Charlie Gehringer (1949)


Date of Birth: 5/11/1903
Date of Death: 1/21/1993
Birthplace: Fowlerville, Michigan
College: University of Michigan

Charlie Gehringer played both basketball and baseball at the University of Michigan. He signed with the Detroit Tigers prior to the 1924 season.

Detroit Tigers

Gehringer played most of the 1924 season in the minor leagues, playing in just five games with the Tigers. The following season he was again in the minor leagues except for eight games with the Tigers.

In 1926, his first full season in the major leagues, Gehringer batted .277 with 127 hits, 19 doubles, 17 triples, and 48 RBIs in 123 games. The following season was an even better one for him, with a .317 batting average, 161 hits, 29 doubles, 11 triples, 17 stolen bases, and 61 RBIs in 133 games. He also played well defensively in 1927, leading all AL second basemen in double plays turned with 84.

Gehringer had another strong season in 1928, when he batted .320 in 154 games. He had 193 hits, 29 doubles, 16 triples, and 74 RBIs. He walked 69 times and struck out just 22 times. Defensively, he led the AL in assists with 507.

Gehringer had one of his strongest seasons in 1929, when he led the AL in games played, hits, doubles, triples, and stolen bases. He had career highs in games played with 155, triples with 19, and stolen bases with 27. He finished the season with 215 hits, 45 doubles, 13 home runs, 106 RBIs, and a .339 batting average. He walked 64 times and struck out only 19 times. He also played well defensively, leading AL second basemen in putouts with 404.

In 1930, Gehringer again led the AL in games played. He had 201 hits, 47 doubles, 15 triples, 16 home runs, 19 stolen bases, 98 RBIs, 17 strikeouts to 69 walks, and a .330 batting average in 154 games.

Gehringer played in just 101 games in 1931. He batted .311 with 119 hits, 24 doubles, and 53 RBIs. The following season, he batted .298 in 152 games, and he had 184 hits, 44 doubles, 19 home runs, and 107 RBIs. In 1932, he led AL second basemen in double plays turned with 110 and in putouts with 396.

Gehringer again led the AL in games played in 1933. He had 204 hits, 42 doubles, 105 RBIs, 27 strikeouts to 68 walks, and a .325 batting average in a career high 155 games. Defensively, he led the AL in assists with 542 and AL second basemen in double plays turned with 111.

Gehringer led the AL in games played and in hits in 1934. He had 214 hits, 50 doubles, a career high 127 RBIs, and a .356 batting average in 154 games. He walked 99 times and struck out 25 times. The following season, he batted .330 with 201 hits, 32 doubles, 19 home runs, and 108 RBIs in 150 games. He walked 79 times and struck out just 16 times in 1935.

In 1936, Gehringer led the AL in doubles with a career high of 60. He also led all AL players in assists with 524, and AL second basemen in double plays turned with 116. He had a career high 227 hits, 15 home runs, 116 RBIs, and a .354 batting average in 154 games. He walked 83 times and struck out only 13 times.

Gehringer's best season was perhaps 1937 when he won the American League MVP award, the Sporting News MVP award, and the AL batting title. That season he batted a career high .371 with 209 hits, 40 doubles, 14 home runs, and 96 RBIs in 144 games.

Gehringer continued to play well in 1938, when he batted .306 in 152 games. He had 174 hits, 32 doubles, a career high 20 home runs, and 107 RBIs. He walked a career high 113 times while striking out just 21 times. Defensively, he again led AL second basemen in putouts with 393.

Gehringer played in just 118 games in 1939. He batted .325 with 132 hits, 29 doubles, and 86 RBIs. The following season, he batted .313 in 139 games. He finished the 1940 season with 161 hits, 33 doubles, 81 RBIs, and 17 strikeouts to 101 walks.

Gehringer struggled in 127 games in 1941, batting just .220 with 96 hits. The Tigers released him on February 4, 1942, but then re-signed him on May 22nd of that year. He played in just 45 games in 1942, his last season in the major leagues.

Awards and MLB Records

  • AL MVP
  • Sporting News MVP
  • Led AL in doubles (2 times)
  • Led AL in assists (3 times)

Career Statistics

Batting statistics for Gehringer in 16 full seasons (1926-1941) in the major leagues include:

  • 12 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 227 in 1936
  • 10 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 60 in 1936
  • 7 seasons with over 10 triples, with a high of 19 in 1929
  • 7 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 127 in 1934
  • 13 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .371 in 1937

Career batting statistics for Gehringer include:

  • 2,323 games played
  • 2,839 hits
  • 574 doubles
  • 146 triples
  • 184 home runs
  • 181 stolen bases
  • 1,427 RBIs
  • 372 strikeouts to 1,186 walks
  • .320 batting average
  • .404 on-base percentage
  • .884 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Gehringer at second base include:

  • 2,206 games played
  • 309 errors
  • 7,068 assists
  • 1,444 double plays
  • 5,369 putouts
  • .976 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Gehringer include:

  • 3 postseasons
  • 20 games played
  • 81 at-bats
  • 26 hits
  • 4 doubles
  • 1 home run
  • 2 stolen bases
  • 7 RBIs
  • 1 strikeouts to 7 walks
  • .321 batting average

Post Playing Career

In 1942, Gehringer enlisted in the US Navy and served for three years. He returned to the Tigers in 1951, and he was the general manager of the team for three seasons.

Gehringer was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1949 on the sixth ballot with 66.7% of the vote in a runoff election.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Charlie Gehringer
ESPN - Charlie Gehringer
Baseball Reference - Charlie Gehringer

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