General Stats and Ranks
Some Interesting Stats and Facts
- Led the NL in 7 categories. In addition to those listed above, he also led in hits and extra base hits.
- Won the RBI title by 33, the 4th largest margin in baseball from 1910-2008.
- Most single-season RBI by any National League player from 1900-1922.
- Led many other categories by a very wide margin including SLG% (66 points), OPS (106 points), Total Bases (44) and extra base hits (10).
- The distance between Cravath and the 2nd place finisher in Runs Created was the same distance from 2nd place to 29th.
- Despite all this, he finished 2nd in the MVP voting to Jake Daubert of the Brooklyn Dodgers (.350 BA, 2 HR, 52 RBI).
- Only Phillies player not named Chuck Klein to hit .340 with 120+ RBI in a season.
Why He’s Here
Cravath is not a household name in Phillies lore, but his dominance in the NL in 1913 was undeniable. He was a power hitter in an era that didn’t have many. In fact, he owned the all-time HR record until Babe Ruth passed him in 1921. Leading the NL in 7 categories is truly amazing. Think of the best seasons in recent memory, and how many categories those guys led the league in. Bonds in 2004 led in 5 categories, Pujols in 2008 led in 3, McGwire in 1998 led in 6, A-Rod led in 6 in 2007. I’m sure you can find someone, but it’s few and far between.
To be honest, I didn’t really know much about Cravath. Since I had to do some research, I figured I’d share some tidbits I found…
- Real name is Clifford, and his other nickname is “Cactus.” Got the name “Gavvy” when he killed a seagull with a batted ball. Seagulls are called ‘Gaviota’ in Spanish and reporters shortened it to Gavvy to rhyme with Savvy. Doesn’t really make much sense if you ask me.
- Led the league in outfield assists in 1912.
- Baseballlibrary.com describes him as a “tobacco chewing, cussing bruiser.”
- Led the Phillies to the pennant in 1915, leading the league in HR by 11.
- Was the first player in MLB history to win 5+ HR titles, and was the Phillies all-time HR leader until 1924.
Previous ‘Top-20 Seasons’ Entries
#20 – Lenny Dykstra, 1993
Five pitchers that just missed (and criteria for rankings)
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the info, Pete. I knew of Cravath, although not where the name Gavvy came from, simply because of our 1915 club that won the pennant. He had a very good year in 1915, but 1913 was clearly his best.
Since Gavvy won’t be getting a whole lotta love, not unless a centenarian or two start blogging on here anyway, I thought I’d go the extra mile for him. Even though it’s not the correct year and it’s not focused soley on him, here is a link to a summary of the 1915 world series between the Phils and the Red Sox from baseball-almanac.com.
bski-
thanks for the effort! i figured that guys without much noteriety might not generate a lot of discussion, but hopefully people find it interesting learning about the players.
If not, I’m doing it anyway, because I enjoy learning about them. I also think as we get going, there will be more debate about the “best” seasons for certain players and how I have incorrectly ranked players.
Great article. I love the series. I can’t wait to find out where Howard’s MVP year will end up and how many pitchers made it into the top 20. Carlton has to have at least one.
No problem, Pete. I agree with you completely. The game of baseball didn’t just start when we were born, nor have guys only recently begun playing it at a high level of proficiency either. One of the things I really enjoy about baseball is the long history of the game. It deserves to be appreciated and celebrated.
I think to some degree we all have a tendency to feel like our current era of the sport is better, or at least more developed, than it was in the past. However, I don’t know about that.
The players of today do year-round conditioning. They do a mixed bag of sport-specific training. They have personal chefs and/or dietitians to optimize their nutritional needs. They have a cadre of medical personnel to attend to their physical well being. They study the game, using video to break down the mechanics of their swing or delivery. Bottom line, they have at their disposal the means to maximize their physical and mental potential and to translate that into increased production on the playing field.
Meanwhile, the old guys didn’t “train” in the off season. That’s what spring training was for, right? They certainly didn’t take care of their bodies nearly as well. Many injuries went undiagnosed, as well as unresolved and barely treated. They had to take regular jobs in the off season to supplement their income from baseball in order to support their families. In light of that, how could they play the game at the same level as it is being played today?
I don’t wholely buy into those arguments though. I will agree that the players of today are better conditioned than they were years ago, but I don’t know that that necessarily translates into them being better baseball players. First of all, there are a heck of a lot more teams around now than there were in the past. Second, there are a lot more sports that siphon good athletes away from baseball. Flip that around and you’ll see my thinking that in the pre-NBA, pre-NFL days when baseball was pretty much the only game in town and when there were many fewer spots on an MLB roster available, the competition for those spots was very intense and the guys who won them could really play ball. Besides, don’t you think that a Walter Johnson or a Lefty Grove could get hitters out today, or that a Ted Williams or a Stan Musial could still rake today? I do.
Now, I’m not saying you can compare Gavvy Cravath’s numbers directly with those of Del Ennis. Different eras. What I believe you can do is to look at how much better Cravath was than the average player of his era and directly compare that to how much better Ennis was than the average player of his era. Same goes for Robin Roberts and Curt Schilling. Perfectly valid to me.
Anyway, I enjoy reading and learning about the game and the players from years gone by. Plus, I posted that link because I’m guessing that a certain pitcher who was on that 1915 world series team, who shall remain nameless for the moment, will have one of his seasons, although maybe not this particular one, appear at some point in your countdown.
drew-
glad you are enjoying it. one rule you may have missed – only one season per player. so there will be 20 different players on the list. it’s no reveal to say that Carlton will be on the list, but which season.
bski-
yes, that pitcher will be on the list. the question is where and what season. he certainly had some ridiculous ones (and I personally think that he doesn’t get the credit he deserves as an all-time great Phillie, they didn’t even bring his retired “number” over to the new park!)