Morrie Rath
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Morris Charles "Morrie" Rath (December 25, 1886 - November 18, 1945) was an American baseball player who played second baseman for the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds in the 1910s.
Born in Mobeetie, Texas, Rath began his career as a bench player for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1909, before being traded in the middle of the 1910 season to the Cleveland Indians because the Athletics already had star second baseman Eddie Collins. Until 1912, Rath had a generally undistinguished career. In 1912, he was the starting second baseman for the Chicago White Sox, and had a breakthrough year, hitting .272 with 95 bases on balls and 30 stolen bases, in addition to outstanding defensive numbers. After a bad start in 1913, he was sent down to the minors, where he remained until 1919.
In 1918, Rath joined the U.S. Navy, and as a consequence missed the 1918 baseball season. In 1919, Rath was given a chance to start by the Cincinnati Reds. He had an excellent comeback season, with a .264 batting average, and 64 walks, and was the leadoff hitter for the pennant-winning Reds. In the 1919 World Series, Rath was hit by a pitch to start the series, which was later found out to be a signal used by White Sox pitcher Eddie Cicotte that the fix of the World Series was on. After a mediocre 1920 season, Rath's career ended. He died in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.
Rath's skills were generally unrecognized during his career. Before On-base percentage was considered an important statistic, there was little to distinguish him offensively. According to baseball statisticion Bill James, Rath's defensive range numbers were the best in the league, and off the charts for his era, hinting that perhaps he was unrecognized other was as well.
