Boudreau, Lou

Louis Boudreau

This Hall of Fame shortstop had a Jewish mother, and told Ira Berkow of The New York Times "that he would go to seders at his orthodox grandparents' home." A Hall of Famer, he hit over .300 four times, and was one of the best-hitting shortstops in history. He is also known for having invented the "Ted Williams shift," in which the shortstop played behind second base, and the defense gave Williams the left side of the infield to hit through, if he so chose.

Birth and Death Dates:
July 17, 1917

Career Highlights:
Lou was player-manager for Cleveland in 1948 at the ripe old age of 24. That was the last time the Indians won the World Series. In 1948, his most spectacular season, he hit .355, with a .534 slugging average, 34 doubles, 18 home runs, 106 RBI, and 116 runs scored. His batting eye and skills led to this awesome statistic: that season, he drew 98 walks, and only struck out 9 times! He was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1970. A lifetime .295 hitter, he batted over .300 four times. His .327 batting average led the league in 1944. He hit 45 doubles in three separate seasons, each time leading the league (in 1940, he slugged 46 two-baggers, but didn't lead the league).

Career Dates:
Player: 1938-52...Manager: 1942-50; 1952-57; 1960

Position:
Shortstop. He occasionally filled in at each of the other infield positions, and even caught in three games.

Physical description:
5'11", 185 lbs. Right handed.

Career Statistics:
Games: 1646
Batting Avg.: .295
Slugging Avg.: .415

At-bats: 6030
Hits: 1779
Doubles: 385
Triples: 66

Home Runs: 68
Home Run %: 1.1
Runs: 861
RBI: 789

BB: 796
Strike Outs: 309
Stolen Bases: 51
Pinch Hitting
At-bats: 32
Hits: 6

Fielding Statistics
Put-outs: 3265
Assists: 4877
Errors: 230
Double-plays: 1205

Total Chances per Game: 5.2
Fielding Avg: .973

< Previous |  Next >