View source for Riggs Stephenson

{{Short description|American baseball player (1898–1985)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Riggs Stephenson
|image=Riggs Stephenson.jpg
|caption=Riggs Stephenson in 1924
|position=[[Left fielder]]
|birth_date={{Birth date|1898|1|5}}
|birth_place=[[Akron, Alabama]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1985|11|15|1898|1|5}}
|death_place=[[Tuscaloosa, Alabama]], U.S.
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=April 13
|debutyear=1921
|debutteam=Cleveland Indians
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=September 24
|finalyear=1934
|finalteam=Chicago Cubs
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.336
|stat2label=[[Home runs]]
|stat2value=63
|stat3label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=773
|teams=
*[[Cleveland Indians]] ({{Baseball year|1921}}–{{Baseball year|1925}})
*[[Chicago Cubs]] ({{Baseball year|1926}}–{{Baseball year|1934}})
|highlights =
* [[Chicago Cubs#Cubs Hall of Fame|Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame]]
}}
'''Jackson Riggs Stephenson''' (January 5, 1898 – November 15, 1985) was an American [[left fielder]] in [[Major League Baseball]]. Nicknamed ''Old Hoss'',<ref name="Almanac">{{cite web
 | title = Riggs Stephenson Baseball Statistics
  | publisher = Baseball Almanac
  | url = http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=stephri01
  | access-date = 2006-12-25 }}</ref> Stephenson played for the [[Cleveland Indians]] from {{Baseball year|1921}} to {{Baseball year|1925}} and the rest of his career from {{Baseball year|1926}} to {{Baseball year|1934}} with the [[Chicago Cubs]]. Benefiting from the offensive surge of the late 1920s and early 1930s, he retired with a career [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] of .336, although he was only a full-time player from 1927 to 1929 and in 1932, with injuries and [[platoon system|platooning]] limiting his role for the rest of his career.

==Early years==
[[File:Pewstephenson.png|thumb|left|200px|[[Artie Pew]] is attempting to tackle Stephenson. Behind Pew is [[Hugh Whelchel|Puss Whelchel]].]]
Born in [[Akron, Alabama]], Stephenson originally played baseball and [[college football|football]] at the [[University of Alabama]] before he started his professional baseball career.<ref name="Tripod">{{cite web
 | title = Riggs Stephenson Biography
  | author = David Zingler
  | url = http://z.lee28.tripod.com/sbnsforgottenintime/id21.html
  | access-date = 2006-12-25 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061217082503/http://z.lee28.tripod.com/sbnsforgottenintime/id21.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = December 17, 2006}}</ref> A natural athlete who excelled in both sports, Stephenson had a good reputation at the university. Former University of Alabama president [[George H. Denny]] described Riggs as "the embodiment of cleanliness, manliness, and courage."<ref name="Cubs">{{cite web
 | title = The Top 100 Cubs Of All Time – #77 Riggs Stephenson
  | author = David Zingler
  | date = December 4, 2006
  | url = http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/story/2006/12/4/0573/80725
  | access-date = 2006-12-25 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061214185748/http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/story/2006/12/4/0573/80725 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = December 14, 2006}}</ref> He was an [[College Football All-Southern Team|All-Southern]] [[Fullback (American football)|fullback]] in 1919 and 1920.<ref>{{Cite news|title = Experts Select Star Athletes|date = December 5, 1920|work = The State}}</ref> He was nominated though not selected for an Associated Press All-Time Southeast 1869–1919 era team.<ref name="allt">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1242&dat=19690731&id=TkdTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YoYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2604,3160960|newspaper=Kingsport Post|title=U-T Greats On All-Time Southeast Team|date=July 31, 1969}}</ref> Stephenson sustained a shoulder injury in a football game in 1920 when he dropped back and was tackled by a pair of linebackers. His injury to his right shoulder was so bad that he had to end his football career as a [[quarterback]],{{cn|date=January 2022}} and as a result it greatly affected his throwing abilities.<ref name="Baseballbiography">{{cite web
 | title = Riggs Stephenson
  | publisher = Baseballbiography.com
  | author = Jack Kavanagh
  | url = https://baseballbiography.com/riggs-stephenson-1898
  | access-date = 2006-12-25 }}</ref> His throwing problems made it difficult for him to turn [[double play]]s, but his hitting compensated for those fielding woes.{{Citation needed|date=May 2008}} Stephenson quit school at Alabama and immediately made the jump to professional baseball,<ref name="Tripod"/> where he signed with the defending [[1920 World Series|World Series]] champions Cleveland Indians at the age of 23.{{Citation needed|date=May 2008}}.

