Early career The
East Liverpool Potters of the
Class C Ohio–Pennsylvania League signed Shanks as a
left fielder for the 1909 season on the recommendation of McCreery, and Shanks made his
professional baseball debut that year, finishing the season with a .240
batting average. where he batted .223. After the 1910 season, Shanks was diagnosed with
tuberculosis and given "a couple of weeks to live." The
Pittsburgh Pirates expressed interest in selecting him in the upcoming
Rule 5 draft, but after seeing his medical report, they opted not to.
Major league career Jimmy McAleer,
manager of the
Washington Senators of the
American League,
scouted Shanks during the 1911 season. On September 1, 1911, Washington selected Shanks from Youngstown in the
Rule 5 draft. He competed for a role with the Senators in
spring training in 1912 and made their roster as a backup outfielder. Shanks made his major league debut on May 9, 1912. After left fielder
Danny Moeller injured his shoulder in a game on May 25, Shanks took over as the regular left fielder. When Moeller returned to the Senators, he played as a
right fielder, with
Tilly Walker becoming a
bench player. Shanks played in 116 games in his first season with the Senators. On May 31, 1913, Shanks sprained his right ankle
sliding into
home plate during a game, and was taken to
Georgetown Hospital for treatment. The injury lingered for the remainder of the year. Shanks went to
Bonesetter Reese after the season, who fixed Shanks's ankle by resetting a tendon. By the 1914 season, Senators manager
Clark Griffith said "Howard Shanks is, in my mind, the greatest fielding outfielder in baseball". He was also considered an "ordinary hitter". In 1915, Griffith brought in
Henri Rondeau,
Bill Brown, and
Red Massey to compete with Shanks for playing time in an attempt to improve the team's offensive output. Rondeau made the Senators roster for the 1915 season and was given a trial in left field, but was sent to the minor leagues in May. By the end of the 1916 season, Griffith experimented with Shanks as a
shortstop. Griffith made Shanks his regular shortstop in June 1917. He returned to playing as a
left fielder in 1918, and Griffith had him play shortstop again in the 1919 season. In 1920, Shanks set a career high with a .264 average and tied a career high with four
home runs. In , Shanks hit .302 and led the American League in
triples with 18. On April 30, 1922, a
line drive hit by Walker, Shanks' former teammate, now playing for the
Philadelphia Athletics, broke Shanks'
index finger. It was estimated that he would require three weeks to recover. He returned as the starting shortstop, but broke a bone in his left hand. In his time with Washington, Shanks played every outfield and infield position, but did not play as a
pitcher or a
catcher. The Senators traded Shanks,
Ed Goebel, and
Val Picinich to the
Boston Red Sox for
Muddy Ruel and
Allen Russell on February 10, 1923. Shanks opened the 1923 season as an outfielder for the Red Sox, but he played 37 games as a second baseman and 83 games as a third baseman in the 1923 season. In April 1924, the Red Sox dealt third baseman
Norm McMillan and played Shanks at third base. He also played second base in the 1924 season. He succeeded McNally as the
utility infielder for the Yankees during the 1925 season.
Later career Shanks signed a contract with the
Louisville Colonels of the
Class AA American Association for the 1926 season as their regular third baseman. He returned to Louisville for the 1927 season, but he struggled and was released in June when Louisville signed
Ed Sicking. He signed with the
Rochester Red Wings of the Class AA
International League in July 1927. Before the 1928 season, Shanks became a
coach for the
Cleveland Indians of the American League under manager
Roger Peckinpaugh. He was charged with coaching the team's infielders and outfielders. Shanks coached for Cleveland until July 1932, when the team transitioned him into their scouting department. Shanks managed the
Beaver Falls Browns of the
Class D Pennsylvania State Association in 1938. In 1939, he became a coach and scout for the
New Orleans Pelicans of the
Class A1 Southern Association, which were managed by Peckinpaugh. ==Personal life==