Joe Sewell (1977)


Date of Birth: 10/9/1898
Date of Death: 3/6/1990
Birthplace: Titus, Alabama
College: University of Alabama

Joe Sewell came from a baseball family, with two brothers and a cousin who played in the major leagues. He played with his brother Luke from 1921 through 1932 with the Cleveland Indians.

Sewell played both baseball and football at the University of Alabama. In 1920, he played with his first professional team in the Southern Association. The Indians purchased his contract in September, 1920.

Cleveland Indians

Sewell started his major league career in 1920, playing in 22 games with the Indians that season. In 1921, he became the regular shortstop for the Indians. That season he batted .318 with 182 hits, 36 doubles, 12 triples, and 93 RBIs in 154 games. The next year, he batted .299 in 153 games. He finished the 1922 season with 167 hits, 28 doubles, and 83 RBIs.

Sewell had a career high batting average of .353 in 1923. He had 195 hits, 41 doubles, and a career high 109 RBIs in 153 games. He had a good eye and great discipline at the plate, rarely striking out. He had just 12 strikeouts to 98 walks in 1923.

Sewell led the AL in doubles in 1924 with 45. He had 188 hits, 106 RBIs, 13 strikeouts to 67 walks, and a .316 batting average in 153 games. He played well defensively, leading the AL in assists with 514 and leading all AL shortstops in putouts with 349.

In 1925, Sewell had a career high 204 hits in 155 games. He batted .336 with 37 doubles and 98 RBIs. From 1925 until the end of his career, he never struck out more than nine times in a season. He had 4 strikeouts to 64 walks in 1925. That year, he again led the AL in assists with 535, and he led AL shortstops in putouts with 314.

Sewell batted .324 in 154 games in 1926. He finished the season with 187 hits, 41 doubles, 85 RBIs, a career high 17 stolen bases, and 6 strikeouts to 65 walks. He led all AL shortstops in putouts with 326. The following season, he also led them in putouts with 361. He finished the 1927 season with 180 hits, a career high 48 doubles, 92 RBIs, and a .316 batting average in 153 games. He struck out 7 times and walked 51 times.

Sewell led the AL in games played in 1928 with 155. He had 190 hits, 40 doubles, 70 RBIs, 9 strikeouts to 58 walks, and a .323 batting average. The next year, he batted .315 in 152 games. He had 182 hits, 38 doubles, 73 RBIs, and 4 strikeouts to 48 walks in 1929.

In 1930, Sewell struck out only three times that entire season, the lowest season strikeout record in major league baseball history. He played in 109 games that year and he batted .289 with 102 hits.

New York Yankees

On January 24, 1931, Sewell signed with the New York Yankees. In his first season with them, he batted .302 with 146 hits, 22 doubles, 64 RBIs, and 8 strikeouts to 61 walks in 130 games. The next year, his batting average dropped to .272. He finished the 1932 season with 137 hits, 21 doubles, 68 RBIs, and 3 strikeouts to 56 walks in 125 games.

In 1933, his last season in the major leagues, Sewell batted .273 in 135 games. He had 143 hits, 18 doubles, and 54 RBIs. He struck out just 4 times and he walked 71 times.

Career Statistics

Statistics for Sewell in 13 full seasons (1921-1933) in the major leagues include:

  • 9 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 204 in 1925
  • 8 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 48 in 1927
  • 9 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .353 in 1923

Career batting statistics for Sewell include:

  • 1,903 games played
  • 2,226 hits
  • 436 doubles
  • 1,055 RBIs
  • 114 strikeouts and 842 walks
  • .312 batting average
  • .391 on-base percentage
  • .804 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Sewell as a shortstop include:

  • 1,216 games played
  • 3,933 assists
  • 673 double plays
  • 2,591 putouts
  • 333 errors
  • .951 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a major league player, Sewell became an MLB scout.

Sewell spent seven years, starting in 1964, as the baseball coach for the University of Alabama.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Joe Sewell
ESPN - Joe Sewell
Baseball Reference - Joe Sewell

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