Gavy Cravath did not make the Majors until he was 27, where he spent 94 Games in 1908. He did not make the best impression, and the following year he bounced around the minors, with stints with the Chicago White Sox and Washington Senators, before returning to the minors. It would have been easy to think that this would be it for the slow-footed Rightfielder, but he found a home in Philadelphia in 1912.
The Phillies had an unlikely star in Cravath, who became one of the best power hitters of the dead-ball era. Philadelphia played its home games in the Baker Bowl, a hitter-friendly park whose small dimensions were taken advantage of by Cravath. He would win the National League Home Run Title six times, and while his numbers seem pedestrian today, they were an incredible accomplishment for their time. Cravath also showed good plate discipline, twice leading the league in On Base Percentage, and he also led the NL in Slugging Percentage twice, OPS three times, and RBIs twice. He also helped the Phillies win the National League Pennant in 1915.
Cravath’s play fell off in 1920, but he was 39 at the time. He retired shortly after. He left the game with 119 Home Runs, a record for the century until it was destroyed by a player named Babe Ruth.
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