1931 Key Retirees - Batters
Joe Harris, 1B/RF, Yankees
Harris won two Gold Gloves at first base. Look at his stats and you will see he was a fine batter, but he was forced out of right field by Bob Meusel in 1917, and then he was forced off of first base by the great Lou Gehrig in 1923. He continued to excel once relegated to a backup role, retiring with a .290 average over 6,533 at-bats. He finished in the Top 10 in doubles seven times, walks four times, batting average four times and OBP five times. He appeared in two World Series with the Yankees, winning one.
Irish Meusel, RF/LF, Twins
A 2-time Gold Glove winner, Meusel was known primarily for his power stroke. He clubbed 671 home runs and posted a .282 lifetime average. In 1922, he led the AL in triples, slugging percentage and RBI. He finished in the Top 10 in hits nine times, home runs fourteen times, RBI thirteen times, runs seven times, batting average three times, SLG twelve times, OPS seven times, and WAR seven times. He appeared in two World Series with the Twins, winning one.
Hack Miller, RF/LF, Dodgers
Named the 1916 NL Rookie of the Year, Miller was known for his highly productive bat but also for a real lack of range in the outfield. He finished in the Top 10 in hits three times, home runs six times, RBI three times, SLG five times and OPS three times.
Ben Paschal, CF, Indians
More of a natural right fielder, Paschal was forced to play center field most of his career. He was consistently at or near the bottom of the league in defensive range factor and zone rating since he was out of position, but he retired with a respectable .986 career fielding percentage in center. Paschal was productive offensively for Cleveland, retiring with 2,190 hits and 313 home runs. He appeared in one World Series with the Indians in 1924, but lost to the Giants.
Edd Roush, RF, White Sox
Roush was a phenomenal defensive right fielder, winning nine Gold Gloves - the most won by any player at any position in the history of MLHR. Roush won seven of his Gold Gloves over an eight year period from 1921-28. He was also a great offensive producer for Chicago, retiring with 2,975 hits and a .293 batting average. He led the AL in doubles in 1915 and finished in the Top 10 in hits ten times, doubles six times, triples eleven times, batting average seven times and WAR seven times. He appeared in four World Series with the White Sox, winning three.
Hank Severeid, C, Reds
Severeid was often overlooked due to the fact that he played on some poor Cincinnati teams later in his career, but if you look back on his body of work, you see that he recorded 2,634 hits and a lifetime .270 average. He won two Gold Gloves and his defense is part of the reason he had 51.8 career WAR, 82nd all-time but 6th all-time among catchers. He finished in the Top 10 in hits three times, batting average five times and OBP three times.
Ken Williams, LF/CF, Reds
The Reds will certainly miss Ken Williams. He practically carried the team on his back offensively for most of his 16-year career. He retired with 2,663 hits, a great .283 average for a slugger and a whopping 735 home runs. He led the NL in home runs three times, RBI three times, walks four times, triples three times and SLG twice. He won two Batter of the Year Awards. In 1919, his second BOY season, Williams led the NL in OPS and WAR too. He even led the NL in runs scored once. In addition to his offensive prowess, Williams won three Gold Gloves in left field and was a plus defender in all but one of his 16 seasons. The only thing missing from his resume is a World Series appearance.
