Buddy Myer
Encyclopedia
Charles Solomon "Buddy" Myer (March 16, 1904 – October 31, 1974) was an American second baseman
in Major League Baseball
from 1925 to 1941.
An excellent hitter, he batted .300 or better in eight full seasons, and retired with a career average of .303. He walked more than twice as many times as he struck out. Apart from a brief period with the Boston Red Sox
in 1927–28, he spent his entire career with the Washington Senators
.
). In 1923, he attracted many baseball scouts to watch him play. That same year, the Washington Senators
offered him a contract. Buddy accepted the contract with the one condition, that he finish his college education. Myer graduated from Mississippi A&M in 1925.
He was discovered by baseball promoter, Joe Engel
, who managed the Chattanooga Lookouts
at Engel Stadium
.
He broke in with the Senators in 1925 at the age of 21. In 1926 he batted .304. In May 1927 he was traded by the Senators to the Red Sox for Topper Rigney
.
In 1928 he stole a career-high 30 bases for the Red Sox, leading the league, while batting .313, and was 5th in the league with 26 sacrifice hits. He came in 9th in AL MVP voting.
After the season, the Senators got him back, but had to give up five ballplayers in trade. In December 1928 the Red Sox traded him to the Senators for Milt Gaston
, Hod Lisenbee, Bobby Reeves, Grant Gillis, and Elliot Bigelow
.
In 1929 he batted .300, and the following year he batted .303 with an 8th-best 114 runs scored. In 1932 he had a career-high 16 triples (2nd), and scored a career-high 120 runs (6th). In 1933 he batted .302, and in 1934 he batted .305 with 102 walks (4th in the league) and a .419 on base percentage (6th).
In 1935 he won the American League
batting title with a .349 mark. He had 215 hits (2nd in the league), a .440 on base percentage and 96 walks (4th), played in 151 games (5th), scored 115 runs (7th), and had 100 RBIs. He was voted to the All Star team, and came in 4th in MVP voting that year.
In 1933, Myer was involved in what many still consider to be baseball's most violent brawl, between him and the Yankees' Ben Chapman. It is alleged that Chapman – who later gained great infamy for his taunting of Jackie Robinson
in 1947, while Chapman was the manager of the Phillies – not only spiked Myer, but hurled a number of anti-semitic epithets at him. While Myer was always considered Jewish, the baseball historian Bill James
reported that Myer "told a home-town newspaperman shortly before his death in 1974 that he was not Jewish, he was German," but "he never set the record straight."
Chapman and Myer's fight spread to the dugouts and the stands. Long suspensions for all involved followed.
In 1937 he played in the All Star Game, and ended the year with a .407 obp (9th in the league).
In 1938 he batted .336 (4th in the league), and was 2nd (to Jimmy Foxx) with a .454 obp, and 7th in walks (93). In 1939 he batted .302.
He died at age 70 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
.
In a 1976 Esquire
magazine article, sportswriter Harry Stein published an "All Time All-Star Argument Starter," consisting of five ethnic baseball teams. Myer was the shortstop on Stein's Jewish team.
Through 2010, he was first all-time in career hits (ahead of Shawn Green
), and third all-time in career RBIs (behind Green) and batting average (behind Ryan Braun
), among Jewish major league baseball players.
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
from 1925 to 1941.
An excellent hitter, he batted .300 or better in eight full seasons, and retired with a career average of .303. He walked more than twice as many times as he struck out. Apart from a brief period with the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
in 1927–28, he spent his entire career with the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
.
Career
Myer decided to go to college at Mississippi A&M (now Mississippi State UniversityMississippi State University
The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...
). In 1923, he attracted many baseball scouts to watch him play. That same year, the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
offered him a contract. Buddy accepted the contract with the one condition, that he finish his college education. Myer graduated from Mississippi A&M in 1925.
He was discovered by baseball promoter, Joe Engel
Joe Engel
thumb|Joe Engel, 1913Joseph William Engel was an American right-handed pitcher and scout in Major League Baseball who spent nearly his entire career with the Washington Senators, and went on to become a promoter and team owner in the minor leagues. He was born in Washington, D.C...
