Topper Rigney
Encyclopedia
Emory Elmo "Topper" Rigney (January 7, 1897 – June 6, 1972) was a Major League Baseball
shortstop
who played six seasons with the Detroit Tigers
(1922–1925), Boston Red Sox
(1926–1927), and Washington Senators
(1927). Rigney had speed and a good sense of the strike zone. He was four times among the American League leaders in sacrifice hits, three times among the league leaders in walks, twice among the league leaders in triples and once among the league leaders in stolen base
s. He had an on base percentage
of .388.
Born in Groveton
, Texas
, Rigney attended Texas A&M University
playing for the Aggies from 1915–1918. After graduating from Texas A&M, Rigney played for the 1921 Fort Worth Panthers team that is considered one of the greatest minor league teams of all time. The team finished the 1921 season 107–51, and Rigney hit .292, drew 63 walks, scored 91 runs, hit 81 RBIs, 12 triples, and 10 home runs. In his only season with the Panthers, Rigney also led all Texas League
shortstops with a .946 fielding percentage and 547 assists.
Rigney's performance with the Panthers in 1921 got him a shot at the big leagues. In 1922, Rigney joined the Detroit Tigers
at age 25, hitting .300 with a .380 on base percentage while playing alongside Harry Heilmann
and Ty Cobb
. Rigney and his former Texas A&M Aggie teammate Rip Collins
both played together for the Tigers from 1923–1925.
In 1922, Rigney increased his batting average to .315, but his best major league season was 1924, when he had a .410 on base percentage with 144 hits, 102 walks, and a slugging percentage of .407. His .410 on base percentage in 1924 is the highest by a shortstop in Detroit Tigers
history. His 102 walks were 2nd best in the American League in 1924—second only to Babe Ruth
.
In April 1926, Rigney was sold to the Boston Red Sox
, reportedly after an argument with Tigers player-manager Ty Cobb
. In 1926, playing for the Red Sox, Rigney finished 21st in American League
Most Valuable Player voting. That year, he collected 108 walks (3rd most in the American League) and 142 hits for a .395 on base percentage.
In May 1927, Rigney was traded to the Washington Senators
for Buddy Myer
. Rigney finished his major league career with the Senators at age 30.
Rigney was also a good defensive shortstop. He led American League shortstops in fielding percentage in 1924 (.967) and in assists (492) and fielding percentage (.969) in 1926. In 1926, he set an American League record by handling 24 chances without an error in a double-header. His Range factor
of 5.33 in 1926 was 0.69 points above the American League average for shortstops that year, and his .969 fielding average was .025 points above the league average .944.
Playing for the "small ball
" oriented Detroit player-manager Ty Cobb
, Rigney was among the American League leaders in sacrifice hit
s four times in 1922 (37), 1923 (33), 1924 (31), and 1926 (26). Six Tigers from the Cobb era (Donie Bush
, Ty Cobb
, Harry Heilmann
, Bobby Veach
, Sam Crawford
, and Ossie Vitt
) rank in the Top 50 all time for sacrifice hits.
Rigney died in San Antonio, Texas
at age 75.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
who played six seasons with the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
(1922–1925), Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
(1926–1927), and Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
(1927). Rigney had speed and a good sense of the strike zone. He was four times among the American League leaders in sacrifice hits, three times among the league leaders in walks, twice among the league leaders in triples and once among the league leaders in stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s. He had an on base percentage
On base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage is a measure of how often a batter reaches base for any reason other than a fielding error, fielder's choice, dropped/uncaught third strike, fielder's obstruction, or catcher's interference In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) (sometimes...
of .388.
Born in Groveton
Groveton, Texas
Groveton is a city in Trinity County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,107 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Trinity County.-Geography:Groveton is located at ....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Rigney attended Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
playing for the Aggies from 1915–1918. After graduating from Texas A&M, Rigney played for the 1921 Fort Worth Panthers team that is considered one of the greatest minor league teams of all time. The team finished the 1921 season 107–51, and Rigney hit .292, drew 63 walks, scored 91 runs, hit 81 RBIs, 12 triples, and 10 home runs. In his only season with the Panthers, Rigney also led all Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
shortstops with a .946 fielding percentage and 547 assists.
