Bobby Wallace
In the first decade of the American League's existence, "Rhody" Wallace was the best shortstop in the loop. He finished in the top ten in runs batted in eight times in his long career, despite playing for losing teams most of the time. He played in the big leagues until he was 44 years old, largely because of his defensive savvy and intelligent play. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1953.
Quotes About Wallace
"The Scot was not the most robust hitter that ever lived, but he was no pigeon at the plate. Save for that, Bobby had only one weakness as a shortstop - that was that he played in the same era as Hans Wagner." — sportswriter Bill Corum, 1952
Played For
Cleveland Spiders (1894-1898)
St. Louis Cardinals (1899-1901)
St. Louis Browns (1902-1916)
St. Louis Cardinals (1917)
Managed
St. Louis Browns (1911-1912)
Cincinnati Reds (1937)
All-Time Rankings
Bobby Wallace ranks #27 among the Top 50 all-time at SS. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1897
The 1897 Cleveland Spiders finished 5th even though they had Wallace, Jesse Burkett, Cy Young, Cupid Childs, and Jack Powell on their roster. Wallace, 23 years old, batted .335 with 173 hits in 130 games. He scored 99 runs, hit 33 triples and 21 doubles, and drove in 112. Most of those figures were career-highs.
Where He Played
Shortstop
Born
Rhoderick John Wallace was born on November 4, 1873, in Pittsburgh, PA.
Died
November 3, 1960, Torrance, CA
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: SS
Primary Team: SLA
Major League Debut
September 15, 1894
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1894
Coming soon...
Nicknames
Rhody
Similar Players
None
Related Players
Cy Young, Honus Wagner
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1936 |
Veterans |
1 |
% |
1937 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.5% |
1938 |
BBWAA |
7 |
2.7% |
1939 |
BBWAA |
5 |
1.8% |
1942 |
BBWAA |
2 |
.9% |
1945 |
BBWAA |
3 |
1.2% |
1953 |
Veterans |
|
% |
|
Notes
Bobby Wallace was an accomplished billiards player, winning several prestigious tournaments. He was also an excellent golfer.
Replaced
Chippy McGarr
Replaced By
Doc Lavan
Best Strength as a Player
He was a very good all-around player.
Largest Weakness as a Player
He was not a power-hitter, having hit just 34 home runs in his 25-year career.
Learn More about Bobby Wallace
Search Amazon.com for Books about Bobby Wallace ⇒
Search for Bobby Wallace at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
