Baseball Player Won-Loss Records
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The 1922 Season as seen through the Prism of Player Won-Lost Records



(revised February 21, 2015)

In its Fall, 2013, update just after Thanksgiving of that year, Retrosheet released play-by-play data for three new seasons: 2013, 1939, and 1922. This article looks at the earliest of these three seasons: the 1922 season.

The 1922 season featured an All-New York World Series for the second year in a row, the most wins by any team in St. Louis Browns history, and three .400 hitters, the first 30-30 player in major-league history, and a Triple Crown winner.

The Best of 1922

I calculate Player won-lost records two ways: pWins, which tie to team wins and eWins, which control for context and the ability of one's teammates. For players with more pWins than eWins, their Player wins contributed to more team wins than one might expect; for players with more eWins than pWins, just the opposite is true: their Player wins translated into fewer team wins than expected. Or more briefly: a player with more pWins than eWins was better in context, a player with more eWins than pWins was worse in context.

The top 10 players in pWins above Positional Average and Replacement Level were as follows.

pWins over Positional Average
Top 10 Players		           pWins over Replacement Level
Top 10 Players
Player pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL           Player pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL
1Wilbur Cooper20.515.23.2
4.7
1Wilbur Cooper20.515.23.2
4.7
2Joe Bush17.011.73.1
4.2
2Dave Bancroft22.417.62.8
4.3
3Babe Ruth18.711.72.9
4.1
3Joe Bush17.011.73.1
4.2
4Dave Bancroft22.417.62.8
4.3
4Babe Ruth18.711.72.9
4.1
5Rogers Hornsby15.910.82.6
3.6
5Max Carey25.519.72.2
3.9
6Bob Shawkey18.814.92.4
3.8
6Bob Shawkey18.814.92.4
3.8
7Urban Shocker14.710.42.4
3.4
7Rogers Hornsby15.910.82.6
3.6
8Dazzy Vance14.510.52.3
3.3
8Urban Shocker14.710.42.4
3.4
9Max Carey25.519.72.2
3.9
9Ross Youngs20.515.02.0
3.4
10Pete Donohue12.78.92.2
3.0
10Dazzy Vance14.510.52.3
3.3


The top 10 players in eWins above Positional Average and Replacement Level were as follows.

eWins over Positional Average
Top 10 Players		           eWins over Replacement Level
Top 10 Players
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA eWORL           Player eWins eLosses eWOPA eWORL
1Rogers Hornsby17.011.13.0
4.0
1Rogers Hornsby17.011.13.0
4.0
2Babe Ruth18.112.02.4
3.6
2Dave Bancroft22.718.72.4
4.0
3Dave Bancroft22.718.72.4
4.0
3Babe Ruth18.112.02.4
3.6
4Ray Grimes17.212.31.9
3.1
4Max Carey24.819.91.7
3.5
5Wilbur Cooper18.816.11.9
3.3
5Wilbur Cooper18.816.11.9
3.3
6Bob O'Farrell12.89.11.8
2.6
6Red Faber19.216.71.7
3.2
7Urban Shocker13.910.91.8
2.8
7Ray Grimes17.212.31.9
3.1
8Max Carey24.819.91.7
3.5
8Bob Shawkey18.516.41.5
2.9
9Babe Pinelli16.513.81.7
2.9
9Babe Pinelli16.513.81.7
2.9
10Red Faber19.216.71.7
3.2
10Urban Shocker13.910.91.8
2.8


So far, Retrosheet has released play-by-play data for just over 70% of all major-league games played in 1922. This is a remarkable total - we have play-by-play data for 870 games from the 1922 season, more than 90 years ago. Unfortunately, the missing games are not distributed evenly. We have complete play-by-play data for the Pittsburgh Pirates and have play-by-play data for more than 83% of all games for six other teams: Brooklyn, both Chicago teams, Cleveland, and both New York teams. The Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and Washington Senators, on the other hand, are missing data for over half of their games (82, 88, and 87 missing games, respectively).

To attempt to control for this, the next two tables mirror the previous two tables except that Player won-lost records have been scaled up for players based on their actual number of games played. This scaling is done at the level of the individual player.

For example, Rogers Hornsby, who won the National League Triple Crown in 1922, played in 154 games for the St. Louis Cardinals that year. So far, Player won-lost records have been calculated for 97 of these games. Hence, Rogers Hornsby's Player won-lost records are multiplied by 1.59 (154/97).

