DONIE BUSH
Shortstop, 1908-1921
--Class of 1940--
Bats - Both
Throws - Right
Born - 10/8/1887
Died - 3/28/1972
Biography:
One of the great lead-off hitters of the deadball era, Owen Joseph "Donie" Bush was the keys to the engine for Detroit’s 1909 pennant winning season and for the duration of the following decade. The 5-foot-6 switch hitter had no power to speak of, and only carried a .250 batting average during his Tiger career, but he could do one thing very well - he could draw walks. In fact, he drew 1,242 of them during his time in Detroit, only 502 fewer than he had hits. His late-season addition to the 1908 season was credited for not only improving the lineup, but for erasing the defensive problems at shortstop in one of the greatest pennant races in baseball history. When he got on base for the Tigers’ feared hitters, he also had the speed to drive defenses crazy. He stole 400 bases in his Tiger career, second in franchise history to Ty Cobb. He ended up scoring 1,242 runs in Detroit, good for fifth on the franchise's all-time list. As his career continued, some talked about his glove going from a plus to a minus, but he remained around long enough to start 1,846 games at shorstop, second only to Alan Trammell. His career was hardly over after his extensive playing career. He spent 65 years in organized ball as a player, a manager, a scout, and an owner.
Hitting:
Code:
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ TB SH HBP
1908 20 DET AL 20 68 13 20 1 1 0 4 2 7 .294 .360 .338 123 23 4 0
1909 21 DET AL 157 532 114 145 18 2 0 33 53 88 .273 .380 .314 116 167 52 4
1910 22 DET AL 142 496 90 130 13 4 3 34 49 78 .262 .365 .323 109 160 30 2
1911 23 DET AL 150 561 126 130 18 5 1 36 40 98 .232 .349 .287 75 161 30 3
1912 24 DET AL 144 511 107 118 14 8 2 38 35 117 .231 .377 .301 97 154 12 3
1913 25 DET AL 153 597 98 150 19 10 1 40 44 80 32 .251 .344 .322 96 192 13 4
1914 26 DET AL 157 596 97 150 18 4 0 32 35 26 112 54 .252 .373 .295 99 176 10 3
1915 27 DET AL 155 561 99 128 12 8 1 44 35 27 118 44 .228 .364 .283 90 159 22 2
1916 28 DET AL 145 550 73 124 5 9 0 34 19 75 42 .225 .319 .267 73 147 27 1
1917 29 DET AL 147 581 112 163 18 3 0 24 34 80 40 .281 .370 .322 111 187 10 2
1918 30 DET AL 128 500 74 117 10 3 0 22 9 79 31 .234 .340 .266 86 133 13 1
1919 31 DET AL 129 509 82 124 11 6 0 26 22 75 36 .244 .343 .289 80 147 16 2
1920 32 DET AL 141 506 85 133 18 5 1 33 15 7 73 32 .263 .357 .324 83 164 48 1
1921 33 DET AL 104 402 72 113 6 5 0 27 8 11 45 23 .281 .355 .321 74 129 40 1
YR From To G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG SB CS OPS+
TOTALS 14 1908 1921 1872 6970 1242 1745 181 73 9 427 1125 334 .250 .357 .301 400 71 92