WHY I THINK BILL DAHLEN SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK BILL DAHLEN SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN 

By- Damien 

Bill Dahlen was probably the greatest all around shortstop of the 19th century. He was the best defensive shortstop of his time and a very good hitter who led the NL in RBI’s in 1904 and had two seasons over .350. Dahlen is a very popular Hall of Fame candidate nowadays, but the main reason why he is not yet inducted is because he did not have a good image during his career. He was famous for baiting umpires, and some sources suggest that he intentionally drew ejections so he could bet on horses. Bill Dahlen started his career with the Chicago Colts (today's Cubs) in 1891, batting .260 in 135 games. He raised his average to .293 the next season and topped the .300 mark for the first time in 1893. He had his best season in 1894, when he batted .359 with a 1.011 OPS. He also clocked 15 homers (fourth in the league) and drove in 108 runs, thoroughly establishing himself as baseball’s elite shortstop. He batted .352 in 1896 but fell off after that, batting .290 for the next couple of seasons. As the hard hitting 1890’s turned into the deadball 1900’s, Dahlen’s hitting statistics began to decline, but he remained a dangerous hitter, a remarkable base thief, and a marvelous fielder who set the NL record for fielding at shortstop in 1903. Dahlen was always a good RBI man, averaging about 70 or 80 per season for most of his career, and finally won a league RBI crown in 1904 at the age of 34, and as a plus stole 47 bases, his most since the modern stolen base rule was implemented in 1898. In 1905, he improved on his league leading RBI total by one, but after that his career began to slide. Dahlen’s hitting took a dramatic turn for the worse in 1907, but his outstanding defense kept him in the lineup almost every day. When his fielding declined in 1909, so did his playing time, and he stuck around as a backup shortstop and pinch hitter through the 1911 season. He played his final two seasons as a player manager for the Brooklyn Superbas and managed the club until 1913. Bill Dahlen was a tremendous defensive shortstop, a fine hitter, a threat on the basepaths, and a consistent run producer whose all around record suggests that he does indeed belong in the Hall of Fame. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games career: 2,444 season high: 148 in 1905 

At Bats career: 9,036 season high: 581 in 1892 

Hits career: 2,461 season high: 182 in 1894 

Doubles career: 413 season high: 35 in 1898 

Triples career: 163 season high: 19 in 1892 and 1896 

Home Runs career: 84 season high: 15 in 1894 

Runs career: 1,590 season high: 150 in 1894 

Runs Batted In career: 1,234 season high: 108 in 1894 led NL: 80 in 1904 

Stolen Bases career: 548 season high: 60 in 1892 

Walks career: 1,064 season high: 82 in 1903 

Strikeouts career: 759 season high: 60 in 1891 

Batting Average career: .272 season high: .359 in 1894 

On Base Percentage career: .358 season high: .445 in 1894 

Slugging Percentage career: .382 season high: .566 in 1894 

Total Bases career: 3,452 season high: 287 in 1894 

Sacrifice Hits career: 165 season high: 27 in 1896 (Dahlen’s sacrifice hit information from before 1894 is unavailable) 

Fielding Percentage career: .926 season high: .952 in 1908 led NL SS: .948 in 1903

Double Plays career: 930 season high: 77 in 1898 led NL SS: 77 in 1898, 61 in 1904, 58 in 1908 

Putouts career: 5,359 season high: 369 in 1898 

Assists career: 8,138 season high: 553 in 1908 led NL SS: 527 in 1895, 517 in 1900, 477 in 1903, 494 in 1904 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-nicknamed “Bad Bill” (a testament to his bad reputation) 

-started his career with six straight seasons in which he scored over 100 runs 

-had a 42 game hitting streak in 1894, the fourth longest in history, and started a 28 game streak the very next game after his first streak ended 

-his .359 batting average in 1894 set the MLB season record for a shortstop 

-hit two triples in one inning on August 30, 1900, and had two career three triple games 

-ranked first in career games and second in walks at the time of his retirement 

-stole three bases in the 1905 World Series, when his Giants thumped the Philadelphia A’s 

-hit five home runs off of Hall of Famer Kid Nichols, three off of Vic Willis, two off of John Clarkson, and one each off of Hoss Radbourn, Cy Young, Sam Leever, Tony Mullane, Al Orth, and Rube Waddell 

-led NL shortstops in games in 1900 (133), 1902 (138), and 1903 (138) 

-led the NL in assists at any position in 1895, 1900, and 1903 

-ranks 33rd in career triples, 28th in stolen bases, 30th in hit by pitch (140), and fourth in assists 

-among MLB shortstops, ranks first in career chances, second in putouts, fourth in assists, and 12th in games 

-also played 223 games at third base, 19 at second base, 58 in the outfield, and one as a pinch runner