Roger Peckinpaugh
| Birthdate | 2/5/1891 |
| Death Date | 11/17/1977 |
| Debut Year | 1910 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Indians, Senators, Yankees |
| Positions | Manager, Shortstop |
In 1913 23-year-old Yankee captain Roger Peckinpaugh was named manager of the team when Frank Chance was fired; in 1925 he was the AL MVP for Senators.
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A fine player himself, Peckinpaugh played with & against the game's greatest players
A fine player himself, Peckinpaugh played with & against the game's greatest players
Roger Peckinpaugh played 17 big league seasons, all in the American League. He faced and teamed up with some of the game’s greatest players.
His boyhood idol Nap Lajoie discovered and signed him in 1910. Peckinpaugh played alongside the five-time batting champion, who had a .338 lifetime average. Cleveland also featured 511-game winner Cy Young.
In 1913, the Yankees traded for him. He became the team captain the next season. When the team fired manager Frank Chance late that year, the 23-year-old Peckinpaugh took over as skipper.
Toward the end of his nine years in New York, he played with Babe Ruth. In 1921, Peckinpaugh marveled as Ruth hit .378 and led the AL in homers, RBI, runs, walks, on-base percentage, slugging, and total bases.
After the season, the Yankees dealt him to the Red Sox, who traded him to the Senators three weeks later.
During Peckinpaugh’s five years in Washington, he played alongside Walter Johnson. In 1924, he was the shortstop when Johnson earned the American League pitching crown, leading to Washington’s only World Series win.
In 1925, Peckinpaugh won the American League Most Valuable Player award as the Senators captured the pennant. For Johnson, this marked the last of his twelve 20-win seasons.
Peckinpaugh held Johnson in high regard. Johnson finished with a record 110 shutouts. His 3,509 career strikeouts remained the most in MLB history until Nolan Ryan surpassed it over fifty years later. Johnson’s 417 wins rank second only to Cy Young.
Although they never played together, Peckinpaugh respected Ty Cobb greatly. All 17 of his seasons in the American League overlapped with the owner of 11 batting crowns, 4,189 hits, and the highest lifetime average.
Peckinpaugh was a fine player himself, witnessing the best in the game up close.
He shared his thoughts on baseball’s top performers: “In my playing days, the greatest all-around player was Ty Cobb. No one was close to Babe Ruth as a slugger, and Walter Johnson was the best pitcher.”
Peckinpaugh added his signature at the bottom.
Roger Peckinpaugh's five years with the Senators from 1922 through 1926 were his most memorable
Roger Peckinpaugh's five years with the Senators from 1922 through 1926 were his most memorable
The high point of Roger Peckinpaugh’s 17-year playing career came during his five years with the Senators. While in the nation’s capital, he earned the 1925 American League MVP Award and received MVP votes in two other seasons.
His individual play led to team success. In 1924, the Senators won the pennant. In the World Series, he hit .417, leading the team to their only title in Washington. The following season, they repeated as AL champs.
The Senators’ infield remained stable throughout Peckinpaugh’s time in Washington. Third baseman Ossie Bluege, second baseman Bucky Harris, and first baseman Joe Judge made up the infield. Harris served as player-manager during both pennant-winning campaigns.
After his five years in the nation’s capital from 1922 to 1926, Peck played one more season for the White Sox before retiring.
Shown here is a letter from Peckinpaugh to his partner on the left side of the Senators’ infield, Bluege. Dated October 12, 1942, it lists Peckinpaugh as Vice President on Indians letterhead.
Peckingpaugh was a World Series champ in 1924 and the AL MVP for the 1925 pennant winners
Peckingpaugh was a World Series champ in 1924 and the AL MVP for the 1925 pennant winners
Roger Peckinpaugh played in three World Series, the last two coming in 1924 and ’25 with the Washington Senators. Acquired by Bucky Harris‘ club in 1922, Peckinpaugh held down the shortstop position admirably.
In 1924 he played in 155 games and drove in a career-high 73 runs. Under Harris, Washington reached the World Series for the first time in franchise history. In the Fall Classic Peckinpaugh hit .417 with a .583 slugging percentage to help the Senators bring home the title.
