Larry Doyle
Doyle captured the National League MVP award in 1912 while anchoring second base for John McGraw's Giants, but his most enduring legacy might be a single quote: "It's great to be young and a Giant." The line perfectly captured the swagger of those early New York clubs that won five pennants during his tenure.
His .290 career average across 14 seasons tells only part of the story. Doyle combined decent pop for a middle infielder — 74 home runs in the dead-ball era — with the kind of scrappy, intelligent play that made McGraw's teams so formidable. He drove in 793 runs from the keystone, impressive production for a position typically focused on defense and table-setting.
The Illinois native represented the archetypal early 20th-century infielder: steady, reliable, and clutch when it mattered most. His MVP season helped propel the Giants to another pennant, cementing his place in franchise lore.
Career · Batting
14 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | NY1 | 69 | 227 | 0 | 16 | .260 | — | — |
| 1908 | NY1 | 104 | 377 | 0 | 33 | .308 | — | — |
| 1909 | NY1 | 147 | 570 | 6 | 49 | .302 | — | — |
| 1910 | NY1 | 151 | 575 | 8 | 69 | .285 | — | — |
| 1911 | NY1 | 143 | 526 | 13 | 77 | .310 | — | — |
| 1912 | NY1 | 143 | 558 | 10 | 90 | .330 | — | — |
| 1913 | NY1 | 132 | 482 | 5 | 73 | .280 | — | — |
| 1914 | NY1 | 145 | 539 | 5 | 63 | .260 | — | — |
| 1915 | NY1 | 150 | 591 | 4 | 70 | .320 | — | — |
| 1916 | NY1 | 122 | 479 | 3 | 54 | .278 | — | — |
| 1917 | CHC | 135 | 476 | 6 | 61 | .254 | — | — |
| 1918 | NY1 | 75 | 257 | 3 | 36 | .261 | — | — |
| 1919 | NY1 | 113 | 381 | 7 | 52 | .289 | — | — |
| 1920 | NY1 | 137 | 471 | 4 | 50 | .285 | — | — |
| Career | 1766 | 6509 | 74 | 793 | .290 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.