Roger Peckinpaugh
From BR Bullpen
Roger Thorpe Peckinpaugh
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Weight 165 lb.
- Debut September 15, 1910
- Final Game September 25, 1927
- Born February 5, 1891 in Wooster, OH USA
- Died November 17, 1977 in Cleveland, OH USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Shortstop Roger Peckinpaugh played seventeen years in the majors and won the 1925 American League Most Valuable Player Award. He also managed in the big leagues for eight seasons and was a front office executive.
Peckinpaugh reached the majors with the Cleveland Naps late in 1910 and returned to the team in 1912 and briefly in 1913 before being traded to the New York Yankees that year. He was the Yankees' shortstop for nine seasons and, as a 23 year old, managed the club for the final 20 games of the 1914 season. He had his best year with the team in 1921, hitting .288 while scoring 128 runs and driving in 72 as the club won the American League pennant. Nonetheless, following the season, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox, who in turn sent him to the Washington Senators less than a month later.
With the Senators, Peckinpaugh teamed with second baseman Bucky Harris to form a double play combination for more than four seasons. In the 1924 World Series, he hit .417 as Washington beat the New York Giants in seven games. The next summer, he hit .294 and was named AL Most Valuable Player but stuggled in the postseason, making eight errors in seven games in the 1925 World Series, as the Senators fell to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was replaced at shortstop by Buddy Myer the following season and traded to the Chicago White Sox before the 1927 campaign. After one year in Chicago, he retired as a player.
From 1928 to 1933, Peckinpaugh was manager of the Cleveland Indians, leading them to a best finish of third in 1929. In 1934, he managed the Kansas City Blues to a 65-88 record and eighth place in the American Association. Five years later, he was skipper of the New Orleans Pelicans, an Indians farm team, and went 57-93 to finish eighth in the Southern Association. He managed the Indians again in 1941 and then was their General Manager until 1946.
Peckinbaugh died from cancer and heart disease at age 86.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- AL MVP (1925)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 2 (1920 & 1921)
- Won a World Series with the Washington Senators in 1924
| AL MVP | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1924 | 1925 | 1926 |
| Walter Johnson | Roger Peckinpaugh | George Burns |
| Preceded by Frank Chance | New York Yankees Manager 1914 | Succeeded by Bill Donovan |
| Preceded by Jack McCallister | Cleveland Indians Manager 1928-1933 | Succeeded by Walter Johnson |
| Preceded by Ossie Vitt | Cleveland Indians Manager 1941 | Succeeded by Lou Boudreau |
| Preceded by Cy Slapnicka | Cleveland Indians General Manager 1941-1946 | Succeeded by Bill Veeck |