The top 10 players in normalized pWOPA, pWORL, eWOPA, and eWORL in 1922 are shown in the next four tables.

pWins over Positional Average
Top 10 Players		           pWins over Replacement Level
Top 10 Players
Player pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL           Player pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL
1Rogers Hornsby25.317.24.1
5.8
1Rogers Hornsby25.317.24.1
5.8
2George Mogridge19.712.83.9
5.3
2George Mogridge19.712.83.9
5.3
3Urban Shocker22.015.73.6
5.1
3Urban Shocker22.015.73.6
5.1
4Wilbur Cooper20.515.23.2
4.7
4Ken Williams27.819.53.2
5.0
5Joe Bush17.912.33.2
4.5
5Dave Bancroft25.319.93.1
4.9
6Ken Williams27.819.53.2
5.0
6Wilbur Cooper20.515.23.2
4.7
7Babe Ruth20.412.83.1
4.4
7Walter Johnson21.216.03.1
4.6
8Dave Bancroft25.319.93.1
4.9
8Joe Bush17.912.33.2
4.5
9Walter Johnson21.216.03.1
4.6
9Babe Ruth20.412.83.1
4.4
10Dazzy Vance18.613.43.0
4.3
10Dazzy Vance18.613.43.0
4.3


The top 10 players in normalized eWins above Positional Average and Replacement Level were as follows.

eWins over Positional Average
Top 10 Players		           eWins over Replacement Level
Top 10 Players
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA eWORL           Player eWins eLosses eWOPA eWORL
1Rogers Hornsby26.917.74.7
6.4
1Rogers Hornsby26.917.74.7
6.4
2Dave Bancroft25.621.12.7
4.5
2Dave Bancroft25.621.12.7
4.5
3Babe Ruth19.713.12.7
3.9
3Urban Shocker20.916.42.6
4.2
4Urban Shocker20.916.42.6
4.2
4Ken Williams25.418.72.5
4.2
5Ken Williams25.418.72.5
4.2
5Babe Ruth19.713.12.7
3.9
6George Sisler20.014.12.3
3.7
6George Sisler20.014.12.3
3.7
7George Mogridge16.613.22.1
3.3
7Babe Pinelli20.317.02.1
3.5
8Ray Grimes18.613.32.1
3.3
8Red Faber21.218.41.9
3.5
9Babe Pinelli20.317.02.1
3.5
9Max Carey24.819.91.7
3.5
10Bob O'Farrell13.79.71.9
2.8
10George Mogridge16.613.22.1
3.3


Players' performance in missing games may not be exactly the same as their performance in games for which play-by-play data exist. So, the results in these last two tables should be taken with a grain of salt.

For example, before I started writing this article, I had never heard of George Mogridge. Mogridge did have a very nice career highlighted by a solid four-year prime from 1921 through 1924 over which he earned 65 traditional pitcher wins for the Washington Senators. But the above table almost certainly over-states precisely how valuable George Mogridge was to the 1922 Washington Senators.

In 1922, George Mogridge pitched in 34 games, starting 32 of them, completing 18 of those, pitching 251.2 innings with an ERA somewhat better than league-average of 3.76 and a traditional pitcher W-L record of 18-13. That's a good, solid season, but almost certainly not the second-best season in all of major-league baseball.

I have play-by-play data for 14 games in which Mogridge appeared. In these 14 games, Mogridge started 11 games, completing 9 of them, pitching 104.2 innings with an ERA of 2.49 and a traditional W-L record of 9-4. In the 20 games in which Mogridge pitched for which I do not have play-by-play data, however, Mogridge pitched 147 innings with an ERA of 4.35 and a traditional W-L record of 9-9. Still, I think it's fun to have players I've never heard of show up on these tables. So, hooray for George Mogridge!

0.400 Hitters
 As I noted above, three qualifying players batted over 0.400 in 1922, all of whom are now in the Hall of Fame: George Sisler Rogers Hornsby, and Ty Cobb. The next table compares the Player won-lost records for these three players for the games for which I have play-by-play data so far.

Games pWins pLosses pWin Pct. pWOPA pWORL eWins eLosses eWin Pct. eWOPA eWORL
George Sisler
82
11.18.30.5731.1
1.8
11.68.10.5871.42.1
Rogers Hornsby
97
15.910.80.5952.6
3.6
17.011.10.6043.04.0
Ty Cobb
58
8.26.80.5470.5
1.0
8.87.90.5270.20.8


The next table blows up the Player won-lost records based on the actual number of games played by these three players.



Games pWins pLosses pWin Pct. pWOPA pWORL eWins eLosses eWin Pct. eWOPA eWORL
George Sisler
142
19.314.40.5731.8
3.1
20.014.10.5872.33.7
Rogers Hornsby
154
25.317.20.5954.1
5.8
26.917.70.6044.76.4
Ty Cobb
137
19.516.10.5471.1
2.5
20.718.60.5270.41.9


We are missing a significant number of games for all three players, so it's hard to draw definitive conclusions. It is not too surprising, of course, that Rogers Hornsby's season was the best of the three. Cobb's record here seems a little weak for a 0.400 hitter. Of course, we only have data for about 40% of Cobb's 1922 season, so he might have been considerably better in the 79 games for which we don't have play-by-play data yet.

Urban Shocker
It's hard to be absolutely certain, because of missing games, but the best pitcher in the major-leagues in 1922 may have been Urban Shocker, who amassed a traditional pitching W-L record of 24-17 with a 2.97 ERA in 348 innings pitched. In the first version of this article, the adjusted numbers (which were based on team games rather than player games, as they are now) showed Shocker with more than 20 pWins as well as 20 pLosses. As I noted at the time, the latter of these was "probably overstated", and, in fact, with more data and a more accurate player-specific adjustment method, Shocker now has considerably fewer than 20 estimated pLosses.

