Jack Fournier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jack Fournier |
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| First baseman | |||
| Born: September 28, 1889 Au Sable, Michigan, U.S. |
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| Died: September 5, 1973 (aged 83) Tacoma, Washington, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 13, 1912, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 2, 1927, for the Boston Braves | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .313 | ||
| Home runs | 136 | ||
| Runs batted in | 859 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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John Frank Fournier (born September 28, 1889 – died September 5, 1973) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a first baseman and sometimes an outfielder. Jack played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for several teams from 1912 to 1927. These teams included the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Brooklyn Robins, and Boston Braves. Fournier was famous for being a great hitter, but he wasn't as good at fielding.
Playing in Major League Baseball
When the White Sox bought Jack Fournier in 1912, his coaches faced a challenge. He was an amazing hitter, but his fielding skills were not as strong. This was especially tricky for a first baseman, who needed to be good at fielding bunts (short hits). In 1916, even after Fournier had led the American League in slugging (a measure of hitting power), the White Sox decided to replace him at first base.
In 1918, Fournier played for the Yankees and hit very well, with a .350 batting average. Later, he joined the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1921, he had a fantastic year, hitting .343 and scoring 103 runs.
After three successful years with the Cardinals, Fournier was traded to the Brooklyn Robins in 1923. At first, he didn't want to leave St. Louis, but he eventually joined the Dodgers (another name for the Robins). He found his place on the team, playing alongside other great hitters like Zack Wheat. On June 29, 1923, he had an amazing game where he got six hits in six tries! That year, he hit .351.
In 1924, Fournier led the National League with 27 home runs and was second in the league with 116 runs batted in (RBIs). The next year, 1925, he led the National League with 86 walks. He also hit .350 and was second in the league for RBIs (130) and on-base percentage (.446).
Over his 14 seasons, Jack Fournier hit 136 career home runs. His career batting average was .313, and his on-base percentage was .392. He also had three great seasons in a row (1923–1925) where he hit more than 20 home runs and 20 doubles each year. Baseball expert Bill James ranked him as the 35th best first baseman of all time.
After His Playing Days
After he stopped playing baseball, Jack Fournier became a coach. He was the head coach at UCLA from 1934 to 1936. Later, he worked as a scout, which means he looked for new talented players. He scouted for teams like the St. Louis Browns, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, and Cincinnati Reds for many years.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball career batting average leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career triples leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball single-game hits leaders
