WHY I THINK DICKEY PEARCE SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK DICKEY PEARCE SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN 

By- Damien 

Dickey Pearce was the man who made shortstop the position it is today. Before Pearce came along in 1856, the first baseman manned first base, the second baseman was in charge of second base, and the third baseman held third base. The shortstop was a kind of fourth outfielder whose job was to stop the ball short before it reached the outfield grass. Instead, Pearce moved in a lot closer to the plate and started to rob scores of hits from opposing hitters. Everyone else followed suit, and the old philosophy behind the shortstop was soon abandoned. To keep the man who invented the modern shortstop out of the Hall of Fame is totally unbelievable. People should know about a man who changed baseball so much and helped make it the game it is today. Pearce did much more than that, however, as he was one of baseball’s best players in the game’s pre-professional era. Also a catcher, Pearce was selected to multiple “all-star games” during his time with the Brooklyn Atlantics. He would be a good representative from that era to make the Hall of Fame as a player, too. Pearce was also a master strategist who invented the fair-foul hit (which was outlawed in 1877). When the first established “Major League”, the National Association, was formed in 1871, Pearce was chosen by the New York Mutuals, and played the entire season at shortstop. One of the most famous players in the game, 35 year old Pearce was five years older than anyone else on the club, but proved his worth by hitting .270. Pearce led NA shortstops in fielding in 1872 and again in 1874. He batted a career high .294 in 1874 and two years later became the first 40 year old player in NL history. He played eight more games in 1877 before retiring. Dickey Pearce was a fine player, one of the most famous men in the early days of baseball, and the first true shortstop. He would be a fine addition to the Hall of Fame. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS (MLB TOTALS ONLY) 

Games career: 291 season high: 70 in 1875 led NA: 33 in 1871 

At Bats career: 1,328 season high: 311 in 1875 

Hits career: 333 season high: 77 in 1875 

Doubles career: 21 season high: 6 in 1873 and 1875 

Triples career: 4 season high: 3 in 1875 

Home Runs career: 2 season high: 1 in 1872 and 1873 

Runs career: 217 season high: 51 in 1875 

Runs Batted In career: 134 season high: 29 in 1875 

Stolen Bases career: 13 season high: 8 in 1875 (Pearce’s stolen base information from 1876-77 NL is unavailable) 

Walks career: 33 season high: 8 in 1873 

Strikeouts career: 21 season high: 7 in 1875 

Batting Average career: .251 season high: .294 in 1874 

On Base Percentage career: .269 season high: .310 in 1874 

Slugging Percentage career: .277 season high: .309 in 1873 

Total Bases career: 368 season high: 89 in 1875 

Sacrifice Hits career: N/A 

Fielding Percentage career: .826 season high: .891 in 1876 led NA SS: .844 in 1872, .845 in 1874 

Double Plays career: 66 season high: 17 in 1875 led NA SS: 8 in 1871 

Putouts career: 272 season high: 74 in 1875 

Assists career: 1,079 season high: 263 in 1875 led NA SS: 204 in 1874, 262 in 1875 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-had an ERA of 3.38 in 5 ⅓ career innings across two games 

-led the NA in assists at any position in 1874 and 1875 

-also played one game at first base, three at second base, two at third base, two in leftfield, and one in rightfield