First Baseman, St.
Louis Cardinals
Age: 26 (Sept. 3)
5th season
with Cardinals
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’2” Weight: 195
Prior to 1911:
A native of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, Konetchy left school at 14 and started working in a candy factory where he began to play sandlot baseball after work until he joined the factory team at 16. As a 19-year-old in 1905 he joined the LaCrosse team in the Class D Wisconsin State League where he started out in left field before moving to his permanent position at first base. Konetchy remained with LaCrosse until 1907 until, having gained notice for his outstanding hitting, he signed with the Cardinals for $275 per month. The 21-yer-old first sacker moved directly into the St. Louis lineup and over the course of 91 games batted .251 with 11 doubles, 9 triples, 2 home runs, 30 RBIs, 13 stolen bases, and a .317 on-base percentage. He also drew praise from around the National League as a star in the making. In 1908 his batting average remained in the same neighborhood at .248 and he produced 19 doubles, 12 triples, 5 home runs, 50 RBIs, 16 stolen bases, and a .309 OBP. An excellent defensive first baseman, Konetchy placed second among the league’s first sackers with 1610 putouts and first with 122 assists. Earning the nickname “Big Ed” due to his imposing build, he stood out at first base, which proved helpful to infielders throwing his way. He also was appreciated for his forthright persona. In 1909 his batting production improved to .286 with 23 doubles, 14 triples, 4 home runs, 80 RBIs, 25 stolen bases, and a .366 OBP. Defensively he led NL first basemen in putouts (1584) and assists (97). Studious in observing opposing pitchers, especially those who caused him difficulty, Konetchy had an excellent work ethic he transitioned from being a pull hitter to one who hit line drives to all fields from his upright stance. He followed up in 1910 with a 20-game hitting streak on his way to batting .302 with 23 doubles, 16 triples, 3 home runs, 78 RBIs, 18 stolen bases, a .397 OBP, and a .425 slugging percentage. Defensively he led NL first basemen in fielding percentage (.991), putouts (1499), and assists (98). He had established himself as an outstanding player on a mediocre team (the Cardinals had finished no better than seventh in any season in which he had been with them).
1911 Season Summary
Appeared in 158
games
1B – 158
[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 680 [6]
At Bats – 571 [7]
Runs – 90 [12,
tied with Buck Herzog]
Hits – 165 [6,
tied with Bob Bescher]
Doubles – 38 [1]
Triples – 13 [8,
tied with five others]
Home Runs – 6 [14,
tied with Buck Herzog & Dots Miller]
RBI – 88 [8]
Bases on Balls
– 81 [6, tied with Josh Devore]
Int. BB – N/A
Strikeouts – 63
[13, tied with Bert Tooley]
Stolen Bases – 27
Caught Stealing
– N/A
Average - .289 [19,
tied with Dick Hoblitzell]
OBP - .384 [9,
tied with Frank Schulte]
Slugging Pct. -
.433 [10]
Total Bases – 247
[7, tied with Heinie Zimmerman]
GDP – N/A
Hit by Pitches
– 7 [9, tied with five others]
Sac Hits – 21 [17,
tied with Otto Knabe]
Sac Flies – N/A
League-leading
doubles were +2 ahead of runner-up Doc Miller
Midseason
snapshot: 2B – 19, 3B – 9, HR – 5, RBI – 54, SB – 15, AVG – .303, OBP - .400,
SLG – .478
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Most hits, game
– 4 (in 4 AB) vs. Bos. Braves 9/18
Longest hitting
streak – 10 games
Most HR, game –
1 on six occasions
HR at home – 1
HR on road – 5
Multi-HR games
– 0
Most RBIs, game
– 3 on ten occasions
Pinch-hitting –
No appearances
Fielding
Chances – 1739
Put Outs – 1652
Assists – 71
Errors – 16
DP – 85
Pct. - .991
Awards & Honors:
22nd
in NL MVP voting, tied with Otto Knabe, PhilaP, Jimmy Walsh, PhilaP, Josh
Devore NYG & Dick Hoblitzell, Cin. (2 points – 3% share)
---
The Cardinals went 75-74 to finish fifth in the NL, 22 games behind the pennant-winning New York Giants. The Cardinals were in contention following strong May and June records but a July train accident that resulted in no serious injuries to team members marked a derailment in the club’s fortunes and they ended the season with 7 losses in their last 9 games (excluding a tie) which still resulted in their first winning season since 1901.
