Tony Lazzeri, baseball player, 178 home runs, 1926-1939

Tony Lazzeri

⭐ Hall of Fame 1991

Born: 12/6/1903 in San Francisco, CA, USA

Died: 8/6/1946 in San Francisco, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1926-04-13 | Final Game: 1939-06-07

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: Anthony Michael Lazzeri

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Biography

Tony Lazzeri was a prominent American baseball player born in 1903, whose career spanned from 1926 to 1939. A key figure in the New York Yankees dynasty of the late 1920s and early 1930s, Lazzeri played primarily as a second baseman and was known for his powerful hitting and versatility on the field. He appeared in 1,740 games throughout his career, accumulating 1,840 hits, 178 home runs, and 1,191 RBIs, while maintaining an impressive batting average of .292. Lazzeri also showcased his speed on the base paths, finishing his career with 148 stolen bases. Lazzeri's significance extended beyond his individual statistics; he was a vital member of the Yankees' lineup during a transformative era for baseball, contributing to their success during the "live-ball" era. His blend of power and finesse helped redefine the role of the second baseman in Major League Baseball. After his retirement, Lazzeri was recognized for his contributions to the game and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991. His legacy remains a testament to the impact he had on the Yankees and the sport as a whole.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
15.0 14.0 2.0 3.0 0 0 1.0 0 1.0 0 0 0.214 0.267 0.429 0.696

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1927 4.0 4.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000
1929 11.0 10.0 2.0 3.0 0 0 1.0 0 1.0 0 0 0.300 0.364 0.600 0.964

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1740 6297 986 1840 334 115 178 1191 148 869 864 0.292 0.380 0.467 0.846 19402.8

Career AVG .292 vs. league average .280 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .380 vs. league average .343 across their career seasons — +10.6% above league average.

Career SLG .467 vs. league average .397 across their career seasons — +17.4% above league average.

Career OPS 0.846 vs. league average 0.741 across their career seasons — +14.3% 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
1926 NYY AL 155 589 79 162 28 14 18 114 16 54 96 0.275 .279 (-2%) .345 (-2%) .390 (+18%) .735 (+9%) 881.7
1927 NYY AL 153 570 92 176 29 8 18 102 22 69 82 0.309 .282 (+9%) .344 (+11%) .392 (+23%) .736 (+17%) 2142.3
1928 NYY AL 116 404 62 134 30 11 10 82 15 43 50 0.332 .280 (+18%) .342 (+16%) .395 (+35%) .737 (+26%) 2052.7
1929 NYY AL 147 545 101 193 37 11 18 106 9 68 45 0.354 .289 (+22%) .353 (+21%) .415 (+35%) .769 (+29%) 3494.1
1930 NYY AL 143 571 109 173 34 15 9 121 4 60 62 0.303 .293 (+3%) .354 (+5%) .429 (+8%) .784 (+6%) 790.1
1931 NYY AL 135 484 67 129 27 7 8 83 18 79 80 0.267 .276 (-4%) .338 (+10%) .388 (+3%) .726 (+6%) 806.6
1932 NYY AL 142 510 79 153 28 16 15 113 11 82 64 0.300 .275 (+9%) .335 (+19%) .391 (+29%) .726 (+25%) 2693.6
1933 NYY AL 139 523 94 154 22 12 18 104 15 73 62 0.294 .270 (+9%) .329 (+16%) .377 (+29%) .707 (+23%) 2471.8
1934 NYY AL 123 438 59 117 24 6 14 67 11 71 64 0.267 .278 (-4%) .340 (+9%) .392 (+13%) .733 (+11%) 1080.9
1935 NYY AL 130 477 72 130 18 6 13 83 11 63 75 0.273 .279 (-3%) .342 (+5%) .399 (+4%) .742 (+5%) 583.8
1936 NYY AL 150 537 82 154 29 6 14 109 8 97 65 0.287 .283 (+1%) .349 (+13%) .404 (+9%) .753 (+11%) 1570.0
1937 NYY AL 126 446 56 109 21 3 14 70 7 71 76 0.244 .276 (-12%) .342 (+2%) .398 (avg) .740 (+1%) 196.1
1938 CHC NL 54 120 21 32 5 0 5 23 0 22 30 0.267 .272 (-2%) .341 (+11%) .392 (+10%) .734 (+11%) 289.3
1939 BRO NL 14 39 6 11 2 0 3 6 1 10 7 0.282 — — — — 300.0
1939 NY1 NL 13 44 7 13 0 0 1 8 0 7 6 0.295 — — — — 300.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
32 107 16 28 3 1 4 19 12 19 0.262

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1938 WS CHN 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1937 WS NYA 5 15 3 6 0 1 1 2 3 3 0.400
1936 WS NYA 6 20 4 5 0 0 1 7 4 4 0.250
1932 WS NYA 4 17 4 5 0 0 2 5 2 1 0.294
1928 WS NYA 4 12 2 3 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.250
1927 WS NYA 4 15 1 4 1 0 0 2 1 4 0.267
1926 WS NYA 7 26 2 5 1 0 0 3 1 6 0.192

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 3 0 0 1
2B 1456 0 3351 4445 263 808
3B 166 0 195 263 28 24
OF 2 0 3 0 0 0
SS 87 0 136 236 23 40

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1926 NYA 2B 149 0 298 461 31 72
1926 NYA 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1926 NYA SS 5 0 9 14 3 2
1927 NYA 2B 113 0 213 398 18 60
1927 NYA 3B 9 0 10 12 1 0
1927 NYA SS 38 0 58 115 10 15
1928 NYA 2B 110 0 236 331 26 56
1929 NYA 2B 147 0 368 467 27 102
1930 NYA 1B 1 0 3 0 0 1
1930 NYA 2B 77 0 184 245 13 39
1930 NYA 3B 60 0 90 113 11 12
1930 NYA OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1930 NYA SS 8 0 16 24 2 8
1931 NYA 2B 90 0 216 288 22 52
1931 NYA 3B 39 0 39 53 4 4
1932 NYA 2B 134 0 362 405 17 70
1932 NYA 3B 5 0 2 7 0 0
1933 NYA 2B 138 0 338 407 25 71
1934 NYA 2B 92 0 218 265 12 52
1934 NYA 3B 30 0 36 51 6 7
1935 NYA 2B 118 0 285 329 19 72
1935 NYA SS 9 0 18 25 3 4
1936 NYA 2B 148 0 346 414 25 88
1936 NYA SS 2 0 2 4 0 0
1937 NYA 2B 125 0 251 382 22 64
1938 CHN 2B 4 0 8 17 0 1
1938 CHN 3B 7 0 6 4 2 0
1938 CHN OF 1 0 2 0 0 0
1938 CHN SS 25 0 33 54 5 11
1939 BRO 2B 11 0 28 36 6 9
1939 BRO 3B 2 0 1 2 0 0
1939 NY1 3B 13 0 11 21 4 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 1
Second Base 1457
Third Base 165
Shortstop 89
Left Field 2

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1932 TSN All-Star 2B
1930 Baseball Magazine All-Star 3B
1928 Baseball Magazine All-Star 2B
1927 Baseball Magazine All-Star 2B

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1933 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 6.0 80 0
1932 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 21.0 80 0
1928 Most Valuable Player AL 3rd 27.0 64 0
1927 Most Valuable Player AL 11th 8.0 64 1
1926 Most Valuable Player AL 10th 7.0 64 0