Herman was one of the most noted power hitters of the late 1920s and early 1930s, and hit for the cycle a record three times; his .532 career slugging percentage ranked fourth among hitters with at least 5000 at bats in the National League when he retired. His .393 batting average, .678 slugging percentage, 241 hits and 416 total bases in 1930 remain Dodgers franchise records, with his 143 runs being the post-1900 team record; he also set team records (since broken) that year with 35 home runs and 130 runs batted in. He was also renowned for his varied misadventures as a defensive player and baserunner, which earned him derision – and eventually affection – among fans.[citation needed]\n', '

Born in Buffalo, New York and raised in Glendale, California, Herman signed with a minor league team in Edmonton, Alberta at age 18, and spent five years playing for six different teams, including tours in the farm systems of the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers. In a 1922 spring training game, he was used as a pinch hitter for Ty Cobb; but the Tigers, with no outfield vacancies, returned him to the minors, where he hit .416. He was signed for Brooklyn in 1925 by a scout who said of him, "He\'s kind of funny in the field, but when I see a guy go 6-for-6, I\'ve got to go for him." He made his major league debut as a first baseman with the Brooklyn Robins in 1926, hitting .319 as a rookie; he finished fourth in the National League in doubles (35), and seventh in home runs (11) and slugging (.500). In 1928 he placed fifth in the National League with a .340 batting mark.\n', '

He enjoyed an outstanding year in 1929, setting team records with a .381 batting average and a .612 slugging average (breaking club marks of .379 by Willie Keeler and .588 by Jack Fournier) while collecting 217 hits, 105 runs and 113 runs batted in (RBIs); but the National League was in the middle of an offensive explosion, and he finished behind Lefty O\'Doul (.398) for the batting title and was only seventh in the league in slugging. He had two doubles and two triples on June 5, and came in eighth in the 1929 MVP voting. He followed up with his most spectacular year by improving his own batting and slugging records, with his .393 batting average again placing second in the league behind Bill Terry, who hit .401 – as of 2018, the last .400 season in the NL. Herman was also third in the National League in slugging, behind Hack Wilson and Chuck Klein; the league as a whole batted .303 in 1930, and while Herman\'s 241 hits were only third in the National League behind Terry and Klein, it was then the fifth highest total ever in the league. Herman broke Fournier\'s 1924 club record of 27 home runs, and tied his 1925 total of 130 RBIs. Gil Hodges broke his team record of 40 home runs in 1951, and Roy Campanella posted 142 runs batted in during 1953; Duke Snider was the first left-handed Dodger to break Herman\'s home run and runs batted in records. There was no MVP award given in 1930.\n', '

Return to Babe Herman Autograph Profile