Random Wednesday: Harry Lord

   Photo by TomGazpacho
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I’ve been thinking about ways to bring you stuff that just isn’t available anywhere else. News and analysis is great, and I’ll certainly continue to do my share of that, but one thing I thought might be fun is to use Baseball-Reference’s “random” function and highlight whoever happens to appear when I give it a spin. We’ll do this every Wednesday because, well, in keeping with the spirit of things, I actually chose the day at random.

Anyway, our first player is Harry Lord, a left-handed hitting third baseman who played for the Boston Americans/Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and Buffalo Blues (of the old Federal League). His career spanned from 1907 to 1915, and he posted a career line of .277/.326/.356. Those numbers might appear anemic to us now, but back then it was good enough for an OPS+ of 104.

In 1909, Lord placed fifth in the AL with a .311 batting average. The only players ahead of him that season were Sam Crawford, Nap Lajoie, Eddie Collins, and Ty Cobb. You may recognize those names — they are all in the Hall of Fame.

Although Lord spent most of his time at the hot corner, he also saw some action in the outfield while playing for the White Sox in 1912. He finished seventh in the American League with five home runs that year. (Philadelphia’s Frank Baker and Boston’s Tris Speaker tied for the league lead, with 10 homers. Like I said, it was a different era.)

Not surprisingly, Lord’s list of most comparable players is littered with guys who played before WWII. There is one name, however, from more recent years. Some of you may remember Alan Bannister, a utility player from the ’70s and ’80s.

And that, my friends, is an all-too-brief look at Harry Lord. Until next time…