| Nap Lajoie | |
|---|---|
 Lajoie in 1913 | |
| Second baseman / Manager | |
| Born: September 5, 1874 Woonsocket, Rhode Island, U.S. | |
| Died: February 7, 1959 (aged 84) Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 12, 1896, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 26, 1916, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .339 |
| Hits | 3,252 |
| Home runs | 82 |
| Runs batted in | 1,599 |
| Managerial record | 377–309 |
| Winning % | .550 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
As player
As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1937 |
| Vote | 83.6% (second ballot) |
Napoléon "Nap" Lajoie (/ˈlæʒəweɪ/; September 5, 1874 – February 7, 1959), also known as Larry Lajoie, was an American professional baseball second baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "the Frenchman", he represented both Philadelphia franchises and the Cleveland Naps, the latter of which he became the namesake of, and from 1905 through 1909, the player-manager.
Lajoie was signed to the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League (NL) in 1896. By the beginning of the 20th century, however, the upstart American League (AL) was looking to rival the supremacy of the NL and in 1901, Lajoie and dozens of former National League players joined the American League. National League clubs contested the legality of contracts signed by players who jumped to the other league, but eventually Lajoie was allowed to play for Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics. During the season, Lajoie set the all-time American League single-season mark for the highest batting average (.426).[1][2][3][self-published source]: p.76 [4]: p.88 One year later, Lajoie went to the Cleveland Bronchos, where he would play until the 1915 season, when he returned to play for Mack and the Athletics. While with Cleveland, Lajoie's popularity led to locals electing to change the club's team name from Bronchos to Napoleons ("Naps" for short), which remained until after Lajoie departed Cleveland and the name was changed to Indians (the team's name until 2021).
Lajoie led the AL in batting average five times in his career and four times recorded the highest number of hits. During several of those years with the Naps, he and Ty Cobb dominated AL hitting categories and traded batting titles with each other, most notably in 1910, when the league's batting champion was not decided until well after the last game of the season and after an investigation by American League President Ban Johnson. Lajoie in 1914 joined Cap Anson and Honus Wagner as the only major league players to record 3,000 career hits. He led the NL or AL in putouts five times in his career and in assists three times. He has been called "the best second baseman in the history of baseball" and "the most outstanding player to wear a Cleveland uniform."[5]: p.207 [6] Cy Young said, "Lajoie was one of the most rugged players I ever faced. He'd take your leg off with a line drive, turn the third baseman around like a swinging door and powder the hand of the left fielder."[4]: p.86 In 1937, Lajoie was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- ^ "Nap Lajoie Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
- ^ "Nap Lajoie Breaks Arm In Fall". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. February 21, 1958. p. 9. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
- ^ Cressman, Mark (2008). The A-to-Z History of Base Ball. Bloomington, Indiana: Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 978-1-4363-2260-7. Retrieved September 20, 2012.
- ^ a b Rains, Rob (2004). Rawlings Presents Big Stix: The Greatest Hitters in the History of the Major Leagues. Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing. ISBN 1-58261-757-0. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
- ^ Schneider, Russell (2004). Peter L. Bannon; Joseph J. Bannon, Sr.; Susan M. Moyer (eds.). The Cleveland Indians Encyclopedia (Third ed.). Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing. ISBN 1-58261-840-2. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- ^ Corcoran, Cliff (July 22, 2011). "Where does Alomar rank among game's best second basemen?". Si.com.