RIP Tommy Holmes

[Splitter24]

Died yesterday at 91 years young. My favorite player in baseball history. He's graced my avatar since day one.

Godspeed, Mr. Holmes.

[EMSoccerCoach]

He was on the juice in '45

[1998 Yankees]

Well, if they had that kind of juice back in '45, I would be suspicious.

Look at the way that season stands out from all the others. I think MLB talent was still diluted in 1945 due to the war, but that was even more the case in 1942-1944. Aside from the peak in batting average and the hit streak, why the sudden power and run production that he never came close to matching before or after?

 
Year Ag Tm  Lg  G   AB    R    H   2B 3B  HR  RBI  SB CS  BB  SO   BA   OBP   SLG *OPS+  TB   SH  SF IBB HBP GDP 
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
 1942 25 BSN NL 141  558   56  155  24  4   4   41   2     64  10  .278  .353  .357  110  199  10           1   2
 1943 26 BSN NL 152  629   75  170  33 10   5   41   7     58  20  .270  .334  .378  107  238   8           2   7 MVP-29
 1944 27 BSN NL 155  631   93  195  42  6  13   73   4     61  11  .309  .372  .456  128  288  11           2   7 MVP-23
 1945 28 BSN NL 154  636  125  224  47  6  28  117  15     70   9  .352  .420  .577  175  367   3           4  11 MVP-2,AS
 1946 29 BSN NL 149  568   80  176  35  6   6   79   7     58  14  .310  .377  .424  126  241  13           3  15 MVP-19
 1947 30 BSN NL 150  618   90  191  33  3   9   53   3     44  16  .309  .360  .416  107  257   9           5  15
 1948 31 BSN NL 139  585   85  190  35  7   6   61   1     46  20  .325  .375  .439  121  257   7           1  18 AS
 1949 32 BSN NL 117  380   47  101  20  4   8   59   1     39   6  .266  .337  .403  102  153   4           2  10
 1950 33 BSN NL 105  322   44   96  20  1   9   51   0     33   8  .298  .370  .450  120  145   4           4  10
 1951 34 BSN NL  27   29    1    5   2  0   0    5   0  0   3   4  .172  .250  .241   37    7   0           0   0
 1952 35 BRO NL  31   36    2    4   1  0   0    1   0  0   4   4  .111  .200  .139   -5    5   0           0   1
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
 11 Seasons    1320 4992  698 1507 292 47  88  581  40  0 480 122  .302  .366  .432  122 2157  69   0   0  24  96

Holmes, a left-handed batter, hit .352 in 1945 and he led the N.L. in hits, with 224; doubles, with 47; and home runs, with 28; while breaking Rogers Hornsby’s consecutive-game hitting streak of 33, set with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1922. Holmes’s record was eclipsed by Pete Rose, who hit in 44 consecutive games with the Cincinnati Reds in 1978.

I understand from his obituary that he was quite a gentleman. God rest him.

[edog23]

Rest in peace, Tommy.

[Left-handed Badger]

Originally Posted by 1998 Yankees

Well, if they had that kind of juice back in '45, I would be suspicious.

Look at the way that season stands out from all the others. I think MLB talent was still diluted in 1945 due to the war, but that was even more the case in 1942-1944. Aside from the peak in batting average and the hit streak, why the sudden power and run production that he never came close to matching before or after?

 
Year Ag Tm  Lg  G   AB    R    H   2B 3B  HR  RBI  SB CS  BB  SO   BA   OBP   SLG *OPS+  TB   SH  SF IBB HBP GDP 
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
 1942 25 BSN NL 141  558   56  155  24  4   4   41   2     64  10  .278  .353  .357  110  199  10           1   2
 1943 26 BSN NL 152  629   75  170  33 10   5   41   7     58  20  .270  .334  .378  107  238   8           2   7 MVP-29
 1944 27 BSN NL 155  631   93  195  42  6  13   73   4     61  11  .309  .372  .456  128  288  11           2   7 MVP-23
 1945 28 BSN NL 154  636  125  224  47  6  28  117  15     70   9  .352  .420  .577  175  367   3           4  11 MVP-2,AS
 1946 29 BSN NL 149  568   80  176  35  6   6   79   7     58  14  .310  .377  .424  126  241  13           3  15 MVP-19
 1947 30 BSN NL 150  618   90  191  33  3   9   53   3     44  16  .309  .360  .416  107  257   9           5  15
 1948 31 BSN NL 139  585   85  190  35  7   6   61   1     46  20  .325  .375  .439  121  257   7           1  18 AS
 1949 32 BSN NL 117  380   47  101  20  4   8   59   1     39   6  .266  .337  .403  102  153   4           2  10
 1950 33 BSN NL 105  322   44   96  20  1   9   51   0     33   8  .298  .370  .450  120  145   4           4  10
 1951 34 BSN NL  27   29    1    5   2  0   0    5   0  0   3   4  .172  .250  .241   37    7   0           0   0
 1952 35 BRO NL  31   36    2    4   1  0   0    1   0  0   4   4  .111  .200  .139   -5    5   0           0   1
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
 11 Seasons    1320 4992  698 1507 292 47  88  581  40  0 480 122  .302  .366  .432  122 2157  69   0   0  24  96

I understand from his obituary that he was quite a gentleman. God rest him.

Still, was a lifetime .300 hitter, I'd take him. But, yeah the power probably was due partly to diluted pitching. Course, a lot of players through the years went wild in just one year. I believe Felix Mantilla hit 30 one year in which he went to Boston. (Before my time but I imagine he must of had a good year of "pop-ups" barely making it over the monster)

[Jason Moyer]

What year did MLB go back to normal balls?

[Splitter24]

Originally Posted by Jason Moyer

What year did MLB go back to normal balls?

You got part of it. The top reasons why Tommy Holmes had the monster season that he did in 1945:

1) Most players who served in the military during WWII had not returned to the majors yet.

2) Spalding found an adequate replacement for the "balata ball" and major league baseball started using it in early May of 1945.

3) Holmes was in what is normally a hitter's prime (27-28).

4) Midway through the 1944 season, the RF fence was permanently moved in to 320 feet (It had varied around 340-350 depending on whatever the owners thought would help them the most).

Once the "real" big leaguers returned, Tommy went back to being what he really always was: a line-drive hitting singles/doubles guy.

[1998 Yankees]

Originally Posted by Splitter24

You got part of it. The top reasons why Tommy Holmes had the monster season that he did in 1945:

1) Most players who served in the military during WWII had not returned to the majors yet.

2) Spalding found an adequate replacement for the "balata ball" and major league baseball started using it in early May of 1945.

3) Holmes was in what is normally a hitter's prime (27-28).

4) Midway through the 1944 season, the RF fence was permanently moved in to 320 feet (It had varied around 340-350 depending on whatever the owners thought would help them the most).

Once the "real" big leaguers returned, Tommy went back to being what he really always was: a line-drive hitting singles/doubles guy.

I was re-thinking what I said above, when I seemed to imply that in 1945 baseball was getting back to normal compared to 1942-44. Actually, 1945 was probably the worst year for talent depletion as the war, and the draft, continued until August of that year. The effect on professional baseball was cumulative and most players did not return to baseball until 1946. So maybe that would account for a peak in 1945 that did not occur in the earlier war years. Interesting other stuff that you pointed out, Splitter.

Originally Posted by Left-handed Badger

Still, was a lifetime .300 hitter, I'd take him.

True. His 1946-48 seasons were none too shabby. And this guy was durable to say the least, averaging over 600 at-bats for the first seven years of his career.