Howie Shanks

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Howie Shanks
Shanks in 1913
Outfielder / Third baseman
Born: (1890-07-21)July 21, 1890
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died: July 30, 1941(1941-07-30) (aged 51)
Monaca, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 9, 1912, for the Washington Senators
Last MLB appearance
October 3, 1925, for the New York Yankees
MLB statistics
Batting average.253
Home runs25
Runs batted in620
Teams

Howard Samuel Shanks (July 21, 1890 – July 30, 1941) was an American professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1912 to 1925 for the Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox, and New York Yankees.

Shanks made his professional baseball debut in 1909. The Senators drafted him and he played for them from 1912 until they traded him to the Red Sox after the 1922 season. After two seasons with Boston, he was traded to the Yankees for his final MLB season. Regarded as one of the better defensive players in baseball, Shanks began his MLB career as an outfielder, but he also played as shortstop for Washington and as a utility infielder for Boston and New York. He was considered an "ordinary hitter". After his playing career, Shanks served as a coach for the Cleveland Indians and coached and managed in the minor leagues.

Early life

Shanks was born on July 21, 1890, in Chicago, Illinois. His father, Samuel Shanks, immigrated to the United States from Ireland and lived in Youngstown, Ohio, before moving to Chicago. He was the second oldest of five children born to Samuel and Elizabeth (née Oatey) Shanks. After living in Chicago, the family moved to Monaca, Pennsylvania.[1]

Shanks attended public schools in Monaca, including Monaca High School.[2] In 1907, he began playing semi-professional baseball in Monaca. Shanks played for a semi-professional team in Rochester, Pennsylvania, in 1908 that was run by former Major League Baseball player Tom McCreery.[1][3]

Career

Early career

The East Liverpool Potters of the Class C Ohio–Pennsylvania League signed Shanks as a left fielder for the 1909 season on the recommendation of McCreery,[3][4] and Shanks made his professional baseball debut that year, finishing the season with a .240 batting average.[1] In 1910, he returned to East Liverpool,[5] where he batted .223.[1] After the 1910 season, East Liverpool sold the rights to Shanks and seven other players to the Youngstown Steelmen of the Ohio–Pennsylvania League for the 1911 season.[6]

After the 1910 season, Shanks was diagnosed with tuberculosis and given "a couple of weeks to live."[7] The Pittsburgh Pirates expressed interest in selecting him in the upcoming Rule 5 draft, but after seeing his medical report, they opted not to.[1][7] Shanks returned to Monaca, where he recovered. He reported to Youngstown in 1911 and regained 40 pounds (18 kg) of lost weight before the end of the season. He batted .291 for Youngstown in the 1911 season.[1] He also had a .990 fielding percentage and committed only three errors.[8]

Major league career

Jimmy McAleer, manager of the Washington Senators of the American League, scouted Shanks during the 1911 season.[9][10] On September 1, 1911, Washington selected Shanks from Youngstown in the Rule 5 draft.[11] He competed for a role with the Senators in spring training in 1912 and made their roster as a backup outfielder.[12] Shanks made his major league debut on May 9, 1912. After left fielder Danny Moeller injured his shoulder in a game on May 25,[13] Shanks took over as the regular left fielder. When Moeller returned to the Senators, he played as a right fielder, with Tilly Walker becoming a bench player.[14] Shanks played in 116 games in his first season with the Senators.[1] He led all left fielders in the American League with a .962 fielding percentage.[15] On May 31, 1913, Shanks sprained his right ankle sliding into home plate during a game, and was taken to Georgetown Hospital for treatment.[16] The injury lingered for the remainder of the year. Shanks went to Bonesetter Reese after the season, who fixed Shanks's ankle by resetting a tendon.[17]

Shanks with the Washington Senators

By the 1914 season, Senators manager Clark Griffith said "Howard Shanks is, in my mind, the greatest fielding outfielder in baseball".[18] He was also considered an "ordinary hitter".[19] In 1915, Griffith brought in Henri Rondeau, Bill Brown, and Red Massey to compete with Shanks for playing time in an attempt to improve the team's offensive output.[20] Rondeau made the Senators roster for the 1915 season and was given a trial in left field,[21] but was sent to the minor leagues in May.[22] By the end of the 1916 season, Griffith experimented with Shanks as a shortstop.[23] Griffith made Shanks his regular shortstop in June 1917.[24] He returned to playing as a left fielder in 1918, and Griffith had him play shortstop again in the 1919 season.[25] In 1920, Shanks set a career high with a .264 average and tied a career high with four home runs. In 1921, Shanks hit .302 and led the American League in triples with 18.[1] He also led all American League third baseman with a .960 fielding percentage.[26][27]

On April 30, 1922, a line drive hit by Walker, Shanks' former teammate, now playing for the Philadelphia Athletics, broke Shanks' index finger. It was estimated that he would require three weeks to recover.[28] He returned as the starting shortstop, but broke a bone in his left hand.[29][30] In his time with Washington, Shanks played every outfield and infield position, but did not play as a pitcher or a catcher.[1][31]

The Senators traded Shanks, Ed Goebel, and Val Picinich to the Boston Red Sox for Muddy Ruel and Allen Russell on February 10, 1923.[32] Shanks opened the 1923 season as an outfielder for the Red Sox,[33] but he played 37 games as a second baseman and 83 games as a third baseman in the 1923 season.[34] In April 1924, the Red Sox dealt third baseman Norm McMillan and played Shanks at third base.[35] He also played second base in the 1924 season.[1]

On December 10, 1924, the Red Sox traded Shanks to the New York Yankees for Mike McNally.[36] He succeeded McNally as the utility infielder for the Yankees during the 1925 season.[1][31] After the 1925 season, the Yankees released Shanks.[37]

