Bill James 1890-1899 All Decade Team

[Old Sweater]

Bill James All Decade Team 1890 - 1899

First Team Second Team Third Team

C - Duke Farrell Deacon McGuire Chief Zimmer
1B - Jake Beckley Dan Brouthers Roger Connor
2B - Cupid Childs Bid McPhee Bobby Lowe
3B - George Davis John McGraw Bill Joyce
SS - Bill Dahlen Herman Long Hughie Jennings
LF - Ed Delahanty Jesse Burkett Joe Kelley
CF - Billy Hamilton George Van Haltren Mike Griffin
RF - Hugh Duffy Mike Tiernan Jimmy Ryan
P - Kid Nichols Jack Stivetts Frank Dwyer
P - Cy Young Bill Hutchison Nig Cuppy
P - Amos Rusie Ted Breitenstein Pink Hawley


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_James


George William “Bill” James (born October 5, 1949, in Holton, Kansas) is a baseball writer, historian, and statistician whose work has been widely influential. Since 1977, James has written more than two dozen books devoted to baseball history and statistics. His approach, which he termed sabermetrics in reference to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR)[citation needed], scientifically analyzes and studies baseball, often through the use of statistical data, in an attempt to determine why teams win and lose. His Baseball Abstract books in the 1980s are the modern predecessor to websites using sabermetrics such as baseballprospectus and baseballprimer (now baseballthinkfactory).[1]

In 2006, Time named him in the Time 100 as one of the most influential people in the world.[2] He is currently a Senior Advisor on Baseball Operations for the Boston Red Sox. In 2010, Bill James was inducted into the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame.


Early life

After four years at the University of Kansas residing at Stephenson Scholarship hall, and one course short of graduating, James joined the Army in 1971.[citation needed] James was the last person in Kansas to be drafted for the Vietnam war,[citation needed] although he never saw action there. Instead, he spent two years stationed in South Korea, during which time he wrote to KU about taking his final class. He was told he actually had met all his graduation requirements, so he returned to Lawrence in 1973 with degrees in English and economics.[citation needed] He also finished an Education degree in 1975, likewise from the University of Kansas

The Bill James Baseball Abstracts

An aspiring writer and obsessive fan, James began writing baseball articles after leaving the United States Army in his mid-twenties. Many of his first baseball writings came while he was doing night shifts as a security guard at the Stokely Van Camp pork and beans cannery[citation needed]. Unlike most writers, his pieces did not recount games in epic terms or offer insights gleaned from interviews with players. A typical James piece posed a question (e.g., "Which pitchers and catchers allow runners to steal the most bases?"), and then presented data and analysis written in a lively, insightful, and witty style that offered an answer.[citation needed]

Editors considered James's pieces so unusual that few believed them suitable for their readers.[citation needed] In an effort to reach a wider audience, James self-published an annual book titled The Bill James Baseball Abstract beginning in 1977. The first edition of the book presented 80 pages of in-depth statistics compiled from James's study of box scores from the preceding season, and was offered for sale through a small advertisement in The Sporting News.[citation needed]

Over the next three years James's work won respect, including a very favorable review by Daniel Okrent in Sports Illustrated.[3] New annual editions added essays on teams and players. By 1982 sales had increased tenfold, and a media conglomerate agreed to publish and distribute future editions.

While writers had published books about baseball statistics before (most notably Earnshaw Cook's Percentage Baseball, in the 1960s), few had ever reached a mass audience. Attempts to imitate James's work spawned a flood of books and articles that continue to this day.

In 1988, James ceased writing the Abstract, citing workload-related burnout and concern about the volume of statistics on the market. He has continued to publish hardcover books about baseball history, which have sold well and received admiring reviews; these books include three editions of The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract (1985, 1988, 2001, the last entitled The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract.)

