Tyrus Raymond Cobb broke in with the Detroit Tigers in 1905 at the age of 18. Before reaching his 21st birthday, the Georgia native was a big league batting champion. His first batting crown came when he hit .350 in 1907. That season he also paced the American League in hits (212), RBI (119), steals (53), slugging percentage, OPS, and total bases. At age 20, Ty Cobb was a bonafide star.
Cobb was the batting leader for nine straight seasons, highlighted by his 1911 campaign. That season he put up career highs in average (.419), runs (148), hits (248), doubles (47), triples (24), RBI (127), slugging (.620), and total bases (367). Those were all league-leading numbers as were his 83 steals, and 196 OPS+. Cobb’s efforts earned him the Most Valuable Player Award.
In all, Cobb won 12 batting championships in a 13-year run spanning from 1905-1919. Twice he topped the .400 mark.
The Black Ink test shown in BaseballReference.com measures how often a player leads the league various offensive categories. League-leading totals are shown on the website in bold black ink. Cobb’s score is 154, second only to Babe Ruth’s 157. The Gray Ink test is gives points for top-ten finishes among league leaders. Cobb’s 417 ranks as the best in MLB history.
When the Hall of Fame voted on its inaugural class, it was Cobb who boasted the highest vote total. Along with Ruth, Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson, and Honus Wagner, Cobb was elected as the first Cooperstown class in 1936.
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 example 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.
Good work! Thanks
MLB has corrected Cobb’s lifetime BA down to .366–still by far the greatest.