Joe Yeager

Who was Joe Yeager?

Joseph Francis Yeager, nicknamed "Little Joe," was a professional baseball player. He played 10 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Brooklyn Superbas, Detroit Tigers, New York Highlanders, and St. Louis Browns. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Little Joe Yeager played in 574 major league games, including 295 as a third baseman, 94 as a pitcher, 83 as a shortstop, 48 as a second baseman, and 18 as an outfielder.

In his rookie season, Yeager was a pitcher for the Brooklyn Superbas. He had 32 complete games and a respectable earned run average but lost 22 games for a Superbas team that finished in 10th place.

Yeager played for the Detroit Tigers as a right-handed starting pitcher during their first major league season in 1901. He pitched 199.2 innings in 1901, with 22 complete games, 2 shutouts, and a 12–11 record. His 2.61 earned run average was 3rd-best in the American League behind Cy Young, and his adjusted ERA+ of 147 was 2nd-best in the league behind Cy Young. Yeager also played 12 games at shortstop for the 1901 Tigers and had a batting average of .296 with a .343 on-base percentage and .416 slugging percentage.