Fred Clarke was one among the herd of players who was traded from the Louisville Cardinals to Pittsburgh at the turn of the century, but unlike the others, Clarke was brought in to serve as both a player and Manager.
Clarke was Pittsburgh's starting Leftfielder for the first 12 years, and he provided 1,638 Hits with a .299 Batting Average with 261 Stolen Bases. His best season as a player was 1903, where Clarke led the NL in Doubles (32), Slugging Percentage (.532), and OPS (.946), with a career-high .351 Batting Average. Clarke would lead the Pirates to their first World Series Championship in 1909, the same season he also topped the NL in Walks (80).
After the 1911 Season, Clarke rarely played but stayed on as their Manager until 1915.
He was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Old Timers Committee in 1945.
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