He was born in
Farmington, Missouri on April 12 1887. Agnew debuted with the
St. Louis Browns on April 10, . In 105 games his rookie season, Sam hit .208 with 2
home runs and 24 RBI, stealing 11 bases, in 307 at bats. In , Agnew hit .212 with 16 RBI in 115 games. That season he finished 23rd in the balloting for Most Valuable Player, losing out to
Eddie Collins of the
Philadelphia Athletics. In , he slipped down to a .203 average with 19 RBI in 104 games. On December 16, , the
Boston Red Sox purchased Agnew from the
St. Louis Browns. Serving as the backup to regular backstop
Pinch Thomas, Agnew hit .209 (14-for-67) with 7 RBI in 40 games. During a late season Red Sox game, a fight broke out after
Carl Mays hit a Washington player with a pitch. The benches emptied and subsequently Agnew punched out Senators manager
Clark Griffith. Agnew was arrested and was suspended by the American League President for five days. Splitting time behind the plate with Thomas in , Agnew hit .208 with 16 RBI in 85 games. Although he was considered the regular catcher in , Agnew struggled at the plate, hitting just .166 with a career-low 6 RBI in 72 games. His offensive woes continued during the
1918 World Series, as he went hitless in nine at bats over four games against the
Chicago Cubs. In January , Agnew was purchased from the
Boston Red Sox by the
Washington Senators. In just 42 games, Agnew hit a career-high .235 with 10 RBI. He played his final major league game on September 28, 1919. After his playing career, he went on to become a
pitching coach for the Cubs and also a minor league coach. In a seven-season career, Agnew posted a .204
batting average with two
home runs and 98
RBI in 563
games played. Agnew died in
Sonoma, California, at the age of 64. After his Major League career ended, he continued to play in the minor leagues with the
San Francisco Seals and
Hollywood Stars of the
Pacific Coast League until 1929. He was later a manager in the minors for the San Diego Aces of the
California State League (1929), Augusta Wolves of the
South Atlantic League (1930 & 1938) and Palatka Azaleas of the
Florida State League (1937). He died on July 19, 1951, and is buried in the Chapel of the Chimes in
Santa Rosa, California. ==Family==