First Baseman, Detroit
Tigers
Age: 24
3rd season
with Tigers
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’3” Weight: 210
Prior to 1935:
A native of New
York City, who was born on New Year’s Day in 1911, Greenberg began playing baseball
on the fields at Crotona Park in the Bronx. An outstanding athlete at James
Monroe High School, he excelled at basketball, soccer, and track, as well as
baseball. Greenberg signed with the Tigers following his graduation from high
school in 1929. First assigned to Raleigh of the Class C Piedmont League in
1930, the Jewish first baseman endured anti-Semitic slurs on his way to batting
.314 with 26 doubles, 14 triples, and 19 home runs. He also saw action with
Hartford of the Class A Eastern League and appeared in one late-season game
with the Tigers. Playing for the Evansville Hubs of the Class B
Illinois-Indiana-Iowa (or Three-I) League in 1931, Greenberg hit .318 with 41
doubles, 10 triples, and 15 home runs. 1932 was spent with the Beaumont Exporters
of the Class A Texas League, where he continued to impress at the plate with a
.290 average, 31 doubles, 11 triples, and 39 home runs. Initially an awkward
first baseman, the gangly and hard-working Greenberg developed his craft and
made it to the Tigers to stay in 1933. That year he appeared in 117 games and
batted .301 with 33 doubles, 3 triples, 12 home runs, and 85 RBIs. He broke out
during a 1934 season in which Detroit won the AL pennant and contributed a
league-leading 63 doubles along with 7 triples, 26 home runs, and 139 RBIs. He
placed sixth in league MVP voting and hit .321 with a home run and 7 RBIs in
the seven-game World Series loss to the Cardinals.
1935 Season Summary
Appeared in 152
games
1B – 152
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 710 [3]
At Bats – 619
[8]
Runs – 120 [3]
Hits – 203 [4]
Doubles – 46 [2]
Triples – 16 [3]
Home Runs – 36 [1,
tied with Jimmie Foxx]
RBI – 168 [1]
Bases on Balls
– 87 [6]
Int. BB – N/A
Strikeouts – 91
[3]
Stolen Bases – 4
Caught Stealing
– 3
Average - .328
[7]
OBP - .411 [6]
Slugging Pct. -
.628 [2]
Total Bases – 389
[1]
GDP – N/A
Hit by Pitches
– 0
Sac Hits – 4
Sac Flies – N/A
League-leading
RBIs were +48 ahead of runner-up Lou Gehrig
League-leading total
bases were +49 ahead of runner-up Jimmie Foxx
Midseason
snapshot: HR – 25, RBI – 101, AVG - .317, SLG PCT - .671
---
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 5 AB) at NY Yankees 5/28, (in 4 AB) vs. St. Louis Browns 7/5, (in 5 AB)
at Cleveland 7/28, (in 5 AB) at Washington 9/11 – 12 innings
Longest hitting
streak – 13 games
HR at home – 18
HR on road – 18
Most home runs,
game – 2 (in 5 AB) at NY Yankees 5/28, (in 4 AB) at St. Louis Browns 6/28, (in
4 AB) vs. St. Louis Browns 7/5, (in 5 AB) vs. Cleveland 8/3 – 12 innings
Multi-HR games
– 4
Most RBIs, game
– 5 at St. Louis Browns 8/29
Pinch-hitting –
No appearances
Fielding
Chances - 1549
Put Outs – 1437
Assists – 99
Errors – 13
DP – 142
Pct. - .992
Postseason: 2 G
(World Series vs. Chi. Cubs)
PA – 8, AB – 6,
R – 1, H – 1, 2B – 0,3B – 0, HR – 1, RBI – 2, BB – 1, IBB – 0, SO – 0, SB – 0, CS
– 0, AVG - .167, OBP - .375, SLG -.667, TB – 4, GDP – N/A, HBP – 1, SH – 0, SF
– N/A
Awards & Honors:
AL MVP: BBWAA
Top 5 in AL MVP
Voting:
Hank Greenberg,
Det.: 80 pts. – 8 of 8 first place votes, 100% share
Wes Ferrell,
BosRS.: 62 pts. – 78% share
Joe Vosmik,
Clev.: 39 pts. – 49% share
Buddy Myer,
Wash.: 36 pts. – 45% share
Lou Gehrig, NYY:
29 pts. – 36% share
Tigers went 93-58
to win the AL pennant by 3 games over the New York Yankees while leading the
league in runs scored (918), RBIs (841), walks drawn (628), batting (.290),
on-base percentage (.366) total bases (2358), and slugging (.435). With
excellent hitting, fielding, and pitching, the Tigers held off the Yankees to
win a second straight pennant. Won World Series over the Chicago Cubs, 4 games
to 2, despite losing Greenberg to a broken wrist in Game 2.
Aftermath of ‘35:
Greenberg
reinjured the wrist that curtailed his 1935 World Series participation early in
1936 and was limited to just 12 games. He rebounded in 1937 to hit .337 with 49
doubles, 14 triples, 40 home runs, and a league-high 184 RBIs. In addition to
being an All-Star selection for the first time, he finished third in AL MVP
balloting. In 1938 Greenberg challenged Babe Ruth’s then single season record
by clubbing 58 home runs, along with 147 RBIs, and a .315 batting average. He
also drew an AL-high 119 walks and again placed third in league MVP voting. “Hammerin’
Hank” had solid but lower numbers in 1939 as he hit .312 with 33 home runs and
113 RBIs. Never an outstanding defensive first baseman, he was moved to left
field in 1940 to accommodate Rudy York, a young slugging first baseman. The
result was a pennant for the Tigers and Greenberg led the AL with 50 doubles,
41 home runs, 150 RBIs, a .670 slugging percentage, and 384 total bases, to go
along with a .340 batting average. He also hit .357 in the seven-game World
Series loss to Cincinnati and received his second American League MVP award. He
started the 1941 season and appeared in 19 games before entering the Army. He
missed the 1942, ’43, and ’44 seasons entirely due to World War II military
service, returning to the Tigers in July of 1945, following his discharge.
Still playing left field, he played a key role in spurring the club to another
pennant. Appearing in 78 games, Greenberg batted .311 with 13 home runs and 60
RBIs. His home run in the season’s final game clinched the pennant. In the
World Series victory over the Chicago Cubs, he hit .304 with two home runs and
7 RBIs. At age 35 in 1946 and showing signs of wear, Greenberg’s batting
average dropped to .277, but he still topped the league with 44 home runs and
127 RBIs. In the offseason he was sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates for $75,000.
His new club moved him back to first base in 1947 and he acted as a mentor to
slugging young outfielder Ralph Kiner. They also pulled the left field fence in
for his benefit. Greenberg batted .249 with 25 home runs and 74 RBIs, following
which he retired. Overall with the Tigers, he batted .319 with 1528 hits that
included 366 doubles, 69 triples, and 306 home runs while driving in 1200 RBIs.
His major league totals were a .313 average with 1628 hits, 379 doubles, 71
triples, and 331 home runs and 1274 RBIs. His lifetime slugging percentage was
.605. He led the AL in home runs and RBIs four times. In addition to being a
two-time MVP he was a four-time All-Star. The Tigers retired his #5 and he was
voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1956. Following his retirement as a
player, owner Bill Veeck of the Cleveland Indians hired the articulate and
intelligent Greenberg to be the team’s farm director and then general manager.
Later, when Veeck first bought the Chicago White Sox, Greenberg became a
part-owner and vice president until leaving to become an investment banker. He
lived until 1986, when he died at age 75.
--
MVP Profiles feature players in the National or
American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award
(1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present)
as Most Valuable Player.
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