Topper Rigney

Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1922-1927)

Topper Rigney was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1922 to 1927 for the Detroit Tigers, the Boston Red Sox, and the Washington Senators, a span of 6 seasons. In 694 career games, he hit .288 with 669 hits, 13 home runs, and 315 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 3,843.

AVG (Batting Average):
Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):
Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):
Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated

AVG .288
HR 13
RBI 315
H 669
OPS .775
PIV 3,843
Position
Shortstop
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'9" / 150 lb
Born
1/7/1897 in Groveton, TX, USA
Died
6/7/1972 in San Antonio, TX, USA
MLB Debut
1922-04-12
Last Game
1927-08-26

Full name: Emory Elmo Rigney

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Career Batting Statistics

Topper Rigney — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
694 2,326 324 669 113 39 13 315 44 377 176 .288 .388 .387 .775 3,843

Career AVG .288 vs. league average .284 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .388 vs. league average .346 across their career seasons — +12.2% above league average.

Career SLG .387 vs. league average .394 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .775 vs. league average .740 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Topper Rigney — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1922 DET AL 155 536 68 161 17 7 2 63 17 68 44 .300 .285 (+5%) .345 (+10%) .397 (-7%) .743 (+1%) 340.1
1923 DET AL 129 470 63 148 24 11 1 74 7 55 35 .315 .282 (+11%) .344 (+13%) .390 (+7%) .734 (+10%) 1042.2
1924 DET AL 147 499 81 144 29 9 4 94 11 102 39 .289 .283 (+2%) .345 (+19%) .389 (+4%) .734 (+11%) 1581.6
1925 DET AL 62 146 21 36 5 2 2 18 2 21 15 .247 .288 (-14%) .349 (-2%) .407 (-14%) .756 (-9%) -182.2
1926 BOS AL 148 525 71 142 32 6 4 53 6 108 31 .270 .279 (-3%) .345 (+14%) .390 (-3%) .735 (+5%) 957.9
1927 BOS AL 8 18 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 .111 — — — — 0.0
1927 WS1 AL 45 132 20 36 5 4 0 13 1 22 10 .273 .282 (-3%) .344 (+10%) .392 (-5%) .736 (+2%) 0.0
Career · 7 seasons 694 2,326 324 669 113 39 13 315 44 377 176 .288 — — — — 3,740

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (694 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Topper Rigney — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home32910561593035144.287
Away36512711663668181.288

Last 10 Games — Batting

Topper Rigney — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1927-08-26 MINCLEL 111000000
1927-08-24 MINCLEL 301000100
1927-08-19 MINSLAL 400000000
1927-08-08 MINCLEL 101000000
1927-08-06 MINCLEL 100000000
1927-07-26 MINCHWW 100000001
1927-07-24 MINSLAW 423000320
1927-07-23 MINSLAW 411000000
1927-07-22 MINSLAL 502000000
1927-07-22 MINSLAL 300000021

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Topper Rigney — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 14 0 13 16 1 3
SS 660 0 1150 2017 157 301

Season-by-Season Fielding

Topper Rigney — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1922 DET SS 155 0 262 493 50 74
1923 DET SS 129 0 209 383 35 46
1924 DET SS 146 0 273 463 25 72
1925 DET 3B 4 0 5 4 0 1
1925 DET SS 51 0 51 91 10 7
1926 BOS SS 146 0 286 492 25 80
1927 BOS 3B 4 0 4 3 0 1
1927 BOS SS 1 0 4 2 0 1
1927 WS1 3B 6 0 4 9 1 1
1927 WS1 SS 32 0 65 93 12 21

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Topper Rigney — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Third Base 15
Shortstop 659

College History

Topper Rigney — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Texas A&M University College Station TX 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918

Award Voting History

Topper Rigney — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1926 Most Valuable Player AL 21th 3.0 64 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Topper Rigney (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Jake Virtue
    .274 avg, 7 HR
  2. 97
    Oliver Marcell
    .305 avg, 16 HR
  3. 96
    Solly Hemus
    .273 avg, 51 HR
  4. 96
    Ray Sanders
    .274 avg, 42 HR
  5. 95
    Newt Joseph
    .291 avg, 31 HR
  6. 92
    Charlie Hollocher
    .304 avg, 14 HR

Topper Rigney: the record in brief

April 12, 1922 and August 26, 1927 bracket Topper Rigney's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Club by club, the record runs the Detroit Tigers (1922 through 1925), the Boston Red Sox (1926 through 1927), and the Washington Senators (1927). Rigney is listed as a shortstop at 5-foot-9 and 150 pounds. Rigney threw and hit right-handed, per the bio block. Rigney was born on January 7, 1897, in Groveton, TX, USA. The bio records the death on June 7, 1972, in San Antonio, TX, USA. Rigney's full given name, per the bio, is Emory Elmo Rigney.

Rigney finished with 669 hits from 2,326 at bats in 694 games, which works out to .288, adding 13 home runs, 315 runs batted in, and 44 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .388 clip and slugging .387, Rigney finished with a .775 OPS. The .288 career average is close to the .284 the league hit across the same seasons. Rigney collected a career-high 161 hits in 1922.

Frequently Asked Questions about Topper Rigney

What years did Topper Rigney play?
Topper Rigney played in Major League Baseball from 1922 to 1927.
Was Topper Rigney a pitcher?
No. Topper Rigney was a position player (Shortstop).
How many home runs did Topper Rigney hit?
Topper Rigney hit 13 career home runs with 669 hits.
What teams did Topper Rigney play for?
Topper Rigney played for 3 teams: the Detroit Tigers (1922–1925), the Boston Red Sox (1926–1927), and the Washington Senators (1927).
What were Topper Rigney's career stats?
In 694 games, Topper Rigney had 669 hits, 13 home runs, 315 RBI, 324 runs, and 44 stolen bases, with a .288 batting average.
What position did Topper Rigney play?
Topper Rigney played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Topper Rigney and how much did he weigh?
Topper Rigney was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 150 pounds.
How many home runs did Topper Rigney hit each season?
Topper Rigney's home runs by season: 2 in 1922, 1 in 1923, 4 in 1924, 2 in 1925, 4 in 1926, and 0 in 1927. His most in one season was 4, in 1924 and 1926.
What was Topper Rigney's career batting average?
Topper Rigney batted .288 over his career, with 669 hits in 2,326 at bats.
How many RBI did Topper Rigney have?
Topper Rigney drove in 315 runs in his career.
Is Topper Rigney in the Hall of Fame?
No. Topper Rigney has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.