Between 1930 and 1950, Luke Appling anchored the Chicago White Sox's defense by playing shortstop. The man from North Carolina also was the team's leadoff hitter.
Never blessed with a great team, Appling is sometimes forgotten for just how good he was. He was a consistent performer in the batter's box and on defense. He was a two-time AL batting champion, including a 1936 season in which he hit .388. For his career, the seven-time all-star had 2749 career hits and 1116 RBI.
Despite playing years at short for the White Sox, he was notorious for complaining about ailments. For this reason, he was nicknamed "Old Aches and Pains" by his teammates. He never missed much time with an actual injury, except a broken leg in 1938.
Appling's greatest hitting quality came with fouling off pitches he didn't want to hit. With two strikes he would dump pitches into foul territory to extend the at-bat. Being such a patient hitter made him a prototypical leadoff hitter.
After retiring, he stayed active in baseball as a coach. He managed a few teams in the minors (and one major league team to finish up a season), and he also coached hitters for numerous teams.
In 1964, the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Appling for his efforts. His #4 was retired by the White Sox, and he was also named the greatest player in team history by the Chicago fans. As times go on, people seem to forget about one of the best American League shortstops of all-time when going back in history.
