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- Napoleon Lajoie [la-JOY]
- was the first superstar of
- the American League.
-
- Nap was 6' 1" tall and 195
- pounds, which was big for his time. He batted
- .300 or better in 16 seasons and had a
- slugging percentage over .500 nine times.
- His lifetime batting average, over 21
- seasons, was .338.
-
- After playing the early part of his career with
- the Philadelphia Phillies of the National
- League, Nap joined the American League in
- its first season, 1901. He played for its
- Philadelphia franchise, the Athletics. His
- presence gave the new league a big
- boost. The big second baseman batted
- .422, slugged 14 home runs, and drove