Highlighted Year: Frank Chance, 1903

First Baseman, Chicago Cubs

Age: 27 (Sept. 9)

6^th season with Orphans/Cubs

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’0”    Weight: 190 

Prior to 1903:

A native of Fresno, California, Chance first played organized baseball at the Univ. of California where he was studying to become a dentist. After transferring to Washington College in Irvine, he played in an independent league in 1897 where he came to the attention of a player for the Cubs, then called the Orphans, who signed him as a backup outfielder and catcher in 1898. Appearing in 53 games during his rookie season, Chance batted .279 with 8 extra-base hits, 14 RBIs, and a .338 on-base percentage. Nicknamed “Husk” for his husky frame and aggressive play, Chance appeared in 64 games in 1899 and hit .286 with 9 extra-base hits, 22 RBIs, 10 stolen bases, and a .351 OBP. He continued in the same role in 1900 and 1901, limited in his playing time because of frequent injuries, in particular hand injuries that included broken fingers due to handling foul tips. Appearing in 76 games in 1902 he batted .289 with 14 extra-base hits, 31 RBIs, and a .401 OBP. The loss of first baseman Bill Hanlon and the emergence of catcher Johnny Kling had Chance playing substantially at first base, initially as a temporary fill-in. In 1903 he went from fill-in to regular first baseman.

1903 Season Summary

Appeared in 125 games

1B – 121, C – 2, PH – 2

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 540

At Bats – 441

Runs – 83 [17, tied with John Farrell]

Hits – 144 [20]

Doubles – 24 [19, tied with Shad Barry & Ed Gremminger]

Triples – 10 [12, tied with Jake Beckley, Claude Ritchey & Duff Cooley]

Home Runs – 2

RBI – 81 [6, tied with Jake Beckley]

Bases on Balls – 78 [4]

Int. BB – N/A

Strikeouts – 41

Stolen Bases – 67 [1, tied with Jimmy Sheckard]

Caught Stealing – N/A

Average - .327 [8, tied with Patsy Donovan, Jake Beckley & Roy Thomas]

OBP - .439 [3]

Slugging Pct. - .440 [11]

Total Bases – 194 [17, tied with Jimmy Sebring & Jimmy Slagle]

GDP – N/A

Hit by Pitches – 10 [7, tied with Sammy Strang]

Sac Hits – 2

Sac Flies – N/A

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 12, 3B – 7, HR - 0, RBI - 27, SB – 30, AVG - .285, OBP - .438, SLG – .403

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 5 AB) at Phila. Phillies 5/23, (in 5 AB) vs. Bos. Beaneaters 9/27

Longest hitting streak – 12 games

Most HR, game – 1 (in 4 AB) at Brooklyn 8/19, (in 5 AB) at NY Giants 8/22

HR at home – 0

HR on road – 2

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 4 at Brooklyn 6/25, at Bos. Beaneaters 8/12

Pinch-hitting – N/A

Fielding (1B)

Chances – 1308

Put Outs – 1204

Assists – 68

Errors – 36

DP – 49

Pct. – .972 

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The Cubs went 82-56 to finish third in the NL, 8 games behind the pennant-winning Pittsburgh Pirates. The up-and-coming Cubs started well and were in first place from May 15 until June 6. They remained in contention through June and were in second or third the rest of the way as the Pirates pulled away.

Aftermath of 1903:

In 1904, Chance, now established as a starting player, again performed well and batted .310 with 16 doubles, 10 triples, 6 home runs, 49 RBIs, 42 stolen bases, a .382 OBP, and a .430 slugging percentage. During the 1905 season he replaced ailing manager Frank Selee and proved to be an effective motivator in guiding the Cubs to a third-place finish. As a player he contributed by hitting .316 with 16 doubles, 12 triples, 2 home runs, 70 RBIs, 38 stolen bases, a league-leading .450 OBP, and a .434 slugging percentage. Fearless, aggressive, and willing to risk injury to make a play, he became partially deaf in his left ear due to frequent beanings due to his tendency to crowd the plate when batting. Chance was also tough but diplomatic in his handling of players and they responded well, leading to another nickname, “The Peerless Leader”. He became part of a legendary infield in combination with shortstop Joe Tinker and second baseman Johnny Evers. In 1906 he guided the Cubs to a record 116-win season while leading the NL in runs scored (103) and stolen bases (57) while batting .319 with 24 doubles, 10 triples, 3 home runs, 71 RBIs, a .419 OBP, and a .430 slugging percentage. The Cubs were upset in the World Series by the crosstown White Sox, who got by on pitching, timely hitting, and defense. The Cubs won another pennant in 1907 and Chance, playing in only 111 games due to injury, hit .293 with 19 doubles, a home run, 49 RBIs, 35 stolen bases, and a .395 OBP while performing well defensively, leading NL first basemen with a .992 fielding percentage. This time the club won the World Series, defeating Detroit in five games. The Cubs won a third straight pennant in 1908 and, playing in 129 games, Chance batted .272 with 27 doubles, 4 triples, 2 home runs, 55 RBIs, 35 stolen bases, and a .338 OBP.  The club again defeated Detroit in the World Series and “The Peerless Leader” batted .421 with a .500 OBP in five games. The Cubs dropped to second place in 1909 and injuries limited Chance to 93 games in which he hit .272 with a .341 OBP. His playing time dropped to 88 games in 1910, but his managerial leadership saw no slippage as the Cubs returned to the top of the National League, only to lose the World Series to the Philadelphia Athletics. His playing time dropped further in 1911 and he was let go as both a player and manager following the 1912 season. Afflicted by blood clots in the brain due to his beanings, he had brain surgery and returned as player/manager of the American League’s New York Yankees in 1913. He saw little action on the field during his stint in New York which lasted only two seasons. The club performed poorly and he retired to return home to California. For his major league career, Chance batted .296 with 1274 hits that included 200 doubles, 79 triples, and 20 home runs. He scored 798 runs and compiled 596 RBIs, 403 stolen bases, a .394 OBP, and a .394 slugging percentage. Virtually all of his statistics were compiled with the Cubs where his managerial record was 768-389 for a gaudy .664 winning percentage. His teams won four pennants and two World Series titles. Following his playing career, Chance grew oranges in California and for a short time owned and managed the Los Angeles club in the Pacific Coast League. He returned to major league managing in 1923 with the Boston Red Sox, who finished last. Slated to manage the Chicago White Sox in 1924, poor health forced him to stand down and he died later that year at age 48. His playing style and propensity for head injuries finally caught up to him. Chance was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946 for his contributions as a player, despite missing so much time due to injuries, and as a manager.  As contemporary Hall of Fame manager John McGraw summed up: “He was a great player – I think one of the best first basemen ever in the game – but in addition he was a great leader because he asked no man to take any chance that he would not take himself and because he had the power to instill enthusiasm even in a losing cause.”

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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.