| Eddie Collins | |
|---|---|
 Collins with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1911 | |
| Second baseman /Manager | |
| Born:(1887-05-02)May 2, 1887 Millerton, New York, U.S. | |
| Died: March 25, 1951(1951-03-25) (aged 63) Boston,Massachusetts, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 17, 1906, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 2, 1930, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .333 |
| Hits | 3,315 |
| Home runs | 47 |
| Runs batted in | 1,300 |
| Stolen bases | 745 |
| Managerial record | 174–160 |
| Winning % | .521 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| As player As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1939 |
| Vote | 77.7% (fourth ballot) |
Edward Trowbridge Collins Sr. (May 2, 1887 – March 25, 1951), nicknamed "Cocky", was an American professionalbaseball player,manager and executive. He played as asecond baseman inMajor League Baseball from1906 to1930 for thePhiladelphia Athletics andChicago White Sox. A graduate ofColumbia University, Collins holds major league career records in several categories and is among the top few players in several other categories. In 1925, Collins became just the sixth person to join the3,000 hit club – and the last for the next 17 seasons.[1] His 47 career home runs are the fewest of any player with 3,000 hits. Collins is the only non-Yankee to win five or moreWorld Series titles with the same club as a player. He is also the only player to have been a member of all five World Series championships won by the Athletics during the franchise's time in Philadelphia.
Collins coached and managed in the major leagues after retiring as a player. He also served as general manager of theBoston Red Sox. In1939, Collins was inducted into theBaseball Hall of Fame.[1]
Edward Trowbridge Collins Sr. was born on May 2, 1887, inMillerton,New York, a 384-acre village inDutchess County.[1]
Collins was an Ivy League graduate who was notable for his offensive skill set and base-stealing capabilities.[2][3][4] He graduated fromColumbia University (where he was a member ofBeta Theta Pi fraternity)[5] at a time when few major league players had attended college.[1]
Collins started his professional baseball career on September 17, 1906, when he signed with thePhiladelphia Athletics' organization at the age of 19.[6] At the time of his signing, Collins was still a student at Columbia, and he played some of his early minor league games under the last name of Sullivan so that he could protect his collegiate status. Collins had lost his collegiate eligibility when it was discovered he played withPlattsburgh and Rutland in the 1906 Northern Independent League. He then signed with the Athletics and made his debut.[7][8][4]
After spending all but 14 games of the 1907 season in the minor leagues,[9] Collins played in 102 games in 1908 and by 1909 was a full-time player. That season, he registered a .347batting average and 67steals. Collins was also named the A's starting second baseman in 1909, a position he played for the rest of his career, after seeing time at second, third, shortstop, and the outfield the previous two seasons. In 1910, Collins stole a career-high 81 bases, the firstAmerican League player to steal at least 80 bases in a season, and played on the first of his sixWorld Series championship teams.[10][11]
Collins ranks 11th in the major leagues for most hits of all time with 3,315, and seventh for most stolen bases of all time with 745.[12][13] He is one of five players to steal six bases in a game, and the only person to do so twice, with both occurrences happening within eleven days, on September 11 and September 22, 1912, respectively.[14] Collins was part of the Athletics' "$100,000 infield" (and the highest-paid of the quartet) which propelled the team to fourAmerican League (AL) pennants and threeWorld Series titles between 1910 and 1914.[15] He earned the league'sChalmers Award (early Most Valuable Player recognition) in1914.
In 1913, theFederal League formed as a direct competitor to the American League.[16] To retain Collins, Athletics managerConnie Mack offered his second baseman the longest guaranteed contract (five years) that had ever been offered to a player. Collins declined, and after the 1914 season Mack sold Collins to the White Sox for $50,000, the highest price ever paid for a player up to that point and the first of only three times that a reigning MVP was sold or traded (the others beingAlex Rodriguez in 2003 andGiancarlo Stanton in 2017, both to theNew York Yankees).[17] The Sox paid Collins $15,000 for 1915, making him the third highest paid player in the league, behindTy Cobb andTris Speaker.
In Chicago, Collins continued to post top-ten batting and stolen base numbers, and he helped the Sox capture pennants in 1917 and 1919. He was part of the notorious "Black Sox" team that threw the1919 World Series to theCincinnati Reds. Collins was not accused of being part of the conspiracy and was considered to have played honestly, his low .226 batting average notwithstanding. Years later, Collins would say he had no pity for the eight players who were banished because he said they knew what they were doing.[citation needed]
In August1924, Collins was named player-manager of the White Sox and held the position through the1926 season, posting a record of 174–160 (.521). His two full seasons were the only winning seasons enjoyed by the White Sox from 1921 to 1936.