==With the Indians==
Stephenson made his major league debut on April 13, {{Baseball year|1921}},<ref name="Reference">{{cite web
 | title = Riggs Stephenson Baseball Statistics and Status Information
  | publisher = Baseball-Reference
  | url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/s/stephri01.shtml
  | access-date = 2006-12-25 }}</ref> and continued to play limitedly during the remainder of the season. His weak arm and throwing difficulties weakened his fielding abilities at [[second baseman|second base]],<ref name="Porter, Dave L. 2000">Porter, Dave L., ''Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: Q-Z'', Greenwood Press, Westport, Ct (2000), p. 1477.</ref> as seen by the 17 [[error (baseball)|errors]] he committed in the 54 games he played at the position that season. However, Riggs' hitting compensated for his fielding woes; he hit 17 [[double (baseball)|doubles]] among his 68 [[hit (baseball)|hits]] during his 65-game season that year.<ref name="Page">{{cite web
 | title = Stats for Riggs Stephenson
  | publisher = The Baseball Page
  | url = http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/stats/stephri01
  | access-date = 2006-12-25 }}</ref> Stephenson batted .330, reaching a mark that he would frequently surpass during the rest of his professional career.

The following season, Stephenson made the transition towards playing [[third baseman|third base]] in the middle of the season. In 34 games at third base, 25 at second base and three in the [[outfielder|outfield]], he committed 11 errors, a sharp improvement from the previous season.<ref name="Reference"/> He continued to shine at the plate, batting .339 in 86 games, with 24 doubles and 47 [[run (baseball)|runs scored]]. In {{Baseball year|1923}}, Stephenson was moved back to second base and only committed thirteen errors and had a .970 [[fielding percentage]] in 66 games.<ref name="Reference"/> He batted .319 for the season, finishing with 96 hits, 20 doubles and a .357 [[on-base percentage]]. On September 14, [[Frank Brower]] hit a line drive directly to [[Boston Red Sox]] [[first baseman]] [[George Burns (first baseman)|George Burns]], and [[Rube Lutzke]] and Stephenson were tagged out to complete Burns' [[unassisted triple play]],<ref name="Baseballbiography"/> only the fourth in major league history.<ref>{{cite web
 | title = List of the thirteen unassisted triple plays in Major League Baseball
  | publisher = Baseball-Reference
  | url = http://www.everything2.org/index.pl?node_id=131091
  | access-date = 2006-12-25 }}</ref>

Stephenson had limited playing time again in {{Baseball year|1924}}, only playing in 71 games. However, he batted a career-best .371 with 89 hits and a .439 on-base percentage.<ref name="Page"/> He was sent to the outfield the following year, and played only 19 games before being sent back down the [[minor league baseball|minor league]]s by the Indians in order to make him a full-time outfielder.<ref name="Tripod"/>{{Citation needed|date=May 2008}} During 1925, Riggs was optioned to the Kansas City AA team, which then traded him to Indianapolis (AA) for [[Johnny Hodapp]].<ref name="Porter, Dave L. 2000"/>  In 1926, Cubs manager [[Joe McCarthy (manager)|Joe McCarthy]] was able to acquire Stephenson to produce "one of the hardest hitting outfields of all time".<ref name="Porter, Dave L. 2000"/>

==With the Cubs==
[[File:RiggsStephensonGoudeycard.jpg|thumb|Goudey baseball card, 1933]]
Stephenson again played limitedly with the Cubs, but spent the whole season at left field.<ref name="Cubs"/> In {{Baseball year|1926}}, he batted .338 with 95 hits in just 82 games.<ref name="Page"/> The following season, his seventh in the majors, was the first complete season of his career. Riggs had a remarkable season, playing in 152 games while batting .344 with a .415 on-base percentage. His batting average was fourth-highest in the [[National League (baseball)|National League]], and he led the league in doubles with 46. He finished fifth in the league in hits and seventh in the league for scoring 101 runs.<ref name="Reference"/> Riggs also placed 20th in the NL [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|Most Valuable Player Award]] voting. He also earned the nickname "''Old Hoss''" because of his reliability as a hitter that season.<ref name="Tripod"/> Stephenson followed up with another solid performance in {{Baseball year|1928}}, batting .324 with 90 [[run batted in|runs batted in]] and 166 hits.

