$100,000 infield

$100,000 infield second baseman Eddie Collins

The $100,000 infield was the infield of the Philadelphia Athletics in the early 1910s. The $100,000 infield consisted of first baseman Stuffy McInnis, second baseman Eddie Collins, shortstop Jack Barry and third baseman Frank "Home Run" Baker.[1][2] According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, the nickname reflects "the purported combined market value of the foursome",[3] which is equivalent to about $2.38 million in 2023.[4]

Baseball historian Bill James rated the 1914 edition of the $100,000 infield the greatest infield of all time, and also ranked the 1912 and 1913 editions in the top five all time.[1] The $100,000 infield helped the Athletics win four American League championships in five years—1910, 1911, 1913 and 1914—and win the World Series in 1910, 1911 and 1913. The group was broken up after losing the 1914 World Series as a result of the financial pressures resulting from the emergence of the Federal League.[5] Two members—Collins and Baker—have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.[6]

  1. ^ a b James, B. (2001). The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. Simon & Schuster. pp. 548–550. ISBN 0-684-80697-5.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference collins2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Augustyn, A. "Oakland A's". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  4. ^ Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
  5. ^ Neyer, R.; Epstein, E. (2000). "1911 Philadelphia Athletics". Baseball Dynasties. W. W. Norton. pp. 45–63. ISBN 0-393-32008-1.
  6. ^ "List of Hall of Famers". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. March 4, 2008. Archived from the original on March 30, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2010.