WHY I THINK HARDY RICHARDSON SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK HARDY RICHARDSON SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

By- Damien 

Hardy Richardson was, first of all, a very versatile fielder, playing second base, third base, and the outfield, compiling a career fielding percentage 16 points above the league average. Anywhere his managers needed him, they could be sure that he would give them consistent defense. At the bat, Richardson was a great power hitter, twice leading the MLB in homers and driving in 152 runs in 1890 at the age of 35. Rather famous in his time, Richardson was one of the “Big Four” (along with Jack Rowe, Dan Brouthers, and Deacon White) who played together for many years with two teams, leading the Detroit Wolverines to a championship in 1887. Hardy Richardson started his career with the Buffalo Bisons in 1879, batting .283 as a rookie. In 1881, the Big Four came together, and would dominate the NL hitting leaderboards until 1888. From 1883 through 1887, Richardson had five consecutive .300 seasons, leading the NL in hits and home runs in 1886. Richardson missed 76 of the Wolverines’ 134 games in 1888, but regrouped in 1889, hitting .304 in 132 games. In 1890, he joined the one year Players' League, and probably would have been the league MVP considering that he led the Majors in homers (16) and RBI’s (152) and led the Boston Reds to the pennant. In 1891, Richardson broke his foot, which devastated the rest of his career. He was no longer a nimble fielder, so he had to knock the ball out of the park to stay in the lineup. Richardson played in 148 more games in 1891-92 before he called it quits. Hardy Richardson was a great hitter, a consistent run producer, and a terrific fielder. He helped his clubs very much on both offense and defense, and was considered an elite player during his career. He would be a good addition to the Hall of Fame. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games career: 1,334 season high: 133 in 1890 

At Bats career: 5,657 season high: 570 in 1890 led NL: 538 in 1886 

Hits career: 1,694 season high: 189 in 1886 led NL: 189 in 1886 

Doubles career: 305 season high: 34 in 1883 

Triples career: 126 season high: 18 in 1887 

Home Runs career: 73 season high: 16 in 1890 led NL: 11 in 1886 led PL: 16 in 1890 

Runs career: 1,127 season high: 133 in 1890 

Runs Batted In career: 828 season high: 152 in 1890 led PL: 152 in 1890 

Stolen Bases career: 207 season high: 47 in 1889 (Richardson’s stolen base information prior to 1886 is unavailable) 

Walks career: 377 season high: 52 in 1890 

Strikeouts career: 446 season high: 47 in 1890 

Batting Average career: .299 season high: .351 in 1886 

On Base Percentage career: .344 season high: .402 in 1886 

Slugging Percentage career: .437 season high: .511 in 1890 

Total Bases career: 2,470 season high: 291 in 1890 led PL: 291 in 1890 

Sacrifice Hits career: N/A 

Fielding Percentage career: .913 season high: .959 in 1890 

Double Plays career: 266 season high: 45 in 1889 led NL 3B: 13 in 1879 

Putouts career: 3,243 season high: 328 in 1887 led led NL 2B: 275 in 1882 

Assists career: 2,529 season high: 344 in 1883 led NL OF: 45 in 1881 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-nicknamed “Old True Blue” 

-led the NL in plate appearances (584) and singles (140) in 1886 

-led NL third basemen in games (78) in 1879 

-went 3-0 on the mound with six career strikeouts in 16 innings 

-homered in the 1887 World Series 

-set a Major League record with homers in five straight games in July of 1890 

-hit four home runs each off of Hall of Famers Hoss Radbourn and John Clarkson, three off of Jim McCormick, two off of Charlie Buffinton, and one each off of Tim Keefe, Mickey Welch, John Montgomery Ward, and George Van Haltren 

-his 45 outfield assists in 1881, accumulated in only 79 games, rank third in MLB history 

-also played six games at catcher, 16 at first base, and 21 at shortstop 

As a side note, in my book, I will consider more statistics, including range factor. What reminded me to bring this up was Hardy Richardson’s amazing range factor. His career mark of 6.40 per game at second base ranks second in MLB history (minimum of 500 games), behind Joe Gerhardt.