HEINIE GROH

Yes, yes the bottle bat, but there was so much more. For those who know nothing about Groh, however, let's start with the bottle bat. The damned thing really was shaped like a bottle, with an ultra narrow taper at the end. He was using it before the 1920's, when the homerun onslaught changed many batter's styles, and he kept right on using it until he hung up his spikes in 1927. It was heavy, and has its own sport of honor in Cooperstown. It was a style that did not catch on, but it worked for the third baseman from upstate New York.

Although no Rickey Henderson, he was one of the outstanding leadoff hitters of his day. Originally a New York Giant, he was traded his rookie year to Cincinnati, and he played the prime years of his career as a Red. In 1915 he hit for the cycle and in 1919 he was a member of the vastly underrated Cincinnati team that defeated the White Sox team in the tainted World Series. Heinie always defended that team, saying they could have won on the square. Indeed, the .686 won-loss percentage was the greatest of any Reds team ever. Groh stayed with Cincy until 1921, when a bitter holdout sent him back to the Giants.

He was a hard-nosed little guy (5'8", 158) who had a knack for starting rallies. He led the NL in runs scored in 1918 and was among the league hitting leaders during his peak years. As a regular from 1913 through 1924, this contact hitter only once batted below .280; he hit .300 four times and had a lifetime average of .292 on 1774 hits. He was a genuine star in the late teens and early '20s, leading the NL in hits in 1917 and doubles in 1917 and '18. He also fulfilled the leadoff batter's job of getting on base, twice leading the circuit in that department as well. He had pretty good speed, swiping 180 bases, and was usually good for 15-20 in an era not known for base stealers.

After his return to New York in 1922 he had three more full seasons, then became a bench player for the Giants for two more years and finished up as a Pittsburgh Pirate in 1927. Had there been an All-Star team in that era, he would have likely have been the NL started at third for most seasons from about 1915 through '23. While he doesn't have the numbers for the Hall, Heinie was one of the finest players of his era.