Hughie Critz

Hughie Critz Second baseman Born: September 17, 1900(1900-09-17) Starkville, Mississippi Died: January 10, 1980(1980-01-10) (aged 79) Greenwood, Mississippi Batted: Right Threw: Right  MLB debut May 31, 1924 for the Cincinnati Reds Last MLB appearance September 27, 1935 for the New York Giants Career statistics Batting average     .268 Hits     1591 RBI     531 Teams Cincinnati Reds (1924-1930) New York Giants (1930-1935) Career highlights and awards World Series champion (1933) Led NL in at-bats in 1932 with 659 Hugh Melville Critz (September 17, 1900 - January 10, 1980) was an American second baseman in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1920s and the New York Giants in the 1930s. Career overview Critz was born in Starkville, Mississippi and attended school in his home state, at Mississippi State University. His father, Professor Colonel Critz, was a respected instructor at the school. In his first game, Critz had two hits off Grover Alexander and hit .322 in 102 games on the rookie season, with 19 stolen bases. Through the 1920s, Critz was an extremely solid, speedy, good-hitting second basemen for many decent Reds teams, although the team began to decline in the late 1920s, finishing 7th in the 8-team National League in 1929 and 1930. In the year in which the Reds did the best with Critz on the team, 1926, they finished 2nd in the league, two games behind the St. Louis Cardinals. Besides the Reds' success, Critz also had, what can easily be consideredby whom?, his best season. On the year, he batted .270 with 3 homers and 79 RBIs. He tied a career-high with 14 triples and shattered his next-best career-high with his 79 RBIs. That year, he finished 2nd in MVP voting, behind only Bob O'Farrell. Although his speed numbers only decreased from his rookie season, when he stole 19 bases, he still averaged 11 SB's per season, in his career. In 1930, his career took a sudden turn when he was traded to the Giants for pitcher Larry Benton. With them, he won a World Series in 1933, had more quality years and retired on September 27, 1935. In a 12-season career, he batted .268 with 38 home runs and 531 RBIs in 1478 games. He had 97 career stolen bases, 832 runs scored, 195 doubles, and 95 triples. Critz accumulated 1591 hits in 5930 at bats. Critz made the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1962. He died in Greenwood, Mississippi at age 79. External links Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference v · d · eNew York Giants 1933 World Series Champions 1 Jo-Jo Moore | 2 Kiddo Davis | 3 Bill Terry | 4 Mel Ott | 5 Travis Jackson | 6 Hughie Critz | 8 Gus Mancuso | 11 Carl Hubbell | 12 Freddie Fitzsimmons | 15 Hi Bell | 16 Lefty O'Doul | 17 Hal Schumacher | 20 Dolf Luque | 23 Blondy Ryan | 26 Homer Peel Manager 3 Bill Terry Coaches: Tommy Clarke | Clarence Mitchell | Al Smith | Frank Snyder | Billy Southworth Regular season Persondata Name Critz, Hughie Alternative names Short description Major League Baseball second baseman Date of birth September 17, 1900 Place of birth Starkville, Mississippi Date of death January 10, 1980 Place of death Greenwood, Mississippi