Bennie Michael "Benny" Kauff (January 5, 1890 – November 17, 1961)Benny Kauff Player Page
at baseball-reference.com was a professional

baseball player Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

, who played centerfield and batted and threw left-handed.Benny Kauff Batting
at fangraphs.com Kauff was known as the "

Ty Cobb Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. He was born in rural Narrows, Georgia. Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the las ...

of the

Feds ''Feds'' is a 1988 American comedy film written and directed by Dan Goldberg, and starring Rebecca De Mornay and Mary Gross. The plot follows two women, the ex-Marine Ellie and Bryn Mawr graduate Janis, who aim to become FBI Agents and enroll ...

." Though he appears on many lists of Jewish baseball players, such as Harry Stein's 1976 ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'' magazine article "All Time All-Star Argument Starter", Kauff was not Jewish.Wiggins, Robert Payton. The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs. Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland, 2009. 978-0786438358 Kauff was banned from baseball in 1921 amid charges of

auto theft Motor vehicle theft (also known as a car theft and, in the United States, grand theft auto) is the criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle. Nationwide in the United States in 2020, there were 810,400 vehicles reporte ...

; despite his acquittal,

baseball commissioner The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive officer of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the associated Minor League Baseball (MiLB) – a constellation of leagues and clubs known as "organized baseball". Under the direction of the Commiss ...

Kenesaw Mountain Landis Kenesaw Mountain Landis (; November 20, 1866 – November 25, 1944) was an American jurist who served as a United States federal judge from 1905 to 1922 and the first Commissioner of Baseball from 1920 until his death. He is remembered for his h ...

refused to overturn the ban.

Baseball career

Early career (1912–15)

Kauff played his first game in the majors with the

New York Highlanders The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

on April 20, 1912. He played only five games with the Highlanders, playing the rest of the year in the minors. After spending the 1913 season in the minors, he appeared with the

Indianapolis Hoosiers Indianapolis Hoosiers was the name of three major league and at least three minor league baseball clubs based in Indianapolis. * Indianapolis Hoosiers (American Association), which played in 1884 * Indianapolis Hoosiers (National League), which pla ...

of the short-lived third major league, 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 ...

. Indianapolis rode his league-leading bat to the first league crown in 1914,1914 Federal League Team Statistics and Standings
at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed November 26, 2009
Archived
11/26/09 but traded him to 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 ...

before the 1915 season. The Tip-Tops, unable to capitalize on Kauff's hitting, finished seventh in the Federal League's second, and last, season.1915 Federal League Team Statistics and Standings
at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed November 26, 2009
Archived
11/26/09 Kauff was called "

of the Feds" for his dominant hitting during both years of the Federal League's existence. In 1914, he led the league in batting average (.370; still the rookie record for league-leading batting average), on-base percentage (.447), runs (120), hits (211), total bases (305), doubles (44) and stolen bases (75), while finishing 2nd in slugging percentage (.534) and 3rd in RBIs (95) and walks (72). He followed with an almost equally impressive season in 1915. That year he led the Federal League in batting average (.342), obp (.446), slugging percentage (.509) and steals (55) while finishing 2nd in walks (85), 3rd in home runs (12) and 4th in RBIs (83), runs (92) and hits (165).

New York Giants (1916–20)

When the Federal League folded after just two seasons, the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

purchased his contract from Brooklyn for $35,000 ($ today). Kauff was a Giant from 1916 to 1920, winning the pennant in 1917,Benny Kauff Trades and Transactions
at baseball-almanac.com, URL accessed November 26, 2009
Archived
11/26/09 but never regained his

hitting prowess. On May 26, 1916, he earned the dubious distinction of being the only player in the 20th century to be picked off first base three times in one game.MLB Federal League
- Baseballbiography.com But also in his first year as a Giant, he was 2nd in the NL in stolen bases (40) and triples (16), 4th in RBIs (74), home runs (9) and walks (68), and 9th in slugging percentage (.408). His best season in the National League was 1917, when he was 3rd in runs (89) and stolen bases (30), 4th in batting average (.308), 5th in OBP (.479), 6th in hits (172), and 7th in RBIs (68) and walks (59). That year the Giants made it to the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

, but lost to the Chicago White Sox 4–2,1917 World Series
at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed NOvember 26, 2009
Archived
11/26/09 in Chicago's last World Series victory until 2005. Kauff's two-homer game was the only one achieved by a National League player in the World Series until Bob Elliott of the Boston Braves did it in 1948.Baseball-Reference Playoff and World Series Index
at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed November 26, 2009
Archived
11/26/09 His best Series performance was in Game 4, with two home runs and three RBI in the Giants' 5–0 victory.1917 World Series Game 4
at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed November 26, 2009
Archived
11/26/09 His 1918 campaign was shortened by service in World War I.
at entertainment.howstuffworks.com, URL accessed November 26, 2009

11/26/09 In 1919, he led the NL in extra-base hits (44) and was 2nd in home runs (10), 4th in RBIs (67) and doubles (27), 5th in runs (73) and 7th in slugging percentage (.422). In December of that year, however, Kauff and his brother were implicated in a

car theft Motor vehicle theft (also known as a car theft and, in the United States, grand theft auto) is the criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle. Nationwide in the United States in 2020, there were 810,400 vehicles reported ...

