Ty Cobb
Outfield

1905-27 Detroit Tigers
1928 Philadelphia Athletics

• Had a career batting average of .366, a major league record.

• The only American Leaguer to hit more than .400 in three separate seasons.

• Hit .300 or better every season from 1906 to 1928.

• Had 4,191 career hits, a major league record for almost 60 years before being surpassed by Pete Rose in 1985.

• Had 35 steals of home, a major league record.

• Was a key member of three American League championship teams, 1907-1909.

• Was the first major leaguer to swing several bats at once in the on-deck circle so that when he used one bat at the plate it would seem extra-light.

• One of the highest paid players in the game during his heyday, Cobb became a millionaire by wisely investing in a young Georgia company by the name of Coca-Cola.

• Cobb also owned 25% of the Tigers from 1920-1927.

• Had 892 stolen bases in his career. This was a longtime record, since broken by Lou Brock and Rickey Henderson. Cobb also held the record for stolen bases in a season for near-40 years before it was broken by Maury Wills in 1962.

• Player-manager of the Tigers, 1921-26. Cobb once took himself out of the lineup for a bit when he was hitting .392. His three other outfielders were all hitting over .400 at the time.

Cobb was the first professional athlete to appear in a commercial motion picture. "Somewhere in Georgia," written by Grantland Rice, was filmed in 1916.

• Won the AL batting championship every year from 1907 to 1915 and again every year from 1917-1919. His 1910 and 1912 batting titles have been questioned by modern historians after a review of statistics, however.

• Nickname was the "Georgia Peach" in honor of his home state.

• Had a very belligerent attitude on the basepaths. Cobb was famous for his win-at-all-costs attitude.

• His discovery by the Tigers was partly the result of glowing columns written about Cobb by the famous sportswriter Grantland Rice.

• Was one of the first five players elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Received more initial votes than any other player, including seven more than Babe Ruth.