During the years after the annual Abstract ceased publication, James has published several series of new annuals:

The Baseball Book (1990–1992) was a loosely-organized collection of commentary, profiles, historical articles, and occasional pieces of research.
The Player Ratings Book (1993–95) offered statistics and 50-word profiles aimed at the fantasy baseball enthusiast.
The Bill James Handbook (2003–present) provides past-season statistics and next-season projections for Major League players and teams, and career data for all current Major League players. Results for the Fielding Bible Awards, an alternative to the Gold Glove Awards voted on by a 10-person panel that includes James, are also included.[4][5]
The Bill James Gold Mine (2008–present) is a collection of new essays and never-before-seen statistics, as well as profiles of players and teams.

In 2008, James launched Bill James Online. Subscribers can read James’ new, original writing and interact with one another—as well as with James—in a question-and-answer format. The web site also offers new “profiles” of teams and players full of facts and statistics that hope to one day map what James has termed “the lost island of baseball statistics.”

Innovations

Among the statistical innovations attributable to James are:

Runs Created. A statistic intended to quantify a player's contribution to runs scored, as well as a team's expected number of runs scored. Runs created is calculated from other offensive statistics. James's first version of it was: Runs Created = (Total Bases * (Hits + Walks))/(Plate Appearances). Applied to an entire team or league, the statistic correlates closely to that team's or league's actual runs scored. Since James first created the statistic, sabermetricians have refined it to make it more accurate, and it is now used in many different variations.
Range Factor. A statistic that quantifies the defensive contribution of a player, calculated in its simplest form as RF = (Assists + Put Outs)/(Games Played). The statistic is premised on the notion that the total number of outs that a player participates in is more relevant in evaluating his defensive play than the percentage of cleanly handled chances as calculated by the conventional statistic Fielding Percentage.
Defensive Efficiency Rating. A statistic that shows the percentage of balls in play a defense turns into an out. It is used to help determine a team's defensive ability. Calculated by: 1 - ((Opp. Hits + Reached on Error - Opp. Home runs) / (Plate appearances - Walks - Strikeouts - HitByPitch - Opp. Home runs)).
Win Shares. A unifying statistic intended to allow the comparison of players at different positions, as well as players of different eras. Win Shares incorporates a variety of pitching, hitting and fielding statistics. One drawback of Win Shares is the difficulty of computing it.[6]
Pythagorean Winning Percentage. A statistic explaining the relationship of wins and losses to runs scored and runs allowed. In its simplest form: Pythagorean Winning Percentage equals Runs squared divided by the square of Runs plus the square of Runs Allowed. The statistic correlates closely to a team's actual winning percentage.
Game Score is a metric to determine the strength of a pitcher in any particular baseball game.
Major League Equivalency. A metric that uses minor league statistics to predict how a player is likely to perform at the major league level.
The Brock2 System. A system for projecting a player's performance over the remainder of his career based on past performance and the aging process.
Similarity scores. Scoring a player's statistical similarity to other players, providing a frame of reference for players of the distant past. Examples: Lou Gehrig comparable to Don Mattingly; Joe Jackson to Tony Oliva.
Secondary Average. A statistic that attempts to measure a player's contribution to an offense in ways not reflected in batting average. The formula is (Extra bases on hits+Walks+Stolen Bases)/At bats. Secondary averages tend to be similar to batting averages, but can vary widely, from less than .100 to more than .500 in extreme cases. Extra bases on hits is calculated with the formula (Doubles)+(Triplesx2)+(Homerunsx3) or more easily, (Total Bases)-(Hits).
Power/Speed Number. A statistic that attempts to consolidate the various "clubs" of players with impressive numbers of both home runs and stolen bases (e.g., the "30/30" club (Bobby Bonds was well known for being a member), the "40/40" club (José Canseco was the first to perform this feat), and even the "25/65" club (Joe Morgan in the '70s)). The formula: (2x(Home Runs)x(Stolen Bases))/(Home Runs + Stolen Bases).
Approximate Value. A system of cutoffs designed to estimate the value a player contributed to various category groups (including his team) to study broad questions such as "how do players age over time".

