Fred Merkle, baseball player, 1907-1926

Fred Merkle

Born: 12/20/1888 in Watertown, WI, USA

Died: 3/2/1956 in Daytona Beach, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1907-09-21 | Final Game: 1926-09-26

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: Carl Frederick Rudolf Merkle

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Biography

Fred Merkle, born in 1888, was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball whose career spanned from 1907 to 1926. He played a total of 1,638 games, recording 1,580 hits, 61 home runs, and 733 RBIs, while maintaining a batting average of .273. Known for his speed on the bases, Merkle also stole 272 bases throughout his career, showcasing his versatility and athleticism. Merkle's playing style was characterized by aggressive base running and a keen eye at the plate, contributing to his significant impact on the game during the early 20th century. He is perhaps best remembered for the infamous "Merkle's Boner" incident in 1908, which became a pivotal moment in baseball history and highlighted the importance of base running awareness. As a player who competed during a transitional period in baseball, Merkle's achievements and challenges reflected the evolving nature of the sport, and his legacy continues to be a subject of interest among baseball historians.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1638 5782 720 1580 290 82 61 733 272 454 645 0.273 0.331 0.383 0.714 8100.5

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG PIV
1907 NY1 NL 15 47 0 12 1 0 0 5 0 1 7 0.255 0.0
1908 NY1 NL 38 41 6 11 2 1 1 7 0 4 9 0.268 0.0
1909 NY1 NL 79 236 15 45 9 1 0 20 8 16 46 0.191 -855.8
1910 NY1 NL 144 506 75 148 35 14 4 70 23 44 59 0.292 1991.0
1911 NY1 NL 149 541 80 153 24 10 12 84 49 43 60 0.283 1096.5
1912 NY1 NL 129 479 82 148 22 6 11 84 37 42 70 0.309 1733.2
1913 NY1 NL 153 563 78 147 30 13 3 69 35 41 60 0.261 153.4
1914 NY1 NL 146 512 71 132 25 7 7 63 23 52 80 0.258 603.4
1915 NY1 NL 140 505 52 151 25 3 4 62 20 36 39 0.299 1141.7
1916 BRO NL 23 69 6 16 1 0 0 2 2 7 4 0.232 -100.8
1916 NY1 NL 112 401 45 95 19 3 7 44 17 33 46 0.237 -100.8
1917 BRO NL 2 8 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.125 0.0
1917 CHC NL 146 549 65 146 30 9 3 57 13 42 60 0.266 0.0
1918 CHC NL 129 482 55 143 25 5 3 65 21 35 36 0.297 1256.2
1919 CHC NL 133 498 52 133 20 6 3 62 20 33 35 0.267 -126.1
1920 CHC NL 92 330 33 94 20 4 3 38 3 24 32 0.285 176.3
1925 NYY AL 7 13 4 5 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0.385 0.0
1926 NYY AL 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
27 88 10 21 3 1 1 9 9 18 0.239

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1918 WS CHN 6 18 1 5 0 0 0 1 4 3 0.278
1916 WS BRO 3 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 0.250
1913 WS NY1 4 13 3 3 0 0 1 3 1 2 0.231
1912 WS NY1 8 33 5 9 2 1 0 3 0 7 0.273
1911 WS NY1 6 20 1 3 1 0 0 1 2 6 0.150

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1547 219 15419 847 252 839
2B 3 2 3 5 0 1
3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
OF 46 1 91 8 2 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1907 NY1 1B 15 14 122 7 7 4
1908 NY1 1B 11 1 60 1 0 2
1908 NY1 2B 1 1 2 2 0 1
1908 NY1 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1908 NY1 OF 5 1 3 0 0 0
1909 NY1 1B 70 61 625 27 16 29
1909 NY1 2B 1 1 1 3 0 0
1910 NY1 1B 144 143 1390 84 29 87
1911 NY1 1B 148 0 1375 117 22 73
1912 NY1 1B 129 0 1229 72 27 77
1913 NY1 1B 153 0 1463 76 22 86
1914 NY1 1B 146 0 1463 88 16 80
1915 NY1 1B 110 0 1123 53 13 62
1915 NY1 OF 30 0 68 5 2 1
1916 BRO 1B 15 0 126 4 1 3
1916 BRO OF 4 0 5 1 0 0
1916 NY1 1B 112 0 1183 58 20 61
1917 BRO 1B 2 0 23 1 0 1
1917 CHN 1B 140 0 1415 66 26 84
1917 CHN OF 6 0 15 2 0 1
1918 CHN 1B 129 0 1388 82 15 69
1919 CHN 1B 132 0 1494 56 23 66
1919 CHN 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1920 CHN 1B 85 0 906 54 15 52
1920 CHN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1925 NYA 1B 5 0 28 1 0 3
1926 NYA 1B 1 0 6 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 1550
Second Base 3
Third Base 2
Left Field 12
Center Field 29
Right Field 9

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1912 Most Valuable Player NL 18th 4.0 64 0
1911 Most Valuable Player NL 7th 19.0 64 0