Joe Gordon
Gordon hit more home runs than any second baseman in baseball history when he retired — a stunning feat that gets overlooked today. His 253 career homers stood as the record for middle infielders until Ernie Banks came along, and he did it while playing elite defense at the keystone.
The Yankees knew they had something special when Gordon averaged 27 homers per season from 1939-1942, including a monster 1942 MVP campaign. His power numbers seem modest now, but in the dead-ball hangover era, a second baseman launching 30 homers was revolutionary.
Gordon's nine All-Star selections tell the story of sustained excellence across a dozen seasons. He bridged the gap between the Yankees' Ruth-Gehrig dynasty and their post-war dominance, providing the offensive punch up the middle that most teams could only dream of finding at second base.
Career · Batting
11 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | NYY | 127 | 458 | 25 | 97 | .255 | — | — |
| 1939 | NYY | 151 | 567 | 28 | 111 | .284 | — | — |
| 1940 | NYY | 155 | 616 | 30 | 103 | .281 | — | — |
| 1941 | NYY | 156 | 588 | 24 | 87 | .276 | — | — |
| 1942 | NYY | 147 | 538 | 18 | 103 | .322 | — | — |
| 1943 | NYY | 152 | 543 | 17 | 69 | .249 | — | — |
| 1946 | NYY | 112 | 376 | 11 | 47 | .210 | — | — |
| 1947 | CLE | 155 | 562 | 29 | 93 | .272 | — | — |
| 1948 | CLE | 144 | 550 | 32 | 124 | .280 | — | — |
| 1949 | CLE | 148 | 541 | 20 | 84 | .251 | — | — |
| 1950 | CLE | 119 | 368 | 19 | 57 | .236 | — | — |
| Career | 1566 | 5707 | 253 | 975 | .268 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.