Rabbit Maranville (1954)


Date of Birth: 11/11/1891
Date of Death: 1/6/1954
Birthplace: Springfield, Massachusetts

Walter "Rabbit" Maranville first played professional baseball in 1911 in the New England League. He continued in that league through the beginning of the 1912 season.

Boston Braves

Maranville started his major league playing career in June, 1912, when the New England League traded him to the Boston Braves. He played in 26 games with the Braves that season. In 1913, his first full season in the major leagues, Maranville batted .247 with 141 hits, 13 doubles, 8 triples, and 25 stolen bases in 143 games.

Maranville led the NL in games played in 1914. He finished the season with 144 hits, 23 doubles, 28 stolen bases, 56 strikeouts to 45 walks, and a .246 batting average in a career high 156 games. Defensively, as a shortstop, he led the NL in assists with 574. He also led the league in errors with 65.

In 1915, Maranville batted just .244 with 124 hits in 149 games. The following year, his batting average dropped to .235 with 142 hits in 155 games. He had a career high 32 stolen bases in 1916. He batted better in 1917, with 146 hits and a .260 batting average in 142 games.

Although Maranville was an average offensive player in his early years in the majors, he excelled defensively, leading all NL shortstops in assists in 1915 (486) and 1916 (515), double plays turned in 1915 (63) and 1916 (79), and in putouts in 1915 (391), 1916 (386), and 1917 (341).

Maranville played in just 11 games in 1918. The following year, he batted .267 with 128 hits in 131 games. In 1919, he again led the NL in putouts as a shortstop with 361. He also led the league in errors at shortstop with 53.

In 1920, Maranville batted .266 in 134 games. He had 131 hits, 19 doubles, 15 triples, and 43 RBIs.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Maranville joined the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1921. He played well offensively, finishing the season with 180 hits, 25 doubles, 12 triples, 25 stolen bases, 70 RBIs, and a .294 batting average in 153 games. The following season he had a career high 198 hits in 155 games. He finished the 1922 season with 26 doubles, 15 triples, 24 stolen bases, 63 RBIs, and a .295 batting average.

Maranville again led all NL shortstops in assists (505), double plays (94), and putouts (332) in 1923. Offensively, he had 161 hits, 19 doubles, 41 RBIs, and a .277 batting average in 141 games.

In 1924, Maranville had career highs in doubles, triples, and RBIs. He finished the season with 158 hits, 33 doubles, 20 triples, 71 RBIs, and a .266 batting average in 152 games. He played at second base that year and he led the NL at that position in assists with 568.

Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Robins, St. Louis Cardinals

Maranville moved to the Chicago Cubs in 1925. The following season, he was in Brooklyn, playing with the Robins/Dodgers for one season of just 78 games. He joined the St. Louis Cardinals in 1927 but played in only nine games that season. The next year, he continued with the Cardinals, playing in 112 games.

Return to the Braves

In 1929, Maranville returned to the Braves. He finished that season with 159 hits, 26 doubles, 10 triples, 55 RBIs, and a .284 batting average in 146 games. He had similar numbers in 1930, with 157 hits, 26 doubles, 43 RBIs, and a .281 batting average.

In 1931, Maranville's batting average dropped to .260. He finished the season with 146 hits, 22 doubles, and 33 RBIs in 145 games. His average dropped even further in 1932. That season he had a 2.35 batting average with 134 hits. Defensively, he had a stronger season, leading NL second basemen in putouts with 402.

Maranville had a .218 batting average with 104 hits in 143 games in 1933. He sat out the 1934 season but returned in 1935 to end his major league career with 23 more games with the Braves.

MLB Records

  • Most MLB career assists (8,967)
  • Most career putouts for a shortstop (5,139)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Maranville in 21 seasons (1913-1933) in the major leagues include:

  • 6 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 198 in 1922
  • 9 seasons with 10 or more triples, with a high of 20 in 1924
  • 6 seasons with over 20 stolen bases, with a high of 32 in 1916

Career batting statistics for Maranville include:

  • 2,670 games played
  • 2,605 hits
  • 380 doubles
  • 177 triples
  • 291 stolen bases
  • 756 strikeouts to 839 walks
  • .258 batting average
  • .318 on-base percentage
  • .658 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Maranville at shortstop include:

  • 2,153 games played
  • 7,354 assists
  • 1,188 double plays
  • 5,139 putouts
  • 631 errors
  • .952 fielding percentage

Post Playing Years

Maranville was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1954 on the 14th ballot with 82.9% of the vote.

Maranville died from a heart attack on January 6, 1954.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Rabbit Maranville
ESPN - Rabbit Maranville
Baseball Reference - Rabbit Maranville

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