Ox Eckhardt
Encyclopedia
Oscar George "Ox" Eckhardt (December 23, 1901 – April 22, 1951) was an outfielder
for the Boston Braves
and Brooklyn Dodgers. Eckhardt holds the all-time professional baseball record for batting average
, counting both major and minor league stats. His .192 in 57 major league plate appearances barely lowered his .367 career batting average in the minors (second all-time among minor league-only batting averages to Ike Boone
's .370). Eckhardt ends up fractionally ahead of #2 Ty Cobb
, whose career .366 is also lowered marginally by his minor league stats.
In 1933, Eckhardt hit .414 for the San Francisco Missions.
He also played fullback
, halfback
, and quarterback
for the Texas Longhorns and the New York Giants
.
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
for the Boston Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
and Brooklyn Dodgers. Eckhardt holds the all-time professional baseball record for batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
, counting both major and minor league stats. His .192 in 57 major league plate appearances barely lowered his .367 career batting average in the minors (second all-time among minor league-only batting averages to Ike Boone
Ike Boone
Isaac Morgan Boone was a right fielder in Major League Baseball. Boone batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was born in Samantha, Alabama...
's .370). Eckhardt ends up fractionally ahead of #2 Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
, whose career .366 is also lowered marginally by his minor league stats.
In 1933, Eckhardt hit .414 for the San Francisco Missions.
He also played fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
, halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
, and quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the Texas Longhorns and the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.