Sam Crawford, baseball player, 1899-1917

Sam Crawford

⭐ Hall of Fame 1957

Born: 4/18/1880 in Wahoo, NE, USA

Died: 6/15/1968 in Hollywood, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1899-09-10 | Final Game: 1917-09-16

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: Samuel Earl Crawford

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Biography

Sam Crawford, born in 1880, was a prominent Major League Baseball player whose career spanned from 1899 to 1917. Renowned for his exceptional batting skills and speed on the bases, Crawford played a total of 2,517 games, amassing an impressive 2,961 hits with a career batting average of .309. His offensive prowess included 97 home runs and 1,519 RBIs, alongside 366 stolen bases, showcasing his versatility as a position player during an era that valued both power and speed. Crawford's career unfolded during the early 20th century, a period marked by significant transitions in baseball, including the evolution of batting techniques and strategies. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957, recognizing his contributions to the game and solidifying his legacy as one of the greats of his time. Often remembered for his prowess in the outfield and his ability to hit for both average and power, Crawford's impact on the game remains significant, echoing through the annals of baseball history.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
14.0 13.0 2.0 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 2.0 0 0.154 0.154 0.154 0.308

Pitching

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
14.0 0 0 4.0 2.0 0 0 0.0 33.0 15.0 7.0 0 0 0 1.89

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1913 8.0 7.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000
1921 2.0 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000
1925 4.0 4.0 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.250 0.250 0.250 0.500
1926 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000
1938 0 0 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

Season W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
1913 8.0 0 0 2.0 1.0 0 0 0.0 20.0 9.0 7.0 0 0 0 3.63
1921 2.0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0.0 6.0 6.0 0 0 0 0 0.00
1925 4.0 0 0 1.0 1.0 0 0 0.0 6.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
1926 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
1938 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2517 9570 1391 2961 458 309 97 1519 366 760 580 0.309 0.362 0.452 0.814 41327.1

Career AVG .309 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — +21.0% above league average.

Career OBP .362 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — +13.7% above league average.

Career SLG .452 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — +35.3% above league average.

Career OPS 0.814 vs. league average 0.652 across their career seasons — +24.8% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1899 CIN NL 31 127 25 39 3 7 1 20 6 2 10 0.307 .282 (+9%) .343 (-7%) .366 (+27%) .710 (+10%) 117.2
1900 CIN NL 101 389 68 101 15 15 7 59 14 28 35 0.260 .279 (-7%) .338 (-7%) .366 (+17%) .705 (+5%) 209.9
1901 CIN NL 131 515 91 170 20 16 16 104 13 37 45 0.330 .271 (+21%) .326 (+16%) .359 (+46%) .686 (+32%) 2978.2
1902 CIN NL 140 555 92 185 18 22 3 78 16 47 40 0.333 .266 (+25%) .321 (+20%) .343 (+34%) .665 (+27%) 2812.3
1903 DET AL 137 550 88 184 23 25 4 89 18 25 46 0.335 .261 (+28%) .316 (+15%) .345 (+41%) .662 (+29%) 2700.2
1904 DET AL 150 562 49 143 22 16 2 73 20 44 58 0.254 .246 (+3%) .300 (+3%) .321 (+12%) .622 (+8%) 650.5
1905 DET AL 154 575 73 171 38 10 6 75 22 50 31 0.297 .248 (+20%) .307 (+16%) .322 (+33%) .629 (+25%) 2518.4
1906 DET AL 145 563 65 166 25 16 2 66 24 38 20 0.295 .247 (+19%) .307 (+11%) .315 (+29%) .622 (+20%) 1818.5
1907 DET AL 144 582 102 188 34 17 4 81 18 37 29 0.323 .245 (+32%) .304 (+20%) .308 (+49%) .613 (+35%) 3295.6
1908 DET AL 152 591 102 184 33 16 7 80 15 37 28 0.311 .240 (+29%) .298 (+19%) .306 (+49%) .605 (+34%) 3266.0
1909 DET AL 156 589 83 185 35 14 6 97 30 47 32 0.314 .244 (+29%) .306 (+19%) .312 (+45%) .618 (+32%) 3183.7
1910 DET AL 154 588 83 170 26 19 5 120 20 37 34 0.289 .249 (+16%) .317 (+5%) .326 (+30%) .644 (+17%) 1556.3
1911 DET AL 146 574 109 217 36 14 7 115 37 61 36 0.378 .266 (+42%) .336 (+30%) .356 (+47%) .693 (+39%) 4459.1
1912 DET AL 149 581 81 189 30 21 4 109 41 42 32 0.325 .268 (+21%) .335 (+11%) .358 (+31%) .694 (+21%) 2230.9
1913 DET AL 153 609 78 193 32 23 9 83 13 52 28 0.317 .259 (+22%) .325 (+14%) .345 (+42%) .670 (+28%) 3040.0
1914 DET AL 157 582 74 183 22 26 8 104 25 69 31 0.314 .255 (+23%) .322 (+20%) .339 (+42%) .661 (+32%) 3422.1
1915 DET AL 156 612 81 183 31 19 4 112 24 66 29 0.299 .250 (+19%) .318 (+15%) .332 (+30%) .651 (+23%) 2515.3
1916 DET AL 100 322 41 92 11 13 0 42 10 37 10 0.286 .248 (+15%) .314 (+14%) .326 (+23%) .640 (+19%) 1015.5
1917 DET AL 61 104 6 18 4 0 2 12 0 4 6 0.173 .248 (-30%) .312 (-35%) .323 (-17%) .635 (-26%) -462.8

