Howie Shanks, baseball player, 1912-1925

Howie Shanks

Born: 7/21/1890 in Chicago, IL, USA

Died: 7/30/1941 in Monaca, PA, USA

MLB Debut: 1912-05-09 | Final Game: 1925-10-03

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

Full name: Howard Samuel Shanks

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Howie Shanks, born in 1890, was a professional baseball player whose career spanned from 1912 to 1925. Primarily playing as a position player, Shanks appeared in 1,665 games over his 13-year tenure in Major League Baseball. He was known for his tenacity on the field and his ability to contribute offensively, finishing his career with 1,440 hits, 25 home runs, and 620 runs batted in. His batting average stood at .253, reflecting the competitive nature of the game during the early 20th century, an era characterized by a transition from the deadball style to a more power-oriented approach. Shanks was also renowned for his speed, accumulating 185 stolen bases throughout his career, which underscored his aggressive playing style. His contributions were significant during a period when the game was evolving, particularly as teams began to emphasize speed and base running as key components of offensive strategy. Although he may not have achieved the same level of fame as some of his contemporaries, Shanks left an indelible mark on the game and remains a notable figure from the early days of professional baseball.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1665 5699 604 1440 211 96 25 620 185 415 507 0.253 0.308 0.337 0.644 -7151.5

Career AVG .253 vs. league average .269 across their career seasons — 5.9% below league average.

Career OBP .308 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 7.3% below league average.

Career SLG .337 vs. league average .362 across their career seasons — 7.1% below league average.

Career OPS 0.644 vs. league average 0.694 across their career seasons — 7.2% below 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
1912 WSN AL 116 399 52 92 14 7 1 48 21 40 64 0.231 .268 (-14%) .335 (-9%) .358 (-14%) .694 (-12%) -891.1
1913 WSN AL 109 390 38 99 11 5 1 37 24 15 40 0.254 .259 (-2%) .325 (-12%) .345 (-9%) .670 (-10%) -823.6
1914 WSN AL 143 500 44 112 22 10 4 64 18 29 51 0.224 .255 (-12%) .322 (-16%) .339 (-2%) .661 (-9%) -1090.4
1915 WSN AL 141 492 52 123 19 8 0 47 12 30 42 0.250 .250 (avg) .318 (-7%) .332 (-3%) .651 (-5%) -583.7
1916 WSN AL 140 471 51 119 15 7 1 48 23 41 34 0.253 .248 (+2%) .314 (+1%) .326 (-2%) .640 (-1%) -39.1
1917 WSN AL 126 430 45 87 15 5 0 28 15 33 37 0.202 .248 (-19%) .312 (-14%) .323 (-19%) .635 (-17%) -1304.6
1918 WSN AL 120 436 42 112 19 4 1 56 23 31 21 0.257 .255 (+1%) .318 (-2%) .326 (avg) .645 (-1%) -125.8
1919 WSN AL 135 491 33 122 8 7 1 54 13 25 48 0.248 .262 (-5%) .322 (-10%) .347 (-14%) .670 (-12%) -1198.9
1920 WSN AL 128 444 56 119 16 7 4 37 11 29 43 0.268 .271 (-1%) .331 (-5%) .363 (avg) .694 (-2%) -268.1
1921 WSN AL 154 562 81 170 24 18 7 69 11 57 38 0.302 .286 (+6%) .344 (+7%) .395 (+13%) .739 (+10%) 1206.5
1922 WSN AL 84 272 35 77 10 9 1 32 6 25 25 0.283 .285 (-1%) .345 (+2%) .397 (avg) .743 (+1%) 35.8
1923 BOS AL 131 464 38 118 19 5 3 57 6 19 37 0.254 .282 (-10%) .344 (-17%) .390 (-14%) .734 (-15%) -1561.9
1924 BOS AL 72 193 22 50 16 3 0 25 1 21 12 0.259 .283 (-9%) .345 (-4%) .389 (-4%) .734 (-4%) -164.4
1925 NYY AL 66 155 15 40 3 1 1 18 1 20 15 0.258 .288 (-10%) .349 (-2%) .407 (-24%) .756 (-14%) -342.3

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 25 0 200 9 8 13
2B 159 0 353 407 41 63
3B 485 0 646 987 94 94
OF 702 0 1423 99 45 20
SS 235 0 518 620 88 88

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1912 WS1 OF 114 0 189 14 8 2
1913 WS1 OF 109 0 207 13 5 3
1914 WS1 OF 139 0 276 14 14 3
1915 WS1 2B 10 0 18 21 1 4
1915 WS1 3B 49 0 57 94 14 10
1915 WS1 OF 80 0 151 13 3 1
1916 WS1 1B 7 0 54 2 4 4
1916 WS1 3B 31 0 45 49 4 3
1916 WS1 OF 88 0 203 19 3 4
1916 WS1 SS 8 0 11 22 6 4
1917 WS1 1B 2 0 18 0 1 2
1917 WS1 OF 26 0 73 12 2 3
1917 WS1 SS 90 0 205 255 35 44
1918 WS1 2B 48 0 130 136 14 20
1918 WS1 3B 3 0 5 11 1 1
1918 WS1 OF 64 0 149 7 7 1
1919 WS1 2B 34 0 72 98 14 8
1919 WS1 OF 6 0 19 1 1 1
1919 WS1 SS 94 0 238 260 42 25
1920 WS1 1B 14 0 112 6 3 6
1920 WS1 2B 5 0 5 11 2 2
1920 WS1 3B 63 0 102 131 12 4
1920 WS1 OF 35 0 74 2 0 0
1920 WS1 SS 1 0 1 4 0 0
1921 WS1 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1921 WS1 3B 154 0 218 330 23 35
1922 WS1 3B 54 0 61 112 15 14
1922 WS1 OF 27 0 65 3 2 2
1923 BOS 2B 38 0 92 82 7 18
1923 BOS 3B 83 0 89 173 17 16
1923 BOS OF 6 0 10 1 0 0
1923 BOS SS 1 0 1 4 1 0
1924 BOS 1B 2 0 16 1 0 1
1924 BOS 2B 2 0 4 1 1 0
1924 BOS 3B 22 0 37 58 4 9
1924 BOS OF 4 0 3 0 0 0
1924 BOS SS 41 0 62 75 4 15
1925 NYA 2B 21 0 32 58 2 11
1925 NYA 3B 26 0 32 29 4 2
1925 NYA OF 4 0 4 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 28
Second Base 158
Third Base 489
Shortstop 240
Left Field 601
Center Field 60
Right Field 50