Riggs Stephenson
| Birthdate | 01/05/1898 |
| Death Date | 11/15/1985 |
| Debut Year | 1921 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Cubs, Indians |
| Positions | Left Field, Second Base, Third Base |
Riggs Stephenson has a .336 lifetime average is the 4th-highest for a right-hander among players not enshrined at Cooperstown; his career OBP is .407.
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The 1929 Cubs outfield of Stephenson, Kiki Cuyler, and Hack Wilson each drove in 100+ runs
The 1929 Cubs outfield of Stephenson, Kiki Cuyler, and Hack Wilson each drove in 100+ runs
Riggs Stephenson hit .319 or better each of the 12 seasons he appeared in at least 40 games. He hit .320 or better in ten of those years.
His best season came with Chicago in 1929 when he set career highs in homers (17), runs batted in (110), on-base percentage (.445, and slugging percentage (.562). That same season the Cubs outfield of Stephenson, KiKi Cuyler, and Hack Wilson each drove in 100 or more runs, the only outfield trio in MLB history to do so.
Shown here is a letter dated February 9, 1929, just two months before the historic campaign for the Cubs outfielders. It is handwritten and signed by Riggs Stephenson.
Stephenson's .336 lifetime average & Babe Herman's .324 mark are among the highest outside of the Hall
Stephenson's .336 lifetime average & Babe Herman's .324 mark are among the highest outside of the Hall
Riggs Stephenson retired with a .336 lifetime batting average. Among non Hall of Famers from the 1900s, that’s the highest career mark outside of Joe Jackson and Lefty O’Doul. Riggs also boasts a lifetime .407 on-base percentage.
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. His career was highlighted by his 1930 season in which he slugged 35 homers, drove in 130 runs and hit .393.
This 8×10 photo shows two players who’ve as yet fallen just short of Cooperstown inclusion. The photo is signed boldly in blue sharpie by the pair of baseball stars.
Stephenson never received as much as 2% of the Cooperstown vote from the writers
Stephenson never received as much as 2% of the Cooperstown vote from the writers
Despite his gaudy career numbers, Riggs Stephenson only appeared on the writers’ ballot four times. He never received as much as 2% of the vote.
He appears occasionally on the Veterans Committee ballot but has not earned much support there either. The knock against Stephenson is the length of his career.
Stephenson appeared in 100 games in only 5 seasons. For his career he played in just 1,310 games. His lifetime totals in hits (1,515), homers (63), and RBI (773) don’t exactly scream “Hall of Fame”.
Shown here is a government postcard signed by Stephenson in 1955.
An Alabama man through and through, Stephenson lived all of his years in the state
An Alabama man through and through, Stephenson lived all of his years in the state
According to his SABR biography, Riggs Stephenson was born in 1898 “about ten minutes away by horse” from the nearest Alabama small town. A natural athlete, Stephenson attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa a 40-minute drive from where he was born.
With the Crimson Tide he earned letters in football, basketball, and baseball. He called Alabama his offseason home, eventually retiring there.
Shown here is the back of the government postcard signed by Stephenson. Notice the Tuscaloosa postmark of May 16, 1955. By that time the man with the .407 career on-base percentage was 57 years old.
After leaving baseball, Stephenson got married and had two children. Together they lived on a farm not far from his birthplace.
Among major leaguers born in Alabama, Stephenson’s .336 average ranks #1 among men with at least 500 at bats. In 1971 Stephenson was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
