Eddie Collins
| Birthdate | 5/2/1887 |
| Death Date | 3/25/1951 |
| Debut Year | 1906 |
| Year of Induction | 1939 |
| Teams | Athletics, White Sox |
| Position | Second Base |
Eddie Collins is 13th all time in career Wins Above Replacement and 10th among positions players. The 1914 MVP finished with 3,315 hits.
In the collection:
Eddie Collins signature on document assigning Gehrig-replacement Babe Dahlgren to the minors
Eddie Collins signature on document assigning Gehrig-replacement Babe Dahlgren to the minors
The signature of Eddie Collins is relatively available due to his role as Boston executive from 1933-1946, however documents such as this one with relevance to a historically significant player rarely surface.
Dated January 28, 1936, this agreement assigns 24-year old Babe Dahlgren Jersey City team in Boston’s minor league system. The Yankees would eventually purchase Dahlgren from New York before the 1937 season and groom his as the eventual replacement for Lou Gehrig.
Collins remains the only player in baseball history to amass 3,300 hits in under 10,000 at-bats. His autograph is much sought after by collectors as he is a member of the 3,000 hit club and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1939.
Former MLB player Eddie Collins Jr. remembers his dad
Former MLB player Eddie Collins Jr. remembers his dad
A three-year Major Leaguer in his own right, Eddie Collins Jr. played 132 games, mostly as an outfielder. In the collection is a handwritten letter from the younger Collins remember his father, the Hall of Fame player.
“I remember him mostly as a very fine and loving father rather than a ballplayer,” writes Jr. Indeed, by the time he was born his father had been retired for almost a decade.
The memory of his father might shed light into what made Collins Sr. a great player. “He was enthusiastic about a great many things, loved playing any kind of game, was very competitive, fair, and a fine sportsman.”
Eddie Collins Jr. died November 2, 2000.
Clark Griffith writes to Eddie Collins in 1926; Collins replies
Clark Griffith writes to Eddie Collins in 1926; Collins replies
As owner of the Washington Senators, Clark Griffith fielded many offers for trades. In this letter of November 29, 1926 Griffith writes to fellow Hall of Famer Eddie Collins expressing his sorrow that Collins was deposed as manager of the White Sox. With Collins as their second baseman and manager Chicago finished the 1926 campaign with a 81-72 record. The White Sox fired Collins at the end of the season to complete his time as Sox skipper with an overall record of 174-160. Griffith continues his letter asking Collins’ opinion of a possible trade of the Senators’ Roger Peckinpaugh for Chicago White Sox pitcher James Edwards. Collins would certainly have insight having managed Edwards for the last two seasons. Collins replies at the bottom of the letter saying among other things that Edwards, “won’t win 50% of his games”. Collins signs his initials “ETC” at the bottom of the note. Griffith and the Senators did end up trading the 1925 MVP Peckinpaugh to the Sox two months after this letter was written. Instead of getting Edwards, Washington and Chicago agreed on a swap for Leo Magnum and Sloppy Thurston.
