Arthur Carle Griggs (December 10, 1883 – December 19, 1938) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

player. He played seven seasons in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

between 1909 and 1918, compiling a .277 batting average. He appeared in 442 major league games, including 195 games as a

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

, 96 games as an

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

, and 60 games as a second baseman.

Early years

Griggs was born in 1883 in

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...

. He attended

Washburn University Washburn University (WU) is a public university in Topeka, Kansas, United States. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,100 ...

and later the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

where he played college football at the halfback and fullback positions.

Professional baseball player

Griggs played professional baseball for 22 years from 1905 to 1926. He played four years in the minors from 1905 to 1908, including stints with Ellsworth in the Kansas state League (1905) and with the

Little Rock Travelers The Little Rock Travelers were an American minor league baseball team located in Little Rock, Arkansas, and members (1902–1910, 1915–1958, 1960–1961) of the Southern Association, which as a Class A, A1 or Double-A circuit was typically two ...

(1906),

Lake Charles Creoles A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

(1906),

San Antonio Bronchos The San Antonio Bronchos were a minor league baseball team based in San Antonio, Texas, that played in the South Texas League (1903–1906) and Texas League (1907–1919). The team was also known as the Mustangs (1903–04), Warriors (1905), and Ace ...

(1907-1908), and

Shreveport Pirates The Shreveport Pirates were a Canadian Football League team, playing at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, in 1994 and 1995. Despite a relatively strong fan base, they were one of the least successful of the CFL's A ...

(1908). He made his major league debut in May 1909 with the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...

. He appeared in 231 games for the Browns during the 1909 and 1910 seasons, compiling a .256 batting average. He played games at every position except pitcher and catcher for the Browns, including 66 games as a first baseman, and 49 games as a second baseman, 45 games as a right fielder, and 42 games as a left fielder. Griggs next spent the 1911 and 1912 seasons with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

. He compiled a .293 batting average and appeared in 116 games for Cleveland, including 72 games at first base and 11 games at second base. He spent the 1913 season playing for the

Montreal Royals The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team in Montreal, Quebec, during 1897–1917 and 1928–1960. A member of the International League, the Royals were the top farm club (Class AAA) of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939; pi ...

in the International League, compiling a .293 batting average in 40 games. In 1914, he signed with the

Brooklyn Tip-Tops The Brooklyn Tip-Tops were a team in the short-lived Federal League of professional baseball from 1914 to 1915. The team's name came from Tip Top Bread, a product of Ward Baking Company, which was also owned by team owner Robert Ward. They were so ...

of the

Federal League The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that played its first season as a minor league in 1913 and operated as a "third major league", in competition with the e ...

. He appeared in 67 games for the Tip-Tops, including 32 games at first base, during the 1914 and 1915 seasons. He compiled a .287 batting average with Brooklyn. During the 1916 and 1917 seasons, he played in the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

(PCL) for the

Vernon Tigers The Vernon Tigers were a Minor League Baseball team that represented Vernon, California in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) from 1909 to 1925. The team won back-to-back PCL pennants in 1919 and 1920. The Tigers, together with the Sacramento Solons, ...

and

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams ...

. In 1918, Griggs began the season with the Sacramento Senators, compiling a .378 batting average and hitting 12 home runs in 89 games. In the second half of the 1918 season, he had a final stint in the major leagues, appearing in 28 games as a first baseman for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. He compiled a .364 batting average and .422 on-base percentage with the Tigers. He appeared in his final major league game on September 2, 1918. Griggs returned to Sacramento in 1919, appearing in 148 games with nine home runs and a .288 batting average. From 1920 to 1923, he played for the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

of the PCL. He helped the 1921 Los Angeles Angels with the PCL pennant, leading the team with 69

extra-base hits In baseball, an extra-base hit (EB, EBH or XBH), also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire ano ...

and 302

total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run. For example, three singles is three total bases, while ...

. In 1922, he hit .338 with 20 home runs and 49 doubles. During the 1924 and 1925 seasons, Griggs played for the Omaha Buffaloes of the Western League. He hit a career-high 28 home runs for Omaha in 1925. He concluded his playing career in 1926 with the Seattle Indians of the PCL.

Later years

After retiring as a player, Griggs was president and owner of teams in the Western and

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

s. He became the owner of the Wichita team in the Western League in 1927. In 1932, he moved his club to Tulsa. He then transferred the Tulsa team from the Western League to the Texas League in 1933. Griggs died in 1938 at age 55 at his home in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He had been ill for several weeks with

Hodgkins disease Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma, in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the patient's lymph nodes. The condition w ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Griggs, Art 1880s births 1938 deaths Major League Baseball first basemen St. Louis Browns players Cleveland Naps players Brooklyn Tip-Tops players Detroit Tigers players Baseball players from Kansas Sportspeople from Topeka, Kansas Pittsburgh Panthers football players Minor league baseball managers Ellsworth (minor league baseball) players Little Rock Travelers players Lake Charles Creoles players San Antonio Bronchos players Shreveport Pirates (baseball) players Toledo Mud Hens players Montreal Royals players Vernon Tigers players Portland Beavers players Sacramento Senators players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Omaha Buffaloes players Seattle Indians players