Jimmie Foxx
Jimmie Foxx was one of the greatest power hitters in history, second only to Babe Ruth during his time, and his numbers still stand up against the best among today's players.
Foxx dropped out of high school to play minor league baseball when he was 16, and was signed by the Philadelphia Athletics when he was 17, playing sparingly with the team throughout the rest of his teenage years.
He had his breakout year in 1929, at the age of 21, when he hit .354 with 123 runs, 118 RBI, and 103 walks, and he only got better from there. The A's made the World Series that year, and Foxx was the biggest reason for their victory, batting .350 with 2 home runs and 5 RBI as they took down the Cubs in 5 games.
The A's returned to the World Series in each of the next two seasons as well, winning in 1930 but falling to the Cardinals in 1931. Foxx hit well over .300 in each of those Series as well, leaving his career World Series average at .344.
1932 was a monster season for Foxx, as he led the league with 151 hits, 169 RBI, and 58 home runs, the first major challenge to Babe Ruth's record of 60. Foxx actually hit 60 home runs that season, but two didn't count because the games were later called because of rain. He also hit .364 that season, just 3 points short of winning the Triple Crown, though he did still win the MVP easily.
He did win the Triple Crown the next season, though his numbers were all slightly lower than the previous season's. He had 48 home runs, 163 RBI, and a .356 average, surpassed 200 hits for the second year in a row, and won his second straight MVP.
He continued to produce at a high level for Philadelphia for two more years, but financial problems forced the team to get rid of most of its best players in the early 1930's, and Foxx was eventually sold to the Boston Red Sox, where he didn't miss a beat, batting .338 with 143 RBI in his first season up north.
He had his very best season with Boston in 1938, when he hit 50 homers and led the league with 175 RBI, 119 walks, and a .349 average. He also led the league in slugging and on-base percentage that year, and took home his 3rd MVP, which was the record until Barry Bonds broke it in 2001.
He nearly won another MVP the next year, finishing as the runner-up after leading the league in homers for the 4th time and batting .360. In 1940, he became the second player to reach 500 home runs, and he remained the youngest to reach that milestone until Alex Rodriguez beat him in 2007. It was also his 12th straight season with at least 30 homers, which was the record until Barry Bonds broke it in 2004.
Foxx is still on the all-time leaderboard in many categories, including the top 25 for home runs, total bases, runs scored, and walks, and is #10 in RBI's. He was the first to truly threaten Babe Ruth's home run record, and the records he held have only been broken by players who used steroids, making Foxx one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
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