MVP Profile: Hank Greenberg, 1940

Outfielder, Detroit Tigers

Age:  29

8^th season with Tigers

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’3”    Weight: 210

Prior to 1940:

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. The Tigers repeated as pennant-winners in 1935 and Greenberg was league MVP after batting .328 while leading the AL in home runs (36) and RBIs (168). However, a broken wrist limited his participation in the World Series triumph over the Cubs to two games. Greenberg reinjured the wrist 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.

1940 Season Summary

Appeared in 148 games

LF – 148

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 671 [8]

At Bats – 573 [19]

Runs – 129 [2]

Hits – 195 [6]

Doubles – 50 [1]

Triples – 8 [20, tied with Joe Kuhel & Jimmy Bloodworth]

Home Runs – 41 [1]

RBI – 150 [1]

Bases on Balls – 93 [6]

Int. BB – 8 [5, tied with Rudy York & George McQuinn]

Strikeouts – 75 [6]

Stolen Bases – 6

Caught Stealing – 3

Average - .340 [5, tied with Barney McCosky]

OBP - .433 [2]

Slugging Pct. - .670 [1]

Total Bases – 384 [1]

GDP – 15 [12, tied with Jimmy Bloodworth]

Hit by Pitches – 1

Sac Hits – 3

Sac Flies – N/A

League-leading doubles were +4 ahead of runners-up Rudy York & Lou Boudreau

League-leading home runs were +5 ahead of runner-up Jimmie Foxx

League-leading RBIs were +16 ahead of runner-up Rudy York

League-leading slugging percentage was +.044 ahead of runner-up Joe DiMaggio

League-leading total bases were +41 ahead of runner-up Rudy York

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 31, HR - 15, RBI - 71, AVG. - .344, SLG - .664

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 4 AB) at NY Yankees 7/20, (in 5 AB) at Washington 8/29

Longest hitting streak – 18 games

HR at home – 27

HR on road – 14

Most home runs, game – 2 (in 3 AB) vs. Phila. A’s 9/18

Multi-HR games – 1

Most RBIs, game – 5 at St. Louis Browns 6/29, vs. Phila. A’s 9/18, vs. Phila. A’s 9/19

Pinch-hitting – No appearances

Fielding

Chances - 327

Put Outs – 298

Assists – 14

Errors – 15

DP – 1

Pct. - .954

Postseason Batting: 7 G (World Series vs. Cincinnati)

PA – 30, AB – 28, R – 5, H – 10, 2B – 2,3B – 1, HR – 1, RBI – 6, BB – 2, IBB – 0, SO – 5, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .357, OBP - .400, SLG -.607, TB – 17, GDP – 2, HBP – 0, SH – 0, SF – N/A

Awards & Honors:

AL MVP: BBWAA

All-Star

Top 5 in AL MVP Voting:

Hank Greenberg, Det.: 292 pts. - 16 of 24 first place votes, 87% share

Bob Feller, Clev.: 222 pts. – 6 first place votes, 66% share

Joe DiMaggio, NYY: 151 pts. – 45% share

Bobo Newsom, Det.: 120 pts. – 1 first place vote, 36% share

Lou Boudreau, Clev.: 119 pts. – 1 first place vote, 35% share

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Tigers went 90-64 to win the AL pennant by 1 game over the Cleveland Indians while leading the league in runs scored (888), doubles (312), RBIs (829), walks drawn (664), and on-base percentage (.366). The Tigers found themselves in a tight pennant race with the Indians and New York Yankees, taking over first place just prior to the All-Star break. Dropping behind Cleveland in mid-August, falling as many as 5.5 games off the pace, they were behind the hard-charging Yankees as well as first-place Cleveland in early September. Detroit surged back and swapped the lead with the Indians seven times over a two-week period. Going 18-11 in September, the Tigers narrowly held off the Indians and Yankees. Lost the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds, 4 games to 3, with the Tigers falling in the last two games.

Aftermath of ‘40:

Greenberg 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.

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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.