New York Highlanders - The World War I Era (1910-1919)

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1910

Decade

1910

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102

Titles:

Top New York Players of the Teens

None

Pitchers:

BallPark:

Ray Caldwell (28.5) - 68

Hilltop Park (1910-1912)

Russell Ford (26.9) - 54

Polo Grounds (1913-1919)

Bob Shawkey (16.7) - 47

Ray Fisher (18.3) - 44

Team Name:

Jack Warhop (13) - 30

Highlanders (1910-1912)

George Mogridge (11.5) - 29

Yankees (1913-1919)

Jack Quinn (6.09) - 26

Hank Thormahlen (4.6) - 12

Owner:

Hippo Vaughn (5.74) - 9

Frank Farrell & William S. Devery (1910-1914)

Jake Ruppert (1915-1919)

Catchers:

Ed Sweeney (6.1) - 24

General Managers:

Les Nunamaker (7.22) - 17

Frank Farrell (1900-1914)

Jake Ruppert (1915-1919)

First Basemen:

Wally Pipp (15.34) - 43

Managers:

Jack Knight (5.52) - 22

George Stallings (1910)

Hal Chase (4.04) - 20

Hal Chase (1910-1911)

Harry Wolverton (1912)

Second Basemen:

Frank Chance (1913-1914)

Del Pratt (8.53) - 20

Roger Peckinpaugh (1914)

Fritz Maisel (7.79) - 17

Wild Bill Donovan (1915-1917)

Miller Huggins (1918-1919)

ShortStop:

Roger Peckinpaugh (25.39) - 64

Hall of Famers:

Miller Huggins

Third Base:

Dazzy Vance

Home Run Baker (17.12) - 36

Frank Chance

Home Run Baker

Outfield:

Birdie Cree (13.95) - 49

MVP:

Bert Daniels (8.71) - 27

None

Harry Wolter (9.36) - 24

Roy Hartzell (7.08) - 24

No Hitters:

Ping Bodie (3.61) - 18

George Mogridge (1917)

Hugh High (3.94) - 18

Doc Cook (3.21) - 15

Notable Events:

Lee Magee (0.49) - 12

Frank Gilhooley (4.62) - 9

1910 - A forgettable decade that doesn't start turning around even after awful

owners Devery and Farrell sell the club to Jacob Ruppert midway thru it.

Notable Events:

1910 - Righthander Ray Fisher, 22, is purchased from Hartford

1915 - First baseman Wally Pipp, 22, is purchased from Detroit

1910 - Righthander Ray Caldwell, 22, is purchased from McKeesport

1915 - Ace righthander Bob Shawkey, 24, is purchased from the A's Connie

Mack firesale - he wasn't an ace yet, just promising

1912 - The Highlanders add pinstripes to their uniforms. They had added

the interlocking NY to their uniforms earlier in 1909

1916 - Future HOF third baseman Home Run Baker, 30, is purchased from the

A's. He had been in a salary dispute with Connie Mack.

1913 - The club signs a lease to play at the Polo Grounds, a much

bigger ballpark than Hilltop Park. Harry Hemphill had just bought the

1918 - The Yanks hire Miller Huggins as manager. The Huggins hiring was the

National League Giants from John T. Brush, who was a throwback to

second step in turning the franchise around. The Ruppert ownership was the first.

the early thugs who ran the NL.The Giants owned the Polo Grounds

and as long as the vindictive Brush had owned the club, they would

1918 - Righthander Urban Shocker, 26, is dealt to the Browns in a bad trade

never lease to the American League's major league New York entry.

1919 - Lefthander Lefty O'Doul, 22, Is a rookie. O'Doul was a great hitter whose

1913 - No longer playing at Hilltop Park, the Highlanders name,

ability to pitch hurt his career as it muddied the waters regarding at what position

never popular anyway, gives way to the Yankees, a brand is born.

he should really be playing. The Yankees couldn't decide what to do with him.

There's a real irony here as the Yankees would purchase lefthander Babe Ruth from

1913 - In a bad deal, the impatient Yankees dump 6-4 220lb

Boston and convert him into an outfielder while they had another top slugger right

twenty four year old lefthander Hippo Vaughn. Sometimes big guys

under their noses that they didn't convert into an outfielder from a lefthanded hurler.

need a little time to find themselves, but Frank Farrell, who was

Altho' O'Doul was no Ruth, he was a great hitter in his own right and it's interesting

running the club, knew more about barstools and whiskey than he

to see how differently the Yankees handled the two players and how it affected

did about baseball and he let Vaughn go for nothing. The Big Hippo

their careeers. O'Doul would have been awesome next to Ruth in the lineeup.

went on to have a near HOF career with the Cubs.

Outfield defense would have been a problem, however. Both had great throwing

arms, obviously, but neither was a gazelle.

1915 - Jacob Ruppert buys the club from the Yankees' lowlife owners

Frank Farrell and William Devery. Baseball was now going legit in New York

1919 - The Boston Red Sox to Yankees fire sale begins helping the Yankees

and moving away from the Tammany Hall tied thugs like Farrell, Devery

move up twenty games in the standings to third place. The Yankees get OF

and thug in general John Brush of the Giants. It was a good thing.

Duffy Lewis and starting pitchers Dutch Leonard, Carl Mays and Ernie Shore

Unfortunately for the Yankees, they didn't have anyone in the front office

from Boston. (New York turns around and sells Leonard to Detroit before he

who knew how to build a winner even after Ruppert bought the club.

ever throws a pitch for the Yanks). The dismantling of the Red Sox, mostly to the

Yankees, was a third huge step in the turnaround of the Yankees.