Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoPoto
Pinch McBride played parts of 16 MLB seasons, but the bulk of his career was 1908-1916 with the Washington Senators. Although his nick-name is derived from his reputation as a clutch hitter, the truth is he couldn't really hit all that well. His defense must have been special, because he played most every game during that span with the Senators. The result is that he has the lowest batting average in major league history of any player with over 5,000 at-bats. I prefer to think of it as a defensive record -- his defense was so good, they continued to let him hit.
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George, the following is from McBride's SABR bio:
"Like his contemporary in the National League, Mickey Doolan, George McBride was the prototypical "good-field, no-hit" shortstop during the Deadball Era.
Widely viewed as the best defensive shortstop in his league, McBride struggled mightily at the bat. A relatively large shortstop, standing 5'11' and weighing 170 pounds, McBride was described in the press as an "aggressive, alert, and quick-witted" fielder.
He led the AL in fielding percentage five times, including four times consecutively from 1912 to 1915, and was near the lead in most other years. Meanwhile, he achieved only a .218 lifetime batting average, never exceeding .235 for a single season.
He was an iron man during his days as the regular shortstop for the Washington Senators, and was recognized as one of the headiest players of his day."
Despite his weak hitting, McBride received votes for the Chalmers AL MVP Award in each of the 4 years (1911-1914) this Award was presented. Also, McBride managed the Senators to a 4th place finish in the AL in 1921, the first year after Clark Griffith stepped down as field manager. Unfortunately, on 7/27/21, McBride was struck in the head by a thrown ball during pre-game practice. Despite suffering dizziness and other ill effects, McBride was able to finish out the 1921 season, but he was not able to continue as manager the next year.