WHY I THINK CY SEYMOUR SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK CY SEYMOUR SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN 

By- Damien 

Cy Seymour was another great two way player. He pitched in six different seasons, winning 61 games and two league strikeout crowns, and also had a career batting average of .303, mostly as an outfielder. Two way players are criminally underrated, as they are the most talented baseball players in history (see my post on Dave Foutz). Cy Seymour began his career with the New York Giants in 1896, going 2-4 in eleven games (eight starts). In 1897, Seymour won 18 games and led the NL in both strikeouts and walks, as his wild fastball, curve, and screwball made him a feared power pitcher. Ceymour did better in 1898, when he won 25 games, upped his strikeout total by 83, and started to hit a bit for himself. In 1899, Seymour slipped to 14 wins but batted .327, and was thus converted to an outfielder after the season. He made a few appearances on the mound in 1900 and 1902 but was essentially a centerfielder from that point forward. He batted over .300 in five straight seasons from 1901 through 1905, the greatest offensive season of his career. That year, Seymour batted .377, led the NL in nine major batting categories, set the NL record with 325 total bases, and missed the Triple Crown by one home run. The leader, Fred Odwell, never hit another homer in the Big Leagues after the season. Seymour slumped to .286 in 1906, his age 33 season, but remained a very good hitter and RBI man until 1910. He batted .265 that season in 79 games and spent the next two seasons in the minor leagues. He was brought back up in 1913 by the Boston Braves and played 39 games for them before calling it quits. Cy Seymour was a great hitter, the owner of one of the greatest offensive seasons ever, and a very strong pitcher. Only eight players in the last 140 years have really contributed both on the mound and at bat, and Seymour is one of them. One is in the Hall of Fame (Babe Ruth), one is named Shohei Ohtani, and the other five also belong in Cooperstown. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games career: 1,529 season high: 156 in 1908 

At Bats career: 5,686 season high: 587 in 1908 

Hits career: 1,724 season high: 219 in 1905 led NL: 219 in 1905 

Doubles career: 229 season high: 40 in 1905 led NL: 40 in 1905 

Triples career: 96 season high: 21 in 1905 led NL: 21 in 1905 

Home Runs career: 52 season high: 8 in 1905 and 1906 

Runs career: 737 season high: 95 in 1905 

Runs Batted In career: 799 season high: 121 in 1905 led NL: 121 in 1905 

Stolen Bases career: 222 season high: 38 in 1901 

Walks career: 354 season high: 51 in 1905 

Strikeouts career: 361 season high: 46 in 1902 

Batting Average career: .303 season high: .377 in 1905 led NL: .377 in 1905 

On Base Percentage career: .347 season high: .429 in 1905 

Slugging Percentage career: .405 season high: .559 in 1905 led NL: .559 in 1905 

Total Bases career: 2,301 season high: 325 in 1905 led NL: 325 in 1905 

Sacrifice Hits career: 138 season high: 33 in 1908 

Games Pitched career: 141 season high: 45 in 1898 

Starts career: 124 season high: 43 in 1898 

Complete Games career: 105 season high: 39 in 1898 

Shutouts career: 6 season high: 4 in 1898 

Games Finished career: 15 season high: 5 in 1897 and 1900 

Wins career: 61 season high: 25 in 1898 

Losses career: 56 season high: 19 in 1898 

Winning Percentage career: .521 season high: .568 in 1898 

ERA career: 3.73 season low: 3.18 in 1898 

WHIP career: 1.554 season low: 1.475 in 1898 

Innings Pitched career: 1,038 season high: 356 ⅔ in 1898 

Strikeouts career: 591 season high: 239 in 1898 led NL: 156 in 1897, 239 in 1898 

Strikeouts Per Nine Innings career: 5.1 season high: 6.0 in 1898 led NL: 4.9 in 1897, 6.0 in 1898, 4.8 in 1899 

Walks career: 659 season high: 213 in 1898 led NL: 168 in 1897, 213 in 1898, 170 in 1899 

Strikeouts Per Walk career: 0.90 season high: 1.12 in 1898 

Saves career: 1 season high: 1 in 1897 

Fielding Percentage career: .933 season high: .975 in 1907 

Double Plays career: 69 season high: 12 in 1905 led NL CF: 11 in 1905, 6 in 1906, 10 in 1908 led NL OF: 12 in 1905, 9 in 1908 

Putouts career: 2,952 season high: 347 in 1905 led AL RF: 255 in 1901 led NL OF: 318 in 1903 

Assists career: 535 season high: 112 in 1898 led NL P: 100 in 1897 led NL CF: 19 in 1906, 29 in 1908 led NL OF: 29 in 1908 led AL RF: 22 in 1901 

Caught Stealing Percentage career: N/A

Pickoffs career: N/A

DID YOU KNOW? 

-led the NL in OPS (.988) and extra-base hits (69) in 1905 

-is one of only two players in history with at least 50 home runs and 50 wins (Babe Ruth, of course, is the other) 

-pitched three games in two days in 1898 

-set a single game record with four sacrifice hits on July 25, 1902 

-his .377 average in 1905 is the Cincinnati Reds’ single season record 

-led NL centerfielders in games three times 

-hit two home runs each off of Christy Mathewson, Deacon Phillippe, and Three Finger Brown and one each off of Vic Willis, Joe McGinnity, and Ed Reulbach 

-his 11 double plays from centerfield in 1905 are the sixth most of all time, and his 10 in 1908 rank 13th 

-his 29 assists from centerfield in 1908 are the 13th most of all time, and his 25 in 1905 rank 28th 

-among MLB centerfielders, ranks seventh in career double plays and 11th in assists 

-among MLB outfielders, ranks 28th in career double plays 

-also played five games at first base, one at second base, two at third base, 20 in leftfield, and 37 as a pinch hitter 

-was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1998