The next baseball legend to get a card in my long running "Minor League Days: Legends Edition" set is the "Flying Dutchman", Honus Wagner:
Here we have him suited up with the
Paterson Silk Weavers of the Atlantic League, for whom he played in 1896
and 1897, his last Minor League stop before embarking on his all-time
Major League career later in the 1897 season.
As far as records show Wagner hit .313 and .375 for Paterson in that time, with a combined 176 runs scored and 64 stolen bases.
Once he made his Big League debut, Wagner was a lock as the all-time
best at his position in the first half of the 20th Century, as he put
together one of
the greatest careers of any ballplayer to this day, amassing 3420 hits,
1739 runs, 252 triples and 643 doubles,
and…oh yeah, EIGHT batting titles and 723 stolen
bases as he guided the Pirates eighteen years after three years in
Louisville between 1897-1899.
Wagner was a monster. Not only did he lead the league in batting
those eight times, but he also led the N.L. in doubles seven times,
triples three times, runs batted in five times, stolen bases five times,
on-base pct three times, slugging six times,
and total bases six times!
He did it all, and was duly selected to be one of the charter
members of the Hall of Fame in 1936 alongside Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter
Johnson and Christy Mathewson.
Just incredible.
