Zack Wheat
| Birthdate | 5/23/1888 |
| Death Date | 3/11/1972 |
| Debut Year | 1909 |
| Year of Induction | 1959 |
| Teams | Athletics, Dodgers |
| Position | Left Field |
Zack Wheat retired in 1926 yet still holds the Dodger franchise records for games played, hits, doubles, triples, and total bases.
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Zack Wheat is one of the greatest Dodger players ever
Zack Wheat is one of the greatest Dodger players ever
The Dodger franchise is one of the cornerstones of big league baseball. One of the greatest Dodger players is also one of the most forgotten – Zack Wheat.
He played 18 years in Brooklyn and remains the Dodger franchise record holder for games played, hits, doubles, triples, and total bases. Wheat hit .300 or better in a dozen seasons with the Dodgers and in his final big league season with the Athletics.
From 1914-1926 Wheat played for Hall of Fame manager Wilbert Robinson. The key position player on those clubs, Wheat helped Brooklyn reach World Series for the first two times in franchise history in 1916 and again in 1920.
Wheat was so popular that Tanglefoot Flypaper featured him in an advertisement for Tanglefoot Flypaper on outfield wall at Ebbets Field wall.
The ad read, “In 1915, Wheat, Brooklyn, caught 345 flies. Tanglefoot caught 50,000,000,000 flies.”
He sustained a decade of excellence from 1916-1925 , hit .334 with a 138 OPS+. During the first six years of the 1920s he was even better. Wheat’s batting average was .347; his on-base percentage was .398.
In the collection is this two-page letter handwritten by Wheat.
Wheat writes, “Just heard over radio that Ty Cobb died in Atlanta Hospital today. Too bad, he was one of the greatest.” The letter is dated July 16, 1961, the day before Cobb died. Wheat was either confused as to the date or started writing the letter on the 16th while finishing the next day.