Later career

Shanks signed a contract with the Louisville Colonels of the Class AA American Association for the 1926 season as their regular third baseman.[38][39] He returned to Louisville for the 1927 season,[40] but he struggled and was released in June when Louisville signed Ed Sicking.[41] He signed with the Rochester Red Wings of the Class AA International League in July 1927.[42]

Before the 1928 season, Shanks became a coach for the Cleveland Indians of the American League under manager Roger Peckinpaugh.[43] He was charged with coaching the team's infielders and outfielders.[44] Shanks coached for Cleveland until July 1932, when the team transitioned him into their scouting department.[45] Shanks managed the Beaver Falls Browns of the Class D Pennsylvania State Association in 1938.[46] In 1939, he became a coach and scout for the New Orleans Pelicans of the Class A1 Southern Association, which were managed by Peckinpaugh.[47]

Personal life

Shanks married Wilhelmina (née Wagner), a resident of Monaca, on February 24, 1915.[48]

Shanks died of a coronary occlusion at his home in Monaca on July 30, 1941.[1][2][49]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Nowlin, Bill. "Howie Shanks". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Howard Shanks Dies, Long Diamond Star". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. July 31, 1941. p. 23. Retrieved September 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "13 Feb 1923". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. February 13, 1923. p. 14. Retrieved September 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "1909 East Liverpool roster info". The Evening Review. September 7, 2015. p. 6. Retrieved September 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "8 Feb 1910". The Akron Beacon Journal. February 8, 1910. p. 6. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "15 Feb 1911". Pittsburgh Daily Post. February 15, 1911. p. 9. Retrieved September 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b "24 Jan 1915, 11". The Birmingham News. January 24, 1915. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "3 Feb 1912". The Evening Review. February 3, 1912. p. 6. Retrieved September 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "14 Jul 1911". The Washington Times. July 14, 1911. p. 14. Retrieved September 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "2 Sep 1911". The Washington Times. September 2, 1911. p. 13. Retrieved September 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "5 Sep 1911". The Washington Herald. September 5, 1911. p. 8. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "4.6.12 Washington Times p. 12 Griffith Calls McGraw A Four Flusher". The Washington Times. February 7, 2019. p. 12. Retrieved September 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "26 May 1912". The Washington Post. May 26, 1912. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "2 Jun 1912". The Washington Post. June 2, 1912. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "1912 American League Fielding Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com.
  16. ^ "1 Jun 1913". The Washington Herald. June 1, 1913. p. 31. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "11 Nov 1913, 15". Evening Star. November 11, 1913. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "25 Jun 1914, 3". The Marshfield News and Wisconsin Hub. June 25, 1914. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Clipping from Evening Star". Evening Star. May 14, 2021. p. 18. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "13 Mar 1915, 12". Dayton Daily News. March 13, 1915. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "5 May 1915". The Pittsburgh Press. May 5, 1915. p. 28. Retrieved September 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "12 May 1915". The Pittsburgh Press. May 12, 1915. p. 32. Retrieved September 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "28 Sep 1916, 16". Evening Star. September 28, 1916. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "The Pittsburgh Press 29 Jun 1917". June 29, 1917. p. 40. Retrieved September 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "5 Mar 1919, 18". Evening Star. March 5, 1919. Retrieved September 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "1921 American League Fielding Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com.
  27. ^ "8 Sep 1922, 4". The Hesston Gazette. September 8, 1922. Retrieved September 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "19 Apr 1922". The Philadelphia Inquirer. April 19, 1922. p. 18. Retrieved September 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "1 Jun 1922, 7". Republican and Herald. June 1, 1922. Retrieved September 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "25 Oct 1922". The Evening News. October 25, 1922. p. 15. Retrieved September 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ a b "2 Apr 1925". The Evening Review. April 2, 1925. p. 13. Retrieved September 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "11 Feb 1923, 3". Johnson City Chronicle. February 11, 1923. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ "15 Apr 1923, 31". The Boston Globe. April 15, 1923. Retrieved September 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ "5 Dec 1923, 12". Evansville Courier and Press. December 5, 1923. Retrieved September 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ "15 Apr 1924, 12". The Boston Globe. April 15, 1924. Retrieved September 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ "11 Dec 1924, 115". Daily News. December 11, 1924. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ "21 Dec 1925". The Evening Review. December 21, 1925. p. 16. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  38. ^ "31 Dec 1925, 6". News-Democrat. December 31, 1925. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ^ "5 Apr 1926". The Courier-Journal. April 5, 1926. p. 9. Retrieved September 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ^ "9 Apr 1927". The Minneapolis Star. April 9, 1927. p. 17. Retrieved September 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  41. ^ "19 Jun 1927". The Courier-Journal. June 19, 1927. p. 58. Retrieved September 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  42. ^ "7 Jul 1927". The Pittsburgh Press. July 7, 1927. p. 26. Retrieved September 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  43. ^ "19 Jan 1928". The Evening Review. January 19, 1928. p. 14. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  44. ^ "31 Dec 1927, 13". The Times. December 31, 1927. Retrieved September 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  45. ^ "12 Jul 1932, 11". Times Union. July 12, 1932. Retrieved September 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  46. ^ "8 May 1938, 22". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. May 8, 1938. Retrieved September 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  47. ^ "18 Mar 1939, 10". The Miami News. March 18, 1939. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  48. ^ "25 Feb 1915". The Pittsburgh Press. February 25, 1915. p. 21. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  49. ^ "2 Aug 1941, 8". Lancaster New Era. August 2, 1941. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

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