Although James may be best known as an inventor of statistical tools, he has often written on the limitations of statistics and urged humility concerning their place amidst other kinds of information about baseball.[citation needed] To James, context is paramount: he was among the first to emphasize the importance of adjusting traditional statistics for park factors and to stress the role of luck in a pitcher's win-loss record.[citation needed] Many of his statistical innovations are arguably less important than the underlying ideas. When he introduced the notion of secondary average, it was as a vehicle for the then-counterintuitive concept that batting average represents only a fraction of a player's offensive contribution. (The runs-created statistic plays a similar role vis-à-vis the traditional RBI.) Some of his contributions to the language of baseball, like the idea of the "defensive spectrum", border on being entirely non-statistical.

[Old Sweater]

First Team, Catcher, Duke Farrell


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Farrell

Charles Andrew Farrell (August 31, 1866 - February 15, 1925) was a 19th century Major League Baseball catcher. Born in Oakdale, Massachusetts, he played for eight teams during his 18 year career. In 18 seasons he played in 1,563 Games, had 5,679 At Bats, 826 Runs, 1,564 Hits, 211 Doubles, 123 Triples, 51 Home Runs, 912 RBI, 150 Stolen Bases, 477 Walks, .275 Batting Average, .337 On-base percentage, .383 Slugging Percentage, 2,174 Total Bases and 48 Sacrifice Hits.

On May 11, 1897, he set a Major League Baseball record that has stood for more than 100 years by catching eight of nine opposing players who attempted to steal a base.

He died in Boston, Massachusetts and was buried at Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Marlborough, Massachusetts, aged 58

Teams

Chicago White Stockings (1888-1889)
Chicago Pirates (1890)
Boston Reds (1891)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1892)
Washington Senators (NL) (1893, 1896-1899)
New York Giants (1894-1896)
Brooklyn Superbas (1899-1902)
Boston Americans (1903-1905)

Career highlights and awards

Won American Association pennant with the 1891 Boston Reds.
Won National League pennant with the 1899 and 1900 Brooklyn Superbas
American Association home run champion: 1891
Won World Series in 1903 with the Boston Americans.
Ranks 94th on MLB All-Time Triples List with 123.

[Old Sweater]

First Team, First Baseman, Jake Beckley


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Beckley

Jacob Peter Beckley (August 4, 1867 – June 25, 1918), nicknamed "Eagle Eye", was a Major League Baseball player at the turn of the 20th century. He was born in Hannibal, Missouri.[2]

Beckley played minor league baseball for St. Louis in the Western Association before he was purchased (along with Harry Staley) by the Pittsburgh Alleghenys for $4,500 midway through the 1888 season.[3] After playing one and a half seasons for the Alleghenys, he jumped to the Pittsburgh Burghers,[3] a team in the newly formed Players League. The league lasted only one season, and Beckley spent the next five and a half seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates.[3] On July 25, 1896, he was traded to the New York Giants for Harry Davis and $1,000.[3] Beckley was released by the Giants the following season on May 22, and he signed as a free agent with the Cincinnati Reds five days later.[3] He played with Cincinnati for seven seasons and was later purchased by the St. Louis Cardinals on February 11, 1904.[3] Beckley retired after the 1907 season with 2930 career hits, second only to Cap Anson.

After his Major League career ended, Beckley became a player/manager for Kansas City in the American Association in 1908-1909, Bartlesville in the Western Association in 1910, and Hannibal in the Central Association in 1911. After his playing career, he served as an umpire in the Federal League in 1913.

Beckley died of heart disease[4] in Kansas City, Missouri at the age of 51.[2] He was interred at the Riverside Cemetery in Hannibal, Missouri.[2]

He was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971.