As I have noted elsewhere, pWins and pLosses are on the same scale as traditional pitcher wins and losses. This can be seen, for example, by comparing Urban Shocker's adjusted pWins and pLosses (22.0 - 15.7) to his traditional W-L record of 24-17.

Just as it is very unusual to see a pitcher who both wins and loses 20 games in the same season, so is it also unusual for a pitcher to amass 20 pWins and 20 pLosses in the same season.

The next table shows every season for which I have calculated Player won-lost records for which a pitcher amassed both 20 pWins and 20 pLosses. Keep in mind, of course, that I have complete play-by-play data only since 1941 and have not estimated Player won-lost records for any season before 1922.

pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL eWins eLosses eWOPA eWORL
Bob Feller27.320.04.4
6.7
23.919.52.95.0
Don Drysdale20.020.20.9
2.7
19.921.30.32.2
Mickey Lolich24.221.82.3
4.3
24.222.22.04.0
Wilbur Wood23.120.72.2
4.2
22.622.11.23.2
Phil Niekro21.621.31.1
3.1
21.921.01.43.3
Phil Niekro20.421.30.5
2.2
20.321.90.31.9


1922 Postseason

The 1922 World Series saw the New York Giants sweep the New York Yankees, although the Series included two one-run games and a 10-inning tie.

The top performances of the 1922 World Series, as measured by Player won-lost records, are presented in the next table.

1922 World Series: Top Player Performances
pWins pLosses pWORL
Frankie FrischNY11.20.40.4
Heinie GrohNY11.00.40.4
Jack ScottNY10.80.30.3
Hugh McQuillanNY10.90.40.3
Art NehfNY10.90.50.3
Jesse BarnesNY10.80.50.2


The top players of the 1922 World Series, as measured by Player won-lost records, were Giants' 3B Heinie Groh, who batted .474/.524/.579 for the Series; Hall-of-Fame 2B and 4-time World Series winner Frankie Frisch, who batted .471/.474/.529 for the Series; and Giants' pitcher Jack Scott, who pitched a complete-game 4-hit, 1-walk shutout in Game 3.

Best of 1922 by Factor and Position

Next, let's look at the top players in (context-neutral, teammate-adjusted) eWins over Positional Average in various aspects of the game. The numbers in this section have all been normalized to extrapolate player games for which I am missing play-by-play data. As above, this adjustment is based on individual player games for which I have play-by-play data.
Best by Factor: Batting, Baserunning, Pitching, Fielding
There are four basic factors for which players earn Player won-lost records: Batting, Baserunning, Pitching, and Fielding. The top players in 1922 in eWOPA by factor were as follows.

Batting
eWins eLosses eWOPA
Rogers Hornsby18.99.84.3

Positional Average excludes pitcher offense



It's a little surprising to not see Babe Ruth as the top hitter in the major leagues for a season in the 1920s. But Ruth only played 110 games in 1922. And it's not like Rogers Hornsby backed into his slot atop the leaderboard here. All he did was win a Triple Crown, batting .401/.459/.722 with 46 doubles, 42 home runs, 141 runs scored, 152 RBI, 250 hits, and 450 total bases - he led the National League in every one of those numbers.

Baserunning
eWins eLosses eWOPA
Max Carey2.91.20.8

Positional Average excludes pitcher offense



Pitching
eWins eLosses Net Wins
Urban Shocker17.213.34.0
Red Faber17.213.93.3
Jack Quinn14.411.43.0


Fielding, P
eWins eLosses Net Wins
Bob Shawkey1.30.50.7


Fielding, C
eWins eLosses Net Wins
Bob O'Farrell2.61.90.6


Fielding, 1B
eWins eLosses Net Wins
Earl Sheely2.82.40.4


Fielding, 2B
eWins eLosses Net Wins
Sam Bohne4.84.00.8
Bucky Harris6.35.50.8


Fielding, 3B
eWins eLosses Net Wins
Babe Pinelli6.45.41.0


Pie Traynor is a guy who I'm looking forward to taking a closer look at as we get play-by-play data for more of his career.

In the 1950s and 1960s, he was widely regarded as the greatest third baseman in major-league history. This was almost certainly an overbid (certainly by the time Eddie Mathews hit his prime). But now, Traynor is so disregarded in sabermetric circles that, for example, he is not in the Hall of Merit.

So far, I have calculated Player won-lost records for five seasons of Pie Traynor's career: 1922, 1925, 1927, 1931, and 1934. He rates as the best defensive third baseman in the majors here in 1922 (at age 22), as the best overall third baseman in the majors in 1927 and 1931, and the best third baseman in the National League in 1925. It's a small sample size, of course, but I suspect Player won-lost records may be much kinder to Pie Traynor than other sabermetric measures.

Anyway, back to the the best fielders of 1922.

