Honus Wagner (1936)


Date of Birth: 2/24/1874
Date of Death: 12/6/1955
Birthplace: Chartiers Borough, Pennsylvania

Honus Wagner, who played sandlot baseball as a teenager, had a brother who also played professional baseball. Honus first played professional baseball in 1895 with the Iron and Oil League. After that, he played with the Michigan State League, also in 1895, and with the Atlantic League in 1896.

Louisville Colonels (NL)

Wagner's contract was purchased by the Louisville Colonels of the National League in July, 1897. He played in 61 games with the Colonels that season, and he batted .350 with 83 hits, 17 doubles, and 19 stolen bases.

Wagner batted .306 in 151 games in 1898. He had 180 hits, 29 doubles, 10 home runs, and 27 stolen bases. The next year, his batting average went back up to .345. He finished the 1899 season with 197 hits, 43 doubles, 13 triples, and 37 stolen bases in 147 games.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Wagner was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates on December 8, 1899. In his first season with the Pirates, he led the National League in batting average, doubles, triples, and OPS. The 1900 season turned out to be his best one, with career highs in hits (201), doubles (45), triples (22), batting average (.381), and OPS (1.007). He played in 135 games that year.

Wagner led the NL in stolen bases in 1901. He had 196 hits, 37 doubles, 11 triples, 49 stolen bases, and a .357 batting average in 140 games. The next year, he led the league in doubles, stolen bases, and OPS. He finished the 1902 season with 177 hits, 30 doubles, 16 triples, 42 stolen bases, and a .331 batting average. He had an OPS of .860 in 136 games.

In 1903, Wagner again led the NL in triples with 19 and in batting average with .355. He had 182 hits, 30 doubles, and 46 stolen bases in 129 games. He also played well defensively, leading NL shortstops in double plays turned with 51.

Wagner had another strong offensive season in 1904, leading the NL in batting average, doubles, stolen bases, on-base percentage, and OPS. He finished the season wtih 171 hits, 44 doubles, 14 triples, 53 stolen bases, and a .349 batting average in 132 games. His on-base percentage was .423 and his OPS was .943.

Wagner batted .363 in 147 games in 1905. He had 199 hits, 32 doubles, 14 triples, and 57 stolen bases. Although his batting average dropped to .339 in 1906, he still had a strong season, leading the NL once again in batting average, doubles, and OPS. He had 175 hits, 38 doubles, 53 stolen bases, and an OPS of .875. Defensively, he led NL shortstops in double plays turned with 57.

In 1907, Wagner led the NL in batting average (.350), doubles (38), stolen bases (a career high of 61), on-base percentage (.408), and OPS (.921). He had 180 hits in 142 games.

Wagner had another stellar season in 1908, leading the NL in hits (a career high of 201), doubles (39), triples (19), stolen bases (53), batting average (.354), on-base percentage (.415), and OPS (.957). He also led NL shortstops in putouts with 354.

Wagner again led the NL in batting average, doubles, on-base percentage, and OPS in 1909. He had 168 hits, 39 doubles, 10 triples, 35 stolen bases, and a .339 batting average in 137 games. His on-base percentage was .420 and his OPS was .909. Defensively, he led NL shortstops in double plays turned with 58.

In 1910, Wagner led the NL in hits with 178. He had 34 doubles, 24 stolen bases, and a .320 batting average in 160 games. He walked 59 times and struck out 47 times. He again led NL shortstops in putouts with 337. The next season, he led the NL in batting average and OPS for the final time. He finished the 1911 season with 158 hits, 23 doubles, 16 triples, 20 stolen bases, and a .334 batting average in 130 games. He had an OPS of .930. He walked 67 times and struck out 34 times.

Wagner played in 145 games in 1912, and he batted .324. He had 181 hits, 35 doubles, 20 triples, and 26 stolen bases. The following season, he played in just 114 games and he batted .300.

Wagner's batting average was under .300 in the last four seasons of his career. He batted just .252 in 150 games in 1914. He improved in 1915, batting .274 in a career high 156 games. His batting average went up again in 1916 to .287 in 123 games. He played in just 74 games in 1917, and he batted .265 with 61 hits.

MLB Records

  • Led NL in batting average (8 times)
  • Led NL in hits (2 times)
  • Led NL in doubles (7 times)
  • Led NL in triples (3 times)
  • Led NL in RBIs (4 times)
  • Led NL in stolen bases (5 times)
  • Led NL in on-base percentage (4 times)
  • Led NL in OPS (8 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Wagner in 21 seasons (1897-1917) in the major leagues include:

  • 16 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 201 in 1900 and 1908
  • 14 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 45 in 1900
  • 9 seasons with 100 or more RBIs, with a high of 113 in 1899
  • 18 seasons with 20 or more stolen bases, with a high of 61 in 1907
  • 16 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .381 in 1900

Career batting statistics for Wagner include:

  • 2,792 games played
  • 3,415 hits
  • 640 doubles
  • 252 triples
  • 1,732 RBIs
  • 722 stolen bases
  • .327 batting average
  • .392 on-base percentage
  • .860 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Wagner as a shortstop include:

  • 1,887 games played
  • 6,041 assists
  • 766 double plays
  • 4,576 putouts
  • 676 errors
  • .940 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a player, Wagner stayed with the Pirates until 1951, serving as a coach and hitting instructor. He also ran a sporting goods company.

In 1942, Wagner was elected Deputy County Sheriff of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

Wagner was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1936 on the first ballot with 95.1% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Honus Wagner
ESPN - Honus Wagner
Baseball Reference - Honus Wagner

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