Honus Wagner

Honus Wagner
John Peter Wagner
The Flying Dutchman

Induction Information
Elected to Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers in 1936, Player
215 votes on 226 ballots 95.13%
Hall of Fame plaque for Honus Wagner

Born: February 24, 1874, in Chartiers, Pennsylvania
Died: December 6, 1955, in Carnegie, Pennsylvania

ML Debut: 7/19/1897
Primary Position: Shortstop
Bats: R Throws: R

Played For: Louisville Colonels (1897-1899), Pittsburgh Pirates (1900-1917)
Primary Team: Pittsburgh Pirates
Managed: Pittsburgh Pirates (1917)

Post-Season: Pittsburgh Pirates (1903, 1909)

Hitting

Bio
One of the Hall of Fame's five original inductees in 1936, Honus Wagner combined rare offensive and defensive excellence throughout a 21-year career. Despite his awkward appearance - stocky, barrel-chested and bow-legged - the longtime Pirates shortstop broke into the big leagues by hitting .344 in 1897 with Louisville, the first of 17 consecutive seasons of hitting over .300, including eight as the National League batting champion. Wagner compiled a lifetime average of .329, and the "Flying Dutchman" also stole 722 bases, while leading the league in thefts on five occasions.

Quote
"He wasn't just the greatest shortstop ever. He was the greatest everything ever."
— teammate Tommy Leach

Did You Know... that in 1905, Honus Wagner became the first baseball player to have his signature branded into a Louisville Slugger baseball bat?

Hall of Fame Teammate: Vic Willis

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