55. Cap Anson
Cap Anson has a mixed legacy in MLB history. One one hand, he was a truly innovative mind, helping to change the way baseball was played. On the other, he helped bring segregation to major league baseball.
As a player, Cap Anson was one of the greatest hitter to play the game. He won four batting titles and led the league in RBI twelve times en route to a career .334/.394/.447 batting line and 2075 RBI. That RBI total is the third highest mark in history, and he ranks seventh with 3435 hits.
A manager as well as a first baseman, Anson helped change baseball strategy and preparation. He claimed to use the first hit and run plays, and used an aggressive baserunning style to force the opposition into errors. Anson, along with White Sox president Al Spaulding, are credited with creating the modern day Spring Training, sending the team south to get ready for the season.
However, Anson was also an avowed racist, refusing to play games against teams with dark skinned players. Even though it was likely that segregation would have found its way to the majors anyway, especially after opposing players and executives demanded that Fleet Walker and Welday Walker be removed from the Toledo Blue Stockings roster, Anson helped force the issue.
A great player, but a questionable person, Cap Anson has a mixed legacy. However, if one just looks at his on the field exploits, Anson was a true innovator and one of the best players in the early days on the major leagues.
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