Quiz – Who is this man? (solved)

Recognize the player below? He is the subject of today’s quiz.

Your job is to identify him and explain why he belongs in the same group of live-ball era players listed below.

www.baseball-reference.com

www.baseball-reference.com

Hint: this group is defined by a season accomplishment involving statistics displayed on B-R main player pages.

Congratulations to Richard Chester and Josh, who solved this two part quiz (with some help from their friends, including Hartvig who identified an alternative solution). The pictured player is Len Koenecke. He and the others in the list are the only players since 1920 with a first qualifying season (among their first two seasons) with a .300/.400/.500 slash, a 145 OPS+ or better (or 4 WAR or more) and 25 or fewer home runs.

Koenecke’s big season came as a 30 year-old with Brooklyn in 1934. He died the following year while still an active major-leaguer. An account of the tragic circumstances can be read in the B-R bullpen, here. Also in a piece appearing in the NY Daily News, here. Just a few years earlier in 1930, George Watkins, another 30 year-old, had a very similar first qualifying season in the NL. Evidently, a deep talent pool in those days to keep players like this out of the majors until their thirties.

Paul Waner had seasons meeting these criteria each of his first 3 years, the only player with that distinction. Johnny Mize did it his first two seasons (and his 6th and 8th) and then had .300/.400/.500 seasons in his 3rd through 5th seasons, with OPS+ over 175 and HRs increasing each year, to 27, 28 and then 43. At the end of those 5 years, Mize’s career slash was .339/.421/.611 with 174 OPS+ and 32.1 WAR. Despite missing three full seasons to military service, Mize would still compile 24.6 WAR and 142 OPS+ after age 33, one of only 16 players with 24 WAR and 140 OPS+ over that period of their careers. So, like Ted Williams, great early and great late, with a middle about which we can only say “What if?”.

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

19 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Voomo Zanzibar
Voomo Zanzibar
11 years ago

He busted out of the gate like a thoroughbred, whoever he is.
Everybody on that list had at least a 148 ops+ in their first qualifying year.

Josh
Josh
11 years ago
Reply to  Doug

All of them had a .300/.400/.500 slash line in their first qualifying season. But I know others have (Pujols for one), so if that is part of it, there must be something more.

Hartvig
Hartvig
11 years ago
Reply to  Doug

They all had WAR’s above 4.0- but again not that uncommon

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago

The player is Len Koenecke

John Autin
Editor
11 years ago

All had, within their first 2 seasons, a qualified year with .300/.400/.500 and no more than 21 HRs.

But this can’t be the full answer, since those criteria also let in Earl Averill, Beaul Bell and George Watkins.

[added later:] Maybe Hartvig’s “4+ WAR” is the additional criterion?

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago
Reply to  John Autin

John: Watkins SLG was .621 which puts him out of range. My list shows Averill and Bell as the spoilers. What they have that the others don’t is that their names end in “ll” but I’m sure that’s not what Doug is looking for– or is he? 🙂

Josh
Josh
11 years ago
Reply to  Doug

.300/.400/.500 slash line in their first qualifying year, 148 or greater OPS+, no more than 21 home runs, and playing in the AL or NL.

I added that part because Benny Kauff is showing up qualifying for the list, but did so in the Federal League.

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago
Reply to  Josh

Josh: The live-ball era eliminates Kauff.

John Autin
Editor
11 years ago

Very sad tale of Len Koenecke’s demise. He’s one of the few MLB players who died during a season they played in.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Len_Koenecke

John Autin
Editor
11 years ago

FWIW, I think that substituting “4+ WAR” in place of “148 OPS+” yields the exact same set.

John Autin
Editor
11 years ago
Reply to  Doug

BTW, I was speaking on Hartvig’s behalf — he noticed the 4-WAR angle.