Nap Lajoie

Pro team(s)

Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Naps/Indians

Hall of Fame

⭐ National Baseball Hall of Fame

Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and became one of the greatest hitters in the history of baseball. A second baseman of extraordinary grace and power, Lajoie won the 1901 American League batting title with a .426 average — still the highest single-season mark in AL history. His grace in the field and at the plate made him one of the most complete players of the Deadball Era, and he was so popular in Cleveland that the franchise was briefly renamed the "Naps" in his honor. He played 21 major league seasons, hit .338 lifetime with 3,242 hits, and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937 as one of the inaugural players of his era.