Joe Houston

Joe Houston

by Martín Abresch




Statistics

Big Joe Houston hit .301 and collected 2,446 hits over an 18-year career. A large man, standing 6'1" and weighing 270 pounds, he lacked grace in the field and on the basepaths, but he was a patient and well-balanced hitter. A typical Houston season would see him bat .300, hit 25 doubles, 15 home runs, and draw 80 walks.

Houston signed with Cincinnati after the 1927 season. He spent most of the 1928 season on the bench. In 1929, incumbent first baseman Boardwalk Goodman struggled, and Houston was given the chance to start. In an exciting divisional race, Cincinnati finished the season tied with Chicago for second place and just two games behind Brock Rutherford-led St. Louis. Unfortunately, this would be the closest that Houston ever came to the playoffs.

Houston was the Packers starting first baseman from 1929 to 1936. Over that time, he hit .308 with 115 home runs. He drove in 100+ runs three times. His best season with Cincinnati was 1934 when he hit .329, walked 97 times, and reached base at a .425 clip.

In 1936, Houston started off the season slowly and the Packers, who had finished in fifth place for five straight years, decided to retool. They shipped him to Cleveland for a pair of players who would combine to collect fewer than 100 plate appearances for Cincinnati.

Houston missed much of the 1937 season with a hamstring injury but had a typical Houston season in 1938: .299 with 23 doubles, 12 home runs, and 85 walks. Cleveland traded him again, but at least they got a return for him. They shipped him to Buffalo for pitcher Johnny Lucas, who 17-8 for the Bobcats in 1939.

In Buffalo, Houston had a resurgence. He posted a personal best .349 average in 1939, hitting 20 home runs for the second time. He followed it up with a strong 1940 season. On September 20, 1940, Houston achieved two career milestones in the same game. He collected his 2000th career hit and scored his 1000th career run.

Now in his mid-30s, Houston's bat declined, but even at his worst in 1943 he still posted a 110 OPS+. He hung around as a backup player and pinch hitter for 1944 and 1945, then retired.

Houston finished his career with a .301 batting average, 196 home runs, and 1,215 RBIs. He scored 1,203 runs, and his 2,446 career hits ranked 23rd all-time at the time of his retirement. He won Player of the Week and Batter of the Month one time apiece. He was named to three All-Star teams (1935, 1939, 1941).

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