Fielding, SS
eWins eLosses Net Wins
Dave Bancroft9.17.71.3


Fielding, LF
eWins eLosses Net Wins
Joe 'Moon' Harris5.14.11.0


Fielding, CF
eWins eLosses Net Wins
Elmer Miller (1912)5.54.60.9
Bernie Friberg1.40.50.9


Fielding, RF
eWins eLosses Net Wins
Curt Walker9.38.01.3


Best by Position
Next, we look at 1922 Major-League leaders in eWOPA by position. The figures shown here only include Player decisions earned while playing this particular position, and include no contextual adjustments (expected or actual).



Catcher
eWins eLosses eWOPA
Bob O'Farrell13.49.81.7


First Base
eWins eLosses eWOPA
George Sisler19.714.42.0


Second Base
eWins eLosses eWOPA
Rogers Hornsby26.518.14.3


Third Base
eWins eLosses eWOPA
Babe Pinelli20.117.21.9


Shortstop
eWins eLosses eWOPA
Dave Bancroft25.221.42.3


Left Field
eWins eLosses eWOPA
Ken Williams23.718.31.9


Center Field
eWins eLosses eWOPA
Max Carey24.319.61.7


Right Field
eWins eLosses eWOPA
Harry Heilmann18.714.51.4


Starting Pitcher
eWins eLosses eWOPA
Urban Shocker17.213.31.9


Relief Pitcher
eWins eLosses eWOPA
Art Decatur2.92.10.4
George Murray2.51.80.4
Jim Brillheart4.03.40.4


For relief pitchers, context-neutral records may not be the best measure of how good they are, as context can matter a great deal, depending on how a pitcher is used. Here are the top relief pitchers of 1922 in context, in terms of pWins and pWOPA.

Top Relief Pitchers of 1922, based on pWORL
Player pWins pLosses pWin Pct. pWOPA pWORL
Claude Jonnard3.93.00.5600.51.0
Virgil Barnes2.21.60.5790.40.6
Art Decatur3.73.60.5080.10.6
George Murray2.41.90.5560.30.6
Bill Bayne5.05.20.4870.00.6


It's a little interesting, and indicative of the relative (un)importance of relief pitching in the 1920s, that context doesn't really improve the records of any of Barnes, Decatur, or Murray, who nevertheless still show up among the top 5 relief pitchers of 1922.

Finally, here are the best at three oft-forgotten positions that can nevertheless matter: pitcher offense, pinch hitting, and pinch running.

