What’s this? A fast OF-2 with a 44-7 on a Tuesday? Appropriately so, since it’s Tyrus Raymond Cobb’s rookie year in 1905.
The charter member of the Hall of Fame began his career with Detroit. It was first and last time he hit below .300 in his 24 year career. His unspectacular .240 mark in 150 at-bats didn’t impress anyone nor did his two stolen bases.
That of course, didn’t last long. One year later, Ty Cobb batted .316 with substantially more batting time. By 1907, he led the AL in hits, rbis, stolen bases and began his streak of nine consecutive batting titles.
| Year | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1905 | 41 | 164 | 150 | 19 | 36 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 10 | 23 | .240 | .288 | .300 |
All in all, it isn’t a horrible card for a .240 hitter in the deadball era. A quick calculation sees it hitting around .264. But compare it to his yummy 1911 monster card.
Bit o’ Trivia
Cobb’s salary in 1906 was $1500 with the Tigers. When he left them for Philadelphia in 1927, he was making a bundle at $40,000. He got a healthy raise to $50,000 with Philly in 1928, but in the nest year, his salary dipped to $35,000.
thanks to Pastor Rich!
He also made quite a bit (a majority) of his fortune off the field with his stock investments in GM & Coca-Cola following the stock market crash. He was a very smart man.
Hey Shawn,
Is it true about him being the driving factor with coke going to cans? I worked for a few years with them and they never would answer the question.
I have the original card from 1988 and this is an exact reprint with the new card style and not a redone set.
I tried so hard to find playing time for him and he really disappointed me. But the card I had did not have stats so I am now understanding his underwhelming performance for me in my replay.