. According to the criminal complaint, Kauff and two of his employees, James Shields and James Whalen, sold a car to Ignatz Engel after stealing it and giving it a new paint job.Burley, Craig
Free Benny Kauff (Part One)
Hardball Times, 2004-04-12. Kauff adamantly denied the charges, claiming he didn't know the car was stolen.Benny Kauff
by David Jones, URL accessed November 26, 2009
Archived
11/26/09 Specifically, he claimed that Shields and Whalen had given him what turned out to be a false bill of sale, thus leading him to believe the car had been acquired legally. After only 55 games in 1920, the Giants traded him to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

of the

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

Career statistics

In 859 games over eight seasons, Kauff posted a .311

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

(961-for-3094) with 521 runs, 169 doubles, 57

triples TripleS (stylized as tripleS; Help:IPA/English, /ˈtɹɪpəl:ɛs/; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by MODHAUS. They aim to be the world's first decentralized K-pop idol group. The members will rotate between the group, sub-unit, and solo ac ...

, 49

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

, 455 RBI, 234

stolen bases In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

, 367

bases on balls A base on balls (BB), also known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The base on balls is defined in Se ...

, .389

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...

and .450

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...

. Defensively, he recorded a .960

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

playing at all three outfield positions. In the

1917 World Series The 1917 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1917 season. The 14th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion Chicago White Sox against the National League champion New York Giants ...

, he batted only .160 (4-for-25) but hit 2 home runs with 5 RBI.

Acquittal and banishment

Kauff was slated to return to the Giants in 1921, but

Baseball Commissioner The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive officer of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the associated Minor League Baseball (MiLB) – a constellation of leagues and clubs known as "organized baseball". Under the direction of the Commiss ...

Judge

suspended Kauff until his auto theft case was resolved. The case finally went to trial on May 10, 1921. Kauff argued that he had not only been deceived by his employees, but also presented evidence that showed he had been eating dinner with his wife at the time the car was stolen. The jury acquitted Kauff on May 13 after deliberating for less than an hour.Burley, Craig
Free Benny Kauff (Part Two)
''Hardball Times'', 2004-04-19. Nonetheless, Landis refused to reinstate him. In a letter to Kauff, Landis said that even though he was acquitted, the trial revealed serious questions about his character and reputation that would raise questions about baseball's integrity if he were ever allowed to play again. He also told baseball writer

Fred Lieb Frederick George Lieb (March 5, 1888 – June 3, 1980) was an American sportswriter and baseball historian. Lieb published his memoirs in 1977, which documented his nearly 70 years as a baseball reporter. He received the J. G. Taylor Spink Award ...

that he personally believed Kauff was guilty, and claimed his acquittal "smelled to high heaven" and was "one of the worst miscarriages of justice that ever came under my observation." According to Kauff's attorney, Emil Fuchs (who would go on to own the

Boston Braves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

), another factor in Landis' refusal to reinstate Kauff was that Kauff tried to compensate Engel for the purchase price of the car after finding out it was stolen—something which Kauff had done on Fuchs' advice. Kauff appealed his banishment in court on the basis of his acquittal, but to no avail. On January 17, 1922, he lost his appeal to a higher court.This Day in Baseball History: January 17th
at nationalpastime.com, URL accessed November 26, 2009
Archived
11/26/09 In his ruling, Justice E. G. Whitaker did agree that "an apparent injustice has been done the plaintiff auff" Even though banned from playing, he served as a baseball scout for 22 years before becoming a clothing salesman for John R. Lyman Co. He died on November 17, 1961, in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

.Benny Kauff
at Simply Baseball Notebook

Sources

External links

Benny Kauff
- Baseballbiography.com

Baseball Almanac
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kauff, Benny Major League Baseball center fielders Baseball players from Ohio People from Pomeroy, Ohio New York Highlanders players Indianapolis Hoosiers players Brooklyn Tip-Tops players New York Giants (NL) players Sportspeople banned for life 1890 births 1961 deaths Bridgeport Orators players Hartford Senators players Brockton Shoemakers players Rochester Hustlers players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players