Rigney's performance with the Panthers in 1921 got him a shot at the big leagues. In 1922, Rigney joined the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
at age 25, hitting .300 with a .380 on base percentage while playing alongside Harry Heilmann
Harry Heilmann
Harry Edwin Heilmann , nicknamed “Slug,” was a Major League Baseball player who played 17 seasons with the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1952.Heilmann was a line drive hitter who won four American League batting crowns: in 1921, 1923, 1925 and...
and Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
. Rigney and his former Texas A&M Aggie teammate Rip Collins
Rip Collins
Harry Warren Collins was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees , Boston Red Sox , Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Browns . Collins batted and threw right-handed...
both played together for the Tigers from 1923–1925.
In 1922, Rigney increased his batting average to .315, but his best major league season was 1924, when he had a .410 on base percentage with 144 hits, 102 walks, and a slugging percentage of .407. His .410 on base percentage in 1924 is the highest by a shortstop in Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
history. His 102 walks were 2nd best in the American League in 1924—second only to Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
.
In April 1926, Rigney was sold to the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, reportedly after an argument with Tigers player-manager Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
. In 1926, playing for the Red Sox, Rigney finished 21st in American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
Most Valuable Player voting. That year, he collected 108 walks (3rd most in the American League) and 142 hits for a .395 on base percentage.
In May 1927, Rigney was traded to the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
for Buddy Myer
Buddy Myer
Charles Solomon "Buddy" Myer was an American second baseman in Major League Baseball from 1925 to 1941.An excellent hitter, he batted .300 or better in eight full seasons, and retired with a career average of .303. He walked more than twice as many times as he struck out...
. Rigney finished his major league career with the Senators at age 30.
Rigney was also a good defensive shortstop. He led American League shortstops in fielding percentage in 1924 (.967) and in assists (492) and fielding percentage (.969) in 1926. In 1926, he set an American League record by handling 24 chances without an error in a double-header. His Range factor
Range Factor
Range Factor is a baseball statistic developed by Bill James. It is calculated by dividing putouts and assists by number of innings or games played at a given defense position...
of 5.33 in 1926 was 0.69 points above the American League average for shortstops that year, and his .969 fielding average was .025 points above the league average .944.
Playing for the "small ball
Small Ball
In the sport of baseball, small-ball is an informal and colloquial term for an offensive strategy in which the batting team emphasizes placing runners on base and then advancing them into position to score a run in a deliberate, methodical way...
" oriented Detroit player-manager Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
, Rigney was among the American League leaders in sacrifice hit
Sacrifice hit
In baseball, a sacrifice bunt is a batter's act of deliberately bunting the ball in a manner that allows a runner on base to advance to another base. The batter is almost always sacrificed but sometimes reaches base due to an error or fielder's choice...
s four times in 1922 (37), 1923 (33), 1924 (31), and 1926 (26). Six Tigers from the Cobb era (Donie Bush
Donie Bush
Owen Joseph "Donie" Bush , was a Major League Baseball shortstop in the American League for the Detroit Tigers and the Washington Senators...
, Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
, Harry Heilmann
Harry Heilmann
Harry Edwin Heilmann , nicknamed “Slug,” was a Major League Baseball player who played 17 seasons with the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1952.Heilmann was a line drive hitter who won four American League batting crowns: in 1921, 1923, 1925 and...
, Bobby Veach
Bobby Veach
Robert Hayes "Bobby" Veach was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball who played fourteen seasons for the Detroit Tigers , Boston Red Sox , New York Yankees and Washington Senators ....
, Sam Crawford
Sam Crawford
Samuel Earl Crawford , nicknamed "Wahoo Sam", was a Major League Baseball player who played outfield for the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957....
, and Ossie Vitt
Ossie Vitt
Oscar Joseph "Ossie" Vitt , was a Major League Baseball third baseman in the American League for the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox . Vitt later became manager of the Cleveland Indians , where he sometimes clashed with his players.-Playing career:Ossie Vitt was a product of the sandlots of...
) rank in the Top 50 all time for sacrifice hits.
Rigney died in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
at age 75.