his peak. However, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, and America was plunged into total war. Travis spent the next three years in Military Service during World War II. He nobly sacrificed three of his peak years to protect the country that he called home. When he returned in 1945, he was a hero, but a mediocre hitter. He was hitting .330 every season before the war, but struggled to hit .250 afterwards. He quit after the 1947 season, but he worked for the Senators as a scout until 1956. Cecil Travis was a marvelous hitter, a fine fielder, and a war hero. He should be in the Hall of Fame today, but two things are working against him: the fact that he played for a now departed franchise, and his military service. In a perfect world, Travis would have over 2,000 hits and a plaque in Cooperstown.

LIFETIME STATISTICS

Games career: 1,328 season high: 152 in 1941 

At Bats career: 4,914 season high: 608 in 1941 

Hits career: 1,544 season high: 218 in 1941 led AL: 218 in 1941 

Doubles career: 265 season high: 39 in 1941 

Triples career: 78 season high: 19 in 1941 

Home Runs career: 27 season high: 7 in 1941
Runs career: 665 season high: 106 in 1941 

Runs Batted In career: 657 season high: 101 in 1941 

Stolen Bases career: 23 season high: 6 in 1938 

Walks  career: 402 season high: 58 in 1938 

Strikeouts career: 291 season high: 47 in 1946 

Batting Average career: .314 season high: .359 in 1941 

On Base Percentage career: .370 season high: .410 in 1941 

Slugging Percentage career: .416 season high: .520 in 1941 

Total Bases career: 2,046 season high: 316 in 1941 

Sacrifice Hits career: 67 season high: 13 in 1938 

Fielding Percentage career: .951 season high: .965 in 1937 

Double Plays career: 630 season high: 113 in 1938 led AL 3B: 29 in 1935 

Putouts career: 1,946 season high: 304 in 1938 

Assists career: 3,138 season high: 457 in 1938 

DID YOU KNOW?

-nicknamed "Kid Bandage" because he was the most spiked infielder in the league

-batted lefthanded and threw righthanded 

-was a three time all-star (in 1938, 1940, and 1941) 

-smacked a record five hits on his MLB debut (tied with Hall of Famer Fred Clarke) 

-led the AL in hit by pitch in 1935 (nine) 

-finished sixth in the AL MVP voting in 1941, ninth in 1938, 11th in 1937, and 23rd in 1940 

-led the AL with 153 singles in 1941 

-finished second in the 1941 AL batting race to Hall of Famer Ted Williams (.406)  

-holds the third highest career batting average among MLB shortstops, behind Hall of Fame Pirates Honus Wagner (.327) and Arky Vaughan (.318) 

-also played 52 games in centerfield, 17 in leftfield, four at second base, and 102 as a pinch hitter