Edd Roush (1962)


Date of Birth: 5/8/1893
Date of Death: 3/21/1988
Birthplace: Oakland City, Indiana

Edd Roush's father was a semi-pro baseball player and his son followed in his footsteps, playing on a semi-pro team in 1909. He started his professional baseball career in the minor leagues in 1912, with the Kentucky-Illinois-Tennesee-League. A year later, he played in the Western League and the Central League before his contract was purchased by the Chicago White Sox in August, 1913. He played in just nine games with them that year.

Indianapolis Hoosiers/Newark Peppers

In 1914, Roush joined the Indianapolis Hoosiers of the Federal League. He played in 74 games that season and he batted .325 with 54 hits.

The Hoosiers moved to Newark in 1915, and they changed their name to the Peppers. Roush played in 145 games that year and he batted .298. He had 164 hits, 20 doubles, 11 triples, and 28 stolen bases.

After the Peppers folded in 1915, Roush's contract was purchased by the New York Giants. On July 20, 1916, after just 39 games with the Giants, Roush was traded to the Cincinnati Reds.

Cincinnati Reds

Roush played in 69 games with the Reds in 1916. He finished the season with 91 hits, 15 triples, 19 stolen bases, and a .267 batting average.

In 1917, his first full season with the Reds, Roush won the National League batting title. That season, he batted .341 with 178 hits, 19 doubles, and 14 triples. The following season, he led the league in on-base percentage with .368. He finished the 1918 season with 145 hits, 18 doubles, 10 triples, 24 stolen bases, and a .333 batting average in 113 games.

Roush again led the NL in batting average in 1919. He batted .321 with 162 hits , 19 doubles, 12 triples, and 20 stolen bases in 133 games. The following season, he had career highs in games played, hits, and stolen bases. He finished the 1920 season with 196 hits, 22 doubles, 16 triples, 36 stolen bases, 90 RBIs, and a .339 batting average in 149 games. Although his stolen bases number was high, he was also caught stealing 24 times. He played well also defensively in 1920, leading all NL outfielders in putouts with 410.

Roush played in just 112 games in 1921, and in 49 games in 1922. Both seasons, he had a career high batting average of .352. In 1921, he had 147 hits, 27 doubles, 12 triples, and 71 RBIs. He had 58 hits in 1922.

Roush led the NL in doubles in 1923 with 41 and the following season he led the league in triples with 21. He batted .351 in 1923, and .348 in 1924. He had 185 hits, 18 triples, and 88 RBIs in 138 games in 1923. The next year, he had 168 hits, 23 doubles, 72 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases in 121 games.

Roush continued to play well in 1925 and 1926. He had 183 hits, 28 doubles, 16 triples, 83 RBIs, and a .339 batting average in 134 games in 1925. He stole 22 bases but he was caught stealing 20 times. In 1926, he had 182 hits, 37 doubles, 10 triples, 79 RBIs, and a .323 batting average in 144 games.

New York Giants

Roush was traded to the New York Giants on February 9, 1927. He played in 140 games in 1927, and he batted .304 with 173 hits, 27 doubles, and 58 RBIs.

In 1928, Roush played in just 46 games and he batted .252. He batted .324 in 115 games in 1929. He finished the season with 146 hits, 19 doubles, and 52 RBIs.

Return to the Cincinnati Reds

Roush didn't play at all in 1930. On March 26, 1931, the Reds claimed him off waivers. He played in 101 games in 1931, his last season as a major league player, and he batted .271 with 102 hits and 41 RBIs.

MLB Records

  • Led NL in batting average (2 times)

Career Statistics

Roush played in over 100 games in each of 14 seasons (1915-1921, 1923-1927, 1929, 1931). His statistics during those seasons include:

  • 10 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 196 in 1920
  • 12 seasons with 10 or more triples, with a high of 21 in 1924
  • 11 seasons with a batting average over .300, with highs of .352 in 1921 and .351 in 1923

Career batting statistics for Roush include:

  • 1,967 games played
  • 2,376 hits
  • 339 doubles
  • 182 triples
  • 268 stolen bases
  • 260 strikeouts to 484 walks
  • .323 batting average
  • .369 on-base percentage
  • .815 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Roush as a center fielder include:

  • 1,607 games played
  • 137 errors
  • 222 assists
  • 4,537 putouts
  • .972 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Edd Roush
ESPN - Edd Roush
Baseball Reference - Edd Roush

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