Highlighted Year: Win Mercer, 1902

Pitcher, Detroit Tigers

Age:  28 (June 20)

1^st season with Tigers

Bats – Left, Throws – Right

Height: 5’9”    Weight: 154 

Prior to 1902:

Born in West Virginia, George Barclay Mercer’s family moved several times and eventually ended up in East Liverpool, Ohio. Mercer pitched well for factory teams in the area and was nicknamed “Winner”, which came to be shortened to “Win”. At 19 in 1893, he turned professional and pitched for teams in the New England League, compiling a record of 20-13. The thin and clean-shaven Mercer looked younger than his age and joined the National League’s Washington Senators in 1894. With a poor club, he lost his first nine decisions but went on to post a 17-23 tally with a 3.85 ERA, 30 complete games, and 72 strikeouts. He had fair speed on his fastball which he mixed effectively with a deceptive slow ball as well as straight and drop pitches that he threw with reportedly decent control, although he issued a significant number of walks. In 1895 he slipped to 13-23 with a 4.42 ERA, 32 complete games, and 85 strikeouts. Mercer rebounded in 1896 to 25-18 with a 4.13 ERA, 38 complete games, 366.1 innings pitched, and 94 strikeouts. The Senators remained a losing club overall and again in 1897 when Mercer posted a 21-20 tally with a 3.18 ERA while leading NL pitchers in appearances (47), starts (43), shutouts (3), and hit batters (28). Popular with fans due to his outgoing personality and handsome appearance (which made him a favorite Ladies Day starter), he was a crafty pitcher who had added an effective curve to his repertoire. Having accumulated a lot of innings and thrown many pitches, Mercer slumped in 1898 to 12-18 with a 4.81 ERA. With his workload reduced in 1899, he went 7-14 with a 4.60 ERA. A good hitter (without power), he filled in at other positions, typically third base and in the outfield, when not pitching to keep his bat in the lineup. The Washington club was disbanded following the 1899 season as the NL downsized and Mercer joined the New York Giants in 1900 where his record improved to 13-17 with a 3.86 ERA, 26 complete games, and 39 strikeouts in 242.2 innings pitched. In 1901 he jumped to the new Washington Senators franchise in the American League for $3000 and compiled a 9-13 tally with a 4.56 ERA. He also batted .300 while used as a utility player when not on the mound. He was sold to the Tigers in 1902.

1902 Season Summary

Appeared in 35 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 35 [9, tied with Jimmy Callahan, Red Donahue & George Mullin]

Games Started – 33 [9]

Complete Games – 28 [11, tied with Bill Carrick & Addie Joss]

Wins – 15 [14, tied with Lewis Wiltse, Jack Harper & Clark Griffith]

Losses – 18 [3, tied with Al Orth & Earl Moore]

PCT - .455

Saves – 1 [2, tied with nine others]

Shutouts – 4 [2, tied with Earl Moore & Ed Siever]

Innings Pitched – 281.2 [11]

Hits – 282 [12, tied with George Mullin]

Runs – 129 [17, tied with Wiley Piatt]

Earned Runs – 95 [16]

Home Runs – 5 [19, tied with seven others]

Bases on Balls – 80 [11]

Strikeouts – 40

ERA – 3.04 [12]

Hit Batters – 10 [10, tied with Rube Waddell]

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 1    

Midseason Snapshot: 9-8, ERA - 2.79, SO - 21 in 151.2 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 3 (in 9 IP) vs. Cleveland 5/3, (in 9 IP) vs. St. Louis Browns 7/5

10+ strikeout games – 0

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 1 (in 9 IP) vs. Washington 8/2

Batting

PA – 112, AB – 100, R – 8, H – 18, 2B – 2, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 6, BB – 6, SO – 7, SB – 1, CS – N/A, AVG - .180, GDP – N/A, HBP – 0, SH – 3, SF – N/A

Fielding

Chances – 124

Put Outs – 13

Assists – 103

Errors – 8

DP – 2

Pct. - .935

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The Tigers went 52-83 to finish seventh in the AL, 30.5 games behind the pennant-winning Philadelphia Athletics. The punchless Tigers were 16-14 at the end of May but slid downward the rest of the way, wasting good pitching performances by Mercer, George Mullin, and ERA champ Ed Siever.

Aftermath of 1902:

Following the 1902 season it was announced that Mercer would manage the Tigers in 1903. He then helped organize a barnstorming tour of the western United States. While in San Francisco in January, he committed suicide at the age of 28. The reason for his suicide remains a mystery but speculation at the time blamed gambling. A cryptic note stated “beware of women and a game of chance.” It appears that he suffered from bouts of depression. For his major league career he posted a record of 132-164 with a 3.98 ERA, 253 complete games, 11 shutouts, and 532 strikeouts and 755 walks over the course of 2484.2 innings. As a batter he hit .285 with a .344 on-base percentage. A good pitcher with mediocre teams, he ultimately came to a tragic end that remains shrouded in mystery.    

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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc. players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.