Rogers Hornsby, Sr. (April 27, 1896 – January 5, 1963), nicknamed "The Rajah", was an American baseball infielder, manager, and coach who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1915–1926, 1933), New York Giants (1927), Boston Braves (1928), Chicago Cubs (1929–1932), and St. Louis Browns (1933–1937). Hornsby had 2,930 hits and 301 home runs in his career; his career .358 batting average is second only to Ty Cobb's average. He was named the National League (NL)'s Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice, and was a member of one World Series championship team.Born and raised in Texas, Hornsby played for several semi-professional and minor league teams. In 1915, he began his major league career with the St. Louis Cardinals and remained with the team for 12 seasons; during this period, Hornsby won his first MVP Award and the Cardinals won the 1926 World Series. After that season, he spent one season at the New York Giants and another with the Boston Braves before being traded to the Chicago Cubs. He played with the Cubs for four years and won his second MVP Award before the team released him in 1932. Hornsby re-signed with the Cardinals in 1933, but was released partway through the season and was picked up by the St. Louis Browns. He remained there until his final season in 1937. From 1925 to 1937, Hornsby was intermittently his own manager. After retiring as a player, he managed the Browns in 1952 and the Cincinnati Reds from 1952 to 1953.Hornsby is one of the best hitters of all time. His career batting average of .358 is second only to Ty Cobb in MLB history. He also won two Triple Crowns and batted .400 or more three times during his career. He is the only player to hit 40 home runs and bat .400 in the same year (1922). His batting average for the 1924 season was .424, a mark that no player has matched since. He was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1942 and the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014.Hornsby married three times, in 1918, 1924, and 1957, and had two children, one from each of his first two marriages. Known as someone difficult to get along with, he was not well-liked by fellow players. He never smoked, drank, or went to the movies, but frequently gambled on horse races during his career.
People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.
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Any ballplayer that don't sign autographs for little kids ain't an American. He's a communist.
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I hustled on everything I hit. - on how he was able to hit .424
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I don't like to sound egotistical, but every time I stepped up to the plate with a bat in my hands, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the pitcher.
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Fact
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Inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1972.
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Made major league debut on 10 September 1915.
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Children: Rogers, Jr. (15 November 1920) by first wife, Sarah.
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.359 Batting Average (2nd All Time), .434 On-base percentage (7th All Time), .577 Slugging Percentage (13th All Time), 2,259 Games (98th All Time), 1,579 Runs (43rd All Time), 2,930 Hits (30th All Time), 4,712 Total Bases (26th All Time), 541 Doubles (21st All Time), 169 Triples (25th All Time), 301 Home Runs (97th All Time), 1,584 RBI (29th All Time), 1,038 Walks (85th All Time), 1,011 Extra-Base Hits (23rd All Time), 4,016 Times on Base (36th All Time) and 216 Sacrifice Hits (68th All Time).
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National League MVP in 1925 and 1929. Finished 2nd in voting for award in 1924. Finished 3rd in voting for award in 1927.
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Member of 1926 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals team. Member of 1929 and 1932 National League Champion Chicago Cubs teams.
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St. Louis Cardinals All-Time Batting Average Leader (.359).
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Won the World Series in 1926 with St. Louis Cardinals and a National League Championship in 1932 as a manager with Chicago Cubs.
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Won National League Triple Crown in 1922 and 1925.
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National League MVP in 1925 and 1929.
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Won the World Series in 1926 and a pennant in 1932 as a manager.
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Second baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals (1915-1926, 1933), New York Giants (1927), Boston Braves (1928), Chicago Cubs (1929-1932), and St. Louis Browns (1933-1937).
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Manager for the St. Louis Cardinals (1925-1926), New York Giants (1927), Boston Braves (1928), Chicago Cubs (1930-1932), St. Louis Browns (1933-1937, 1952), and Cincinnati Reds (1952-1953).
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He has the highest career batting average (.359) in the National League.
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Generally considered the greatest right-handed hitter of all-time.
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Coach for the New York Mets inaugural season (1962).
$10 Million