Detroit Tigers
Born in Montague, Michigan, Flagstead started as a catcher with the Montague Independents. He was signed by the Tigers in 1917 at age 23 but had only four at bats with the team that year. He also played in 1917 with Tacoma of the Northwest League. In 1919 (his first full season in the major leagues), Flagstead played in 97 games (83 in right field) and was an immediate success, ranking among the league leaders with: a .331 batting average (5th in the AL behind teammates Ty Cobb and Bobby Veach who finished #1 and #2); a .415 on base percentage (5th in the AL); and a .481 slugging percentage (6th in the AL).
In 1920, the bottom fell out as Flagstead's batting average dropped almost 100 points from .331 to .235. Flagstead played in 110 games, including 75 in right field.
In 1921, the Tigers were loaded with outfielders, including 1921 batting champion Harry Heilmann, Ty Cobb, and Bobby Veach. Detroit's new manager Ty Cobb decided to move Flagstead from right field to the infield, playing him in 55 games at shortstop and 8 games at second base. Flagstead improved his batting average to .305, as the 1921 Tigers set American League records with 1724 hits and a .316 team batting average.
In 1922, the Tigers added shortstop Topper Rigney and outfielder Bob Fothergill, resulting in a loss of playing time for Flagstead. Despite batting .308 with a .411 on base percentage and .527 slugging percentage, Flagstead played in only 44 games and had only 91 at bats in 1922.
Read more about this topic: Ira Flagstead
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