WHY I THINK FRED DUNLAP SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

 WHY I THINK FRED DUNLAP SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

By- Damien 

Fred Dunlap was one of the best all around second basemen ever to play the game of baseball. He set the single season record for fielding percentage by a second baseman in 1889, won three fielding titles and finished second for two more, had three .300 seasons and one .400 season, won a batting title, and hit as many as 39 doubles in a season. The thing that made Dunlap extra special is that he was ambidextrous, and because he also didn’t wear a glove in the field, he could field and throw the ball with the same hand, an adherent advantage. Fred Dunlap started his career well (unlike most Major Leaguers), hitting .276 for the Cleveland Blues in 1880 and leading the NL in doubles. After a .325 season and a second place finish in doubles (behind Hall of Famer Cap Anson), Dunlap batted .280 and .326 in his next two seasons. After being traded to the St. Louis Maroons, Dunlap had one of the best overall seasons that any player ever had in 1884, with a .412 batting average and Union Association highs in batting average, home runs, runs scored, hits, times on base, OBP, slugging percentage, total bases, OPS, extra base hits, home run percentage, fielding percentage, putouts and assists. He slugged .621 and scored 160 runs in only 101 games that year. Beside all of those statistics, Dunlap also finished second in the UA in saves as an occasional relief pitcher. Dunlap fell all the way down to .270 in 1885, .274 in 1886 and .265 in 1887, but helped the Detroit Wolverines to win the primitive World Series title in 1887. His batting still hadn’t recovered, as he batted .262 and .235 in 1888 and 1889 before being limited to 26 more career games, finishing up in 1891 when he broke a leg sliding into second base. Fred Dunlap, despite his late decline in production, was still a very valuable player and one worthy of a Hall of Fame selection. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS

Games career: 965 season high: 122 in 1886 

At Bats career: 3,974 season high: 481 in 1886 

Hits career: 1,159 season high: 185 in 1884 led UA: 185 in 1884 

Doubles career: 224 season high: 39 in 1884 led NL: 27 in 1880 

Triples career: 53 season high: 10 in 1887 

Home Runs career: 41 season high: 13 in 1884 led UA: 13 in 1884 

Runs career: 759 season high: 160 in 1884 led UA: 160 in 1884 

Runs Batted In career: 366 season high: 69 in 1886 (RBI’s weren’t counted in the UA in 1884) 

Stolen Bases career: 85 season high: 24 in 1888 (stolen bases weren’t counted until 1886) 

Walks career: 283 season high: 46 in 1889 

Strikeouts career: 263 season high: 51 in 1886 (strikeouts weren’t counted in the UA in 1884) 

Batting Average career: .292 season high: .412 in 1884 led UA: .412 in 1884 

On Base Percentage career: .340 season high: .448 in 1884 led UA: .448 in 1884 

Slugging Percentage career: .406 season high: .621 in 1884 led UA: .621 in 1884 

Total Bases career: 1,612 season high: 279 in 1884 led UA: 279 in 1884 

Sacrifice Hits career: N/A

Fielding Percentage career: .924 season high: .950 in 1889 led UA 2B: .926 in 1884 led NL 2B: .934 in 1885, .950 in 1889 (the league fielding percentage was .902) 

Double Plays career: 513 season high: 64 in 1886 led NL 2B: 44 in 1880, 62 in 1882 led UA 2B: 54 in 1884 

Putouts career: 2,912 season high: 343 in 1884 led NL 2B: 304 in 1883 led UA 2B: 341 in 1884 

Assists career: 3,171 season high: 393 in 1886 and 1889 led NL 2B: 290 in 1880, 297 in 1882, 393 in 1886 led UA 2B: 300 in 1884 

DID YOU KNOW?

-nicknamed “Sure Shot” and the “King of Second Basemen” for the near guarantee of a successful play at second base 

-his 160 runs scored in 1884 set MLB records for the most in a season by a second baseman and for the most in a season by any Union Association player, and is currently the 16th highest total of all time  

-hit a triple in the 1887 World Series  

-also played two games in rightfield and one each at third base and centerfield 

-led NL second basemen in games (84) in 1882 

-his .412 batting average in 1884 set the MLB record, and was 52 points above the second place batter in the league, Orator Shafer 

-went 145-102-5 as a manager and captured the 1884 UA pennant 

-hit for the cycle on May 24, 1885