WHY I THINK DUMMY HOY SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK DUMMY HOY SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

By- Damien 

The odds were against Dummy Hoy from the very start. To begin with, he was deaf-mute, and he was also quite small, standing only 5’6” and 160 pounds. As professional baseball was first kicking into high gear in the 1870’s and 1880’s, it seemed unlikely that someone like Hoy would ever get an opportunity to succeed in it. Instead, Hoy became one of the biggest stars in the game, a model for future outfielders, and a convincing hitter. He used his diminutive stature to his advantage en route to collecting over 1,000 walks and nearly 600 stolen bases. He was also a strong defensive centerfielder who employed speed, daring, and a cannon right arm to gun down a record three runners at the plate on June 19, 1889. Dummy Hoy began his MLB career with the Washington Nationals (NL) in 1888, batting .274 and topping the circuit with 82 stolen bases. In a rather interesting statistical occurrence, Hoy again posted the same batting average and on base percentage (.374) with the same club the following year. He then jumped to the one time Players’ League, batted .298, and started to establish himself as a star. He led the Majors in walks in 1891 and additionally scored 134 runs, the second of nine seasons in which he topped 100. He batted .304 in 1894 and matched that mark in 1898 and again in 1899. Despite a late start (he was 26 for most of his rookie season), Hoy remained utterly consistent, coming back every season to do everything a leadoff hitter was expected to do. By the end of his career he also started to break some significant defensive records as well, including career highs among outfielders for total chances (4,635) and putouts (3,964). In 1901, as a member of the White Sox, he led the AL with 86 walks in its inaugural season, and wrapped up his Big League career in 1902 with the Reds. That season, in a game against the Giants, he faced pitcher Dummy Taylor, the only other deaf-mute in MLB history, and collected two hits. In 1961, 99 year old Hoy was chosen to throw out the first pitch for Game 3 of the World Series, a nice gesture for an aging legend. Dummy Hoy was a fine hitter, a good outfielder, and a speedy baserunner. He defied great odds to even stick around as long as he did, and he was one of the top players in the game. He belongs in Cooperstown. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games career: 1,797 season high: 155 in 1899 led NL: 155 in 1899 

At Bats career: 7,115 season high: 636 in 1899 led NL: 636 in 1899 

Hits career: 2,048 season high: 194 in 1899 

Doubles career: 248 season high: 28 in 1901 

Triples career: 121 season high: 16 in 1898 

Home Runs career: 40 season high: 6 in 1898 

Runs career: 1,429 season high: 134 in 1891 

Runs Batted In career: 725 season high: 75 in 1892 

Stolen Bases career: 596 season high: 82 in 1888 led NL: 82 in 1888 

Walks career: 1,006 season high: 117 in 1891 led AA: 117 in 1891 led AL: 86 in 1901 

Strikeouts career: 345 season high: 48 in 1888 

Batting Average career: .288 season high: .305 in 1899 

On Base Percentage career: .386 season high: .424 in 1891 

Slugging Percentage career: .374 season high: .431 in 1894 

Total Bases career: 2,658 season high: 252 in 1899 

Sacrifice Hits career: 130 season high: 33 in 1896 led NL: 33 in 1896 (Hoy’s sacrifice hit information prior to 1894 unavailable) 

Fielding Percentage career: .915 season high: .958 in 1901 led AL CF: .958 in 1901 

Double Plays career: 73 season high: 10 in 1890 

Putouts career: 3,965 season high: 359 in 1897 led NL OF: 359 in 1897 

Assists career: 276 season high: 30 in 1894 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-corrected people if they called him William instead of Dummy 

-led his league three times in games in the outfield, twice in plate appearances, and once each in hit by pitch and times on base 

-hit more triples than doubles in 1898 (16 to 15) 

-was the oldest player in the AL in 1901 

-hit two home runs off of Kid Nichols and one each off of Christy Mathewson, Amos Rusie, Bill Dinneen, and Jesse Tannehill 

-ranks 19th in career stolen bases and 35th in hit by pitch 

-also played one game at second base, 66 in leftfield, and five in rightfield 

-was the last living player from both the American Association and the Players’ League 

-was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2003 and into Baseball Reliquary’s Shrine of the Eternals in 2004