Tom Herr
In the 1980s, second baseman Tommie Herr teamed with shortstop Ozzie Smith to give the Cardinals one of the best up-the-middle defensive tandems in baseball. In spite of his lack of power, switch-hitter Herr hit in the middle of Whitey Herzog's lineup, driving in 110 runs in 1985, when he finished fifth in NL Most Valuable Player Award voting. He was a smart baserunner, stealing as many as 20 bases four times. After he was traded from St. Louis, Herr never got on track in any of his other stops, and was out of the game by the age of 35.
Played For
St. Louis Cardinals (1979-1988)
Minnesota Twins (1988)
Philadelphia Phillies (1989-1990)
New York Mets (1990-1991)
San Francisco Giants (1991)
All-Time Rankings
Tommie Herr ranks #29 among the Top 50 all-time at 2B. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1985
98 of Herr's 110 RBI came with runners in scoring position, as he hit .335 in those situations. He started the season red-hot, driving in 61 runs in his first 71 games, while batting .347.
Factoids
From April 16, 1981, through May 4, 1983, Tommie Herr did not go more than two games without at least one base hit.
Tommie Herr did not hit his first major league homer until his 337th game. It came against Andy McGaffigan of the Giants, in Candlestick Park, on May 10, 1983.
Born
Thomas Mitchell Herr was born on April 4, 1956, in Lancaster, PA.
Batted: Both
Threw: Right
Primary Position: 2B
Primary Team: SLN
College: Delaware
Major League Debut
August 13, 1979
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1979
Rickey Henderson
Tim Raines
Kirk Gibson
Dickie Thon
Jesse Orosco
Jeff Reardon
Dan Quisenberry
Dave Righetti
Dave Stieb
Related Players
Herr teamed with Ozzie Smith and Terry Pendleton to give the Cardinals three switch-hitting infielders for much of the 1980s.
Post-Season Appearances
1982 National League Championship Series
1982 World Series
1985 National League Championship Series
1985 World Series
1987 National League Championship Series
1987 World Series
Hitting Streaks
16 games (1981)
All-Star Selections
1985 NL
Best Strength as a Player
Putting the ball in play.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Hitting for power.
Learn More about Tom Herr
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View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
