Gavvy Cravath
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Overall Career
Clifford Carlton "Gavvy" Cravath was born on March 23, 1881, in Poway, CA. Cravath was 27 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 18, 1908, with the Boston Red Sox.
In his one season in Boston, Gavvy hit .256/.354/.383 with 10 doubles, 11 triples and a HR. He was in the Top 10 in the League in OBP, Slugging and OPS. He was sold in the off-season to the Chicago White Sox. His tenure there lasted only 19 games, and then he was traded to Washington, where he would only last 4 games. He then dissapeared from the Majors until the 1912 season, when he reappeared with Philadelphia. [One would assume he was playing somewhere in the Minor Leagues during this period.]
Once in Philadelphia, Cravath became the home run king of the deadball era. He set marks Babe Ruth would break soon after with the introduction of the lively ball. From 1912 through 1919, he was in the Top 3 in HRs in the National League every year, Leading the League 6 times in that period. He had a career high 24 HRs during the 1915 season. During the same 8 year period, he also was in the top 10 in extra base hits every single season, Top 10 in doubles 5 times and Top 5 in triples twice... a consumate power hitter. Gavvy was also one of the top walkers of the era, leading the league with 86 walks in 1915 and ranking in the top 5 four other years.
He had a 11-year career as an outfielder and slugger. In 1220 games he finished with a line of .287/.380/.478 with 1134 hits, 119 HR and 561 RBI.
In 1919 at 38 years old, Gavvy became the Player-Manager for the Phillies, leading them the final 75 games and finishing with a 29-46. In his final season of 1920, Gavvy again would play the dual role, leading the Phillies to another cellar finish with a 62-91 record.
Cravath's Moments in the Sun
- Appeared in the 1915 World Series with the Phillies
- Led the league in on-base % twice (1915, 1916)
- Led the league in slugging % twice (1913, 1915)
- Led the league in OPS three times (1913-1915)
- Led the league in hits in 1913
- Led the league in total bases twice (1913, 1915)
- Led the league in home runs 6 times (1913-15, 1917-1919)
- Led the league in RBI twice (1913, 1915)
- Led the league in BB in 1915
Trivia
- After retiring, he became a Justice of the Peace in California.
Transactions
- August, 1908: Purchased by the Chicago White Sox from the Boston Red Sox.
- May 16, 1909: Traded by the Chicago White Sox with Nick Altrock and Jiggs Donahue to the Washington Senators for Bill Burns.
External Links
- Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
