WHY I THINK MOE BERG SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK MOE BERG SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN 

By- Damien 

Moe Berg was a catcher and shortstop for five teams from 1923 through 1939, but was best known as the American spy who discovered that Germany did not have an atomic bomb in World War II. This information was crucial to the allies’ strategy and played a huge part in our victory in the most violent war in history. If Berg had failed, the Nazis might have won the war, and unspeakable things would have happened if the Nazis had won the war. As a player, Berg was a part time player for most of his career, and although he wasn’t much of a player, he did have his moments on a baseball diamond. Moe Berg started his career with the Brooklyn Robins (now the Dodgers) in 1923, coming to bat 138 times. He next played for the White Sox in 1926, and first got his shot as a regular in 1929, when he batted .287 and caught 106 games. He played no position but catcher after that (except for two innings at first base), and he played it well, posting defensive statistics that were well above average, such as a .430 career caught stealing percentage and a .986 fielding percentage. He led the AL with a .609 cs% in 1928. Berg batted .251 in 1934, .286 in 1935, and .255 in 1937. In 1938 - 1939, Berg batted a composite .289 in 24 games, and coached the Red Sox in 1940 and 1941. War broke out on September 1, 1939, and Berg entered the service on January 5, 1942, 28 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, as a member of the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs. In 1943, he was recruited by the Office of Strategic Services to spy on the German atomic bomb program. In 1944, he made the discovery of a lifetime. After World War II, Berg did some work for the CIA to find information about the Soviet atomic bomb project, but wasn’t successful. He died on May 29, 1972, at the age of 70. He appeared on two Hall of Fame ballots and received a few votes on each, but most voters took one look at his 441 career hits and skipped him over. Why not advocate for Berg’s case? His find had a larger impact on America than Stan Musial’s hitting did, for example. It would be good to educate people about him. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games career: 663 season high: 107 in 1929 

At Bats career: 1,813 season high: 352 in 1929 

Hits career: 441 season high: 101 in 1929 

Doubles career: 71 season high: 16 in 1928 

Triples career: 6 season high: 2 in 1923 

Home Runs career: 6 season high: 2 in 1933 and 1935 

Runs career: 150 season high: 32 in 1929 

Runs Batted In career: 206 season high: 47 in 1929 

Stolen Bases career: 12 season high: 5 in 1929 

Walks career: 78 season high: 17 in 1929 

Strikeouts career: 117 season high: 25 in 1928 

Batting Average career: .243 season high: .287 in 1929 

On Base Percentage career: .278 season high: .323 in 1929 

Slugging Percentage career: .299 season high: .307 in 1929 

Total Bases career: 542 season high: 108 in 1929 

Sacrifice Hits career: 61 season high: 13 in 1928 

Fielding Percentage career: .973 season high: 1.000 in 1932 

Double Plays career: 90 season high: 21 in 1926 

Putouts career: 1,858 season high: 290 in 1929 

Assists career: 553 season high: 126 in 1923 

Caught Stealing Percentage career: .430 season high: .609 in 1928 led AL: .609 in 1928 

Pickoffs career: 13 season high: 2 in 1928, 1934, 1937, and 1939 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-won the Medal of Freedom for his services in WWII 

-went 1-for-2 on his MLB debut 

-also played 14 games at second base, four at third base, 37 as a pinch hitter, and five as a pinch runner 

-was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 and into the Baseball Reliquary’s Shrine of the Eternals in 2000