Arky Vaughan

Arky Vaughan was the premier shortstop of his era and one of the best in baseball history. He hit .300 or better in each of his first 10 major league seasons-all with the Pittsburgh Pirates-and led the National League in runs and triples three years apiece, as well as triples once. Vaughan was born in Arkansas, and although his family moved to Fullerton, Calif., when he was an infant, he was nicknamed "Arky" when he was a child because he spoke with an Arkansas accent, picked up from his family.

Learn about Arky Vaughan: his birthday, what he did before fame, his family life, fun trivia facts, popularity rankings, and more.

Had he been there, Joseph Floyd Vaughan might have chuckled at the irony. For more than three decades, baseball's Hall of Fame was an exclusive country club for which the man they called Arky simply

Hall of Famer Arky Vaughan spent most of his career playing shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but was a valuable member of the Brooklyn Dodgers for his last four years in the major leagues. He played a key role as a reserve on the pennant-winning 1947 squad. Vaughan’s presence on the team in any role was unusual, to say the least. He had nearly fomented a player strike in 1943, when he became irate over manager Leo Durocher’s reprimanding a teammate in the press. He then quit the team at the end of the season and sat out three full years before returning in 1947.

Arky Vaughan's .406 career on-base percentage is the highest in history by a shortstop. Read about this Hall of Fame shortstop and see his statistics.

Photo from SI photo gallery Hall of Fame shortstop Joseph Floyd "Arky" Vaughan was born in Clifty, Arkansas in 1912. Lucky for him his nickname derived from his home state rather than his hometown. Clifty Vaughan doesn’t have the same zip as Arky Vaughan……just one man’s opinion. This photo shows a 28 year old…

Career: 96 HR, .318 BA (57th), 926 RBI, SS/3B, HOF in 1985, 9xAllStar, Pirates/Dodgers 1932-1948, b:L/t:R, 3x R Leader, born in Unite. 1912, died 1952

Joseph Floyd "Arky" Vaughan (March 9, 1912 – August 30, 1952) was an American professional baseball player. He played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball between 1932 and 1948 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Brooklyn Dodgers, primarily as a shortstop. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.