Benny Kauff

Benny Kauff's name is seldom mentioned anymore, and when it is, there are often negative connotations. Kauff is best known as one of the first people to be banned from baseball, as he was booted by Commissioner Landis in 1921 amid charges of automobile theft. However, I think his banishment and subsequent bad reputation were unjust and unwarranted. Here is an attempt to clear his name. 
    Benny Kauff made his Major League debut in 1912, playing five games for the New York Highlanders (later the Yankees). He spent the 1913 season in the minors, batting .345, and jumped to the newly-formed Federal League in 1914. The 24-year-old centerfielder had a breakout campaign that season, leading the new league in batting average, hits, runs scored, doubles, stolen bases, total bases, and OBP. Kauff had another fantastic year in 1915, topping the league in batting, OBP, slugging, and stolen bases, which earned him the nickname "The Ty Cobb of the Feds." 
    After the Federal League disbanded in 1915, Kauff played five years for the New York Giants. Although he never quite matched the heights he reached in the Feds, Kauff remained a productive hitter and a prolific base thief. He helped the Giants win the NL pennant in 1917 and hit two home runs in the World Series. 
    Throughout his time in baseball, Kauff was generally viewed as a fair and honest individual. He once turned down a $500 bribe from teammates to throw a game, instead reporting the incident to manager John McGraw, and he served in the military during World War I. Soon afterward, however, his good name was in serious peril. 
    In February of 1920, Kauff, a car dealer, was arrested on suspicion of auto theft when a used automobile sold by his dealership in 1919 was found to be stolen. Although he was released on bail, he was traded to a minor league club after 55 games. The trade caught everyone by surprise, as did his subsequent trial on May 10, 1921. Kauff pleaded that his employees had deceived him by producing a false bill of sale, convincing him that the car was obtained legally. He also provided evidence that he could not have stolen the car because he was dining with his wife at the time. After a very brief deliberation, Kauff was acquitted on May 13, and he attempted to refund the money he had made from the sale. Things were looking up for Kauff, and he was set to return to the Giants in 1921. 
    However, despite the results of the trial, Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned Kauff for life before the start of the 1921 season. Landis claimed that the jury's ruling was a "miscarriage of justice" and thought that reinstating Kauff would be detrimental to the game for all the scandal surrounding his name. Although he scouted for 22 years, Kauff would never play again. He died on November 17, 1961, and was posthumously reinstated by Commissioner Rob Manfred on May 13, 2025, incidentally the 104th anniversary of his acquittal. 
    Benny Kauff was simply a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He had no hand in stealing the car, as seen in his fairly cut-and-dry case. However, due to crooked employees and a rigid commissioner who made a habit of banning players despite court cases finding them innocent, Kauff was banned for life and is often remembered today as nothing but a crook. This reputation is appalling and grossly undeserved, and he should instead be remembered as a great hitter, "The Ty Cobb of the Feds," and an unfortunate victim of bad judgment.