Emory Elmo "Topper" Rigney (January 7, 1897 – June 6, 1972) was an American professional

baseball 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 ...

player between 1920 and 1928. He played six 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), ...

as a

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

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 ...

(1922–1925),

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

(1926–1927), and Washington Senators (1927). A Texas native, Rigney served in the U.S. Navy and played two years in the

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 ...

before making his major league debut in 1922 at age 25. During his six-year major league career, Rigney ranked among the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

leaders in

sacrifice hit In baseball, a sacrifice bunt (also called a sacrifice hit) is a batter's act of deliberately bunting the ball, before there are two outs, in a manner that allows a baserunner to advance to another base. The batter is almost always put out, and ...

s four times. He was also among the league leaders in

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 ...

three times, leading to his impressive

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 ...

s of .410 in 1924 and .395 in 1926. Rigney also had good speed on the base paths and ranked among the league leaders in

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 ...

twice and was once among the leaders in

stolen base 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 ...

s. He had a career

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 ...

of .288 and .388 on-base percentage. Rigney also ranked among the American League's best defensive shortstops in the 1920s. He led the league's shortstops in

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 ...

in 1924 and 1926 and also led the league with 492

assist Assist or ASSIST may refer to: Sports Several sports have a statistic known as an "assist", generally relating to action by a player leading to a score by another player on their team: *Assist (basketball), a pass by a player that facilitates a ba ...

s in 1926. His 1926 range factor per game of 5.33 was tops among shortstops in that category as well.

Early years

Rigney was born in

Groveton, Texas Groveton is a city in Trinity County, Texas, United States. The population was 918 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Trinity County. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.6 sq mi (6. ...

, in 1897. His father, Robert Rigney, was a dry goods merchant in

Leonard, Texas Leonard is a city in Fannin County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,990 at the 2010 census. Geography Leonard is located in southwestern Fannin County at (33.383165, –96.245248). U.S. Route 69 passes along the northern and eastern ...

, in 1910, and a real estate agent in 1920. Rigney attended

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

, playing at the

position for the Texas A&M baseball team from 1915 to 1918. He attained the rank of colonel in the

Texas A&M Corps of Cadets The Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets (often The Corps of Cadets, or simply the Corps) is a student military organization at Texas A&M University. Established with the university in 1876, it is the oldest student organization on campus. Student ...

and was also captain of the Ross Volunteers. Rigney then served in the U. S. Navy in 1918 and 1919 and listed his occupation as real estate agent in the 1920 United States Census.

Professional baseball career

Texas League

After graduating from Texas A&M, Rigney signed with the

. In 1920, he was farmed out to the

and began his professional baseball career with the

Dallas Submarines The Dallas Submarines, based in Dallas, Texas, United States, were a minor league baseball team that played from 1917 to 1918 in the Texas League. They were managed by Ham Patterson both years. Following the 1922 season, the Dallas team became known ...

. Rigney compiled a .253

with 16 doubles, 10 triples and 3 home runs in 122 games for Dallas. Rigney next played for a

Fort Worth Panthers A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

team that finished the 1921 season with a 107–51 record. Rigney hit .292, drew 63 walks, scored 91 runs, and tallied 81 RBIs, 30 doubles, 12 triples and 10 home runs. Rigney also led all

shortstops with a .946 fielding percentage and 547 assists.

Detroit Tigers

In 1922 Rigney joined the

at age 25. He was the team's starting shortstop in all 155 games during the 1922 season; he replaced

Donie Bush Owen Joseph "Donie" Bush (; October 8, 1887Sources differ as to Bush's date of birth. Sources listing the date as October 8, 1887, include (i) baseball-reference.com, and (ii) findagrave.com. Sources listing the date as October 3, 1887, include ( ...

, who had been the Tigers starting shortstop from 1909 to 1921. In his rookie season, Rigney compiled a .300 batting average and a .380 on-base percentage with 17 doubles, seven triples, two home runs, 17 stolen bases, and 63 RBIs. Rigney and his former Texas A&M teammate Rip Collins both played together for the Tigers from 1923 to 1925. In 1923, Rigney increased his batting average to .315 with a .389 on-base percentage and 24 doubles, 11 triples, 74 RBIs, and 7 stolen bases. Rigney's strong performance in 1923 was in spite of a hip ailment that plagued him through much of the season. Doctors were unable to determine the cause of the problem, and when the problem returned early in 1924, Detroit manager

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 ...

sent Rigney to the Mayo Brothers' Clinic in

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota, the city is the home and birthplace of the renowned Mayo Clinic. Acco ...

