Who Were Baseball's Home Run Hitters Before Babe Ruth?

 

Although home runs were far less common in the majors prior to the arrival of Babe Ruth, there were a handful of players who gained some acclaim for their slugging ability. The most prominent ones are as follows:  

           

NED WILLIAMSON

An infielder who spent most of his career with the Chicago White Stockings (later known as the Cubs), Williamson might have been totally forgotten if not for his performance in 1884. In those days, the White Stockings played their home games in Lakefront Park, where the dimensions in right and left field were quite shallow (around 200 feet). During the 1883 season, balls hit over the right field fence were counted as doubles. A ground-rule change the following year prompted a dramatic power surge as Williamson clubbed 27 home runs—a new single-season record. Three other Chicago players gathered at least 21 homers that year, which was an unprecedented event. After the White Stockings moved to West Side Park in 1885, Williamson’s home run output dwindled significantly along with the rest of his teammates.  

 

ROGER CONNOR

 Unlike Williamson, Connor actually had some legitimate power. A big man for the era at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, Connor was the first man to hit a ball completely out of the Polo Grounds in New York. When he retired after the 1897 season, he had amassed 138 lifetime homers—a major league record. Unfortunately, statistics were not diligently kept in those days and Connor’s notable achievement was not recognized until long after the fact. It’s important to note that major league rules were a lot different in Connor’s day. During a portion of his career, one side of the bat could be flat, batters could call for low or high pitches, and foul tips were not counted as strikes. The pitcher’s mound was only 50 feet from home plate. 

 

FRANK “WILDFIRE” SCHULTE

Schulte spent a majority of his playing days with the Cubs. A daring base runner, he stole home 22 times during his career. In 1911, he proved he had some pop in his bat as well, cracking 21 homers—a short-lived 20th century record. Schulte, who was incredibly superstitious, would sometimes wander the streets looking for hair pins, which he believed brought him good luck at the plate. He used extremely heavy bats with thin handles, breaking up to 50 of them per season—very unusual for the time.  

 

FRANK “HOME RUN” BAKER

Baker led the American League in home runs every year from 1911-1914 and probably would have won the 1916 home run crown had he not missed more than 50 games. The two homers he hit in the 1911 World Series earned him his famous nickname. He played in six Fall Classics altogether—four with the A’s and two with the Yankees. A clutch performer, he retired with a .363 postseason batting average. In later years, he claimed that the deep dimensions of Shibe Park in Philadelphia robbed him of dozens of home runs. By his own report, he hit the right field wall 38 times in 1913 (likely an exaggeration).

 

GAVVY CRAVATH

Cravath was the first true slugger of the modern era. “Some players steal bases with hook slides and speed. I steal bases with my bat,” he once said. From 1912-1919, he finished among the top three in homers every year, leading the NL six times. His 24 blasts for the Phillies in 1915 were the most by a 20th century player until Babe Ruth hit 29 four seasons later. Cravath played a majority of his games in Philadelphia’s oddly-proportioned Baker Bowl, which had a 280-foot foul line in right field. A 40-foot wall and 20-foot screen made things a bit more challenging, but the park remained a hitter’s paradise until it closed for good in 1938.    

Explore this topic further along with many others in my latest book, Lore of the Bambino: 100 Great Babe Ruth Stories, available this April through The Lyons Press.