Pitcher Offense
eWins eLosses eWOPA
Wilbur Cooper2.62.60.6


Pinch Hitter
eWins eLosses eWOPA
Pat Collins1.30.50.5


Pinch Runner
eWins eLosses eWOPA
Les Mann0.20.10.0
Joe Evans0.20.10.0
Bernie Neis0.10.00.0
Johnny Mitchell0.00.00.0
George Uhle0.00.00.0
Harvey McClellan0.00.00.0
Albert 'Cozy' Dolan0.00.00.0
Fred Haney0.10.10.0
Mike McNally0.00.00.0
Cedric Durst0.10.00.0
Frank Callaway0.00.00.0
Greasy Neale0.00.00.0
John Mohardt0.00.00.0
Jack Hammond0.00.00.0
Jimmy Smith0.00.00.0
Jim Mattox0.00.00.0
Beauty McGowan0.00.00.0
Ira Flagstead0.00.00.0
Fred Nicholson0.00.00.0
Pat McNulty0.00.00.0
Luke Sewell0.00.00.0
Cliff Heathcote0.00.00.0
Jack Smith (1915)0.00.00.0
Ralph Young0.00.00.0
Riggs Stephenson0.00.00.0
Ike Kahdot0.00.00.0
Johnny Rawlings0.00.00.0
Ralph Shinners0.10.10.0
Bill Wambsganss0.00.00.0
Ed Goebel0.00.00.0
Pinky Pittenger0.00.00.0
Al DeVormer0.10.00.0
Sam Bohne0.00.00.0
Max Flack0.00.00.0
Doc Lavan0.00.00.0
Lloyd Christenbury0.00.00.0
Fred Fussell0.00.00.0
Lew Fonseca0.00.00.0
Ty Cobb0.00.00.0
Sad Sam Jones0.00.00.0
Bing Miller0.00.00.0
George A. Smith0.00.00.0
Ray Rohwer0.00.00.0
Ken Williams0.00.00.0
Johnny Stuart0.00.00.0
Chick Maynard0.00.00.0
Big Jim Murray0.00.00.0
Rube Marquard0.00.00.0
John Jenkins0.00.00.0
Laurence 'Hack' Miller0.00.00.0
Ivey Wingo0.00.00.0
Irish Meusel0.00.00.0
Whitey Witt0.00.00.0
Petie Behan0.00.00.0
Wilbur Cooper0.00.00.0
Dixie Davis0.00.00.0
Jesse Haines0.00.00.0
Walter Johnson0.00.00.0
Roxy Walters0.00.00.0
Walter Barbare0.00.00.0
Earl Sheely0.00.00.0
Alexander 'Buck' Freeman0.00.00.0
Pete Donohue0.00.00.0
Lu Blue0.00.00.0
Jimmy Ring0.00.00.0
Johnny Morrison0.00.00.0
Jack Tobin0.00.00.0
Lucas Turk0.00.00.0
Nemo Leibold0.00.00.0
Otto 'Moonie' Miller0.00.00.0
Larry Kopf0.00.00.0
Shovel Hodge0.00.00.0
Karl Schnell0.00.00.0
Steve O'Neill0.00.00.0
Bob 'Ducky' Jones0.00.00.0
Waddy Macphee0.00.00.0
Camp Skinner0.00.00.0
Max Carey0.00.00.0
Pat Collins0.00.00.0
Del Gainer0.00.00.0
Goose Goslin0.00.00.0
Allan Russell0.00.00.0
Zack Wheat0.00.00.0
Billy Southworth0.00.00.0
Ray Schalk0.00.00.0
Howie Fitzgerald0.00.00.0
Johnny Couch0.00.00.0
Jack Graney0.00.00.0
Smokey Joe Wood0.00.00.0
Joe Bush0.00.00.0
Doc Johnston0.00.00.0
Lerton Pinto0.00.00.0
Art Merewether0.00.00.0
Chick Shorten0.00.00.0
Earl L. Smith0.00.00.0
Joe 'Moon' Harris0.00.00.0
Jimmy Johnston0.00.00.0
Walter Holke0.00.00.0
Bibb Falk0.00.00.0
Joe Klugmann0.00.00.0
Eppa Rixey0.00.00.0
George Kelly0.00.00.0
Everett Scott0.00.00.0
Frank Welch0.00.00.0
Carson Bigbee0.00.00.0
Jack Fournier0.00.00.0
Joe Gleason0.00.00.0
Dick Reichle0.00.00.0
Dazzy Vance0.00.00.0
Bunny Roser0.00.00.0
Charlie Robertson0.00.00.0
Hooks Cotter0.00.00.0
George J. Burns0.00.00.0
Virgil Barnes0.00.00.0
Joe Hauser0.00.00.0
Frank Parkinson0.00.00.0
Hank Severeid0.00.00.0
Sam Rice0.00.00.0
Eddie Foster0.00.00.0
Bernie Hungling0.00.00.0
Hank Gowdy0.00.00.0
Johnny Evers0.00.00.0
Vic Keen0.00.00.0
John Middleton0.00.00.0
Harry Heilmann0.00.00.0
Fred Johnson0.00.00.0
Babe Ruth0.00.00.0
Jim R. Sullivan0.00.00.0
Babe Adams0.00.00.0
Jimmy Austin0.00.00.0
Bill Doak0.00.00.0
Ray Francis0.00.00.0
Del Pratt0.00.00.0
Sherry Smith0.00.00.0
Mickey O'Neil0.00.00.0
Eddie Mulligan0.00.00.0
George Edmondson0.00.00.0
Homer Summa0.00.00.0
Dave Bancroft0.00.00.0
Slim Harriss0.00.00.0
Lee Meadows0.00.00.0
Tom Lovelace0.00.00.0
Hub Pruett0.00.00.0
Bill Pertica0.00.00.0
Tom Phillips0.00.00.0
Alex Ferguson0.00.00.0
Andy High0.00.00.0
Joe Genewich0.00.00.0
Percy Jones0.00.00.0
Red Lutz0.00.00.0
Carmen Hill0.00.00.0
Lefty O'Doul0.00.00.0
Heinie Scheer0.00.00.0
Frank Withrow0.00.00.0
Chief Yellowhorse0.00.00.0
Jim Bottomley0.00.00.0
Donie Bush0.00.00.0
Bill Piercy0.00.00.0
Paul Schreiber0.00.00.0
Doug McWeeny0.00.00.0
Pete Alexander0.00.00.0
Butch Weis0.00.00.0
