Tommy Leach
Born: 11/4/1877 in French Creek, NY, USA
Died: 9/29/1969 in Haines City, FL, USA
MLB Debut: 1898-09-28 | Final Game: 1918-09-02
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'6" | Weight: 150 lbs
Full name: Thomas William Leach
Biography
Tommy Leach was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball during the early 20th century, with a career that spanned from 1898 to 1918. Born in 1877, Leach played a total of 2,156 games, showcasing his durability and consistency on the field. He accumulated 2,143 hits and finished his career with a batting average of .269, illustrating his ability to make contact and contribute offensively. Leach was not only a solid hitter but also a significant power threat, hitting 63 home runs and driving in 810 runs throughout his career. He was known for his speed on the bases, stealing a remarkable 361 bases, which was a valuable asset at a time when speed was increasingly becoming an important aspect of the game.
Leach's career unfolded during a transformative era in baseball, as the sport was evolving from the deadball era into a more offensive-minded game. His versatility allowed him to play various positions, though he is best remembered for his time as an outfielder. Leach's contributions went beyond statistics; he was a key figure on several competitive teams and played a significant role in the development of the game during his era. His legacy is marked not only by his impressive numbers but also by his impact on the teams he played for and the fans who followed him.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2156 | 7959 | 1355 | 2143 | 266 | 172 | 63 | 810 | 361 | 820 | 666 | 0.269 | 0.340 | 0.370 | 0.710 | 14010.6 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | LS3 | NL | 3 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.100 | 0.0 |
| 1899 | LS3 | NL | 106 | 406 | 75 | 117 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 57 | 19 | 37 | 27 | 0.288 | 211.1 |
| 1900 | PIT | NL | 51 | 160 | 20 | 34 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 8 | 21 | 16 | 0.212 | -505.7 |
| 1901 | PIT | NL | 98 | 374 | 64 | 114 | 12 | 13 | 2 | 44 | 16 | 20 | 32 | 0.305 | 728.7 |
| 1902 | PIT | NL | 135 | 514 | 97 | 143 | 14 | 22 | 6 | 85 | 25 | 45 | 45 | 0.278 | 1358.6 |
| 1903 | PIT | NL | 127 | 507 | 97 | 151 | 16 | 17 | 7 | 87 | 22 | 40 | 32 | 0.298 | 1692.6 |
| 1904 | PIT | NL | 146 | 579 | 92 | 149 | 15 | 12 | 2 | 56 | 23 | 45 | 47 | 0.257 | 520.8 |
| 1905 | PIT | NL | 131 | 499 | 71 | 128 | 10 | 14 | 2 | 53 | 17 | 37 | 44 | 0.257 | 243.9 |
| 1906 | PIT | NL | 133 | 476 | 66 | 136 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 39 | 21 | 33 | 19 | 0.286 | 732.6 |
| 1907 | PIT | NL | 149 | 547 | 102 | 166 | 19 | 12 | 4 | 43 | 43 | 40 | 36 | 0.303 | 2134.9 |
| 1908 | PIT | NL | 152 | 583 | 93 | 151 | 24 | 16 | 5 | 41 | 24 | 54 | 40 | 0.259 | 1644.8 |
| 1909 | PIT | NL | 151 | 587 | 126 | 153 | 29 | 8 | 6 | 43 | 27 | 66 | 49 | 0.261 | 1539.6 |
| 1910 | PIT | NL | 135 | 529 | 83 | 143 | 24 | 5 | 4 | 52 | 18 | 38 | 62 | 0.270 | 375.5 |
| 1911 | PIT | NL | 108 | 386 | 60 | 92 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 43 | 19 | 46 | 50 | 0.238 | -458.4 |
| 1912 | CHC | NL | 82 | 265 | 50 | 64 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 32 | 14 | 55 | 20 | 0.242 | 289.9 |
| 1912 | PIT | NL | 28 | 97 | 24 | 29 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 6 | 12 | 9 | 0.299 | 289.9 |
| 1913 | CHC | NL | 131 | 456 | 99 | 131 | 23 | 10 | 6 | 32 | 21 | 77 | 44 | 0.287 | 2078.0 |
| 1914 | CHC | NL | 153 | 577 | 80 | 152 | 24 | 9 | 7 | 46 | 16 | 79 | 50 | 0.263 | 1270.2 |
| 1915 | CIN | NL | 107 | 335 | 42 | 75 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 20 | 56 | 38 | 0.224 | -119.6 |
