MVP Profile: Roger Peckinpaugh, 1925

Shortstop, Washington Senators

Age:  34

4^th season with Senators

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 5’10” Weight: 165

 

Prior to 1925:

An Ohio native, Peckinpaugh grew up in the same Cleveland neighborhood in which star second baseman Nap Lajoie resided, and who the youthful Peckinpaugh much admired. A good all-around athlete in high school, he played football and basketball as well as baseball. After graduating high school in 1909, Lajoie’s Cleveland Naps signed Peckinpaugh for $125 per month. Starting out with the New Haven Prairie Hens of the Class B Connecticut State League in 1910, the rangy young shortstop batted .255 with 17 doubles, 9 triples, and 5 home runs, earning a late-season trial with Cleveland, during which he hit .200 in 15 games. In need of further seasoning, he was sent to the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League in 1911 where he batted .258 with 38 doubles, 15 triples, and 7 home runs. Earning a spot with Cleveland in 1912, Peckinpaugh hit just .212 in 70 games. Losing the starting shortstop job in 1913, he was traded to the New York Yankees in May and took over at shortstop there, hitting .268 and performing well defensively. With a strong arm and excellent range, he continued to develop in 1914, a year when he was named team captain due to his calm demeanor and natural leadership abilities, although his average dropped to .223. He stole 38 bases and ranked 23^rd in league MVP voting. He also served as player/manager for the last three weeks of the season following manager Frank Chance’s departure and despite his being only 23. Signed to a three-year deal at $6000 per year to keep him from potentially jumping to the rival Federal League, Peckinpaugh batted .220 in 1915 with 18 doubles, 7 triples, and 5 home runs while remaining proficient in the field. His glove work continued to outpace his hitting in 1916 as he topped AL shortstops in assists (468) and placed second in chances (796) and put outs (285), while batting .255 with 22 doubles, 8 triples, 4 home runs, and 58 RBIs. In 1917 Peckinpaugh’s average rose to .260 with 24 doubles and 7 triples. In the field he led league shortstops with 84 double plays while ranking third in chances (813), assists (467), and put outs (292). The results were similar in 1918 as his average dropped back to .231 and he topped AL shortstops in assists (439) and DPs (75). In 1919 Peckinpaugh hit .305 with 7 home runs while once again leading AL shortstops in assists (434) and double plays (64). With the Yankees in pennant contention in 1920, “Peck” batted .270 with 26 doubles, 6 triples, 8 home runs, and 54 RBIs. He was again among the league leaders defensively. The club won its first pennant in 1921 and the star shortstop hit .288 with 25 doubles, 7 triples, 8 home runs, and 72 RBIs. He also drew 84 walks, which helped him to a .380 OBP. In the World Series loss to the Giants, he performed poorly at bat and in the field and he was dealt to the Red Sox in the offseason, who turned around and traded him to the Senators. With his new club in 1922, Peckinpaugh batted .254 and provided solid defense and effective leadership. He followed up by hitting .264 in 1923 and, in 1924, Washington won the AL pennant while the veteran shortstop batted .272. He had an outstanding World Series performance against the Giants, batting .417 and making significant plays at shortstop while dealing with a left thigh injury.

 

1925 Season Summary

Appeared in 126 games

SS – 124, 1B – 1, PH – 1

 

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

 

Batting

Plate Appearances – 494

At Bats – 422

Runs – 67

Hits – 124

Doubles – 16

Triples – 4

Home Runs – 4

RBI – 64

Bases on Balls – 49

Int. Walks – N/A

Strikeouts – 23

Stolen Bases – 13 [15, tied with Bob Meusel & Ty Cobb]

Caught Stealing – 4

Average - .294

OBP - .367

Slugging Pct. - .379

Total Bases – 160

GDP – N/A

Hit by Pitches – 0

Sac Hits – 22 [12, tied with Bibb Falk & Bing Miller]

Sac Flies – N/A

 

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 6, HR – 1, RBI – 34, SB – 10, AVG – .278, OBP – .353

 

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 5 AB) at Cleveland 8/20 – 12 innings

Longest hitting streak – 7 games

HR at home – 0

HR on road – 4

Most home runs, game – 2 (in 4 AB) at Phila.A’s 9/9

Multi-HR games – 1

Most RBIs, game – 6 at Phila. A’s 9/9

Pinch-hitting – 0 for 1 (.000) with 1 BB

 

Fielding

Chances – 588

Put Outs – 215

Assists – 345

Errors – 28

DP – 71

Pct. - .952

 

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

PA – 27, AB – 24, R – 1, H – 6, 2B – 1,3B – 0, HR – 1, RBI – 3, BB – 1, IBB – 0, SO – 2, SB – 1, CS – 1, AVG - .250, OBP - .280, SLG - .417, TB – 10, GDP – N/A, HBP – 0, SH – 1, SF – N/A

 

Awards & Honors:

AL MVP: League Award

 

Top 5 in AL MVP Voting:

Roger Peckinpaugh, Wash.: 45 pts. – 70% share

Al Simmons, PhilaA.: 41 pts. – 64% share

Joe Sewell, Clev.: 21 pts. – 33% share

Harry Heilmann, Det.: 20 pts. – 31% share

Harry Rice, StLB.: 18 pts. – 28% share

 

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Senators went 96-55 to win the AL pennant by 8.5 games over the Philadelphia Athletics while leading the league in stolen bases (135). The Senators built upon a 52-26 first half to cruise to a second straight pennant. Lost World Series to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4 games to 3, with Peckinpaugh, who already had been named AL MVP, committing a record 8 errors, three of which directly led to Washington losses, including one in the deciding seventh game that was played in inclement weather.

 

Aftermath of ‘25:

With his legs increasingly causing him trouble, Peckinpaugh played one more season for the Senators in 1926 and finished his playing career with the Chicago White Sox in 1927. For his major league career, Peckinpaugh batted .259 with 1876 hits that included 256 doubles, 75 triples, and 48 home runs. He scored 1006 runs and compiled 740 RBIs and 205 stolen bases. With the Senators he batted .267 with 293 runs scored, 583 hits, 72 doubles, 18 triples, 11 home runs, 261 RBIs, and 46 stolen bases. He appeared in three World Series, in which his performances were a mixed bag, in the field and at bat. He hit .250 in 19 games with a home run and 5 RBIs. Peckinpaugh received MVP votes after four seasons. Much respected for his leadership qualities, he went on to manage the Cleveland Indians from 1928 to ’33, and then again in 1941. His overall major league managerial record, including his brief stint with the Yankees in 1914, was 500-491. Afterward he also managed minor league teams until leaving baseball in 1946. Peckinpaugh died in 1977 at age 86.

 

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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.