. The doctors there were similarly unable to diagnose Rigney's condition until, after a few days, they examined his teeth. The doctors discovered that Rigney had a number of infected molars that had spread poison throughout his system with the poison "making its headquarters in that bum hip." After the extraction of the infected teeth, Rigney's hip problem was cured. With the hip problem behind him, Rigney had a solid season in 1924. He had a career high 94 RBIs and drew 102 walks (second only to

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...

in the American League), giving him a .410 on-base percentage. His .410 on-base percentage in 1924 is the highest by a shortstop in Detroit Tigers history. He also led the American League's shortstops in 1924 with a .967 fielding percentage. Rigney lost his role as the Tigers' starting shortstop in 1925, as

Jackie Tavener John Adam "Jackie" Tavener (December 27, 1897 – September 14, 1969), nicknamed "Rabbit," was a professional baseball player from 1921 to 1934. He played all or parts of six seasons in Major League Baseball as a shortstop for the Detroit Tigers ...

took over and started 130 games at the position. Rigney started only 26 games at shortstop in 1925, compiling a .247 batting average (.341 on-base percentage) in 146 at bats.

Boston Red Sox

In April 1926, Rigney was sold to the

, reportedly after an argument with Tigers player-manager

. In 1926, Rigney played well for the Red Sox and received three vote points in voting for the

American League Most Valuable Player Award The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers' ...

. That year, he compiled a .270 batting average, and his 108 bases on balls (third in the American League) boosted his on-base percentage to .395. Rigney also hit a career high 32 doubles in 1926. Defensively, he led the American League's shortstops in assists (492), fielding percentage (.969) and range factor per game (5.33).

Washington Senators

In May 1927, Rigney was traded to the Washington Senators for

Buddy Myer Charles Solomon "Buddy" Myer (March 16, 1904 – October 31, 1974) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a second baseman from through . A two-time All-Star, Myer was notable for being the American ...

. The trade is widely regarded as one of the worst trades in baseball history, as Rigney played only 45 more games before his major league career ended, while Myer played another 15 years in the major leagues and became an All-Star (albeit most of those years for the Senators who traded him away). Rigney finished his major league career with the Senators at age 30. He appeared in his final major league game on August 26, 1927.

Kansas City Blues

Rigney concluded his professional baseball career in 1928 playing for the Kansas City Blues of the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

. He compiled a .250 batting average in 296 at bats with nine doubles and five triples.

Career statistics

Rigney led American League shortstops in fielding percentage in 1924 (.967) and in assists (492) and fielding percentage (.969) in 1926. In 1926, he set an American League record by handling 24 chances without an error in a double-header. His range factor of 5.33 in 1926 was 0.69 points above the American League average for shortstops that year, and his .969 fielding average was .025 points above the league average .944. Playing for the hit-and-run oriented Detroit manager

, Rigney was among the American League leaders in

s four times in 1922 (37), 1923 (33), 1924 (31), and 1926 (26). Six Tigers from the Cobb era (

, Ty Cobb,

Harry Heilmann Harry Edwin Heilmann (August 3, 1894 – July 9, 1951), nicknamed "Slug", was an American baseball player and radio announcer. He played professional baseball for 19 years between 1913 and 1932, including 17 seasons in Major League Baseball with ...

Bobby Veach Robert Hayes Veach (June 29, 1888 – August 7, 1945) was an American baseball player from 1910 to 1930 including 14 seasons in the major leagues. He was the starting left fielder for the Detroit Tigers from 1912 to 1923 and also played for the B ...

Sam Crawford Samuel Earl Crawford (April 18, 1880 – June 15, 1968), nicknamed "Wahoo Sam", was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Crawford batted and threw left-handed, stood tall and weighed . Born in Wahoo, Nebraska, he had a sh ...

, and Ossie Vitt) rank in the top 50 all time for sacrifice hits. In 694

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Basebal ...

, Rigney compiled a .288

(669 hits in 2,326 at bats) with 325

runs scored In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls ...

, 13

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 ...

, 312 RBI, an

of .388 and a

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, ...

of .387 over six seasons. His career

was .953.

Family and later years

Rigney was married to Thelma Routh in 1920. They had a son, Robert, who was born in approximately 1932. After retiring from baseball at the end of the 1928 season, Rigney went into the insurance business in the

Lower Rio Grande Valley The Lower Rio Grande Valley ( es, Valle del Río Grande), commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley or locally as the Valley or RGV, is a region spanning the border of Texas and Mexico located in a floodplain of the Rio Grande near its mouth. The ...

. They lived in

Harlingen, Texas Harlingen ( ) is a city in Cameron County in the central region of the Rio Grande Valley of the southern part of the U.S. state of Texas, about from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city covers more than and is the second-largest city in ...

. Rigney also served as the player-manager of the Harlingen baseball team in 1930. After 12 years in the Rio Grande Valley, Rigney moved to

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

. In 1953, he was reportedly part of an investor syndicate that acquired control of the Omaha and Council Bluffs Street Railway Company. Rigney died in June 1972 at a San Antonio hospital at age 75. He was survived by his wife, Thelma, and their son, Robert.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rigney, Topper 1897 births 1972 deaths Baseball players from Texas Major League Baseball shortstops Detroit Tigers players Boston Red Sox players Washington Senators (1901–1960) players Texas A&M Aggies baseball players People from Groveton, Texas People from Harlingen, Texas Sportspeople from Cameron County, Texas