baseballhall.org
Louis Santop was one of the first great power hitters, once hitting a ball over 500 feet in 1912 during the dead ball era. The 6’5″ 240 pound catcher was known as “Top” and later as “Big Bertha” (a large piece of German heavy artillery). He was also rumored to be able to throw a ball over the center field fence from behind home plate – from a squat!
Primarily a catcher, he also played corner outfield and corner infield positions. His career spanned from 1909 through 1931, taking time to serve his country in the US Navy in World War I in 1918 and 1919. He played for several teams during his career, including the New York Lincoln Giants, the New York Lincoln Stars, and the Hilldale Daisies. His Lincoln Stars played Rube Foster’s Chicago American Giants in a championship series that was called as a deadlock at 5 games apiece because of contention between the teams. He also played for the championship with the Lincoln Giants, and lost the 1924 World Series while playing for the Daisies.
He is rumored to have “called his shot” long before Babe Ruth. Once he did it to win a $1 bet with a heckling fan – he went right into the stands to collect after touching home plate. Speaking of the Babe, he did play against Babe Ruth and Casey Stengel’s All-Stars in 1920. Top had 3 hits while the Bambino went hitless.
Santop was elected posthumously to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.