Joe Tinker

Played For
Chicago Cubs (1902-1912)
Cincinnati Reds (1913)
Chicago Whales (1914-1915)
Chicago Cubs (1916)

Managed
Cincinnati Reds (1913)
Chicago Whales (1914-1915)
Chicago Cubs (1916)

All-Time Rankings
Joe Tinker ranks #33 among the Top 50 all-time at SS. Rankings ⇒

Best Season: 1913
As many players do, Tinker gained more power after he turned thirty. With the Reds in 1913 he hit 20 doubles, 13 triples, and a single home run, while bating a career high .317 with a career-best .445 SLG mark. In the field he performed wonderfully - posting a .968 average at shortstop - more than 30 points above the league norm.

Factoids
According to one source, the first double play ever turned by Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, and Frank Chance, came about due to some luck. A grounder was hot to the left of shortstop Tinker and he missed it with his glove, but it bounced of his shoe and caromed to second baseman Evers, who tagged the bag and fired to Chance for the completion of the double play.

Bucky Harris, Gabby Hartnett and Joe Tinker, are the only Hall of Famers who died on their birthdays.

Going to the Chapel
The first City Series pitting the Cubs and White Sox was played in October of 1903. The two teams were slated to engage in a 15-game series for bragging rights to the city. However, when the players' contracts expired on October 15, the teams were unable to agree on terms to pay them. In addition, Joe Tinker had to leave for Kansas City to be married. For those reasons, the series was never concluded and remained a 7-7 tie.

Where He Played
Shortstop

As a Manager
The 1915 Chicago Whales won the Federal League pennant in the closest race in major sports history. Tinker managed the team while playing very little. Thirty-eight year old Three-Finger Brown hurled his way to 17 wins as the Whales finished one percentage point ahead of the St. Louis Terriers and half a game in front of the Pittsburgh Rebels.

Born
Joseph Bert Tinker was born on July 27, 1880, in Muscotah, KS.

Died
July 27, 1948, Orlando, FL

Batted:  Right
Threw:  Right

Primary Position:  SS

Primary Team:  CHN

Major League Debut
April 17, 1902

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1902
Joe Tinker
Johnny Evers
Red Dooin
Patsy Dougherty
Tom Jones
Heinie Wagner
George Mullin
Addie Joss
Homer Smoot

Similar Players
Ozzie Guillen, Alfredo Griffin

Related Players
Johnny Evers, Frank Chance

Hall of Fame Voting Year Election Votes Pct 1937 BBWAA 15 7.5% 1938 BBWAA 16 6.1% 1939 BBWAA 12 4.4% 1942 BBWAA 36 15.5% 1945 BBWAA 49 19.8% 1946 BBWAA 45 17.1% 1946 Nominating Vote 55 27.2% 1946 Old Timers %

Post-Season Appearances
1906 World Series
1907 World Series
1908 World Series
1910 World Series

Post-Season Notes
On October 11, 1908, Tinker became the first Cubs player to hit a home run in the World Series, connecting with one man on in the 8th inning as Chicago defeated the Detroit Tigers, 6-1.

Injuries and Explanation for Missed Playing Time
One of baseball's first holdouts, Tinker demanded a $1,000 pay raise and sat out part of the 1909 season until settling for $200. His two-week absence helped contribute to the Cubs losing the pennant for the first time in four seasons.

Replaced
Shortstop Barry McCormick, who was one of the worst defensive infielders to ever have a starting job. He posted an absolutely horrid .885 fielding percentage in 411 games at the hot corner, and committed 150 errors in 265 games at shortstop. Inexplicably, he was in the Cubs' starting lineup for 5 1/2 seasons, from 1896-1901. A few American League teams gave him a shot, because, hell, they needed players. Predictably, McCormick played terribly and was cast loose. He was no great shakes with the bat either - he had a career .297 OBP and .303 slugging percentage.

Replaced By
Jimmy Smith, a college ballplayer who replaced Tinker at short for the Whales in 1915. He later served as a utility infielder for several National League clubs in parts of six seasons.

Best Strength as a Player
Tinker had decent power for a shortstop of his era. He hit as many as 10 triples in five different seasons, and his career .353 SLG is above league average for that time.

Largest Weakness as a Player
Tinker had a large strike zone and he walked relatively little. His career OBP of .308 is 22 points below league average for his era, even though his batting average was almost exactly league average.

Learn More about Joe Tinker
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