Wally Pipp, baseball player, 1913-1928

Wally Pipp

Born: 2/17/1893 in Chicago, IL, USA

Died: 1/11/1965 in Grand Rapids, MI, USA

MLB Debut: 1913-06-29 | Final Game: 1928-09-30

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Walter Clement Pipp

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Biography

Wally Pipp was a prominent American baseball player whose career spanned from 1913 to 1928. Born in 1893, Pipp made a significant impact in Major League Baseball, primarily as a first baseman. Over the course of his career, he played in 1,872 games, achieving 1,941 hits, 90 home runs, and 998 RBIs, while maintaining a career batting average of .281. Known for his consistent hitting and solid defense, Pipp was a key contributor to the teams he played for, notably the New York Yankees during the 1920s, a period marked by the team's rise to prominence in the league. Pipp's playing style exemplified the skills of the deadball era, emphasizing contact hitting and base running, as reflected in his total of 125 stolen bases. His legacy is often overshadowed by the legendary Lou Gehrig, who famously took over Pipp's position after he suffered from headaches and missed a game in 1925. Despite this twist of fate, Pipp's achievements remain significant, and he is remembered as a talented player who was an integral part of baseball's early 20th-century narrative.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1872 6914 974 1941 311 148 90 998 125 596 551 0.281 0.341 0.408 0.749 8513.3

Career AVG .281 vs. league average .272 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .341 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .408 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — +9.8% above league average.

Career OPS 0.749 vs. league average 0.706 across their career seasons — +6.0% 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
1913 DET AL 12 31 3 5 0 3 0 5 0 2 6 0.161 — — — — 0.0
1915 NYY AL 136 479 59 118 20 13 4 60 18 66 81 0.246 .250 (-2%) .318 (+6%) .332 (+11%) .651 (+8%) 806.2
1916 NYY AL 151 545 70 143 20 14 12 93 16 54 82 0.262 .248 (+6%) .314 (+5%) .326 (+28%) .640 (+17%) 1557.3
1917 NYY AL 155 587 82 143 29 12 9 70 11 60 66 0.244 .248 (-2%) .312 (+2%) .323 (+17%) .635 (+10%) 1026.2
1918 NYY AL 91 349 48 106 15 9 2 44 11 22 34 0.304 .255 (+19%) .318 (+8%) .326 (+27%) .645 (+18%) 930.7
1919 NYY AL 138 523 74 144 23 10 7 50 9 39 42 0.275 .262 (+5%) .322 (+2%) .347 (+14%) .670 (+9%) 765.6
1920 NYY AL 153 610 109 171 30 14 11 76 4 48 54 0.280 .271 (+3%) .331 (+2%) .363 (+18%) .694 (+11%) 1145.6
1921 NYY AL 153 588 96 174 35 9 8 98 17 45 28 0.296 .286 (+3%) .344 (+1%) .395 (+8%) .739 (+5%) 487.3
1922 NYY AL 152 577 96 190 32 10 9 90 7 56 32 0.329 .285 (+15%) .345 (+13%) .397 (+17%) .743 (+16%) 1946.2
1923 NYY AL 144 569 79 173 19 8 6 108 6 36 28 0.304 .282 (+7%) .344 (+2%) .390 (+2%) .734 (+2%) 220.5
1924 NYY AL 153 589 88 174 30 19 9 114 12 51 36 0.295 .283 (+4%) .345 (+2%) .389 (+17%) .734 (+10%) 1035.7
1925 NYY AL 62 178 19 41 6 3 3 24 3 13 12 0.230 .288 (-20%) .349 (-18%) .407 (-14%) .756 (-16%) -565.6
1926 CIN NL 155 574 72 167 22 15 6 99 8 49 26 0.291 .279 (+4%) .345 (+2%) .390 (+6%) .735 (+4%) 409.5
1927 CIN NL 122 443 49 115 19 6 2 41 2 32 11 0.260 .282 (-8%) .344 (-10%) .392 (-13%) .736 (-11%) -1067.2
1928 CIN NL 95 272 30 77 11 3 2 26 1 23 13 0.283 .280 (+1%) .342 (avg) .395 (-7%) .737 (-4%) -185.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
19 67 3 15 2 0 0 6 6 6 0.224

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1923 WS NYA 6 20 2 5 0 0 0 1 4 1 0.250
1922 WS NYA 5 21 0 6 1 0 0 3 0 2 0.286
1921 WS NYA 8 26 1 4 1 0 0 2 2 3 0.154

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1819 0 18779 1152 168 1290

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1913 DET 1B 10 0 80 4 2 6
1915 NYA 1B 134 0 1396 85 12 85
1916 NYA 1B 148 0 1513 99 13 89
1917 NYA 1B 155 0 1609 109 17 97
1918 NYA 1B 91 0 918 61 12 75
1919 NYA 1B 138 0 1488 94 15 77
1920 NYA 1B 153 0 1649 100 15 101
1921 NYA 1B 153 0 1624 89 16 116
1922 NYA 1B 152 0 1667 88 13 106
1923 NYA 1B 144 0 1461 81 12 97
1924 NYA 1B 153 0 1447 106 9 106
1925 NYA 1B 47 0 399 38 4 40
1926 CIN 1B 155 0 1710 92 15 140
1927 CIN 1B 114 0 1145 66 5 86
1928 CIN 1B 72 0 673 40 8 69

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 1818

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1923 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Catholic University of America Washington DC 1912, 1913

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1926 Most Valuable Player NL 14th 12.0 80 0
1924 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 6.0 64 0
1922 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 12.0 64 0