Bobby Wallace Stats & Facts
Bobby Wallace Essentials
Positions: Shortstop
Bats: R Throws: R
Weight: 170
Born: November 4, 1873 in Pittsburgh, PA USA
Died: November 3, 1960 in Torrance, CA USA
Debut: September 15, 1894
Last Game: September 2, 1918
Hall of Fame: Inducted as a Player in 1953 by Veterans
Full Name: Roderick John Wallace
Notable Events and Chronology for Bobby Wallace Career
In the first decade of the American League’s existence, “Rhody” Wallace was the best shortstop in the loop. He finished in the top ten in runs batted in eight times in his long career, despite playing for losing teams most of the time. He played in the big leagues until he was 44 years old, largely because of his defensive savvy and intelligent play. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1953.
Biography
Bobby Wallace (1873-1960) was generally considered the AL’s best shortstop during the first decade of the 20th century. Dubbed “Mr. Shortstop” due to his great range and strong arm, the 5’8″ 170 lb. Wallace changed the way the position was played by adopting a more fluid fielding and throwing motion in which there was no pause between gloving the ball and tossing it to first. This enabled him to throw out runners who were ordinarily able to beat out infield hits. Wallace’s career stretched over 25 seasons (1894-1918), starting out as a pitcher, second and third baseman with Cleveland and the Cardinals before settling in as shortstop with the St. Louis Browns. He enjoyed his best offensive season in 1901 with the Cardinals, hitting .324 with 34 doubles and 15 triples. Wallace, who batted and threw right, finished with 2309 hits, averaging 72 runs, 27 doubles, 10 triples, and 14 stolen bases/projected 162-game season with a .268 BA. In addition, he finished in the AL’s top 10 in RBI’s 8X. But it was defensively where Wallace really made his name, leading the league in assists 4X and fielding percentage twice. On June 10, 1902 he set a record that still stands, 17 chances in one game against Boston. Unfortunately for Wallace, he played on a weak team and in the shadow of Pittsburgh’s great shortstop Honus Wagner. Nevertheless, Pirate owner Barney Dreyfuss said of Wallace, “The best player in the American League, the only man I would get if I could, plays on a tail-end team, and few people pay any attention to him. I mean Bobby Wallace of St. Louis. There’s a boy who can play any position and hit. I wish I had him.” Wallace worked as a scout for Cincinnati after retirement, and he was elected to the HOF by the Veterans Committee in 1953.
Written by Gerry Greenberg
Best Season: 1897
The 1897 Cleveland Spiders finished 5th even though they had Wallace, Jesse Burkett, Cy Young, Cupid Childs, and Jack Powell on their roster. Wallace, 23 years old, batted .335 with 173 hits in 130 games. He scored 99 runs, hit 33 triples and 21 doubles, and drove in 112. Most of those figures were career-highs.
Quotes About Bobby Wallace
“The Scot was not the most robust hitter that ever lived, but he was no pigeon at the plate. Save for that, Bobby had only one weakness as a shortstop – that was that he played in the same era as Hans Wagner.” — sportswriter Bill Corum, 1952
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