1924 NL Stargell Award

National League 1924

			AVG	OBA	SLU	AB	HIT	DB	TP	HR	RUN	RBI	BB	SB	OPS
2B	R HORNSBY	STL	424	507	696	536	227	43	14	25	121	94	89	5	1203
2B	F FRISCH	NY	328	387	468	603	198	33	15	7	121	69	56	22	855
2B	A HIGH	BRO	328	390	448	582	191	26	13	6	98	61	57	3	838
SS	G WRIGHT	PIT	287	318	425	616	177	28	18	7	80	111	27	14	744
3B	P TRAYNOR	PIT	294	340	417	545	160	26	13	5	86	82	37	24	756
CA	G HARTNETT	CHI	299	377	523	354	106	17	7	16	56	67	39	10	899
CF	M CAREY	PIT	297	366	417	599	178	30	9	8	113	55	58	49	783

1B	J FOURNIER	BRO	334	428	536	563	188	25	4	27	93	116	83	7	965
LF	Z WHEAT	BRO	375	428	549	566	212	41	8	14	92	97	49	3	978
RF	R YOUNGS	NY	356	441	521	526	187	33	12	10	112	74	77	11	962
CF	C WILLIAMS	PHI	328	403	552	558	183	31	11	24	101	93	67	7	955
1B	G KELLY	NY	324	371	531	571	185	37	9	21	91	136	38	7	902
1B	J BOTTOMLEY	STL	316	362	500	528	167	31	12	14	87	111	35	5	862
OF	K CUYLER	PIT	354	402	539	466	165	27	16	9	94	85	30	32	940

        Hornsby had his share of negatives. His team, the Cardinals, were just awful. He didn't work very hard on his defence, and he established a reputation of being a major pain in the rear. Still, in the history of baseball, there haven't been too many guys who hit .424 in a season. And Hornsby hit with a lot of power, too. I think he has to be the choice for MVP.
        After Hornsby, I think the best player of the group was Giants' second baseman Frankie Frisch. He was a good hitter and an outstanding defensive player, and his team won the pennant. Frank Francis Frisch was a college man, nicknamed "The Fordham Flash". He played for 19 years, splitting his career with the Giants and the Cardinals, and winning five World Series championships. He is usually regarded as one of baseball's greatest second basemen; he was a running, slashing player who played as if his pants were on fire.
        Ironically, Frisch and Hornsby were traded for one another in 1927. The Cardinals got the better of the deal; with St. Louis, Frisch won the first NL MVP Award in 1931, and was manager of the Gashouse Gang that won the World Series in 1934. Frisch eventually managed for 16 seasons, winning just the one championship, but also winning more games than he lost.
        Ross Youngs played for the Giants, the pennant winners. Both Jacques Fournier and Zack Wheat played for the Dodgers, who finished a close second. There really isn't a whole lot to distinguish between them, but I'll take Wheat and Youngs just ahead of Fournier.
        The NL started handing out its own MVP award, and fixed many of the problems that plagued the AL award. This award was a good forerunner to the BBWAA Awards that began in 1931, and the results are a good reflection of popular opinion at the time. This year, the winner was Dazzy Vance, a pitcher who won 28 games. He was followed by Hornsby, Frisch, Wheat, and Youngs.