Charlie Gehringer was the best second baseman of his era. He is regarded by many as the best two-strike hitter of all time and his seemingly effortless fielding ability earned him the nickname of The Mechanical Man. Sports writers groused that he was too quiet to be a star. Charlie replied that he didn t hit with his mouth. This work follows Gehringer s career from the day a scout spotted him on the sandlots of Michigan in 1923 to his induction into the Hall of Fame in 1949 and into his life after baseball.