Babe Herman
| Birthdate | 6/26/1903 |
| Death Date | 11/27/1987 |
| Debut Year | 1926 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Cubs, Dodgers, Pirates, Reds, Tigers |
| Positions | First Base, Right Field |
Babe Herman hit .393 in 1930. With five more hits that season he would’ve hit .400 likely punching his ticket to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
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Babe Herman's finest season came in 1930 when he set still-standing Dodger franchise marks
Babe Herman's finest season came in 1930 when he set still-standing Dodger franchise marks
Babe Herman’s 1930 season was majestic: .393 average, 35 homers, 130 runs batted in. If Herman had tallied just five more hits that season he would’ve finished with a .400 average. That would’ve punched his ticket to Cooperstown.
The outfielder’s .678 slugging percentage, 1.132 OPS, 241 hits, 416 total bases, 94 extra base hits, and 311 times on base remain Dodger franchise records as of 2021.
Herman finished his career with a .324 average, a .915 OPS, and an OPS+ of 141. Five hits in that 1930 season would’ve meant baseball immortality.
In the collection is this letter from that magical 1930 season. Signed by Dodger president Frank York on beautiful Brooklyn letterhead, the letter is written to the New York tax collector on behalf of Herman.
York served as team president from 1930-1932 and died in 1937. His letter speaks of the Brooklyn team deducting taxes from half of Herman’s salary. Herman earned the other half of his $15,000 for 1930 by playing road games.
Vintage letters almost a century old remain scarce and highly coveted.
Babe Herman has outstanding career numbers - .324 average, .915 OPS, 141 OPS+
Babe Herman has outstanding career numbers - .324 average, .915 OPS, 141 OPS+
Floyd “Babe” Herman roamed the outfield for five different teams during his 13-year big league career. The first six season came in Brooklyn starting in 1926.
In that half-dozen year span, Herman hit .340 with a .398 on-base percentage and a .559 slugging percentage. His OPS+ was 145, meaning he was 45% better than the average hitter of the period.
After leaving Brooklyn Herman bounced around to four teams in six years. He hung up his spikes after hitting .300 for the Tigers in 1937. When wartime took away many major leaguers out of the game, Herman’s Dodgers came calling.
Eight years removed from his last big league game, Herman hit .265 for Brooklyn with a solid .359 on-base percentage in 1945.
Shown here is a government postcard signed by Herman three years after the conclusion of World War II.
Former Dodger Babe Herman was a hero in his hometown of Glendale, California
Former Dodger Babe Herman was a hero in his hometown of Glendale, California
The image above shows the reverse of the government postcard signed by Babe Herman. The 13-year MLB veteran lived to the ripe old age of 84 and signed plenty of autographs.
The postmark shown here reveals a mailing date of December 30, 1948 from Herman’s hometown of Glendale, California. Vintage pieces such as these capture collectors’ interest because of this context.
Herman was a hero in Glendale. A prominent local Little League field was named in his honor shortly before his death. It still plays host to hundreds of games each year.
Riggs Stephenson (.336) and Babe Herman (.324) own high career batting averages
Riggs Stephenson (.336) and Babe Herman (.324) own high career batting averages
This 8×10 photo shows two players who’ve as yet fallen just short of Cooperstown inclusion. Riggs Stephenson retired with a .336 lifetime average. Among players not in the Hall of Fame, only Joe Jackson has a higher career mark.
Babe Herman’s .324 mark over the course of his 13-year career is not that far behind. Herman received consideration in Most Valuable Player voting in four seasons of a career that was highlighted by his 1930 season in which he slugged 35 homers, drove in 130 runs and hit .393.
The photo is signed boldly in blue sharpie by the pair of baseball stars.
