Taylor Douthit

Taylor Lee Douthit

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11½", Weight 175 lb.
• School University of California
• High School Oakland Technical High School
• Debut September 14, 1923
• Final Game June 28, 1933
• Born April 22, 1901 in Little Rock, AR USA
• Died May 28, 1986 in Fremont, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Was Taylor Douthit (pronounced DOW-Thit) the best defensive outfielder of all time? Although most people have never heard of him, Taylor Douthit had phenomenal range factors in the outfield. His 547 put-outs in center field for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1928 set a record.

Douthit, born in Little Rock, AR in 1901, attended the University of California and came up to the majors for his first cup of coffee with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1923. He was a regular outfielder with them from 1926 through the middle of 1931, when he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds.

When Douthit first came up, he played alongside Jim Bottomley and Rogers Hornsby. When Hornsby was traded for Frankie Frisch, he and Frisch were teammates for years.

Douthit stole 23 bases in 1926, which was third in the league. He occasionally was in the top ten in other categories. In 1926, 1928, and 1929, he was in the top ten in runs scored. In 1929 and 1930, he was in the top ten in doubles. He was 2nd in the league in walks in 1928 and 7th in 1929. He led the league in sacrifice hits in 1926, and in hit-by-pitch in 1928.

The Cardinals went to the World Series in 1926, 1928, and 1930 when Douthit was with them. Douthit didn't hit particularly well in any of the Series, where he generally was the lead-off man.

His peak year as a batter was in 1929, when he hit .336 with a .416 on-base percentage. He had 42 doubles, 7 triples, and 9 home runs. Of course, it was a big-hitting year for almost everyone - the league as a whole hit .294.

He finished out his career in 1931-1933 with the Reds and Chicago Cubs. At age 32 in his last season, he was the same age as Cub teammate Gabby Hartnett, who went on to play through 1941.

• He is in the University of California Hall of Fame for his baseball and basketball play there in 1922-1924.

• He is one of seven major leaguers whose first name was Taylor.

Notable Achievements

• NL At Bats Leader (1930)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 3 (1928-1930)
• 200 Hits Seasons: 2 (1929 & 1930)
• Won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1926

Records Held

• Putouts, outfielder, season, 547, 1928

Related Sites

• Taylor Douthit at the SABR Bio Project