Gavvy Cravath

Clifford Carlton Cravath (March 23, 1881 - May 23, 1963), also nicknamed "Cactus Gravy", was an outfielder and right-handed batter who played for the Boston Red Sox (1908), Chicago White Sox (1909), Washington Senators (1909) and Philadelphia Phillies (1912-1920).

Cravath was the first baseball player from the San Diego area to play Major League Baseball. He was born in Escondido, California. He is regarded as one of the first great sluggers in the game.

In 1915, Cravath hit 24 home runs, setting a single season record that stood until Babe Ruth broke it by hitting 29 homers in 1919.

Cravath was a career .287 hitter with 119 home runs and 719 RBI in 1220 games. After retiring, he became the Justice of Peace in Laguna Beach, California, where he died at age of 82.

Highlights

• 6-time led league in home runs (1913-15, 1917-19)
• 4-time led league in extra base hits (1913, 1915, 1917-18)
• Twice led league in RBI (1913, 1915)
• Twice led league in slugging average (1913, 1915)
• Twice led league in total bases (1913, 1915)
• Twice led league in on base percentage (1915-16)
• Led league in hits (1913)
• Led league in runs (1915)

External links

• Gavvy Cravath at:
  • Baseball Library (article)
  • Baseball Reference (statistics)
  • The Diamond Angle (biography)
  • The Dead Ball Era (obituary)