WHY I THINK MIKE GRIFFIN SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK MIKE GRIFFIN SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

By- Damien 

Mike Griffin was probably the most dominant defensive centerfielder of all time. I say dominant because, compared to the average defender of his time, Griffin was otherworldly. His overall fielding percentage in the outfield - recorded mostly without a glove - was .956, a whopping 40 points higher than the league average. If a team wants to have a shot at a championship, it is vitally important that the centerfielder, who has higher priority and more space than any other fielder, is doing a good job out there. However, no matter how good a defensive centerfielder you are, that alone won’t get you into Cooperstown. Griffin was one of the handful of players ever to bat .300 or better in his first and last MLB seasons, retaining a lifetime mark of .296 across twelve seasons. Mike Griffin started his MLB career with the Baltimore Orioles (AA) in 1887, batting .301 with 94 stolen bases. In a rather interesting statistical fluke, Griffin also had 94 RBI’s that season, and had the exact same totals (46 and 46) again the following season. Griffin led the Majors in runs scored in 1889 and jumped to the Players’ League in 1890. In its only season of operation, the PL welcomed an established star in Griffin, who put up a solid season with the Philadelphia Quakers. After the PL crumbled, Griffin found himself on the Brooklyn Grooms, and he led the MLB in doubles. After the mound was moved to its present distance in 1893, the whole league started hitting a lot more, and Griffin was no exception. In 1894 and 1895, he batted a combined .343 with a .453 on base percentage. Just think about what he could have done if the mound was never 50 feet away from the plate. You couldn’t afford to flinch if you wanted to hit the ball. Anyway, Griffin continued hitting steadily for the rest of his career, and was still at the top of his game in 1898, his age 33 season. He finished the year at .300 and filled in as an interim manager for a time, and signed a $3,500 contract to manage the club the following season. However, before the 1899 season started, Baltimore and Brooklyn merged together (as was not uncommon back then), and Ned Hanlon was named manager instead. Upset, Griffin sued the club and won $2,300. He then voluntarily retired from baseball. Mike Griffin was a fine hitter, a terrific defensive centerfielder, and a prolific base thief. Even though his lawsuit left a bad taste in everybody’s mouth and is what he’s best remembered for, we must not forget Mike Griffin the player, one of the greatest players of the 19th century and the game’s first great centerfielder. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games career: 1,513 season high: 137 in 1888 and 1889 

At Bats career: 5,923 season high: 542 in 1888 

Hits career: 1,755 season high: 174 in 1895 

Doubles career: 314 season high: 38 in 1895 led NL: 36 in 1891 

Triples career: 108 season high: 14 in 1889 

Home Runs career: 42 season high: 6 in 1890 and 1893 

Runs career: 1,406 season high: 152 in 1889 led AA: 152 in 1889 

Runs Batted In career: 720 season high: 94 in 1887 

Stolen Bases career: 473 season high: 94 in 1887 

Walks career: 809 season high: 93 in 1895 

Strikeouts career: 284 season high: 36 in 1892 

Batting Average career: .296 season high: .357 in 1894 

On Base Percentage career: .388 season high: .466 in 1894 

Slugging Percentage career: .407 season high: .485 in 1894 

Total Bases career: 2,411 season high: 238 in 1895 

Sacrifice Hits career: 38 season high: 12 in 1897 (Griffin’s sacrifice hit information prior to 1894 is unavailable) 

Fielding Percentage career: .950 season high: .977 in 1892 led NL OF: .960 in 1891, .986 in 1892, .965 in 1893, .969 in 1895, .974 in 1898 

Double Plays career: 83 season high: 13 in 1889 led PL OF: 10 in 1890 led NL OF: 12 in 1895 

Putouts career: 3,598 season high: 357 in 1895 led NL OF: 353 in 1891, 357 in 1895 

Assists career: 338 season high: 91 in 1889 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-led AA outfielders in games (137) in 1888 

-averaged better than a run scored per game in six of his twelve seasons 

-hit three home runs each off of Hall of Famers Kid Nichols and Amos Rusie and one each off of Hank O’Day, Vic Willis, Charlie Buffinton, Silver King, and John Clarkson 

-ranks 45th in career stolen bases 

-among MLB outfielders, ranks seventh in career double plays and 23rd in assists 

-his 12 double plays from the outfield in 1895 are the fourth most of all time, and his ten in 1890 rank 27th 

-also played 28 games at shortstop, seven at second base, 14 in rightfield, and seven in leftfield