Nobody knows Monster Cards like Pastor Rich Zawadzki. He sent me this 1922 Ken Williams card.
Williams was one of rare AL sluggers in the 1920s who managed to hit more homers than Babe Ruth (Bob Meusel also accomplished that feat in 1925). With 39 in 1922, he was only eclipsed by the NL’s Rogers Hornsby who had 42.
He batted .332 and led the AL with 155 rbis.
| Split | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1922 Totals | 153 | 678 | 585 | 128 | 194 | 34 | 11 | 39 | 155 | 36 | 74 | 31 | .332 | .413 | .627 |
With enough doubles and triples to warrant five full power numbers, Ken Williams’ 1922 card comes to us with a slightly unusual 1-1-3-6-6 combination. Watch out with a runner on third!
While he has a 55-8, Williams makes up for it with two 11s and a decent four 14s.
Williams has just one 13 which is interestingly placed on the 42. He has three 31s so if I’m too concerned about hitting that homerun, the hit and run is a definite option.
This is a good opportunity to plug Rich’s Greater Michigan APBA Baseball Tournament which is happening March 7th. I doubt if Rich is taking new applications for this year’s tourney but you can follow the fun here.
Thanks Rich!
This has always been one of my favorite cards for some reason.
This is a fine card. I always like the combination of power and speed it has.
“With 39 in 1922, he was only eclipsed by the NL’s Rogers Hornsby who had 42.” Have you done any of Hornsby’s cards in the past. Any of these years would be “monster” cards – 1920 through 1925 and 1926 through 1929. Take a look at those hitting numbers. For a second baseman! Mr. Hornsby is underrated in my opinion. Perhaps you could do a whole mini series on him using Steve’s APBA Card Computer? Or even just a single blog entry showcasing those 10 years. That would be cool.
1922 was quite the year for hitters. 3 men hit .400 (Sisler .420, Hornsby .401, Cobb .401). And 10 men had more than 200 hits.
Since Williams has 2 8’s and 2 9’s on his card, that means that he hits Grade C pitchers and Grade B pitchers equally – does it not? I’ve seen this quite often on 1980’s APBA hitters cards and have wondered about it. Cal Ripken’s 1985 card, on the other hand, has 4 8’s and 2 9’s. Which means he is harmed by grade B pitchers more than normal. Seems like ALL hitters should have 3 8’s and 2 9’s. Comments anyone? Thanks.
Those ’22 Browns were a great team, doggone near nosing out the Yanks for the AL championship. I haven’t kept records, but Williams always seems to hit well for me , well above his season average. I have a friend who lives in Grant’s Pass, apparently a small town. I’ve never mentioned Williams to her, don’t even know if the town recognizes him in any way, but he was consistently a good power hitter, ’22 being his best.
Well, I should have consulted the Internet before calling Grant’s Pass “small.” The population is now estimated at 38,000, not a huge place, but a heck of a lot more than I thought.