{{Baseball year|1929}} was a career year for Stephenson. He batted .362 on the year and had a .445 on-base percentage, both fifth highest in the league.<ref name="Reference"/> He finished with seventeen [[home run]]s, 110 RBIs and 179 hits. He also placed 23rd in the league's MVP Award voting this time around.<ref name="Reference"/> Stephenson teamed up with fellow Cubs outfielders and future [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Hall of Famers]] [[Kiki Cuyler]] and [[Hack Wilson]] to be the only outfield trio in NL history to drive in over 100 runs each on the season.<ref name="Tripod"/><ref name="Cubs"/> Stephenson was most useful in the [[1929 World Series]]. Despite the Cubs' loss in five games to [[Connie Mack]] and the [[Philadelphia Athletics]],<ref name="1929WS">{{cite web
 | title = 1929 World Series
  | publisher = Baseball-Reference
  | url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1929_WS.shtml
  | access-date = 2006-12-25 }}</ref> Stephenson collected six hits, including a double in [[1929 World Series#Game 3|Game 3]]<ref name="1929WSG3">{{cite web
 | title = Game 3 of the 1929 World Series
  | publisher = Retrosheet
  | url = http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B10110PHA1929.htm
  | access-date = 2006-12-25 }}</ref> and knocked in one and scored three runs.<ref name="1929WS"/> Stephenson followed up with another solid, but shortened season in {{Baseball year|1930}}. In 109 games, he collected 125 hits and had a career-high .367 batting average.<ref name="Tripod"/> Eighty games into the following season, on July 27, Stephenson broke his ankle in a game against the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] at [[Wrigley Field]].<ref name="Baseballbiography"/> [[Danny Taylor (baseball)|Danny Taylor]], along with Cuyler and Wilson, saw significant playing time for the Cubs in left field in 1930 and 1931.

Stephenson came back in {{Baseball year|1932}} and collected the most [[at bat]]s of his career (583) and hit .324 with a team leading 85 RBIs. He hit a career-best 49 doubles, which gave him the third-highest total in the league. He also finished fifth in the NL MVP Award voting.<ref name="Reference"/> The {{Baseball year|1932}} Cubs won the pennant over the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] in four games, but were then swept by the [[New York Yankees]] in the [[1932 World Series|World Series]] that featured the Babe's "[[Babe Ruth's Called Shot|called shot home run]]". Stephenson collected eight hits, drove in four runs and batted a team-high .444 in the series.<ref name="1932WS">{{cite web
 | title = 1932 World Series 
  | publisher = Baseball-Reference
  | url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1932_WS.shtml
  | access-date = 2006-12-25 }}</ref> 
Stephenson's playing time slowly declined.<ref name="Tripod"/> He played only 97 games the following season, but maintained a solid .329 average with 114 hits.<ref name="Page"/>

{{Baseball year|1934}} was Stephenson's final year in the major leagues. He spent most of his time as a [[pinch hitter]], but only batted a career-low .216 in 74 at bats. The Cubs released him on October 30.<ref name="Reference"/> Stephenson subsequently enjoyed a somewhat illustrious minor league career.<ref name="Tripod"/>

