1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #4 "Buddy" Myer

Sunday, October 17, 2021

#4 "Buddy" Myer - Washington Senators

Charles Solomon Myer

Washington Senators

Second Base

Bats: Left Throws: Right Height: 5'10" Weight: 163

Born: March 16, 1904, Ellisville, MS

Major League Teams: Washington Senators 1925-1927; Boston Red Sox 1927-1928; Washington Senators 1929-1941

World Series Appearances: Washington Senators 1925, 1933

Died: October 31, 1974, Baton Rouge, LA (70)

With the exception of a two-year detour to Boston, Buddy Myer played the bulk of his 17-year big league career with the Senators. He served during different points of his career as the regular third baseman, shortstop and ultimately second baseman for the Senators and reached the World Series twice with the team, in 1925 and 1933. Known for his speed early in his career, Myer led the league with 28 stolen bases in 1928. Myer was a two-time All-Star in 1935 and 1937, and he enjoyed a career year in 1935 when he won the league's batting title with a .349 average. He finished fourth in that year's MVP voting, behind winner Hank Greenberg (#54), Wes Ferrell (#94) and Joe Vosmik (#8). Myer led all American League second baseman in fielding percentage in 1931 and 1938. He retired following the 1941 season with his career statistics ranking towards the top of many all-time leader lists. Myer collected 2,131 hits, scored 1,174 runs and batted .303 for his career with a .389 on-base percentage. He hit 38 career home runs, with 15 of those being inside the park home runs.

September 7, 2021 - First day of school

Myer's SABR biography contains a note from baseball analyst Bill James comparing his lifetime statistics to those of future Hall of Famer and long-time National League second baseman Billy Herman (#136). While Herman benefitted from being the best at his position in his league, Myer was perhaps unfairly overlooked as he was arguably the third best second baseman in the American League during his era, behind Charlie Gehringer (#77) and Tony Lazzeri (#74). Despite having nearly similar career numbers, Myer received one Hall of Fame vote in 1949 and Herman was elected into the Hall by the Veteran's Committee in 1975.

Building the Set

September 7, 2021 from Sharon, MA - Card #30

The 30th card added to my Diamond Stars set came from eBay seller spicymakicombo, located in Sharon, Massachusetts. I added this card to my Watch List, intending to save its potential purchase for a rainy day when the seller contacted me with a lower offer for the card. I made one modest counteroffer, the seller accepted, and the card arrived a few days later, on the first day of school for our kids.

Variations Available

1 - 1934 / green back / 1933 statistics / 1934 copyright

2 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1934 copyright

3 - 1936 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1934 copyright ✅

The Card / Senators Team Set

I added the blue backed version of this card to my set, released in 1936. Myer is shown having just retired a baserunner, although the pose here would suggest he didn't follow the tip contained on the back of the card. The tip on the back instructs the infielder to catch the ball thrown by the catcher, and hold the glove in front of the base, allowing the runner to slide right into the glove. Then again, maybe Myer did follow the tip and he's holding his glove up following the tag to show the umpire he had the ball.

1936 Season

After winning the league's batting title, Myer suffered one of the least productive seasons of his career, as he was limited to only 51 games. He called it a season and left the Senators in August, apparently dealing with a bad stomach ulcer. In his absence, Ossie Bluege (#71) saw the majority of playing time at second base for Washington. Myer batted only .269 in 1936, and he'd return to full health and his All-Star form in 1937.