Johannes Peter "Honus" Wagner (February 24, 1874 - December 6, 1955), nicknamed "The Flying Dutchman", was an American baseball player who played during the 1890s until the 1910s. In 1936, the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Wagner as one of the first five members. Although Ty Cobb is frequently cited as the greatest player of the dead-ball era, some contemporaries regarded Wagner as the better all-around player, and most baseball historians consider Wagner to be the greatest shortstop ever. Cobb himself called Wagner "maybe the greatest star ever to take the diamond." (My Life in Baseball: The True Record, Ty Cobb and Al Stump, Doubleday, 1961, p.123)

Louisville Colonels (1897-1899)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1900-1917)
World Series Champion: 1909
National League Pennant: 1903, 1909
NL batting titles (x8)
NL RBI title (x5)
Led the NL in stolen bases (x4)
200-hit seasons (x2) Early life and Family
Wagner began his career with the Louisville Colonels in 1897, and by the next season was already one of the best hitters in the National League. After the 1899 season, the NL contracted from twelve to eight teams, and the Colonels were one of the teams eliminated. Many of the Colonels, including Wagner, were assigned to the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Wagner played the next 18 seasons for his hometown team.
Wagner helped the Pirates win NL pennants in 1901, 1902 and 1903. In 1903 the Pirates played the Boston Puritans (soon to be renamed the Boston Red Sox) in the first World Series, losing five games to three in a best-of-nine series to a team led by pitcher Cy Young and third baseman-manager Jimmy Collins. In 1909 Wagner led the Pirates to another pennant, and they defeated the Detroit Tigers, led by Ty Cobb, to win their first World Series.
Wagner was hailed as the best-fielding shortstop of his day, and spent significant time in the outfield as well. He would eventually play every position except catcher, even making two appearances as a pitcher.
He led the NL in batting average eight times (only Cobb and Tony Gwynn have led a league in batting that often), slugging percentage six times, on-base percentage four times, total bases six times, doubles seven times, triples three times runs batted in five times and stolen bases five times, despite being bow-legged to the point where a contemporary sportswriter described his running as "resembling the gambols of a caracoling elephant."
His batting average peaked at .381 in 1900, his runs batted in at 126 in 1901, and twice, despite playing his entire career in the pre-1920 "Dead Ball Era," he hit 10 home runs in a season. His career totals include a .327 lifetime batting average, 640 doubles, 722 stolen bases, and a career total of 3,415 hits, a major league record until it was surpassed by Cobb in the 1920s and a National League record until it was surpassed by Stan Musial in 1961. He was 2nd player (since MLB officially began in 1876) to reach 3000 hits, joining Cap Anson in the magic circle.
Wagner was the final out of the first World Series ever. He struck out.

Playing career
Wagner served as the Pirates' manager briefly in 1917, but resigned the position after only 5 games. He returned to the Pirates as a coach, most notably as a hitting instructor from 1933 to 1952. Arky Vaughan, Kiki Cuyler, Ralph Kiner and player/manager from 1934-1939, Pie Traynor, all future Hall of Famers were notable "pupils" of Wagner. During this time, he wore uniform number 14, but later changed it to his more famous 33, which was later retired for him. (His entire playing career was in the days before uniform numbers were worn.)
Wagner lived out the remainder of his life in Pittsburgh, where he was well-known as a friendly figure around town. He died on December 6, 1955 at the age of 81, and is buried at Jefferson Memorial Cemetery in the South Hills area of Pittsburgh.

Honors
The T206 Honus Wagner card has long been the most famous baseball card in existence. Known as the "Holy Grail" and the "Mona Lisa of baseball cards", an example of this card was the first baseball card to be sold for over a million dollars. On August 3, 2007 an SGC 10 graded card offered by Mastro Auctions sold for $192,000 to Robert Klevens of Prestige Collectibles, LLC acting on behalf of a client from Japan.

See also