John Franklin "Home Run" Baker

[Crash Course]

He played in the major leagues from 1908 to 1922.

[nyy26wc]

Of course. He's a member of the most important group in the world--the Hall of Fame.

Plus he had a .307 career average.
6 years with a .300 average
3 years with 100 RBI

[Golden Bear]

Quite possibly the best third baseman of the first half of the 20th century.

[rc3000]

Although I don't have access to the RCAA figures, I thought I might expand on some of the other categories Mr Baker finished in the top ten according to baseball-reference:
7 OPS
9 HR (including 4 consecutive years leading the league)
7 Runs Created
7 Slugging Pct
7 Doubles
4 Triples

So I am voting yes

[KCBOOMER]

He was first great 3B's of the modern era. Even 70+ years after his retirement he would still rank as a Top Ten 3B for offensive production alone. And he was an original member of Connie Mack's $100,000 infield.

[mainsr]

Quite possibly the best third baseman of the first half of the 20th century.

I don't think there's anyone particularly close.

[nyy26wc]

I don't think there's anyone particularly close.

Stan Hack.

But, after Hack and Baker, there's really nobody close to them.

CAREER
1900-1949
3B

RCAA RCAA
1 Stan Hack 306
2 Home Run Baker 303
3 Bob Elliott 203
4 Heine Groh 161
5 Harlond Clift 152
6 Whitey Kurowski 133
7 Heinie Zimmerman 122
8 Art Devlin 112
9 John McGraw 108
10 Red Smith 102

[rc3000]

CAREER
1900-1949
3B

RCAA RCAA
1 Stan Hack 306
2 Home Run Baker 303
3 Bob Elliott 203
4 Heine Groh 161
5 Harlond Clift 152
6 Whitey Kurowski 133
7 Heinie Zimmerman 122
8 Art Devlin 112
9 John McGraw 108
10 Red Smith 102

I am guessing that Pie Traynor may be considered somewhat overrated:)
Just curious as to his RCAA was he even close to the top 10? I guess it is time for me to re-order the encyclopedia but I don't want to look like a suck up...

[nyy26wc]

Traynor only had 75 RCAA.

[YankeeLinks]

Hey, the guy was called "HOME RUN" Baker. Whether it was deserved or not, that alone should be enough.

[rc3000]

Traynor only had 75 RCAA.
Thanks. That's it I am throwing out my 1976 Topps Card that had him listed as the greatest 3rd baseman of all-time

[nyy26wc]

Thanks. That's it I am throwing out my 1976 Topps Card that had him listed as the greatest 3rd baseman of all-time

And I better remove this card from my store before I get sued for selling a fraudulent item. It's fraud to call Bob Bonner and Jeff Schneider future stars.

[RascalJones]

I used to have that card, Lee. As a matter of fact, the memory of that card helped me in a game of 1980's Trivial Pursuit over the weekend.

[crazydiamond]

I desire said card
I've been a huge Ripken fan (despite living in California) since 1991

[Nuclear Dish]

When I was a little kid, someone told me that before Babe Ruth came around, Home Run Baker had earned his nickname because he was the pre-Ruth home run king. When I got older, I found that this was far from true. He wasn't the all-time leader, the active leader, or even the single season champ in even a single season, let alone overall. Which all leads me to question how he got his nickname.

[YankeeLinks]

When I was a little kid, someone told me that before Babe Ruth came around, Home Run Baker had earned his nickname because he was the pre-Ruth home run king. When I got older, I found that this was far from true. He wasn't the all-time leader, the active leader, or even the single season champ in even a single season, let alone overall. Which all leads me to question how he got his nickname.

From BaseballLibrary.com:

Baker earned his memorable nickname in the 1911 World Series, when he hit game-winning home runs on successive days against the Giants' future Hall of Fame pitchers Rube Marquard and Christy Mathewson.