Tris Speaker0.00.00.0
Bobby Veach0.00.00.0
Earl S. Smith0.00.00.0
Ollie Fuhrman0.00.00.0
Cliff W. Lee0.00.00.0
Bonnie Hollingsworth0.00.00.0
Marty McManus0.00.00.0
Clarence 'Heinie' Mueller0.00.00.0
George Mogridge0.00.00.0
Sam Dodge0.00.00.0
Tommy Griffith0.00.00.0
Hod Ford0.00.00.0
Harry Courtney0.00.00.0
Duster Mails0.00.00.0
Heinie Groh0.00.00.0
Bob Meusel0.00.00.0
Otto Rettig0.00.00.0
Cy Williams0.00.00.0
Pie Traynor0.00.00.0
Sid Benton0.00.00.0
Jim Brillheart0.00.00.0
Frank O'Rourke0.00.00.0
Dutch Ruether0.00.00.0
Cy Morgan0.00.00.0
Dick McCabe0.00.00.0
Sparky Adams0.00.00.0
George Stueland0.00.00.0
Coaster Joe Connolly0.00.00.0
Topper Rigney0.00.00.0
Red Shea0.00.00.0
Jimmie Dykes0.00.00.0
Bill Hubbell0.00.00.0
Charlie Grimm0.00.00.0
Baby Doll Jacobson0.00.00.0
Harry McCurdy0.00.00.0
George McNamara0.00.00.0
Harry 'Rip' Collins0.00.00.0
Ray Gordinier0.00.00.0
Walton Cruise0.00.00.0
Hal Bubser0.00.00.0
Ray Grimes0.00.00.0
George W. Harper0.00.00.0
Dave Keefe0.00.00.0
Hooks Dauss0.00.00.0
Frankie Frisch0.00.00.0
Norm McMillan0.00.00.0
Curt Walker0.00.00.0
Stuffy Stewart0.00.00.0
Bill F. Bailey0.00.00.0
Roy Walker0.00.00.0
Ivy Olson0.00.00.0
Hugh McQuillan0.00.00.0
Jimmie Long0.00.00.0
Tiny Osborne0.00.00.0
Dan Boone0.00.00.0
Joe Shaute0.00.00.0
Ole Olsen0.00.00.0
Frank Bruggy0.00.00.0
Art Fletcher0.00.00.0
Whitey Glazner0.00.00.0
Wally Gerber0.00.00.0
Pete Lapan0.00.00.0
Tioga George Burns0.00.00.0
Hank DeBerry0.00.00.0
Ted Blankenship0.00.00.0
Roy Wilkinson0.00.00.0
Walt Golvin0.00.00.0
Duke Gillespie0.00.00.0
Tex Jeanes0.00.00.0
Clem Llewellyn0.00.00.0
Rollie Naylor0.00.00.0
Reb Russell0.00.00.0
Wayne 'Rasty' Wright0.00.00.0
Specs Toporcer0.00.00.0
Chief Youngblood0.00.00.0
Mike Menosky0.00.00.0
Hy Myers0.00.00.0
Ernie R. Johnson0.00.00.0
Big Ed Morris0.00.00.0
Jim Bagby Sr.0.00.00.0
Joe Sewell0.00.00.0
Roy Moore0.00.00.0
Art Nehf0.00.00.0
Johnny Berger0.00.00.0
Rabbit Benton0.00.00.0
Rogers Hornsby0.00.00.0
Joe Judge0.00.00.0
Leon Cadore0.00.00.0
Tony Boeckel0.00.00.0
Jose Acosta0.00.00.0
Amos Strunk0.00.00.0
Pat Duncan0.00.00.0
Danny Clark0.00.00.0
Bill A. Cunningham0.00.00.0
Waite Hoyt0.00.00.0
John Singleton0.00.00.0
Walter Mueller0.00.00.0
Elam Vangilder0.00.00.0
Milt Stock0.00.00.0
Cy Warmoth0.00.00.0
Walt Lynch0.00.00.0
Clarence Mitchell0.00.00.0
Gene Lansing0.00.00.0
Harry Hooper0.00.00.0
Speed Martin0.00.00.0
Jack Scott0.00.00.0
Nellie Pott0.00.00.0
Clyde Manion0.00.00.0
Aaron Ward0.00.00.0
Stan Baumgartner0.00.00.0
Hal Carlson0.00.00.0
Dave Danforth0.00.00.0
Marv Goodwin0.00.00.0
Bucky Harris0.00.00.0
Possum Whitted0.00.00.0
Mule Watson0.00.00.0
Ferdie Schupp0.00.00.0
Jake Daubert0.00.00.0
Lou Guisto0.00.00.0
Johnny Bassler0.00.00.0
Ike Boone0.00.00.0
Gus Ketchum0.00.00.0
Goldie Rapp0.00.00.0
Jake Miller (1922)0.00.00.0
George Sisler0.00.00.0
Ricardo Torres0.00.00.0
Benn Karr0.00.00.0
Al Mamaux0.00.00.0
Harry Hulihan0.00.00.0
Roy Graham0.00.00.0
Marty Krug0.00.00.0
Edd Roush0.00.00.0
Ted Odenwald0.00.00.0
Syl Johnson0.00.00.0
Bob Shawkey0.00.00.0
Rube Yarrison0.00.00.0
Myrl Brown0.00.00.0
Herman Bronkie0.00.00.0
Howard Freigau0.00.00.0
Muddy Ruel0.00.00.0
Chuck Ward0.00.00.0
Dick Rudolph0.00.00.0
John A. Russell0.00.00.0
Uel Eubanks0.00.00.0
Ike Caveney0.00.00.0
Larry Gardner0.00.00.0
George Winn0.00.00.0
Frank 'Home Run' Baker0.00.00.0
Fred Heimach0.00.00.0
John W. Peters0.00.00.0
Tom McNamara0.00.00.0
Urban Shocker0.00.00.0
Epp Sell0.00.00.0
Howie Shanks0.00.00.0
Curt Fullerton0.00.00.0
Hal Janvrin0.00.00.0
Snake Henry0.00.00.0
Red Faber0.00.00.0
John Kelleher0.00.00.0
Babe Pinelli0.00.00.0
Guy Morton Sr.0.00.00.0
Claude Jonnard0.00.00.0
Wally Schang0.00.00.0
Tilly Walker0.00.00.0
Clyde Barnhart0.00.00.0
Bill Bayne0.00.00.0
Eddie Dyer0.00.00.0
Patsy Gharrity0.00.00.0
