Herm Merritt

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Herman G. Merritt (November 12, 1900 - May 26, 1927) was a shortstop in Major League Baseball who played 20 games for the Detroit Tigers in 1921. Born in Independence, Kansas, Merritt made his major league debut on August 24, 1921, and replaced Donie Bush as the Tigers' shortstop for the last month of the 1921 season. In 20 games, Merritt hit for an impressive .370 batting average with a .478 slugging percentage. (The 1921 Tigers had a team batting average of .316 -- the highest team batting average in major league history.) Merritt did not perform well in the field, having a .882 fielding percentage (60 points lower than the league average for shortstops) and a 2.65 range factor (2.50 points lower than the league average for shortstops). In 1922, the Tiger signed Topper Rigney at shortstop and had no need for Merritt's services. Despite having a career btting average of .370, Merritt did not play in the major leagues after the 1921 season. He died in Kansas City, Missouri at age 26 in 1927.