Portal:Baseball/Selected article/September, 2008
Dennis Joseph "Dan" Brouthers (/ˈbruːθərz/[1] (May 8, 1858 – August 2, 1932) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball whose career spanned the period from 1879 to 1896, with a brief return in 1904. Nicknamed "Big Dan" for his size, he was 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and weighed 207 pounds (94 kg), which was large for 19th-century standards.[2]
Recognized as the first great slugger in baseball history,[3] and amongst the greatest sluggers of his era, he held the record for career home runs from 1887 to 1889,[4] with his final total of 106 tying for the fourth most of the 19th century. His career slugging percentage of .519 remained the major league record for a player with at least 4,000 at bats until Ty Cobb edged ahead of him in 1922. At the time of his initial retirement, he also ranked second in career triples (205), and third in runs batted in (1,296) and hits.[5]
A dominating hitter during the prime of his career, he led (or was in the top of) the league in most offensive categories, including batting average, runs scored, runs batted in (RBI), on-base percentage and hits. He led the league in batting average five times, the most by a 19th-century player, and his career .342 batting average still ranks ninth all-time. He was also an active players' union member, and was elected vice president of the Brotherhood of Professional Base Ball Players. His career achievements led to his election into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1945.(more)
- ^ James, Bill (2003). The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. Simon and Schuster. p. 438. ISBN 0743227220.
- ^ "The Ballplayers: Dan Brouthers". baseballlibrary.com. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
- ^ "The National Baseball Hall of Fame: Dan Brouthers". baseballhalloffame.org. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
- ^ "Progressive Leaders & Records for Home Runs". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
- ^ Brouthers is credited with differing totals in career hits; at the time, he was credited with 2,349 hits, a figure still recognized by Major League Baseball, but this total includes 71 walks in 1887, when walks were counted as hits. There are slight variations in other seasons as well, but most sources today credit Brouthers with 2,296 hits.