Arky Vaughan (1985)


Date of Birth: 3/9/1912
Date of Death: 8/30/1952
Birthplace: Clifty, Arkansas

Arky Vaughan started his professional baseball career in the Western League in 1931. He was acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates in April, 1932.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Vaughan was called up to the Pirates in 1932 as a backup shortstop but he soon won the role of starting shortstop. At the time, he was the youngest player in the major leagues. He had a strong rookie year batting .318, with 158 hits, 15 doubles, 10 triples, 10 stolen bases, and 61 RBIs in 129 games. Although he batted well, he struggled with defense in his first few years with the Pirates, making the most errors in the major leagues in 1932 and 1933.

In 1933, Vaughan led the National League in triples with a career high of 19. He had 180 hits, 29 doubles, 97 RBIs, and a .314 batting average in 152 games. He walked 64 times and he struck out 23 times.

Vaughan led the NL in walks and in on-base percentage in 1934. He had 186 hits, a career high 41 doubles, 11 triples, 12 home runs, 94 RBIs, and 94 walks to 38 strikeouts in 149 games. He batted .333 and he had an on-base percentage of .431.

Vaughan was named the Sporting News MVP in 1935, and he won the National League batting title with a career high batting average of .385. He also led the NL in walks, on-base percentage, and OPS. He had career highs in hits (192), home runs (19), RBIs (99), on-base percentage (.491), and OPS (1.098). He walked 97 times and he struck out only 18 times in 137 games.

Vaughan had another strong season in 1936, leading the NL in games played, walks, and on-base percentage. He had 190 hits, 30 doubles, 11 triples, 78 RBIs, and a .335 batting average in a career high 156 games. He walked a career high 118 times and struck out only 21 times. His on-base percentage was .453. He also played well defensively, leading all NL shortstops in putouts with 327.

In 1937, Vaughan led the NL in triples with 17. He finished the season with 151 hits, 17 doubles, 72 RBIs, and a .322 batting average in 126 games. He again batted .322 in 1938, with 174 hits, 35 doubles, and 68 RBIs in 148 games. That year, he walked 104 times and struck out 21 times. Defensively, he led NL shortstops in double plays turned with 107 and in putouts with 306.

Vaughan continued to play well both offensively and defensively in 1939 and 1940. He batted .306 in 1939, and .300 in 1940. He had 182 hits, 30 doubles, and 62 RBIs in 152 games in 1939. The next year, he had 178 hits, 40 doubles, a league leading 15 triples, and 95 RBIs in a league leading and career high 156 games. Both seasons, he led the NL in assists with 531 in 1939 and with 546 in 1940. He led NL shortstops in putouts with 330 in 1939.

Vaughan played in just 106 games in 1941. He batted .316 with 118 hits.

Brooklyn Dodgers

After 10 seasons with the Pirates, Vaughan was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers on December 12, 1941. He played in 128 games in 1942, and he batted .277 with 137 hits, 18 doubles, and 49 RBIs.

Vaughan led the NL in stolen bases in 1943 with a career high of 20. He had 186 hits, 39 doubles, 66 RBIs, and a .305 batting average in 149 games.

Vaughan retired after the 1943 season, but he attempted a return in 1947 as a utility player. He played in just 64 games that season and after 65 games in 1948, Vaughan was released at the end of the season.

Awards and MLB Records

  • Sporting News MVP
  • Led NL in triples (3 times)
  • Led NL in walks (3 times)
  • Led NL in on-base percentage (3 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Vaughan in 12 full seasons (1932-1943) in the major leagues include:

  • 10 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 192 in 1935
  • 7 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 41 in 1934
  • 8 seasons with 10 or more triples, with a high of 19 in 1933
  • 11 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .385 in 1935

Career batting statistics for Vaughan include:

  • 1,817 games played
  • 2,103 hits
  • 356 doubles
  • 128 triples
  • 118 stolen bases
  • 926 RBIs
  • 276 strikeouts to 937 walks
  • .318 batting average
  • .406 on-base percentage
  • .859 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Vaughan as a shortstop include:

  • 1,485 games played
  • 4,780 assists
  • 850 double plays
  • 2,995 putouts
  • 397 errors
  • .951 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

Vaughan played in the Pacific Coast League in 1949.

In August, 1952, Vaughan died in a boating accident at the age of 40.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Arky Vaughan
ESPN - Arky Vaughan
Baseball Reference - Arky Vaughan

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