Rabbit Maranville
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| Rabbit Maranville | ||
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| Shortstop/Second Baseman | ||
| Born: November 11, 1891 | ||
| Died: January 5, 1954 (aged 62) | ||
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | ||
| September 10, 1912 for the Boston Braves |
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| Final game | ||
| September 29, 1935 for the Boston Braves |
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| Career statistics | ||
| Batting average | .258 | |
| Hits | 2605 | |
| Runs batted in | 884 | |
| Teams | ||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||
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| Member of the National | ||
 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Elected | 1954 | |
| Vote | 82.94% (fourteenth ballot) | |
Walter James Vincent Maranville (November 11, 1891 - January 5, 1954), better known as Rabbit Maranville due to his speed and small stature (5'5", 155 pounds), was a Major League Baseball shortstop. At the time of his retirement in 1935, he had played in a record 23 seasons in the National League, a mark which wasn't broken until 1986 by Pete Rose. He was known as one of "baseball's most famous clowns" due to his practical jokes and lack of inhibitions.[1]
When he was appointed manager of the Chicago Cubs in 1925--one of their worst seasons ever--he did not change his behavior. One night he went through a Pullman car dumping water on sleeping players' heads, saying, "No sleeping under Maranville management, especially at night." Not long after that, he was out on the street outside Ebbets Field in Brooklyn mimicking a newsboy hawking papers. He cried out, "Read all about it! Maranville fired!" And so he was--the very next day. (Nash & Zullo, 1987)
Over his lengthy career, Maranville played for the Boston Braves (1912 - 1920, 1929 - 1933, 1935), Pittsburgh Pirates (1921 - 1924), Chicago Cubs (1925), Brooklyn Robins (1926) and St. Louis Cardinals (1927 - 1928). He retired having compiled a .258 batting average, 1255 runs, 28 home runs, 884 RBI and 291 stolen bases. As a shortstop, he finished his career with a positional record 5,139 putouts. He won his only World Series championship in 1914 as a member of the Braves, and won his only other National League championship in 1928 as a member of the Cardinals.
Maranville was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954, after 13 failed attempts. These are the most for any member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.[2]
[edit] See also
- List of major league players with 2,000 hits
- List of Major League Baseball players with 100 triples
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
[edit] References
- ^ James, Bill (2003-04-06). The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. New York: Free Press, pp. 615-617. ISBN 0743227220.
- ^ Baseball Hall of Fame Website. Retrieved on 2006-12-06.
- Nash, B. & Zullo, A. The Baseball Hall of Shame 3, 1987, ISBN 0-671-63386-4; p. 134
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
- Baseball Hall of Fame
- Baseball Library
| Preceded by Bill Killefer |
Chicago Cubs Manager 1925 |
Succeeded by George Gibson |
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