Jigger Statz

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Jigger Statz

|position=Outfielder

|image=1922 Jigger Statz.jpeg

|width=150px

|caption=Statz in 1922

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{birth date|1897|10|20}}

|birth_place=Waukegan, Illinois, U.S.

|death_date={{death date and age|1988|3|16|1897|10|20}}

|death_place=Corona del Mar, California, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=July 30

|debutyear=1919

|debutteam=New York Giants

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=September 30

|finalyear=1928

|finalteam=Brooklyn Robins

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Batting average

|stat1value=.285

|stat2label=Home runs

|stat2value=17

|stat3label=Runs batted in

|stat3value=215

|teams=

New York Giants (1919–1920)
Boston Red Sox (1920)
Chicago Cubs (1922–1925)
Brooklyn Robins (1927–1928)

}}

Arnold John "Jigger" Statz (October 20, 1897 – March 16, 1988) was an American professional baseball player, manager and scout. An outfielder, Statz appeared in 683 games played in Major League Baseball, but had a lengthy and notable minor league career, playing in almost 2,800 games. He is one of only nine players known to have amassed at least 4,000 combined hits in the major and minor leagues. The native of Waukegan, Illinois, threw and batted right-handed, and was listed as {{convert|5|ft|7|in}} tall and {{convert|150|lb}}.

Early life

Statz attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he moved from Illinois along with his parents at an early age. He played baseball for two years at Holy Cross before enlisting in the U. S. Navy during World War I. Though he signed with the Giants in 1919, Statz continued his studies at Holy Cross and graduated with his class in 1921.{{sabrbio|ddd7d6e6|Bill Nowlin|2011-11-01}}

Major league career

Statz played in the major leagues during eight seasons from 1919 to 1928 for the Chicago Cubs, New York Giants, Boston Red Sox, and Brooklyn Robins. His best season was in 1923 with the Cubs, when he played in all 154 games, compiling a .319 batting average, with 10 home runs and 70 runs batted in.

Minor league career

Statz played 18 minor league seasons, all of them for the Los Angeles Angels of the top-level Pacific Coast League. In an era when many players had lengthy minor league careers, Statz's statistics surpassed those of his contemporaries, e.g. a grand total of 4,093 major and minor league hits, and a total number of games played which was exceeded only by Pete Rose.

Statz had a distinguished career in the Pacific Coast League. He holds the PCL records for games played (2,790), hits (3,356), doubles (597), triples (136), and runs scored (1,996). His career PCL batting average was .315.{{cn|date=December 2022}} The year after his playing career ended, he was a member of the first group of players elected to the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame.{{cn|date=December 2022}}

Total hits

File:Jigger Statz, New York NL (baseball) LCCN2014710550 (cropped).jpg

Statz is one of only nine players (along with Pete Rose, Ty Cobb, Ichiro Suzuki, Hank Aaron, Minnie Miñoso, Julio Franco, Derek Jeter, and Stan Musial) known to have amassed at least 4,000 combined hits in the major leagues and minor leagues.[https://sabr.org/latest/simkus-ichiro-suzuki-minnie-minoso-and-4000-career-professional-hits/ Ichiro Suzuki, Minnie Minoso and 4,000 career ‘professional’ hits], Scott Simkus, SABR.org, accessed 2021-12-07

Post–playing career

Statz managed for five years in the minor leagues. He was the Angels' player-manager during 1940–1942, and managed the Visalia Cubs of the California League in 1948–1949.

Jigger Statz played himself in the 1929 Paramount film, Fast Company, and in 1952 served as a technical advisor for The Winning Team, a fictionalized Warner Bros. biography of Grover Cleveland Alexander which starred Ronald Reagan.{{IMDb name |nm0823844}}