Jack Quinn0.00.00.0
Zack Taylor0.00.00.0
Ray Powell0.00.00.0
Virgil Cheeves0.00.00.0
Rube Bressler0.00.00.0
Jim Joe Edwards0.00.00.0
Jesse Barnes0.00.00.0
Fred Toney0.00.00.0
Bob Hasty0.00.00.0
Rabbit Maranville0.00.00.0
Gene Robertson0.00.00.0
Jeff Pfeffer0.00.00.0
Val Picinich0.00.00.0
Frank Gibson0.00.00.0
Larry Duff0.00.00.0
Tony Kaufmann0.00.00.0
Cliff Markle0.00.00.0
Dewey Metivier0.00.00.0
Travis Jackson0.00.00.0
Wally Pipp0.00.00.0
Red Schillings0.00.00.0
Jimmy Zinn0.00.00.0
Verne Clemons0.00.00.0
Eric Erickson0.00.00.0
Harry Shriver0.00.00.0
Joe Oeschger0.00.00.0
Johnny Mostil0.00.00.0
Turner Barber0.00.00.0
Kettle Wirts0.00.00.0
Larry Woodall0.00.00.0
Frank Snyder0.00.00.0
Chick Galloway0.00.00.0
Roy Leslie0.00.00.0
Bubber Jonnard0.00.00.0
Lou North0.00.00.0
Roger Peckinpaugh0.00.00.0
Joe Dugan0.00.00.0
Burleigh Grimes0.00.00.0
Gil Gallagher0.00.00.0
Ernie Cox0.00.00.0
Charlie Hollocher0.00.00.0
Dolf Luque0.00.00.0
Stuffy McInnis0.00.00.0
Bob Fothergill0.00.00.0
Mahlon Higbee0.00.00.0
George Murray0.00.00.0
Eddie Rommel0.00.00.0
Jesse Winters0.00.00.0
Rip Wheeler0.00.00.0
Ray Blades0.00.00.0
Frank Brower0.00.00.0
Herb Pennock0.00.00.0
Ray Schmandt0.00.00.0
Vic Aldridge0.00.00.0
Zeb Terry0.00.00.0
Stan Coveleski0.00.00.0
Allen Sothoron0.00.00.0
Lil Stoner0.00.00.0
Charlie Eckert0.00.00.0
Earl Hamilton0.00.00.0
Ray Kolp0.00.00.0
Austin McHenry0.00.00.0
Clyde Milan0.00.00.0
Shano Collins0.00.00.0
Bert Griffith0.00.00.0
Dana Fillingim0.00.00.0
Eddie Collins Sr.0.00.00.0
Gabby Hartnett0.00.00.0
Cactus Keck0.00.00.0
Jim Lindsey0.00.00.0
Howard Ehmke0.00.00.0
Alex Gaston0.00.00.0
Cy Perkins0.00.00.0
Lefty Weinert0.00.00.0
Cotton Tierney0.00.00.0
Clyde Barfoot0.00.00.0
Ossie Bluege0.00.00.0
Elmer Myers0.00.00.0
Sam Post0.00.00.0
Frank Miller0.00.00.0
Frank Mack0.00.00.0
Jigger Statz0.00.00.0
Ginger Shinault0.00.00.0
Herman Pillette0.00.00.0
Rosy Ryan0.00.00.0
Butch Henline0.00.00.0
Johnny Gooch0.00.00.0
Dutch Henry0.00.00.0
Ed Chaplin0.00.00.0
Art Decatur0.00.00.0
Johnny Cooney0.00.00.0
Emmett Bowles0.00.00.0
Yam Yaryan0.00.00.0
George Grantham0.00.00.0
Bubbles Hargrave0.00.00.0
George Cutshaw0.00.00.0
Phil Douglas0.00.00.0
Carl Mays0.00.00.0
Curly Ogden0.00.00.0
Tom A. Sullivan0.00.00.0
Walter Schmidt0.00.00.0
Eddie Ainsmith0.00.00.0
Ernie Vick0.00.00.0
Tom Zachary0.00.00.0
Elmer Miller (1912)0.00.00.0
Tim McNamara0.00.00.0
Dixie Leverett0.00.00.0
Bob O'Farrell0.00.00.0
Red Oldham0.00.00.0
Frank Brazill0.00.00.0
Huck Betts0.00.00.0
Jewel Ens0.00.00.0
Frank Ellerbe0.00.00.0
Jack Knight0.00.00.0
Bobby LaMotte0.00.00.0
Sam B. Crane0.00.00.0
Garland Braxton0.00.00.0
Homer Blankenship0.00.00.0
Augie Swentor0.00.00.0
Bevo LeBourveau0.00.0-0.0
Red Causey0.00.0-0.0
Elmer J. Smith0.00.0-0.0
Freddie Maguire0.00.0-0.0
Ross Youngs0.00.0-0.0
Chick Fewster0.00.0-0.0
Joe Berry Jr.0.00.0-0.0
Casey Stengel0.00.0-0.0
Al Nixon0.00.0-0.0
Charlie Jamieson0.00.0-0.0
Joe Rabbitt0.00.0-0.0
Lee King 20.00.0-0.0
Lum Davenport0.00.0-0.0
Dave Robertson0.00.0-0.0
Burt Shotton0.00.0-0.0
Carl Holling0.00.0-0.0
Russ Wrightstone0.00.0-0.0
Wally Kimmick0.00.0-0.0
Joe Schultz Sr.0.00.0-0.0
George Maisel0.00.0-0.0
Fred Hofmann0.00.0-0.0
Bill Sherdel0.00.0-0.0
Les Nunamaker0.00.0-0.0
Marty Callaghan0.00.0-0.0
Chick Gagnon0.00.0-0.0
Johnny Mokan0.00.0-0.0
Bernie Friberg0.00.0-0.0
Bill J. Doran0.00.1-0.0
Mike Cvengros0.00.00.0
Frank Woodward0.00.00.0
Al Yeargin0.00.00.0
Doc Hamann0.00.00.0
Frank McCue0.00.00.0
Clint Blume0.00.00.0
Ken Holloway0.00.00.0
Josh (John) Billings0.00.00.0
Chick Sorrells0.00.00.0
J. Harry O'Neill0.00.00.0
Joe Matthews0.00.00.0
Kiki Cuyler0.00.00.0
Elmer Pence0.00.00.0
Wally Hood Sr.0.00.00.0
Logan Drake0.00.00.0
Heinie Meine0.00.00.0
Uke Clanton0.00.00.0
Slim McGrew0.00.00.0
Phil Bedgood0.00.00.0


