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At the tender age of 20 Eddie Yost became a regular for the Washington Senators. A veteran of two abbreviated big league seasons sandwiched around a stint in the Navy during the Second World War, he became the everyday third baseman in 1947.

The season was a tough one for the Senators. Two games below .500 as of May 1st, the team faded as the season wore on. By the end of July Washington was 20 1/2 games out of first.

On August 10th the Senators beat Connie Mack’s Athletics. Then they dropped three at Boston before returning home and losing four more to the A’s. Losers of 7 straight, they boarded the train to Cleveland and promptly got swept in a four-game set to the Indians. The last two losses to Cleveland came in a doubleheader, both ending heart-breaking walk-off fashion. Now 20 games below the break-even mark, Washington was 27 1/2 games behind the first place Yankees.

After the twin bill disaster an article appeared in the Washington Evening Star ripping the Senators and attributing their poor play to manager Ossie Bluege. The players and coaches came together and gave Bluege a much-needed vote of confidence.

Shown above is an affidavit signed by Eddie Yost. The notarized document is dated August 20, 1947. In it Yost denounces the “derogatory and malicious statements written about our manager…”.

The 20-year old Yost got quite a baseball education in ’47. He remained with the team through the 1958 season. Yost’s 1,521 hits as a Senator rank 10th all time before the franchise moved to Minnesota.

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Eddie Yost debuted as a 17-year old for the 1944 Washington Senators. When he turned 18 in the offseason, Yost enlisted into the US Navy. During his service to his country Yost missed the entire 1945 campaign and all but 8 games in ’46.

Upon his return Yost developed great plate discipline and one of the keenest batting eyes in the game.

Aptly nicknamed “The Walking Man”, Yost led the AL in walks 6 times. Nine times he finished first, second, or third in his league. From 1948-1962 Yost averaged more than 100 free passes per season. In fact, just ten men in big league history have drawn more bases on balls in their careers.

An expert at reaching safely, Yost had an on-base percentage of .400 or better in 9 seasons of his 18 seasons. He led the league in the category twice and finished in the AL’s top-6 seven times.

The Senators star finished with a higher lifetime on-base percentage than Rod Carew, Tony Gwynn, and George Brett.

The former All Star played third base, the least-represented position in Cooperstown. Among Cooperstown men from the hot corner, only Wade Boggs and Chipper Jones have a higher OBP.

Yost was also proficient on defense. A slick fielder, he finished in the top-3 at his position in putouts each season from 1948-1962. During that time he led the league in putouts 8 times. Only Hall of Famers Brooks Robinson and Jimmy Collins have more career putouts at third base.

Yost finished tops in the Junior Circuit in fielding percentage twice, finished second four others times and was in the top-3 nine times overall.

Some believe it’s time to reexamine Yost’s Hall of Fame candidacy.

Yost played for the Senators for his first 14 seasons. In December of 1958 he was part of a six-player swap with the Tigers. Both years in Detroit he led the AL in both walks and on-base percentage.

In December of 1960 the Angels selected Yost in the expansion draft. As leadoff man in the franchise’s first game, Yost holds the distinction of being the first Angels player to appear in a big league game.

In his final big league season, Yost served as a playing coach with the ’62 Angels. He then returned to Washington as third base coach for friend and former teammate Mickey Vernon. When Vernon left the post, Yost served as interim manager for a game. He stayed with the Senators with Gil Hodges as manager through 1967.

When Hodges took the reigns of the Mets in ’68, he took Yost with him. As the team’s third base coach from ’68-’76, Yost was a part of two pennant-winning teams including the 1969 Miracle Mets.

In 1977 Yost went to Boston where he stayed in the third base coaching box until 1984. Yost spent a full four decades in a big league uniform.

In the collection is this autographed government postcard signed by Eddie Yost in 1951.

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Shown here is the reverse of the government postcard signed by Eddie Yost. Such cards are highly sought after by collectors. They provide verifiable context.

Notice the USPS postmark. It shows a date of March 6, 1951 from Orlando, Florida. This puts Yost in spring training with the Washington Senators.

The 1951 campaign as a good one for Yost. He played in all 154 games and led the American League in doubles. Yost’s 126 walks were second in the Junior Circuit only to Hall of Famer Ted Williams while his .423 on-base percentage was surpassed by only three AL players.

For his efforts Yost received consideration in voting for the American League Most Valuable Player Award.

Though Yost’s signatures are by no means rare, examples from the the early 1950s remain difficult to find.

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Underappreciated during his career, Eddie Yost was an on-base machine. For the 13-year period from 1948-1960 his batting average was a pedestrian .257. What made Yost great was his ability to get on base.

During that run he averaged 114 walks per season and got on base four our of every ten plate appearances. Thanks to today’s advanced metrics, baseball fans have a greater understanding of Yost’s value.

In the collection is this 1955 Bowman baseball card autographed by Eddie Yost.