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Early Life
Rogers Hornsby was born in the small town of Winters, Texas on April 27, 1896.
His unusual first name originated from his mother’s maiden name. Very little
is known about Rogers’ childhood, but an isolated life in a small town like
Winters undoubtedly played a role in his stern demeanor. Like most children
his age
he grew up playing baseball, but his talents were not apparent as early in
life as many big league stars.
He debuted professionally as an under-sized, erratic-fielding, light-hitting
shortstop in the Texas-Oklahoma league at age 18. His contract was owned by the
St.
Louis
Cardinals, who
tried
to sell it to Little Rock of the Southern
League for $500. Little Rock saw little potential in Hornsby, who batted .232
at the time, and
turned
down
the offer.
So the St. Louis team
faced
a
choice:
either
release
the
young man or try to re-build his swing.
Luckily, the Cardinals chose the latter. Coaches like Cardinals manager Miller
Huggins helped straighten the young man’s stance and refine his swing. He was
called up to the big club at the end of the 1915 season, and in limited playing
time, Rogers hit a meager .246. In the winter following his first taste of the
big leagues, young Rogers decided he needed to bulk up if he was going to have
any hope of a professional career. He spent the entire winter enduring extremely
difficult labor on
his
uncle’s
farm.
The hard work on the farm paid huge dividends. In 1916 he entered
spring
training
with
25
extra pounds of muscle, a much heavier bat and a spot in the Cardinals’ lineup.
Even though he bounced around at all four infield positions, he hit a very respectable
.313, making his first full season a sizeable success.
The following year, Hornsby’s talents soared as he led the league in triples,
slugging percentage and total bases, and finished in the top-10 in six other
major
offensive
categories (including second in the batting title to Edd Roush). His career seemed
to be on a fast-track to stardom.
1918 was a frustrating sophomore full-season for Hornsby. Once again he was the
starting shortstop for the Cardinals, and he improved his fielding so much that
he led the league in double-plays. However, his average dipped to a career-low
.281. That would be the last time Rogers would let his average slip below .300
as a regular.
He rebounded nicely in 1919, finishing second in the league in batting average,
hits and RBI. It was very apparent that if he continued to produce at the same
pace of his first few seasons, he would be one of the best players out there.
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