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
17 70 7 17 5 0 1 8 2 6 0.243

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1909 WS DET 7 28 4 7 3 0 1 4 1 1 0.250
1908 WS DET 5 21 2 5 1 0 0 1 1 2 0.238
1907 WS DET 5 21 1 5 1 0 0 3 0 3 0.238

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 151 111 1476 91 33 58
OF 2299 941 3626 268 143 59

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1899 CIN OF 31 0 56 9 2 2
1900 CIN OF 95 0 237 18 14 2
1901 CIN OF 127 0 209 20 19 6
1902 CIN OF 140 0 208 24 17 5
1903 DET OF 137 0 225 16 10 3
1904 DET OF 150 150 230 18 7 8
1905 DET 1B 51 51 478 41 11 22
1905 DET OF 103 103 152 18 2 3
1906 DET 1B 32 27 287 17 2 10
1906 DET OF 116 116 171 19 3 2
1907 DET 1B 2 0 2 0 0 0
1907 DET OF 144 144 311 22 12 2
1908 DET 1B 17 16 176 13 6 12
1908 DET OF 134 135 252 9 8 2
1909 DET 1B 18 16 189 10 6 2
1909 DET OF 139 140 297 7 11 2
1910 DET 1B 1 1 11 1 0 0
1910 DET OF 153 153 223 10 9 2
1911 DET OF 146 0 181 16 5 3
1912 DET OF 149 0 169 16 3 5
1913 DET 1B 13 0 156 7 6 6
1913 DET OF 140 0 201 14 8 5
1914 DET OF 157 0 193 18 5 4
1915 DET OF 156 0 219 8 6 1
1916 DET 1B 2 0 19 0 0 1
1916 DET OF 79 0 85 6 2 2
1917 DET 1B 15 0 158 2 2 5
1917 DET OF 3 0 7 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 152
Left Field 138
Center Field 480
Right Field 1686

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1915 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF
1915 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF
1911 Baseball Magazine All-Star LF
1909 Baseball Magazine All-Star LF
1908 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1914 Most Valuable Player AL 2nd 35.0 64 0
1913 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 5.0 64 0
1912 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 4.0 64 0
1911 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 4.0 64 0