| Taylor Douthit | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Center fielder | |
| Born:(1901-04-22)April 22, 1901 Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. | |
| Died: May 28, 1986(1986-05-28) (aged 85) Fremont, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 14, 1923, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 28, 1933, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .291 |
| Home runs | 29 |
| Runs batted in | 396 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Taylor Lee Douthit (/ˈdaʊθɪt/DOW-thit;[1] April 22, 1901 – May 28, 1986), nicknamed "The Ballhawk",[2] was an American professionalbaseball player. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) as anoutfielder from 1923 to 1933, most notably as a member of theSt. Louis Cardinals team with whom he won aWorld Series championship in1926. Douthit set a record for single-season putouts by an outfielder (547) in 1928.
Late in his career, Douthit played for theCincinnati Reds and theChicago Cubs. He retired from baseball in 1933 rather than accepting a trade to theAmerican Association, and he moved back to California to work in the family insurance business.
Douthit was born inLittle Rock, Arkansas, and he graduated from theUniversity of California in 1923.[3]
Douthit started out in the Cardinals organization and became a major league regular in 1926. The year before, he had hit .372 for Milwaukee of theAmerican Association. As a rookie, he hit .308 and then .267 in theWorld Series to help St. Louis win the championship.
Before Douthit made his second appearance in a World Series in 1928, Cardinals managerBill McKechnie compared him favorably to star outfielderTris Speaker. "He has been compared to Speaker, but, in my opinion, it should be the other way," McKechnie said. "Speaker at his best should be compared with Douthit. [Douthit] covers an almost unbelievable amount of ground and is a sure catch. He leads off for us and has shown rare ability in 'getting on'."[4]
In 1931, Douthit was traded to the Reds. He played in 95 and 96 games for the Reds in 1931 and 1932, respectively. The team waived him in late April 1933; he had made only one appearance (as a pinch runner) with the Reds that year. The Cubs claimed Douthit off waivers on April 29, but he did not stay in Chicago for long. The Cubs traded him to Kansas City of theAmerican Association on June 29, 1933. Douthit thought that he should still be able to play in the major leagues, and he retired days later rather than reporting to Kansas City.[5]
Douthit is the all-time record holder forrange factor by a center fielder. His 547 outfield putouts in 1928 is the record for most outfield putouts in a season. His baseball glove was displayed at theBaseball Hall of Fame in an exhibit that discussed the putouts record.[3] He is in the University of California Hall of Fame for his baseball and basketball play there.
In 1,074games played, Douthit compiled a .291batting average (1201–4127) with 665runs, 29home runs, 396RBI, anon-base percentage of .364 and aslugging percentage of .384 in 11 seasons. In 13World Series games, he batted .140 (7–40) with 5 runs and 4 RBI. He posted a .972fielding percentage at all three outfield positions.
After his baseball career ended, Douthit worked for his family's insurance business in California. He died inFremont, California, on May 28, 1986.[2]