==Later years and legacy==
Stephenson spent the next five years playing and [[manager (baseball)|managing]] in the minor leagues, but called it quits for good in {{Baseball year|1939}}.<ref name="Tripod"/><ref name="Baseballbiography"/> After baseball, he went back to [[Alabama]], and he opened up a successful [[car dealership]] in [[Tuscaloosa, Alabama|Tuscaloosa]]<ref name="Cubs"/> and a [[lumber yard]] in [[Akron, Alabama|Akron]].<ref name="Times">{{cite news
 | title = Riggs Stephenson, 87, Dies; A Leading Hitter in Baseball
  | work=The New York Times
 | agency=[[Associated Press]]
  | date = November 16, 1985
  | url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9404E4DC1038F935A25752C1A963948260
  | access-date = 2006-12-25 }}</ref> He was inducted into the [[Alabama Sports Hall of Fame]] in {{Baseball year|1971}}.<ref>{{cite web
 | title = Jackson Riggs "Old Hoss" Stephenson - Class of 1971
  | publisher = Alabama Sports Hall of Fame
  | url = http://www.ashof.org/index.php?src=directory&view=company&srctype=display&back=company&id=108&submenu=Inductees&pos=210,15,249
  | access-date = 2006-12-25 }}</ref> He died at the age of 87 at his Tuscaloosa home after suffering a long illness.<ref name="Times"/>

Stephenson has one of the highest lifetime batting averages of eligible 20th-century players not in the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]], although his relatively short career (1310 games, 4508 at bats) was barely long enough to qualify for official recognition among the career leaders; other than [[Shoeless Joe Jackson]], every other 20th-century player with a .325 batting average exceeded 6000 at bats. Stephenson's .336 career batting average, 22nd highest in major league history, is also tied with that of [[Bill Madlock]]'s for the highest in Cubs team history. Stephenson hit over .300 (12 times total) in all but two of his seasons in the big leagues. Stephenson received a total of only eight votes in his four years on the Hall of Fame ballot in the late 1950s and early 1960s.<ref>{{cite web
 | title = Riggs Stephenson Baseball Statistics and Player Info
  | publisher = The Baseball Cube
  | url = http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/S/riggs-stephenson.shtml
  | access-date = 2006-12-25 }}</ref> He was on the [[Veterans Committee]] ballot again in recent years, but failed to pick up any votes.

==Career==
'''[[Baseball statistics|Career Statistics]]:'''<br />
''Hitting''
{| class="wikitable" width=400
|- align=center
| [[Games played|G]]
| [[At bat|AB]]
| [[Run (baseball)|R]]
| [[Hit (baseball)|H]]
| [[Double (baseball)|2B]]
| [[Triple (baseball)|3B]]
| [[Home run|HR]]
| [[Run batted in|RBI]]
| [[Stolen base|SB]]
| [[Caught stealing|CS]]
| [[Base on balls|BB]]
| [[Strikeout|SO]]
| [[Batting average (baseball)|AVG]]
| [[On-base percentage|OBP]]
| [[Slugging percentage|SLG]]
|- align=center
| 1310
| 4508
| 714
| 1515
| 321
| 54
| 63
| 773
| 53
| 9
| 494
| 247
| .336
| .407 
| .473
|}

His lifetime [[fielding percentage]] was .969. As a left fielder, his primary position, his fielding percentage was .978.

==See also==
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Riggs Stephenson}}
{{Baseballstats|br=s/stephri01|brm=stephe002jac}}
*[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=stephri01 Baseball Almanac]
*Interview with Riggs Stephenson conducted by [[Eugene Murdock]] on August 4, 1977, in [[Tuscaloosa, Alabama]]: [https://cdm16014.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4014coll27/id/84/rec/76 Part 1], [https://cdm16014.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4014coll27/id/85/rec/77 Part 2]
{{1920 College Football Composite All-Southerns}}
{{Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback navbox}}
{{Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephenson, Riggs}}
[[Category:1898 births]]
[[Category:1985 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Hale County, Alabama]]
[[Category:Cleveland Indians players]]
[[Category:Chicago Cubs players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball left fielders]]
[[Category:Alabama Crimson Tide baseball players]]
[[Category:Alabama Crimson Tide football players]]
[[Category:Kansas City Blues (baseball) players]]
[[Category:Indianapolis Indians players]]
[[Category:Birmingham Barons players]]
[[Category:Birmingham Barons managers]]
[[Category:Helena Seaporters players]]
[[Category:Montgomery Rebels players]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Tuscaloosa, Alabama]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Cleveland]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Chicago]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]