Clarence Kraft is a name you seldom hear today. He only appeared in three MLB games, all as a member of the Miracle Boston Braves in 1914. Despite his unremarkable MLB career, Kraft was a fantastic player, one of minor league baseball's best power hitters in the 1920's, and a successful two way player.
Clarence Kraft got his start in professional baseball in 1910, playing first base and pitching in three different minor leagues. He played 126 games for Flint in the Southern Michigan League in 1911, batting .316 with 19 home runs, and impressed again in 1912 with 15 homers and a .277 average (I guess he did so well because he didn't drink the water). After reaching double digits in home runs again in 1913, Kraft's path to the Majors started to straighten, and he was up with Boston by May 1. He played his final game on the 14th, having gone 1-for-3 and playing four innings at first base. Kraft spent the remainder of the season with the Newark Indians, posting an .825 OPS in 96 games. He played for a handful of different teams in the following three years, and found stability in 1918 with the Fort Worth Cats in the Texas League. He hit .308 during his first season in Texas and .275 in the next. In 1921, when the live ball era started rolling, so did Kraft. He batted .352 with 31 home runs in 154 games, earning his nickname "Big Boy." From 1922 through 1924 (his age 35-37 seasons), Kraft batted .339, .324, and .349 while belting 32, 32, and 55 home runs, respectively. In 1924, Kraft set Texas League records for RBI's, runs scored, total bases, and extra-base hits. After his historic season, Kraft retired from baseball to open an auto dealership. He later served as a judge in Tarrant County until his death in 1958, at the age of 70.
Clarence Kraft got his start in professional baseball in 1910, playing first base and pitching in three different minor leagues. He played 126 games for Flint in the Southern Michigan League in 1911, batting .316 with 19 home runs, and impressed again in 1912 with 15 homers and a .277 average (I guess he did so well because he didn't drink the water). After reaching double digits in home runs again in 1913, Kraft's path to the Majors started to straighten, and he was up with Boston by May 1. He played his final game on the 14th, having gone 1-for-3 and playing four innings at first base. Kraft spent the remainder of the season with the Newark Indians, posting an .825 OPS in 96 games. He played for a handful of different teams in the following three years, and found stability in 1918 with the Fort Worth Cats in the Texas League. He hit .308 during his first season in Texas and .275 in the next. In 1921, when the live ball era started rolling, so did Kraft. He batted .352 with 31 home runs in 154 games, earning his nickname "Big Boy." From 1922 through 1924 (his age 35-37 seasons), Kraft batted .339, .324, and .349 while belting 32, 32, and 55 home runs, respectively. In 1924, Kraft set Texas League records for RBI's, runs scored, total bases, and extra-base hits. After his historic season, Kraft retired from baseball to open an auto dealership. He later served as a judge in Tarrant County until his death in 1958, at the age of 70.
All told, Kraft batted .316 with 170 homers in seven seasons in the Texas League. He had over 2,000 career hits in the minor leagues. As a pitcher, he had 29 wins in 71 milb games, including a 13-2 mark in 1910. Clarence Kraft's career was very successful, and one that should be remembered.
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