George Burns Marquee

He scored the most runs in the league in 1914, 1916, 1917, 1919 and 1920, and drew the most walks in 1917, 1919, 1920, 1921 and 1923. That is the whole shape of him: a leadoff man who got on base and came around, on Giants clubs that won pennants in 1913, 1917 and 1921.

Fifteen seasons gave him 2,077 hits, 362 doubles, 1,188 runs, 872 walks, 383 stolen bases and a .287 average. He led the National League in stolen bases twice as well, and played left field at the Polo Grounds, where the sun came over the roof in the afternoon and he wore long sleeves and a cap pulled down to deal with it.

He is not the George Burns who hit 64 doubles for Cleveland in 1926 — that one is George Burns, and they were contemporaries. Cincinnati had him for three years at the end. Five ballots and three committees have taken up his name. He died in 1966, at seventy-six.