WHY I THINK JIMMY SHECKARD SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

 WHY I THINK JIMMY SHECKARD SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN 

By- Damien 

Jimmy Sheckard was an amazingly talented defensive leftfielder with a strong arm and a few strange similarities to Hall of Famer Ty Cobb. Obviously, Cobb outhit Sheckard .366 to .274, but both were good defensive outfielders and lefthanded leadoff hitters who walked a lot, hit homers, sacrificed plentifully, and stole a ton of bases. This is not to say that Sheckard is even close to Ty Cobb’s level, but who is? My point is that Sheckard was a fine player with talents that were recognized as very useful in his day. Jimmy Sheckard started his career with the Brooklyn Bridegrooms in 1897, batting .286 with three homers and 12 runs scored in 13 games, eleven at shortstop. At the age of 19, Sheckard became a regular in 1898, hitting .277. He batted .295 and led the MLB with 77 stolen bases for the Baltimore Orioles in 1899, establishing himself as one of the elite players in the league. Sheckard batted .300 in 85 games in 1900 and enjoyed his finest season in 1901, batting .354 and driving home 104 runs. He slumped in 1902 but batted .332 in 1903 for the Brooklyn Superbas. Sheckard made history that season when he became the first player ever to lead his league in home runs and stolen bases in the same season. The only others ever to do it were Hall of Famers Cobb in 1909 and Chuck Klein in 1932. From 1904 through 1910, what should have been his peak, Sheckard was on and off, batting a combined .258, but during that period he led the NL in sacrifice hits twice, won two World Series rings with the Cubs, led the league in fielding in 1906, and batted as high as .292. Other than that he was a victim of the dead ball era, putting up numbers that barely beat the averages. Sheckard broke out in 1911 with a purpose, leading the NL in walks, on base percentage, and runs scored along with 32 steals. He led the league in walks again in 1912 but was finished by 1913. He retired after that season. Jimmy Sheckard was a fine hitter, a solid defensive leftfielder, and an excellent baserunner whose overall record and skills were clearly worthy of enshrinement in Cooperstown. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games career: 2,122 season high: 156 in 1911 

At Bats career: 7,605 season high: 554 in 1901 

Hits career: 2,084 season high: 196 in 1901 

Doubles career: 354 season high: 29 in 1901, 1903, and 1909 

Triples career: 136 season high: 19 in 1901 led NL: 19 in 1901 

Home Runs career: 56 season high: 11 in 1901 led NL: 9 in 1903 

Runs career: 1,296 season high: 121 in 1911 led NL: 121 in 1911 

Runs Batted In career: 810 season high: 104 in 1901 

Stolen Bases career: 465 season high: 77 in 1899 led NL: 77 in 1899, 67 in 1903 

Walks career: 1,135 season high: 147 in 1911 led NL: 147 in 1911, 122 in 1912 

Strikeouts career: 849 season high: 81 in 1912 

Batting Average career: .274 season high: .354 in 1901 

On Base Percentage career: .375 season high: .434 in 1911 led NL: .434 in 1911 

Slugging Percentage career: .378 season high: .534 in 1901 led NL: .534 in 1901 

Total Bases career: 2,878 season high: 296 in 1901 

Sacrifice Hits career: 286 season high: 46 in 1909 led NL: 40 in 1906, 46 in 1909 

Fielding Percentage career: .953 season high: .986 in 1906 led NL LF: .986 in 1906 

Double Plays career: 86 season high: 14 in 1899 led NL LF: 11 in 1911 led NL OF: 14 in 1899, 12 in 1911 

Putouts career: 4,242 season high: 332 in 1911 and 1912 led NL LF: 291 in 1904, 332 in 1911 led NL OF: 284 in 1902 

Assists career: 371 season high: 41 in 1897 led NL LF: 24 in 1905, 32 in 1911, 26 in 1912 led NL OF: 36 in 1903, 32 in 1911, 26 in 1912 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-finished 12th in the NL MVP Award voting in 1911 

-in 1901, he became the first and so far only player to stroke inside the park grand slams in consecutive games 

-batted .357/.571/.500 in the 1910 World Series and stole a total of four Series bases 

-hit two home runs each off of Hall of Famers Christy Mathewson and Jack Chesbro and one each off of Cy Young, Vic Willis, and Jack Taylor 

-his 147 walks in 1911 set the MLB record and are still the team record 

-led the NL in times on base in 1911 (299) 

-led NL leftfielders in games in 1904 (139) and 1911 (156) 

-ranks 48th in career stolen bases, 14th in sacrifice hits, 47th in games in the outfield, sixth in double plays turned in the outfield, and eight in outfield assists 

-his 46 sacrifice hits in 1909 are the tenth most in history, and his 40 in 1906 rank 36th 

-among MLB leftfielders, ranks 34th in career games, third in double plays, 32nd in putouts, and fifth in assists 

-his 12 double plays in leftfield in 1911 are the MLB record, his 7 in 1903 rank eighth, his 6 in 1902 rank 17th, and his 5 in 1901, 1904, 1905, and 1909 rank 46th

-holds the first, third, tenth, and 43rd top seasonal totals for assists in leftfield

-also played one game at first base, two at second base, 13 at third base, 22 in centerfield, 215 in rightfield, and 20 as a pinch hitter