The following season Peckinpaugh was named the American League’s Most Valuable player. Washington repeated as AL champs but dropped a 7-game tilt to the Pirates in the Fall Classic.
Shown here is a letter from Bucky Harris. Dated September 20, 1925, the letter mentions the World Series that would start 17 days later. Peckinpaugh went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored to help the Senators down the White Sox 6-5 the day the letter was written.
Harry Heilmann was clearly the AL's best in 1925 when Peckinpaugh was voted MVP
Harry Heilmann was clearly the AL's best in 1925 when Peckinpaugh was voted MVP
Roger Peckinpaugh winning the 1925 American League MVP Award is a bit of a head-scratcher. The Senators shortstop played in 126 games and hit .294 with 124 hits and 64 runs batted in. His 160 total bases and .746 OPS are rather pedestrian, especially in the high-offense era.
Contrast that with the performance of Harry Heilmann. The Detroit right fielder led the American League with a .393 average and 134 RBI. His 225 hits and 326 total bases far exceeded Peckinpaugh’s totals as did his 1.026 OPS. While Peckinpaugh had a respectable 2.7 WAR, it paled in comparison to Heilmann’s league-leading 7.0 mark.
Peckipaugh’s Senators won the American League pennant. However, no American League player was statistically more valuable than the Tigers outfielder.
In his career Heilmann hit .393 four times, topping the .400 mark in 1923. Though he never won an MVP he did gain baseball’s ultimate honor as a 1952 Cooperstown inductee.
Show here is a government postcard postcard signed by Heilmann. On the back side of this card is a Detroit postmark of April 26, 1949 from Heilmann’s penultimate season as Tigers announcer. That day the Bengals squared off in a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox. In the first game Virgil Trucks got the win behind Vic Wertz’s 3-run homer in the 7th inning.
The Tigers tamed the White Sox in the second game to earn the sweep in Chicago. Pitcher Dizzy Trout earned a save in game one and the win in game two.
As was customary at the time, Heilmann as radio announcer, did not travel with the team. For more on Heilmann, see his page on this site by clicking here.
A 1927 trade sent Peckinpaugh from Washington to Chicago for his final season
A 1927 trade sent Peckinpaugh from Washington to Chicago for his final season
As owner of the Washington Senators, Clark Griffith received many trade offers. In a letter dated November 29, 1926, Griffith wrote to Hall of Fame second baseman Eddie Collins. He sought advice on trading the Senators’ Roger Peckinpaugh for Chicago White Sox pitcher James Edwards.
Collins replied at the bottom of the letter, stating that Edwards “won’t win 50% of his games.” He had valuable insight, having managed Edwards for the previous two seasons. Collins signed his initials, “ETC,” at the bottom of the note.
Two months after this letter, Griffith and the Senators traded the 1925 MVP Peckinpaugh to the Sox. Instead of Edwards, Washington and Chicago agreed to a trade for Leo Magnum and Sloppy Thurston.
Harry Hooper chose Roger Peckinpaugh as the shortstop on his all-time team
Harry Hooper chose Roger Peckinpaugh as the shortstop on his all-time team
When Hall of Fame outfielder Harry Hooper was asked to identify his all-time team, Roger Peckinpaugh was the choice at shortstop. Though the two were never teammates, both enjoyed 17-year big league careers in the American league. They played against each other in 15 of the 17 years they were active.
Interestingly, Peckinpaugh got much more consideration in MVP balloting than the Cooperstown man Hooper. The infielder received support in the award’s voting in four seasons, coming away with the hardware for the 1925 pennant-winning Senators. Hooper appeared on MVP ballots twice, finishing 24th and 20th in 1913 and ’14 respectively.
Shown here is Hooper’s handwritten list of his all-time team. In addition to Peckinpaugh, Hooper lists many of his teammates and Hall of Fame players. On additional pages Hooper answers questions about having a plaque in Cooperstown, his hobbies, the Black Sox scandal, .400 hitters, and how he wants to be remembered. All of that can be seen on Hooper’s page which can be found by clicking here.