Major-League Baseball in 1922

Conventional wisdom has the last year of the deadball era being 1919 with baseball since 1920 looking more like the modern version. And, indeed, in 1922, four players hit 35 or more home runs, including Rogers Hornsby's major-league leading 42. Nobody in 1922 matched Chris Davis's 53 home runs (although Babe Ruth bested it in both 1920 and 1921), but only five players hit more than 35 home runs in 2013, only one more than in 1922 (with 14 more teams playing 8 more games).

On the other hand, though, neither the Boston Braves nor the Cleveland Indians hit 35 home runs as a team in 1922. The Philadelphia Phillies led the major leagues in home runs in 1922 with 116. Only three teams hit fewer than 116 home runs in 2013.

In 2013, there were a total of 4,661 home runs and 772 triples in major-league baseball. In 1922, there were only 1,055 home runs hit but 1,248 triples.

Aspects of the Deadball Era definitely still lingered in 1922. In 2013, major-league baseball teams collected 1,383 sacrifice bunts in 4,862 team games. In 1922, in 2,476 team games, there were 2,958 sacrifice bunts. In 2013, there were 2,693 stolen bases and 1,007 caught stealings. In 1922, there were 1,451 stolen bases and 1,165 caught stealings.

One statistic that was striking to me. In 2013, the major-league-wide strikeout-to-walk ratio was 2.51 (36,710-to-14,640) with 7.6 K/9. In 1922, the strikeout-to-walk ratio was 0.96 with a K/9 rate of 2.8. The major-league walk rate, however, was extremely similar in the two seasons: 3.0/9IP in 2013, 2.9/9IP in 1922.

Another number that was surprisingly (to me) similar was defensive efficiency: 0.692 in 2013, 0.682 in 1922, despite more errors in 1922 (3,215 to 2,745) in almost half as many games. And one more defensive shocker (to me). In 1922, there were more errors than double plays (3,215 to 2,242) while in 2013, there were more DPs than errors (4,340 to 2,747); no surprise there, but the difference is entirely because of errors: the number of double plays per game was actually slightly lower in 2013 (0.89) than in 1922 (0.90).

So, it was the same game, but it was different.

The next three tables compare the net win values of various offensive events in 1922 versus 2013. The 1922 win values here are calculated based only on the play-by-play data which has been released by Retrosheet.

Runs/Game HR T D S/ROE W/HBP IW
19225.220.13730.06600.05350.03410.03400.0159
20134.380.14520.08910.06520.03620.02810.0085


All K Other
1922-0.0223-0.0197-0.0227
2013-0.0229-0.0221-0.0232


SB CS WP Break-even Actual
19220.0147-0.02970.030566.9%49.7%
20130.0176-0.03340.027165.5%68.7%


Very different frequencies for a lot of events, but fairly similar values, although positive offensive events were somewhat more valuable in general in 2013, just because of the lower run-scoring environment.



All articles are written so that they pull data directly from the most recent version of the Player won-lost database. Hence, any numbers cited within these articles should automatically incorporate the most recent update to Player won-lost records. In some cases, however, the accompanying text may have been written based on previous versions of Player won-lost records. I apologize if this results in non-sensical text in any cases.

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