| Herman Merritt | |
|---|---|
| Shortstop,third baseman | |
| Born:(1900-11-12)November 12, 1900 Independence, Kansas | |
| Died: May 26, 1927(1927-05-26) (aged 26) Kansas City, Missouri | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 24, 1921, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 2, 1921, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Games | 20 |
| Batting average | .370 |
| Slugging pct. | .478 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
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Herman G. Merritt (November 12, 1900 – May 26, 1927) was an Americanbaseball player. A native ofIndependence, Kansas, he playedMajor League Baseball as ashortstop for theDetroit Tigers in 1921, compiling a .370batting average in his rookie year. He was paralyzed in an automobile accident the following spring and died five years later at age 26.
Merritt was born inIndependence, Kansas, in 1900.[1]
Merritt had his major league debut on August 24, 1921, replacingDonie Bush as the Tigers' shortstop for the last month of the 1921 season. In 20 games, Merritt hit for an impressive .370 batting average with a .478slugging percentage. However, he did not perform well in the field, having an .882fielding percentage (60 points lower than the league average in 1921 for shortstops) and a 2.65range factor (2.50 points lower than the league average that year for shortstops).[1]
On March 31, 1922, after the Tigers signedTopper Rigney at shortstop, Merritt was farmed out to the minor leagueAugusta Tygers.[2] Merritt was assigned to play as athird baseman for Augusta. In early April, one newspaper called Merritt as "the Kansas City flash" and added: "If in the league games that are to come, this boy shows a part of the class that he exhibited on Monday afternoon, [Detroit manager]Ty Cobb will have earned the enduring gratitude of the Augusta fans."[3]
On April 23, 1922, while returning with four teammates to Augusta after a three-game series inGreenville, North Carolina, the Packard automobile in which they were traveling was overturned 15 miles south of Greenville. The other four players were unhurt.[4][5] It was initially believed that Merritt had fractured his spine and would not survive, but he underwent surgery the next day, and it was discovered that his spine was not broken, but rather "was jammed between two bones of his broken back", and his lower body showed some sensitivity the next day.[6]
In May 1922, each of the six clubs in theSouth Atlantic League held a benefit game for Merritt with ten percent of the ticket sales going to Merritt and voluntary contributions also being solicited from fans.[7] He remained in a Greenville hospital for a month, and when he returned to Augusta on May 25, he was greeted at Union Station by 500 baseball fans and admirers.[8] A further benefit game was held for Merritt in Augusta in May, with fans contributing over $700.[9]
Merritt was married.[4] According to a newspaper account, he spent six months in a hospital "strapped to a cot" before finally being moved in December 1922 to his home inKansas City, Missouri.[10] He died in Kansas City in May 1927 at age 26.[1]
