The Sizzler: George Sisler, Baseball's Forgotten Great (review)

Having had curiosity about George Sisler because of his skill on the diamond, his reputation as a gentleman, and his eye problem, I was happy to see that someone had prepared a book-length biography of Sisler. The author, Rick Huhn, is an Ohio attorney and a member of the Society for American Baseball Research. Along with consulting numerous newspapers, books, and other documentary resources, Huhn interviewed members of the Sisler family and others, and had access to typewritten memoirs that Sisler had prepared for his family.

The opening of the book discusses Sisler's early family life and his successes in high school baseball and in the amateur leagues of Akron, Ohio. Sisler attended the University of Michigan, where he received a degree in engineering and began his long association with Branch Rickey. Sisler was named All American three years at Michigan, as their batting and pitching star.

When Sisler began his professional career in 1915 with the St. Louis Browns, he had previously been heralded as a pitcher, and that year with the Browns he pitched 15 games, as well as playing 36 games at first base, 29 in the outfield. The next year he became a full-time first baseman. By 1917, he had blossomed into one of the stars of the game when he hit .353. His best years were 1918 to 1922, when he led the league in batting average twice (.407 in 1920 and .420 in 1922), in runs once, hits twice, triples twice, and stolen bases three times. In those years, he was second in slugging average three times and in the top three in on-base percentage three times. He was second to Babe Ruth in the American League in home runs in 1919 and 1920.

The Browns' best finish during Sisler's tenure was in 1922 when they finished one game behind the Yankees. Sisler missed several games toward the end of the year with a shoulder injury. He was hitting .424 at the time of the injury and had been on a pace to eclipse his record of 257 hits in a season set in 1920.

In the off-season before the 1923 season, Sisler developed an eye problem as a consequence of sinus infection, and he had to sit out the entire year. He came back in 1924 to both play for and manage the Browns, but he was never the same hitter again. He was not in the top three of any major hitting category the rest of his career, although he did lead the league in stolen bases in 1927. Sisler played briefly with Washington in 1928, and then for the Boston Braves from 1928 to 1930. He closed out his playing career in 1931 with Rochester in the International League.

Sisler's activities after his playing career are also covered. He was involved in a printing business and a sporting goods business, and helped to organize softball leagues in St. Louis. He also worked as a scout and a batting instructor. He was one of the persons who scouted Jackie Robinson for Branch Rickey. A particularly interesting part of the book was a discussion of numerous players who had benefited from Sisler's batting instruction.

I found this book to be very enjoyable. It is well researched. It details games and pennant races, as well as Sisler's personality and competitiveness, friendships, rivalries, and family life. Huhn makes a good case for his major point that for a while Sisler was one of the very top stars of the game, but that he has been somewhat forgotten because he wasn't as flamboyant as Cobb or Ruth. I had only two very minor disappointments with the book. One was that the author's argument against the statistical assessment by Bill James that Sisler's overall career may have been over-rated wasn't as effective as it could have been. Huhn notes that James said on another occasion that...