• Card series: Pilgrims
• City: Detroit
• Team: Tigers
• League: American League
• Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame

Samuel Earl Crawford (1880-1968) needed a couple more weeks among his 19 ML seasons to reach 3000 hits, finishing with 2961 and the all-time record for triples. “Wahoo Sam” teamed with Ty Cobb for 3 straight Series appearances ‘07-09. Neither did well or won a title. Nevertheless, the renowned manager who made Babe Ruth an outfielder said there was never a better hitter than Crawford. This Nebraska farm kid was considered the strongest hitter of his day and consistently ranked in the top 10 in slugging.

• Playing in the big Deadball Era parks, speedy Crawford set the record for inside-the-park HRs
• Debuting with Cincinnati in 1899, Crawford hit .307 as the youngest player in the majors
• A model of moderation, he rarely struck out, walked or reacted to teammate Cobb’s tirades
• Elected to Hall of Fame: 1957