Babe Herman | |
---|---|
Right fielder | |
Born: June 26, 1903 Buffalo, New York, U.S. | |
Died: November 27, 1987 Glendale, California, U.S. | (aged 84)|
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
MLB debut | |
April 14, 1926, for the Brooklyn Robins | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 16, 1945, for the Brooklyn Dodgers | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .324 |
Home runs | 181 |
Runs batted in | 997 |
Teams | |
Floyd Caves "Babe" Herman (June 26, 1903 – November 27, 1987) was an American professional baseball player and scout. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right fielder between 1926 and 1945, most prominently as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers who were known as the Robins at that time. After his most productive years with the Robins, he ended his playing career playing for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and the Detroit Tigers.
Herman was one of the most impressive power hitters of the late 1920s and early 1930s, accumulating a career batting average of .324 and a number of Dodger franchise season records still in effect.[1] At the time of his retirement in 1945, his .532 career slugging percentage ranked fourth among National League (NL) hitters with at least 5,000 at bats. His .393 batting average, .678 slugging percentage, 241 hits and 416 total bases produced during the 1930 season remain Dodgers franchise records, with his 143 runs being the post-1900 team record; he also set team records (since broken) that year with 35 home runs and 130 runs batted in.[1] He also hit for the cycle a record three times during his career.
Along with his hitting ability, Herman was one of baseball’s most colorful characters whose occasional baserunning mishaps and defensive lapses infuriated, and later endeared him to Brooklyn fans.[1] His reputation went beyond the playing field with his penchant for malapropisms.[1] After his playing career, he served as a scout for the Pirates, Phillies, Mets, Yankees and Giants organizations.[1]