WHY I THINK JOE START SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

 WHY I THINK JOE START SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN 

By- Damien 

Joe Start was the initial first baseman ever to play off the bag when the bases were empty. Period. He changed the way the position was played, and baseball would be remarkably different without Start’s innovation. Think about how many hits and runs he saved defensively. That is what you call a valuable player. Besides the fact that he changed the way that first base is played, he was also a great hitter in an era with very few great hitters. Start had a lifetime batting average of .299, scored 829 runs in only 1,070 games, and didn’t strike out once until his sixth MLB season. Joe Start began his career in 1859, but professional baseball wasn’t instituted until 1869, and he wasn’t in the Majors until 1871, when he played with the New York Mutuals of the National Association at the age of 28. He batted .360 that year but didn’t top the .300 mark again until 1874, when he recorded a .314 mark. Start fell below .300 again in his next two seasons and was traded to the Hartfords of Brooklyn for the 1877 season. The move proved to be a costly mistake for the Mutuals, as he batted .332 in 1877 for the Hartfords and .351 in 1878 for the Chicago White Stockings. He was past his prime soon afterwards but had a few more good seasons, and even batted over .325 two more times before retiring. Joe Start was a fantastic baseball player, but I really decided to put him in my personal Hall of Fame as a pioneer. His innovation of standing off the base changed the way that all first basemen play the position, and it was important enough to ensure Start of a place in the Hall of Fame, though the practice of doing so now is so normal that it is not even seen as a defensive advantage.  

LIFETIME STATISTICS (MLB TOTALS ONLY)  

Games career: 1,070 season high: 101 in 1885 led NA: 33 in 1871 

At Bats career: 4,743 season high: 381 in 1884 led NL: 285 in 1878 

Hits career: 1,417 season high: 117 in 1882 led NL: 100 in 1878 

Doubles career: 148 season high: 16 in 1883 

Triples career: 67 season high: 10 in 1882 

Home Runs career: 15 season high: 4 in 1875 

Runs career: 829 season high: 80 in 1884 

Runs Batted In career: 544 season high: 57 in 1883 

Stolen Bases career: 18 season high: 5 in 1874 (stolen bases weren’t counted in the NL until  1885) 

Walks career: 164 season high: 39 in 1885 

Strikeouts career: 109 season high: 25 in 1884 

Batting Average career: .299 season high: .360 in 1871 

On Base Percentage career: .322 season high: .372 in 1871 

Slugging Percentage career: .368 season high: .422 in 1871 

Total Bases career: 1,744 season high: 145 in 1882 led NL: 125 in 1878 

Sacrifice Hits career: N/A 

Fielding Percentage career: .963 season high: .980 in 1884 led NA 1B: .958 in 1872, .961 in 1874 led NL 1B: .964 in 1876 and 1877, .973 in 1879, .980 in 1884 

Double Plays career: 449 season high: 54 in 1882 

Putouts career: 11,197 season high: 1,036 in 1885 led NL 1B: 704 in 1877, 719 in 1878, 954 in 1880, 905 in 1882 

Assists career: 229 season high: 35 in 1885 led NA 1B: 18 in 1873, 13 in 1874 

Pre-Professional Statistics

Joe Start (Enterprise) 

1860 (page 50) 

Pos     GP HL  A O  R   A O 

3B,1B  6    15  2  3  13  2 1  

1861 (58) 

Pos     GP HL  A O  R   A  O 

1B,3B  7    12  1  5  29  4  1 

Joe Start (Atlantic) 

1862 (70) 

Pos  GP  HL   A  O  R   A  O 

1B     4    11   2   3  6   1   2 

1863 (77) 

Pos           GP  HL   A  O  R    A  O 

1B,OF,SS   9    26   2   8  23   2  5 

1864 (85) 

Pos     GP  HL   A  O   R    A  O 

1B,3B  18   47   2  11   82  4  10 

1865 (98) 

Pos  GP  HL   A  O  R    A  O 

1B    18   39   2   3  82   4  10 

1866 (115) 

Pos  GP  HL   A  O  R    A  O 

1B    16   37   2   5  69   4   5 

1867 (149) 

Pos  GP  HL   A  O  R    A  O 

1B    19   40   2   2  83   4  7 

1868 (191) 

Pos  GP  HL   A  O   R     A  O   H    A   O  TB   A  O 

1B    52   122  2  8  235   4  27  233  4  25  283  5  23 

1869 (246) 

Pos  GP  HL    A  O    R     A  O    H     A   O   TB    A  O 

1B    46   119  2  27   202   4  18  203   4   19  341   7  19 

1870 (298) 

Pos GP HL AVG R AVG  H     AVG  TB   AVG 

1B   56   -     -     -    -     161  2.88  269  4.41 

DID YOU KNOW?

-nicknamed “Old Reliable” or “Rocks” 

-won a “World Series” ring in 1884 with the Providence Grays 

-led the NL in singles in 1878 (82) and 1882 (99) 

-aside from his first five seasons, he was also the hardest batter to strike out in the NL in 1877 and 1882 

-his at bats per strikeout rate in 1877 is the 14th best of all time, his 1876 mark ranks 15th, and his 1879 mark 50th 

-was the oldest player in the NL from 1878 through 1886 

-also played five games in the outfield 

-went 18-7 (.720) as a manager