Edd Roush

Cantankerous fella who played center field mostly for the Reds; won a pair of batting titles; had friendly rivalry with Zack Wheat.

Roush was a proud and stubborn man who won two batting titles for the Reds and helped them to the 1919 World Series title. He rarely reported to spring training, often held out for more money and his aggressive playing style made him the National League’s equivalent of Ty Cobb. Roush was the best player to make his mark in the Federal League and then go on to star in the majors. In 1915, when the Federal League folded, John McGraw bought Roush for the princely sum of $10,000 and then traded him to Cincinnati in 1916 after the outfielder had hit just .188 in 39 games for the Giants. The trade was one of the worst mistakes of McGraw’s career, and the New York skipper spent the next decade trying to re-acquire Roush, which he finally did in February, 1927. Primarily a center fielder, Roush ended his career back with Cincinnati in 1931, having garnered more than 2,300 hits and a .323 lifetime batting average.