Zack Wheat (May 23, 1888 - March 11, 1972) was a left-handed Major League Baseball outfielder. A consistent hitter through his career, he still holds many Dodger franchise records. Born in Hamilton, Missouri, Wheat made his major league debut in 1909 with the Brooklyn Superbas (later renamed the Dodgers and Robins) and played his first full season in 1910. Over the following decade, he established himself as a steady hitter, regularly batting .300 and placing in the league's top ten in doubles, triples, home runs and RBI. In 1918 Wheat won the National League batting champion, with an average of .335, although, amazingly, he hit no home runs.
Wheat's career took off in the 1920s, however. From 1920 to 1925, Wheat hit .320 or higher every season, hit 14 or more home runs four times, drove in 100 runs twice and posted an on base percentage of .400 or more three times. Wheat moved to the Philadelphia Athletics in 1927 and retired after the season. He finished with 2884 hits, 132 home runs, 1289 runs, 1248 RBI, 205 stolen bases and a .317 batting average. He also holds the Dodger franchise records for hits, doubles, triples and total bases.
Wheat was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1959.
Wheat currently has a strech of Missouri Highway 13 and a memorial athletic field named after him near Polo, Missouri.
