Ty Cobb won 12 batting titles, hit over .400 three times, won the Triple Crown in 1909, and finished with a .367 career average. Amongst his most amazing batting feats, which also includes 4191 hits, is his .401 average in 1922. By this point, Cobb had reached 35 and was in his 18th big league season. Generally, players’ skills begin to degrade by their 30s, but Cobb continued strong. In an underrated and often forgotten season, Cobb posted one of his best all around offensive seasons even though he reached the athletic version of old age.
In 1921, Cobb assumed the Tigers’ managerial reigns from Hughie Jennings. The player-manager guided Detroit to a 71-82 record. The team could hit, but lacked adequate pitching to contend. The rookie manager hit .389 finishing second to teammate Harry Heilmann in the batting race. In the off-season, Cobb turned 35.
The following year, Cobb finished second in the batting race once more. Cobb hit an amazing .401, but the league boasted two .400 hitters. George Sisler hit .420 to pace the American League. Unbelievably, Cobb’s .401 in 1922 was only the third highest average of his career. He batted .420 in 1911 and .409 in 1912.
Cobb's first two .400 seasons occurred during his youth. Generally, players demonstrate steep decline by their mid-thirties. Despite his age, Cobb did not display any skill degradation at the plate. In addition to the .401 average, the Georgia Peach accumulated 211 hits, 42 doubles, 16 triples, and 99 RBI. His OBP finished at .462 and slugging reached .565. His 1.026 OPS was the fifth highest of his career. In 1922, he tied a record with four five-hit games. The only offensive statistic that demonstrated a significant decline was stolen bases. He swiped 9 while being caught 13 times.
The player-manager worked with his hitters and dramatically improved Harry Heilmann. Later, he helped Charlie Gehringer develop. Unfortunately, he did not do as well with the pitchers. Lack of talent combined with Cobb’s lack of patience to sink Detroit’s pennant hopes in the twenties. The Tigers did show improvement in 1922 finishing eight games better than the prior season.
After 1922, Cobb continued to manage and hit. In his six seasons as skipper, Detroit’s record stood at 479-444 (.519) and the team never seriously contended. On the other hand, the Tigers finished under .500 only once, his rookie season, and fielded an entertaining squad. During those seasons, Cobb hit .340, .338, .378, and .339. He left Detroit for Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics in 1927 and retired after 1928 with a .367 average.
Ty Cobb should have been declining, but continued to perform above league average at the plate late into his career. At 35, he batted over .400 for the third time in his career. Although some skills had degraded, base stealing for example, he proved able to dominate big league pitchers and continued to do so until he reached 41.
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