Foxx's first two MVP Awards were with the Athletics; this
was his biggest season as a member of the Red Sox, who finished in
second place. The Red Sox had been the worst hitting team in the
league almost every year for the past 20 years, ever since they
dealt Babe Ruth. The acquistions of Foxx and Joe Cronin helped
reverse that trend; next year, Ted Williams arrived on the scene as
well.
From 1936-39, the Yankees
averaged 994 runs scored per year; they outscored Babe Ruth's "Murderers' Row"
teams from ten years earlier, and had arguably the best offence ever. Their
manager was Joe McCarthy; "Marse Joe" managed for 24 years, and
never
had a losing season. Never. He even managed the Cubs for five years, and
the Red Sox for three years, and never had a losing season. He won nine
pennants and seven World Series. Six times, McCarthy's teams topped 100+
wins; his .615 winning percentage is the best ever.
What McCarthy's teams are
probably best remembered for is runs. They scored lots of runs. McCarthy's
1930 Chicago Cubs scored 998 runs; his centre fielder Hack Wilson drove
in 191. Those Chicago teams had Wilson and Rogers Hornsby and Gabby Hartnett
and Kiki Cuyler and Riggs Stepehson and Woody English and others.
McCarthy took over the Yankees
in 1931, and they scored over 1000 runs. A year later, they again topped
1000 runs, and won the World Series. McCarthy managed the Yankees until
1946, and his teams featured such sluggers as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe
DiMaggio, Charlie Keller, Bill Dickey, Tommy Henrich, Joe Gordon, Tony
Lazzeri, Red Rolfe, and many others.
McCarthy's last job was in
Boston. They also scored lots of runs, and had Ted Williams in the lineup.
In 1949, both Williams and Junior Stephens drove in 159 runs. The Sox
also had Johnny Pesky and Bobby Doerr and Dom DiMaggio and Billy Goodman
and others.
Runs; lots and lots of runs.
And never a losing season.
Bill Dickey finished second in the MVP vote, behind Foxx but
ahead of Greenberg. Dickey's claim to greatness rests with four magnificent seasons he had from 1936-39. The rest of his career was good, but not special; those four seasons stick out from the rest, and were so impressive that fans used to debate whether Dickey or Mickey Cochrane was the greatest catcher ever.
I don't think Dickey was as good as Cochrane; I might still rank him among the top ten greatest catchers ever, but not the top five. He had some great seasons and played for some great teams, but he was never the offensive force in his own time that Yogi Berra and Johnny Bench and Mike Piazza and others were in theirs. But he is a worthy Hall-Of-Famer.
Harland Clift is a forgotten man, a terrific third baseman who
no one ever noticed because he played for the Browns, and he didn't
have a long career. But he's my kind of player; he hit for average, had
outstanding power, drew lots of walks, and played stellar defence. The
only third basemen from this era who are in the Hall Of Fame are Pie
Traynor and Fred Lindstrom; Clift was certainly a much better player
than Lindstrom, and was maybe better than Traynor, though I don't think
Clift played long enough to merit entry into the Hall.
Rudy York also had huge numbers at catcher. York was a
beheamoth who couldn't really catch; two
years later, the Tigers gave up on him as a catcher and moved him
to first base permanently.
