Nellie Fox

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Jacob Nelson "Nellie" Fox (December 25, 1927 – December 1, 1975) was a Major League Baseball second baseman for the Chicago White Sox and is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Fox was born in St. Thomas Township, Pennsylvania. He was selected as the MVP of the American League in 1959.

Contents 1 Career 2 1959 3 Achievements 4 Quotation 5 External links

[edit] Career

Fox began his career his the Philadelphia Athletics in 1947, though he was never a full-time starter during his three seasons with the team. Traded to the White Sox October 29, 1949, Fox's career took off with the White Sox. He spent 14 seasons with Chicago, making 10 All-Star teams. He played his final two seasons (1964-65) with the Houston Colt .45s and Astros.

With the White Sox, Fox played next to a pair of slick-fielding shortstops, Venezuelans Chico Carrasquel (1950-55) and Hall-of-Famer Luis Aparicio (1956-62), and was, year after year, a member of the best defensive infield in the League. Fox won Gold Gloves in 1957, 1959 and 1960.

Only 5-foot-9, he made up for his modest size and minimal power — he hit only 35 home runs in his career, and never more than six in a single season, with his good batting eye, excellent fielding, and baserunning speed. Fox was perennially one of the toughest batters to strike out, fanning just 216 times in his career, an average of once every 42.7 at-bats. He led the league in most at-bats per strikeouts a phenomenal 13 times in his career. Although not known as a great hitter (lifetime .288 batting average), he batted over .300 six times, with 2,663 hits, 355 doubles, and 112 triples. He also led the league in singles for seven straight years, in triples once, and in hits four times.

Nellie Fox died of cancer in Baltimore, Maryland in 1975, at the age of 48. He was not selected to the Hall of Fame in his initial period of eligibility. In his final opportunity, 1985, he gained 74.6 percent of the vote, just shy of the 75 percent required for election by the Baseball Writers Association of America. However, the longtime disappointment of his admirers was finally relieved in 1997, when the Veterans Committee elected him to membership in the Hall.

[edit] 1959

Fox's best season came in 1959, when the White Sox won their first pennant in 40 years. He batted .306, had an on base percentage of .380 and won his second Gold Glove. The Al Lopez-managed White Sox had the best record in baseball, going 94-60 to finish five games ahead of the Cleveland Indians and a surprising 15 ahead of the New York Yankees. It was one of just two seasons the Yankees would not win the pennant between 1949-1964.

In the World Series, Fox batted a team-high .375 with 3 doubles, but the Sox lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games. It was Fox's only postseason experience, and the White Sox would not make it back to the World Series until 2005.

[edit] Achievements

• The first White Sox player elected MVP of the American League.
• Only 216 careerstrikeouts in over 9,200 at-bats: the 3rd best percentage in MLB history.
• Set the record for consecutive games played at second base, with 798.
• 12-time All-Star.
• 3-time Gold Glove Award winner.
• Hold American League record for most double plays by a second baseman; second-most in the majors after Bill Mazeroski.
• Between 1959 and 1960 the Aparicio-Fox duo won twice Gold Gloves, starting a select list of eight shortstop-second baseman combinations have won the honor in the same season while playing together.
• A life-sized bronze statue of him was unveiled at U.S. Cellular Field in 2006.

See also

• List of Gold Glove middle infield duos

[edit] Quotation

Fox is what you'd call a manager's ballplayer. He does his job expertly and he does it every day. He's the type of player you can count on. He's an old pro. A great many times, he is hurting pretty badly from the dumpings he's taken on the field, but he's always ready to play. - Hall of Fame manager Al Lopez.

Nellie was the toughest out for me. In 12 years I struck him out once, and I think the umpire blew the call. - New York Yankees Hall of Fame pitcher Whitey Ford

[edit] External links

• Baseball Hall of Fame
• Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
• Baseball Library

Preceded by Jackie Jensen

American League Most Valuable Player 1959

Succeeded by Roger Maris