From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Edward Trowbridge Collins, Sr. (May 2, 1887 –
March 25, 1951), nicknamed "Cocky", was an American second baseman, manager
and executive in Major League Baseball who played
from 1906
to 1930
for the Philadelphia Athletics and Chicago White
Sox.
At the end of his career, he ranked second in major league
history in career games (2,826), walks (1,499) and stolen bases (744), third in runs scored
(1,821), fourth in hits (3,315) and at bats (9,949), sixth in on base percentage (.424), and eighth in total
bases (4,268); he was also fourth in AL history in triples
(187). He still holds the major league record of 512 career sacrifice hits, over 100 more than any
other player. He was the first major leaguer in modern history to
steal 80 bases in a season, and still shares the major league
record of six steals in a game, which he accomplished twice in
September 1912. He regularly batted over .320, retiring with a
career average of .333. He also holds major league records for
career games (2,650), assists (7,630) and total chances (14,591) at
second base, and ranks second in putouts (6,526). Under the win shares statistical rating system created
by baseball historian and analyst Bill James, Collins was the greatest second
baseman of all time.
Biography
A native of Millerton, New York, Collins was a
graduate of Columbia University, at a time when
few Major League players had attended college.
As a player, Collins was renowned for his solid batting skills
and speed on the basepaths.
He broke into the majors in 1906 with the Philadelphia
Athletics and by 1909 was a full-time player. That season, he
registered a .347 batting average and 67 steals. The following
year, Collins stole a career-high 81 bases and played on the first
of his four World
Series championship teams.
Collins was part of the Athletics' so-called "$100,000
infield" (and the highest-paid of the quartet) which propelled
the team to four American League (AL) pennants and three
World Series
titles between 1910 and 1914. He earned the league's Chalmers
Award (early Most Valuable Player recognition) in 1914.
In 1914, the newly formed Federal League disrupted Major League
contract stability by luring away established stars from the AL and
NL with inflated salaries. To retain Collins, Athletics manager Connie Mack offered his
second baseman the longest guaranteed contract (five years) that
had ever been offered to a player. Collins declined, and after the
1914 season Mack sold Collins to the White Sox for $50,000, the
highest price ever paid for a player up to that point. The Sox paid
Collins $15,000 for 1915, making him the third highest paid player
in the league, behind Ty
Cobb and Tris
Speaker.
In Chicago, Collins continued to post top-ten batting and stolen
base numbers, and he helped the Sox capture pennants in 1917 and
1919. He was part of the notorious "Black Sox" team that threw the
1919 World
Series to the Cincinnati Reds; Collins was not part
of the conspiracy and played honestly (his low .226 batting average
notwithstanding).
He was the playing manager of the White Sox from August 1924 through
the 1926
season, posting a record of 174-160 (.521). He then returned to the
Athletics in 1927 and retired after the 1930 season.
In 1931-1932, he
served as a Philadelphia coach and, from 1933 through
1947, as
the general manager for the Boston Red
Sox.
Collins finished his career with 1,300 runs batted in.
Collins is still the only player in history to play for two teams
in at least 12 seasons each. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of
Fame in 1939.
In 1999, he ranked number 24 on The Sporting
News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a
nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
His son, Eddie Jr., also played with the
A's.
Regular
season stats
See also
External
links
| Boston
Red Sox general managers |
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