WHY I THINK FRED TENNEY SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN
By- Damien
Fred Tenney is among in my select list for reasons that one may not expect. He was a first baseman, one of the best of his time, but probably wasn’t quite as good a hitter that one might ask of a Hall of Fame first baseman, even from his hitter-depressed era. Tenney is listed here as a great defensive first baseman, a great innovator, a keen base thief, and as a man who helped the early Boston Braves through many financial struggles. Tenney holds the Major League record for the most seasons leading his league’s first basemen in assists, which he did eight times, much on account of the fact that he invented the 3-6-3 double play, which is one of the best defensive maneuvers that a team can turn. He also stuck around as a manager for four years despite a career winning percentage of .334 (202-402-12) because he was one of the great American businessmen of his time. Fred Tenney started his career with the Boston Beaneaters of the NL in 1894, with a batting average of .395 in 27 games. He played well in 49 games in 1895 and hit .336 in 88 games in 1896, and established himself as one of the best players of his time in 1897 with a .318 batting mark and 85 RBI’s. He turned the first 3-6-3 twin killing in MLB history on June 14, 1897, during a game against the Cincinnati Reds. Tenney then enjoyed the two finest offensive years of his career, with a combined .338 average. Those were the best years of Tenney’s career, as he became essentially a .275 hitter for the rest of his career, excepting two more seasons over .310. He still walked almost twice as often as he struck out and provided speed and valuable defense. Tenney was dealt over to the New York Giants for the 1908 season and led the NL in runs scored that year, but slumped in 101 games in 1909. He took the 1910 season off and retired after batting .263 in 102 games with the Giants in 1911. Fred Tenney was a good hitter, a great fielder, and a master strategist. They put Tommy McCarthy in the Hall of Fame in 1945 for inventing hit and run (another important tactic, used on offense), while his actual playing skills were far less than those of Tenney.
LIFETIME STATISTICS
Games career: 1,994 season high: 156 in 1908
At Bats career: 7,595 season high: 603 in 1899 led NL: 566 in 1897
Hits career: 2,231 season high: 209 in 1899
Doubles career: 270 season high: 25 in 1898
Triples career: 77 season high: 17 in 1899
Home Runs career: 22 season high: 3 in 1903 and 1909
Runs career: 1,278 season high: 125 in 1897 led NL: 101 in 1908
Runs Batted In career: 688 season high: 85 in 1897
Stolen Bases career: 285 season high: 34 in 1897
Walks career: 874 season high: 82 in 1907
Strikeouts career: 484 season high: 56 in 1906
Batting Average career: .294 season high: .347 in 1899
On Base Percentage career: .371 season high: .415 in 1903
Slugging Percentage career: .358 season high: .439 in 1899
Total Bases career: 2,721 season high: 265 in 1899
Sacrifice Hits career: 277 season high: 29 in 1902 led NL: 29 in 1902
Fielding Percentage career: .982 season high: .990 in 1908 led NL 1B: .985 in 1902
Double Plays career: 965 season high: 107 in 1899 led NL 1B: 107 in 1899, 68 in 1908
Putouts career: 18,278 season high: 1,624 in 1908 led NL 1B: 1,556 in 1905, 1,587 in 1907, 1,624 in 1908
Assists career: 1,452 season high: 152 in 1905 led NL 1B: 99 in 1899, 86 in 1901, 105 in 1902, 93 in 1903, 115 in 1904, 152 in 1905, 118 in 1906, 113 in 1907
DID YOU KNOW?
-is the Boston Braves’ all time leader in career hits with 1,994
-had an seasonal OBP over .400 four times an scored over 100 runs in a season four times
-led the Major Leagues in plate appearances in 1897 (646) and in 1908 (690)
-played 71 games as a lefthanded catcher and had a .431 career caught stealing percentage
-his 1,624 putouts as a first baseman in 1908 are the 23rd most of all time, and his 152 assists in 1905 are the 18th most of all time
-also played one game as a pitcher, 105 in the outfield, and eight as a pinch hitter
-ranks 19th in career sacrifice hits
-among MLB first basemen, ranks 37th in career games, 22nd in putouts, and 17th in assists
Another good argument for Tenney is that first base was more of a defensive position back then, so that definitely helps his argument. 2nd base was a hitter's position, and First a defensive position, until about 1925. Then the Gherig/Foxx/Mize breed came in, and it was reversed. Even if you include that, though, I think he falls a little short. He was a good player, a very good player, but not a great player.
ReplyDeleteAnd, as an aside, putting Tommy McCarthy in the Hall of Fame was a terrible idea. Inventing the curve ball is one thing. Candy Cummings is in the Hall because the curve ball completely revolutionized baseball. The hit and run, though important did not revolutionize baseball like the curve ball did. McCarthy was a good but not great player in a short career, and was only elected because the Hall elected 21 players in 2 years thru the Veteran's Committee, many of doubtful pedigree. That was in the time before the Baseball Encyclopedia, and so it was very easy to exaggerate the talents of a 19th century player.