| 1918 | PIT | NL | 30 | 72 | 14 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 19 | 5 | 0.194 | 113.5 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 58 | 11 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 0.310 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1909 | WS | PIT | 7 | 25 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0.360 |
| 1903 | WS | PIT | 8 | 33 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0.273 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 14 | 2 | 22 | 35 | 4 | 4 |
| 3B | 955 | 466 | 1323 | 2127 | 344 | 113 |
| OF | 1079 | 509 | 2548 | 133 | 70 | 37 |
| SS | 64 | 8 | 115 | 165 | 41 | 14 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | LS3 | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1898 | LS3 | 3B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 1899 | LS3 | 2B | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 1899 | LS3 | 3B | 80 | 0 | 135 | 200 | 34 | 13 |
| 1899 | LS3 | SS | 25 | 0 | 56 | 75 | 25 | 3 |
| 1900 | PIT | 2B | 7 | 0 | 16 | 28 | 2 | 3 |
| 1900 | PIT | 3B | 31 | 0 | 45 | 69 | 18 | 4 |
| 1900 | PIT | SS | 8 | 0 | 12 | 20 | 4 | 2 |
| 1900 | PIT | OF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1901 | PIT | 3B | 92 | 0 | 122 | 196 | 34 | 9 |
| 1901 | PIT | SS | 4 | 0 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 2 |
| 1902 | PIT | 3B | 134 | 0 | 170 | 316 | 39 | 10 |
| 1903 | PIT | 3B | 127 | 0 | 178 | 292 | 65 | 16 |
| 1904 | PIT | 3B | 146 | 146 | 212 | 371 | 60 | 18 |
| 1905 | PIT | 2B | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1905 | PIT | 3B | 58 | 58 | 80 | 123 | 14 | 13 |
| 1905 | PIT | SS | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1905 | PIT | OF | 71 | 70 | 158 | 11 | 2 | 2 |
| 1906 | PIT | 3B | 65 | 67 | 73 | 135 | 16 | 4 |
| 1906 | PIT | SS | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1906 | PIT | OF | 60 | 56 | 131 | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| 1907 | PIT | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1907 | PIT | 3B | 33 | 33 | 45 | 65 | 15 | 5 |
| 1907 | PIT | SS | 6 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 3 | 2 |
| 1907 | PIT | OF | 111 | 111 | 284 | 15 | 6 | 5 |
| 1908 | PIT | 3B | 150 | 150 | 199 | 293 | 33 | 19 |
| 1908 | PIT | OF | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909 | PIT | 3B | 13 | 12 | 22 | 26 | 2 | 2 |
| 1909 | PIT | OF | 138 | 139 | 333 | 12 | 11 | 3 |
| 1910 | PIT | 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1910 | PIT | SS | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1910 | PIT | OF | 131 | 131 | 352 | 14 | 13 | 4 |
| 1911 | PIT | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1911 | PIT | SS | 13 | 0 | 18 | 27 | 4 | 3 |
| 1911 | PIT | OF | 89 | 0 | 208 | 15 | 3 | 3 |
| 1912 | CHN | 3B | 4 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 1912 | CHN | OF | 73 | 0 | 181 | 11 | 5 | 4 |
| 1912 | PIT | OF | 24 | 0 | 65 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 1913 | CHN | 3B | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1913 | CHN | OF | 121 | 0 | 271 | 15 | 3 | 5 |
| 1914 | CHN | 3B | 16 | 0 | 25 | 26 | 7 | 0 |
| 1914 | CHN | OF | 136 | 0 | 321 | 16 | 11 | 5 |
| 1915 | CIN | OF | 96 | 0 | 200 | 9 | 9 | 2 |
| 1918 | PIT | SS | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| 1918 | PIT | OF | 23 | 0 | 37 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 14 |
| Third Base | 957 |
| Shortstop | 65 |
| Left Field | 71 |
| Center Field | 1000 |
| Right Field | 15 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1913 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | OF |
| 1910 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | CF |
| 1909 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | CF |