HONUS WAGNER

Greatest Shortstop of All Time

Many baseball authorities name Honus Wagner as the greatest all-around baseball player of all time. His career statistics certainly make a good case for that, and also one area statistics don't cover very well - defense - add to the luster of his reputation. Comparing players is a constant debate, but a baseball expert who has seen all the greatest players can be a good place to start. Ed Barrow was one of Wagner's coaches in his early career, and later would become the general manager of the New York Yankees. After working with such stars as Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, and Joe DiMaggio, Barrow would insist that Honus Wagner was the greatest player that he ever saw.

Wagner's statistics show that he batted over .300 for 17 consecutive seasons, an amazing accomplishment. He won the league batting title in 8 of those seasons, and had a lifetime batting average of .329. Another offensive statistic shows that he led the league in stolen bases a total of 5 times.

He ranks in the top twenty players of all time in six different lifetime categories, and ranks at or near the top in all-time Pittsburgh Pirate records in many categories, including runs, runs batted in, and even total bases. And this was in a day of fewer games and the "dead" ball, and when hitting 10 home runs in a season was a monster year.

Wagner was one of the first 5 players elected as the original members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, in 1936, receiving more votes than Babe Ruth. He played in the very first World Series, between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Americans, sometimes called the Pilgrims.

Baseball card collectors know Wagner for his rare baseball card. In 1909, a card was produced of Honus Wagner by a tobacco company. Wagner, feeling that his younger fans should not associate him with tobacco products, asked that it be stopped. The card was withdrawn shortly after its release, accounting for the scarcity and its present high value.

Wagner was born in Chartiers, now part of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, on February 24, 1874, and was named John Peter Wagner. He became better known as Honus (from Johannes, which is German for John), and also as Hans and as "The Flying Dutchman". He began his major league career in 1897 with Louisville, batting .344. He played shortstop, and threw and batted right-handed. He was with Louisville for 3 years, until the league reduced the number of teams. That team merged with the Pittsburgh Baseball Club, and Wagner played with them from 1900 until 1917. When he retired, he held the record for the most hits, the most runs scored, and the most stolen bases of anyone.

Wagner's fielding was legendary. He covered a lot of ground while posting a fielding percentage of .945, and that was while playing every position except catcher.

Honus Wagner died December 6, 1955 - a legend to anyone who ever saw him play.