, who managed the Chattanooga Lookouts
Chattanooga Lookouts
The Chattanooga Lookouts are a minor league baseball team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. They are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team, which plays in the Southern League, has been a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club since the 2009 season. The Lookouts...
at Engel Stadium
Engel Stadium
Engel Stadium is a stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The stadium was built in 1930 and holds 12,000 people. It was the home of the Chattanooga Lookouts until 1999 when they moved to their current stadium, AT&T Field. Tennessee Temple University has held their home games at Engel since the Lookouts...
.
He broke in with the Senators in 1925 at the age of 21. In 1926 he batted .304. In May 1927 he was traded by the Senators to the Red Sox for Topper Rigney
Topper Rigney
Emory Elmo "Topper" Rigney was a Major League Baseball shortstop who played six seasons with the Detroit Tigers , Boston Red Sox , and Washington Senators . Rigney had speed and a good sense of the strike zone...
.
In 1928 he stole a career-high 30 bases for the Red Sox, leading the league, while batting .313, and was 5th in the league with 26 sacrifice hits. He came in 9th in AL MVP voting.
After the season, the Senators got him back, but had to give up five ballplayers in trade. In December 1928 the Red Sox traded him to the Senators for Milt Gaston
Milt Gaston
Nathaniel Milton Gaston was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1924-1934. Born in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, he played for the St. Louis Browns, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox. He died at age 100 in Barnstable, Massachusetts...
, Hod Lisenbee, Bobby Reeves, Grant Gillis, and Elliot Bigelow
Elliot Bigelow
Elliott Allardice Bigelow was a right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox. Bigelow batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Tarpon Springs, Florida....
.
In 1929 he batted .300, and the following year he batted .303 with an 8th-best 114 runs scored. In 1932 he had a career-high 16 triples (2nd), and scored a career-high 120 runs (6th). In 1933 he batted .302, and in 1934 he batted .305 with 102 walks (4th in the league) and a .419 on base percentage (6th).
In 1935 he won the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
batting title with a .349 mark. He had 215 hits (2nd in the league), a .440 on base percentage and 96 walks (4th), played in 151 games (5th), scored 115 runs (7th), and had 100 RBIs. He was voted to the All Star team, and came in 4th in MVP voting that year.
In 1933, Myer was involved in what many still consider to be baseball's most violent brawl, between him and the Yankees' Ben Chapman. It is alleged that Chapman – who later gained great infamy for his taunting of Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
in 1947, while Chapman was the manager of the Phillies – not only spiked Myer, but hurled a number of anti-semitic epithets at him. While Myer was always considered Jewish, the baseball historian Bill James
Bill James
George William “Bill” James is a baseball writer, historian, and statistician whose work has been widely influential. Since 1977, James has written more than two dozen books devoted to baseball history and statistics...
reported that Myer "told a home-town newspaperman shortly before his death in 1974 that he was not Jewish, he was German," but "he never set the record straight."
Chapman and Myer's fight spread to the dugouts and the stands. Long suspensions for all involved followed.
In 1937 he played in the All Star Game, and ended the year with a .407 obp (9th in the league).
In 1938 he batted .336 (4th in the league), and was 2nd (to Jimmy Foxx) with a .454 obp, and 7th in walks (93). In 1939 he batted .302.
He died at age 70 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
.
In a 1976 Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
magazine article, sportswriter Harry Stein published an "All Time All-Star Argument Starter," consisting of five ethnic baseball teams. Myer was the shortstop on Stein's Jewish team.
Through 2010, he was first all-time in career hits (ahead of Shawn Green
Shawn Green
Shawn David Green is a former Major League Baseball player.Green was a 1st round draft pick and a two-time major league All-Star...
), and third all-time in career RBIs (behind Green) and batting average (behind Ryan Braun
Ryan Braun
Ryan Joseph Braun is an American right-handed Major League Baseball left fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers. A perennial standout, he was ranked No...
), among Jewish major league baseball players.
See also
- List of major league players with 2,000 hits
- List of Major League Baseball players with 100 triples
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball stolen base champions
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
- List of select Jewish baseball players