Johnny Evers (1946)


Date of Birth: 7/21/1885
Date of Death: 3/28/1947
Birthplace: Troy, New York

Johnny Evers played sandlot baseball as a child. He played on semi-pro teams in Troy, New York, before signing with his first professional team, the Troy Trojans, in 1902.

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs bought Evers' contract from the Trojans and he played his first games in the major leagues in September, 1902. For the following season, his first full one in the major leagues, Evers played second base and he became part of the famous infield of "Tinker to Evers to Chance," playing second base to Joe Tinker's shortstop and Frank Chance's first base. In 1903, Evers batted .293 with 136 hits, 27 doubles, and 25 stolen bases in 124 games.

Evers had a career high 141 hits in 1904. He batted .265 in 152 games. A good defensive player, he led all NL second basemen in assists with 518 and in putouts with 381.

Evers played in only 99 games in 1905, and he batted .276 with 94 hits. In 1906, he played in a career high 154 games and he batted .255 with 136 hits and 49 stolen bases. He again led all NL second basemen in putouts with 344.

In 1907, Evers batted .250 with 127 hits, 18 doubles, and 46 stolen bases in 151 games. He led all NL second basemen in assists with 500. The next season, his batting average went up to .300. He had 125 hits, 19 doubles, and 36 stolen bases in 1908. He didn't play as well offensively in 1909, batting .263 in 127 games. He had the same batting average in 1910 in 125 games. That year, he walked a career high 108 times, while striking out just 18 times.

Evers had a nervous breakdown in 1911 and he played in just 46 games that season. He recovered fully by the 1912 season and batted .341 with 163 hits, 23 doubles, and 11 triples in 143 games that year.

In 1913, Evers was made player-manager of the Cubs and he was given a five-year contract. That turned out to be his last season with the Cubs. In February, 1914, he was traded to the Boston Braves.

Final Years as a Player

Evers suffered injuries in 1915 and he played in under 100 games in each of his last three regular seasons in the major leagues. In 1917, the Braves placed Evers on waivers and he was claimed by the Philadelphia Phillies, playing that season in 24 games with the Braves and 56 games with the Phillies.

Evers was signed by the Boston Red Sox as a player-coach for the 1918 season but he was released by the team before playing any games with them. Evers played two more games in the major leagues, one in 1922 with the Chicago White Sox and a final game in 1929 with the Boston Braves.

Career Statistics

Career batting statistics for Evers include:

  • 1,784 games played
  • 1,659 hits
  • 216 doubles
  • 324 stolen bases
  • .270 batting average
  • .356 on-base percentage
  • .690 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Evers as a second baseman include:

  • 1,735 games played
  • 423 errors
  • 689 double plays
  • 5,124 assists
  • 3,758 putouts
  • .955 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Evers include:

  • 4 postseasons
  • 20 games played
  • 76 at-bats
  • 24 hits
  • 4 doubles
  • 8 stolen bases
  • 8 strikeouts to 4 walks
  • .316 batting average

Post Playing Career

In 1920, Evers worked as a coach for the New York Giants. The next year, he was named manager of the Cubs but he was fired in August. He was a coach for the Chicago White Sox from 1922 through 1923 and then in 1924, he was named their manager for one year. Evers returned to the Boston Braves in 1929 as a coach and he stayed in that position through the 1932 season. He ended his baseball career as a general manager of a minor league team in 1935. Evers' record as a manager in the major leagues was 180 wins to 192 losses.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Johnny Evers
ESPN - Johnny Evers
Baseball Reference - Johnny Evers

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