Aftermath of 1911:
The Cardinals dropped back to sixth place in 1912 although Konetchy continued to be a strong performer as he batted .314 with 26 doubles, 13 triples, 8 home runs, 82 RBIs, 25 stolen bases, a .389 OBP, and a .455 slugging percentage. His play at first base was once again outstanding and he tied for twelfth in league MVP voting. Following another good performance in 1913, Konetchy was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of an eight-player deal. His production dropped off with the Pirates in 1914 as he hit .249 with 23 doubles, 9 triples, 4 home runs, 51 RBIs, 20 steals, a .291 OBP, and a .343 slugging percentage. Prone to be contentious in contract negotiations and having come under criticism from Pittsburgh owner Barney Dreyfuss, Konetchy was refused a pay increase to $7500 and jumped to the Pittsburgh franchise in the outlaw Federal League for 1915 where he batted .314 with 31 doubles, 18 triples, 10 home runs, 93 RBIs, 27 stolen bases, a .363 OBP, and a .483 slugging percentage. With the demise of the Federal League following the season, Konetchy returned to the National League with the Boston Braves, who bought his contract. With the third-place Braves in 1916, he hit .260 with 29 doubles, 13 triples, 3 home runs, 13 stolen bases, 70 RBIs, and a .320 OBP. Defensively, he led NL first basemen in putouts (1626), assists (96), and double plays (96). In 1917 Konetchy batted .272 with 19 doubles, 13 triples, 2 home runs, 54 RBIs, 16 stolen bases, and a .330 OBP, while remaining highly effective in the field. “Koney” dropped to .236 with a .291 OBP in the war-shortened 1918 season and he was sold to the Brooklyn Robins (now Los Angeles Dodgers) in 1919. During one stretch he tied a NL record by compiling 10 consecutive hits on his way to batting .298 with 24 doubles, 9 triples, one home run, 47 RBIs, 24 stolen bases, and a .342 OBP. Brooklyn won the pennant in 1920 and Konetchy contributed by hitting .308 with 22 doubles, 12 triples, 5 home runs, 63 RBIs, a .352 OBP, and a .431 slugging percentage. In the World Series loss to Cleveland he hit only .174 with a triple and 2 RBIs while setting a World Series record in one game in which he had 19 fielding chances at first base. During the 1921 season he was obtained by the Philadelphia Phillies in July and ended up batting a combined .299 with 23 doubles, 9 triples, 11 home runs, 82 RBIs, a .361 OBP, and a .458 slugging percentage in what proved to be his last major league season. Released by the Phillies in 1922, Konetchy, believing he still had more baseball left in him, joined the Toledo Mud Hens of the American Association and hit .310 with 25 doubles, 11 triples, and 11 home runs. Moving on to the Omaha Buffaloes of the Western League in 1923, he served as player/manager and batted .307 with 50 doubles, 8 triples, and 22 home runs. With Petersburg of the Viginia League in 1924 he topped the circuit with 33 home runs. Konetchy moved on to Ft. Worth of the Texas League in 1925, where at age 39 he led the league with 41 home runs and 166 RBIs. He played for Ft. Worth until 1927 and went on to manage in the Texas Valley League and eventually returned to LaCrosse in the Wisconsin League. For his major league career, Konetchy batted .281 with 2150 hits that included 344 doubles, 182 triples, and 74 home runs. He scored 972 runs and compiled 992 RBIs, 255 stolen bases, a .346 OBP, and a .403 slugging percentage. With the Cardinals he batted .283 with 1013 hits, 158 doubles, 94 triples, 36 home runs, 476 RBIs, 501 runs scored, a .362 OBP, and a .409 slugging percentage. He led league first basemen in fielding percentage eight times, and in assists and putouts five times apiece. 1920 marked his only World Series appearance. Having settled in Ft. Worth, Konetchy scouted for the Cardinals and held a variety of jobs until his death in 1947 at age 61. He was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1961.
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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league
in the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum of 10),
runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20), pitching wins,
strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a minimum of 10), or have been
participants in the annual All-Star Games between the National and American
Leagues since 1933. This category will also include Misc. players who received
award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the postseason, or had
notable seasons in non-award years.
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