Frank Chance
From BR Bullpen
Frank Leroy Chance (Husk or The Peerless Leader)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.
- Debut April 29, 1898
- Final Game April 21, 1914
- Born September 9, 1877 in Fresno, CA USA
- Died September 15*, 1924 in Los Angeles, CA USA
* "Baseball Necrology" lists date of death as Sept 14th. (p 66)
Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1946
[edit] Biographical Information
Part of the famous Tinker to Evers to Chance double play combination, Frank Chance had one of the shortest playing careers of any Hall of Famer. However, he was quite prominent, partly because of his playing days, partly because of his exploits as a manager, partly because the Cubs of his time were a truly great team, partly because of the poem about Tinker to Evers to Chance, and partly because of his role in the Merkle Bonehead Play.
Chance managed 11 seasons in the majors, winning nearly 60% of his games. His teams won the pennant four times and the World Series twice. He was called "The Peerless Leader".
As a player, he appeared in 17 seasons, although he had 100 games in a season only 6 times. His Adjusted OPS was 135, which puts him at # 102 on the all-time list (as of early 2007), tied with George Brett and Frank Baker, among others.
He led the league in stolen bases in 1903, on-base percentage in 1905, runs scored and stolen bases in 1906, and was among league leaders in other years. Although he never led the league in hit-by-pitch, he ranks #25 on the all-time list, finishing as high as #2 in the league twice.
None of the most similar players to Chance is in the Hall of Fame, but on the other hand none of the most similar players has an Adjusted OPS that is anywhere close to that of Chance (the closest is his contemporary John Titus, who had a 127 Adjusted OPS) as the similarity scores method does not account for era.
Following his playing days, Chance managed the Boston Red Sox in 1923. He was named the Chicago White Sox manager for the following season but developed severe pneumonia before he could take the helm. He submitted his resignation to owner Charles Comiskey, but Comiskey refused to accept it, giving him the opportunity to return to the team when his health improved. However, Chance never had a chance to manage the Sox. He underwent emergency surgery in April 1924 and passed away that September at age 47. Chance was the first of the famous trio to die.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- NL On-Base Percentage Leader (1905)
- NL Runs Scored Leader (1906)
- 2-time NL Stolen Bases Leader (1903 & 1906)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (1906)
- 50 Stolen Bases Seasons: 2 (1903-1906)
- Won two World Series with the Chicago Cubs (1907 & 1908)
- NL Pennants: 4 (1906-1908 & 1910)
- Managed two World Series Champions with the Chicago Cubs (1907 & 1908)
- 100 Wins Seasons as Manager: 4 (1906, 1907, 1909 & 1910)
- Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1946
| Preceded by Frank Selee | Chicago Cubs Manager 1905-1912 | Succeeded by Johnny Evers |
| Preceded by Harry Wolverton | New York Yankees Manager 1913-1914 | Succeeded by Roger Peckinpaugh |
| Preceded by Hugh Duffy | Boston Red Sox Manager 1923 | Succeeded by Lee Fohl |