On June 3, 1925, Collins collected the 3,000th hit of his career to become the sixth player in major league history to join the3,000 hit club, doing so for the White Sox off pitcherRip Collins of theDetroit Tigers at Navin Field on a single. Incidentally, this was also the first game in which there were two members of the 3,000 hit club playing in the same game, asTy Cobb played center field.[18][19]
Collins returned to Philadelphia to rejoin the Athletics in1927 as a player-coach. For all intents and purposes, 1927 was his last year as a full-time player; he only played in 48 games in the following three years, mostly as a pinch hitter. The A's won the World Series in 1929 and 1930, but Collins didn't play in either. His last appearance as a player was on August 2, 1930.
Collins finished his career with 1,300runs batted in. To date, Collins is the only major league player to play for two teams for at least 12 seasons each. Upon his retirement, he ranked second in major league history in career games (2,826),walks (1,499) andstolen bases (744), third inruns scored (1,821), fourth inhits (3,315) andat bats (9,949), sixth inon-base percentage (.424), and eighth intotal bases (4,268); he was also fourth in AL history intriples (187).
He still holds the major league record of 512 careersacrifice bunts, over 100 more than any other player. He was the first major leaguer in modern history to steal 80 bases in a season, and still shares the major league record of six steals in a game, which he accomplished twice in September 1912. He regularlybatted over .320, retiring with a career average of .333. He also holds major league records for career games (2,650), assists (7,630) and total chances (14,591) at second base, and ranks second inputouts (6,526). Collins is one of only 31 players in baseball history to have appeared in major league games in four decades.
Following the A's1930 World Series victory, Collins retired as a player and immediately stepped into a full-time position as acoach with the A's.
After two seasons as a coach, Collins was hired as vice president andgeneral manager of theBoston Red Sox.[4] The new owner,Tom Yawkey, was a close friend who had attended the same prep school as Collins. Yawkey actually bought the Red Sox at Collins' suggestion. Collins assumed management of a team that had bottomed out from a long decline dating from their sale ofBabe Ruth; the 1932 Red Sox finished 43–111, the worst record in franchise history and second last-place finish in three seasons.
In 1933, under Collins’ leadership, the Red Sox became the first team to field a Mexican-born player in the major leagues,Mel Almada.[20][21]
Collins remained general manager through the 1947 season, retiring at age 60 after a period of declining health, thus ending 41 years in baseball.[22] During his 15 years as general manager, Collins signed future Hall of Famers such asJoe Cronin,Ted Williams andBobby Doerr.[4]
Collins managed winning seasons in seven of his final twelve years as general manager. Under Collins' leadership, the Red Sox won the 1946 pennant, their first in 28 years.[23] After his death in 1951, the Red Sox hung a plaque outside Fenway Park in honor of Collins. In May 2018, the Red Sox removed the plaque, reportedly due to the team not integrating Black players before the end of his tenure in 1947.[24] Of the 16 major league teams at the time, the Dodgers, Browns, and Indians were the only three that were integrated by the 1947 season.[25][26]
Collins was inducted into theBaseball Hall of Fame in1939.
Collins struggled with major heart problems for several years at the end of his life. He was admitted to a hospital in Boston on March 10, 1951, and died there due to a heart condition on March 25 at age 63.[27]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| CWS | 1924 | 27 | 14 | 13 | .519 | interim | – | – | – | – |
| CWS | 1925 | 154 | 79 | 75 | .513 | 5th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| CWS | 1926 | 153 | 81 | 72 | .529 | 5th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 344 | 174 | 160 | .521 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
In 1999, Collins was ranked number 24 onThe Sporting News' list of the100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. He played on a total of sixWorld Series-winning teams (1910,1911,1913,1917,1929, and1930), though he did not participate in any of the final two series' games.
Under thewin shares statistical rating system created by baseball historian and analystBill James, Collins was the greatest second baseman of all time.
Collins' son,Eddie Jr., was an outfielder who played forYale.[28] He briefly saw major league action (in 1939 and 1941–42, all with the A's) and later worked in thePhiladelphia Phillies' front office.
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
