John McGraw – The Baseball Player (1891-1906)

Some might not realize that Muggsy was every bit as good as a ballplayer as he was as a manager. Maybe even better. The gritty, ill-tempered Hall of Famer finished his career with a .334 batting average 1,309 hits, 436 stolen bases and a very impressive On-Base percentage of .465. He led the National League in 1898 and 1899 in both runs scored and walks. He was a catalyst for that great Baltimore Orioles team in every manner that Willie Keeler was, they changed how the game was played from a power ball style most teams implemented to one that won games on speed, cunning and tenacity as well as brains. And a dab of foul play and cheating when the moment called for it.

As excellent as McGraw was on the field, at the turn of the century he started focusing more on his manager duties and scaled back his playing, in fact McGraw only played in only 25 games after he turned 30 years old in 1903. The way he played the game might have also taken its toll on a man who only stood 5’7″. But the way he played and then managed helped revolutionize the game of baseball as we know it today