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Clyde Milan was a speedy centerfielder who spent his entire16-year big league playing career with the Washington Senators. He then spent five years managing in the minors before coaching for Washington seasons until his death.

Milan broke into the bigs in August, 1907 then played nearly everyday the rest of the season. In his initial three seasons through 1909 he hit .231 with a .295 on-base percentage.

When the new decade hit, Milan came into his own. From 1910-1914 he hit an even .300 and averaged 92 runs scored and 61 steals per season. During the run he received MVP votes in four straight seasons starting in 1911 and finished in the top-10 three consecutive years.

In 1911, the heart of the Deadball Era, Milan set career highs in hits (194), doubles (24) runs (109), batting average (.315), and on-base percentage (.395). The following season he again eclipsed the century mark in runs scored, while posting a career-best 5.4 WAR and setting the single-season record for stolen bases with 88 . Milan’s performance earned him a fourth-place finish in MVP balloting. He followed that up by hitting over .300 for the third-straight year and again leading the majors in steals with 75.

Defensively, Milan used his speed to play a shallow centerfield to cut off would-be hits. Longtime Senators owner Clark Griffith called Milan the best centerfield the team ever had.

As Milan reached his 30s, his production continued. From his age-30 season in 1917 until he retired, Milan hit .295. When he left the playing field in 1922, he boasted 2,100 hits, and 1,004 runs scored. At the time of his retirement his 495 steals ranked third all-time in the modern post-1900.

These numbers along with his .285 career average and .353 on-base percentage helped him to a career WAR total of 40.0. Though not a candidate for Cooperstown, Milan’s WAR total ranks ahead of more than a dozen Hall of Fame position players. The group includes Pie Traynor, Hack Wilson, Ernie Lombardi, George Kell, and Bill Mazeroski. Milan’s WAR total also surpasses that of popular stars Maury Wills, Babe Herman, Kirk Gibson, and Roger Maris, Bill Madlock, and Steve Garvey.

Shown here is a signed affidavit dated August 20, 1947 in which Milan pledges his support of Senator skipper Ossie Bluege. The team was in the midst of an 11-game losing streak when an article in the Washington Evening Star roasted Bluege for the team’s performance. As a coach for the team, Milan joined the players in denouncing the “derogatory and malicious statements written about our manager…”.

Interestingly, Bluege broke into the big leagues in 1922 with the Senators in Milan’s lone season as the Washington pilot.

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In 1912 Clyde Milan stole 88 bases to break the modern-day record of 83 set the year before by Ty Cobb. Three years later Cobb reclaimed his mark by swiping 96 bags in 1915.

The Georgia Peach’s total stood for the rest of Cobb’s life. In 1962, the year after Ty’s death, Maury Wills eclipsed triple-digits in steals when he had 104 thefts.

Here is an example of Cobb’s signature. In the mid 1980’s a member of Cobb’s family flooded the autograph collectible market with his personal checks. Until the end of the decade, these beauties could be had for under $50.

This check is made out to a book store and is dated September 5, 1945. While Cobb was shopping for reading material, his Tigers were in New York dropping a 5-1 contest to the Yankees.

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Clyde Milan and Walter Johnson enjoyed a lifelong friendship that began when the two men were signed on the same scouting trip. The easy-going duo was paired as road roommates for all but one of Milan’s 16 seasons in the bigs.

The lone season the two chums did not board together for away games was in 1942 when Milan was the team’s player/manager. As skipper, the 35-year old Milan inserted himself into a career-low 42 games. The Senators stumbled to a 69-85 mark under their mild-mannered manager who was replaced by Donnie Bush the next year. Interestingly, when Hall of Fame pitcher Johnson was named skipper in 1929, his first coaching hire was Milan.

The former centerfielder managed in the minors for Birmingham from 1930-1935 and with Chattanooga from ’35-’37. In 1938 Milan returned to Washington as a coach for the Senators. He remained in that role for the next 15 seasons.

In spring training of ’53 Milan was hitting fungoes in both the morning and afternoon drills for infielders. Fatigued from the sweltering Florida humidity, he later collapsed in the Tinker Field locker room. Clyde Milan died two hours later at an Orlando hospital, three weeks shy of his 66th birthday.

Shown here is a letter from Milan’s friend and teammate Walter Johnson. Penned on September 4, 1935, the letter thanks Hall of Fame executive Ford Frick for giving Johnson a lifetime pass to all MLB games.