WHY I THINK DEL PRATT SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK DEL PRATT SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

By- Damien 

The best word to describe Del Pratt is consistent. He played 154 or more games in six different seasons, and had a lifetime batting average of .292. Pratt is one of the handful of players ever to bat .300 in his first and last seasons. What’s more, he topped .300 in each of his last five MLB seasons, and played productively in the minors for years after that. Del Pratt started his career with the St. Louis Browns in 1912, batting .302 and finishing 13th in the AL MVP Award voting. He led the AL in games in each of the next four seasons, averaging more than 30 stolen bases per season, and led the Majors in RBI’s in 1916. A second baseman, Pratt also established himself as a very strong fielder, leading the AL in assists at any position three times among other things. In 1918, Pratt was traded to the Yankees, and he proved to be a catalyst during his three seasons in New York. In 1920, Pratt batted .314 with 108 RBI’s, but seeing as how he was already 32, the Yanks decided to trade him to the Red Sox. Pratt let the Yankees know how he felt by batting .324 with 102 RBI’s. He played another season with the Bosox and two with the Tigers, hitting very well in each season, and he was still a top player when he stepped away from the Majors in 1924. He then played eight seasons in the Texas League, batting .368 in 1925 and winning the league’s Triple Crown in 1927 (.386, 32, 140). He finally hung up his spikes in 1932, his age 44 season. While it may have made sense for Pratt to leave Ty Cobb’s Tigers to play a little closer to home, it all but ruined his Hall of Fame chances. He fell a hair short of four major career milestones - 2,000 hits (1,996), 1,000 RBI’s (979), 400 doubles (392), and 250 stolen bases (247). He was a very good hitter, a fine fielder, and, most of all, a consistently good player for a very long time. It would be fitting if Del Pratt were someday elected to the Hall of Fame. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games career: 1,836 season high: 159 in 1915 led AL: 155 in 1913, 158 in 1914 and 1916, 159 in 1915, 154 in 1920 

At Bats career: 6,826 season high: 607 in 1922 

Hits career: 1,996 season high: 183 in 1922 

Doubles career: 392 season high: 44 in 1922 

Triples career: 117 season high: 15 in 1912 

Home Runs career: 43 season high: 6 in 1922 

Runs career: 857 season high: 85 in 1914 

Runs Batted In career: 979 season high: 108 in 1920 led AL: 103 in 1916 

Stolen Bases career: 247 season high: 37 in 1913 and 1914 

Walks career: 513 season high: 54 in 1916 

Strikeouts career: 428 season high: 68 in 1912 

Batting Average career: .292 season high: .324 in 1921 

On Base Percentage career: .345 season high: .378 in 1921 

Slugging Percentage career: .403 season high: .461 in 1921 

Total Bases career: 2,751 season high: 259 in 1922 

Sacrifice Hits career: 233 season high: 32 in 1915 

Fielding Percentage career: .962 season high: .971 in 1920 

Double Plays career: 911 season high: 90 in 1921 led AL 2B: 82 in 1915, 84 in 1918, 75 in 1919 

Putouts career: 4,920 season high: 633 in 1924 led AL 2B: 364 in 1913, 358 in 1914, 417 in 1915, 438 in 1916, 340 in 1918 

Assists career: 5,238 season high: 515 in 1920 led AL 2B: 491 in 1916 and 1919, 515 in 1920 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-also finished tenth in the AL MVP Award voting in 1914 and 13th in 1922 

-went 2-for-4 on his MLB debut 

-hit one home run each off of Eddie Plank and Urban Shocker 

-led AL second basemen in games in seven separate seasons 

-ranks 50th in career sacrifice hits 

-among MLB second basemen, ranks 28th in career games, 18th in putouts, and 26th in assists 

-also played 80 games at first base, 19 at third base, 16 in the outfield, 25 as a pinch hitter, and two as a pinch runner