Teams

Pittsburgh Alleghenys (1888-1889)
Pittsburgh Burghers (1890)
Pittsburgh Alleghenys/Pirates (1891-1896)
New York Giants (1896-1897)
Cincinnati Reds (1897-1903)
St. Louis Cardinals (1904-1907)

Career highlights and awards

1st all-time: Putouts by a first baseman (23,709)[1]
2nd all-time: Games played at first base (2,376)[1]

HOF, 1971, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

First Team, Second Baseman, Cupid Childs


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupid_Childs

Clarence Algernon "Cupid" Childs (August 14, 1867 – November 8, 1912) was an American second baseman in Major League Baseball with a 13-season career from 1888, 1890–1901, playing for the Philadelphia Quakers, Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Perfectos and Chicago Orphans of the National League and the Syracuse Stars of the American Association.

Childs was born in Calvert County, Maryland. A career .306 hitter, he led the league in runs in 1892 with 136.

He died at age 45 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Teams

Philadelphia Quakers (1888)
Syracuse Stars (1890)
Cleveland Spiders (1891-1898)
St. Louis Perfectos (1899)
Chicago Orphans (1900-1901)

Career highlights and awards

Led AA in Doubles (33) and Extra-Base Hits (49) in 1890
Led NL in On-base percentage (.443), Runs (136) and Times on Base (303) in 1892
Ranks 24th on MLB All-Time On-base percentage List (.416)
Ranks 41st on MLB All-Time At Bats per Strikeout List (26.0)

[Old Sweater]

First Team, Third Baseman, George Davis



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Davis_%28shortstop%29

George Stacey Davis (August 23, 1870 – October 17, 1940) was a shortstop and manager in Major League Baseball at the turn of the 20th century. Davis also spent multiple seasons as a third baseman and center fielder, and lesser amounts of time at other positions.

Playing career

Born in Cohoes, New York, Davis started playing professional ball in Albany in 1889. Purchased by the Cleveland Spiders the following year, Davis patrolled center field for the first two seasons of his career, leading the National League in outfield assists with 35 in 1890. Davis's strong throws ultimately led the team to move him to third base in 1892, a position he would call home for the next five seasons.

The Spiders traded Davis to the New York Giants for aging star Buck Ewing shortly before the 1893 season, and Davis blossomed in New York. With league rules moving the pitcher's mound back to 60 feet, 6 inches that season, offensive totals jumped across the league, and Davis was at the forefront of the surge. He compiled a .355 batting average and set career highs with 27 triples and 11 home runs. He also collected 22 doubles and 37 stolen bases, while scoring 112 runs and driving in 119.

The bizarre behavior of owner Andrew Freedman hampered the team's performance in subsequent seasons, but Davis continued to perform at an elite level throughout the 1890s, regularly ranking among the league leaders in doubles, triples, RBI, and stolen bases. He became the team's regular shortstop in 1897 and quickly demonstrated an aptitude for the position, ultimately leading the league in double plays and fielding percentage four times each.

The formation of the American League provided new financial opportunities to ballplayers, and induced by a $4,000 salary, Davis jumped to the Chicago White Sox in 1902. He attempted a return to the Giants the following season for a further raise to $6,700 (the second-highest figure in the league, after that of Nap Lajoie), but was prevented by the implementation of a peace agreement between the warring leagues. Davis sat out the bulk of the 1903 season before returning to the White Sox, with whom he spent the remainder of his career. His raw offensive statistics from this time pale before those of his earlier career, but when properly compared to a drastic league-wide decline in offense, they remain impressive. His decline began for real in 1907, though, and he retired after the 1909 season.

Teams

As Player

Cleveland Spiders (1890-1892)
New York Giants (1893-1901, 1903)
Chicago White Sox (1902, 1904-1909)

As Manager

New York Giants (1895, 1901-1902)

Career highlights and awards

World Series champion: 1906
National League RBI champion: 1897
17th-most stolen bases in Major League history (616)
9 consecutive seasons with a .300+ batting average
3 seasons with 100+ RBI
5 seasons with 100+ runs scored

HOF, 1998, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

First Team, Shortstop. Bill Dahlen


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Dahlen

William Frederick Dahlen (January 5, 1870 - December 5, 1950), nicknamed "Bad Bill" for his ferocious temperament, was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played as a shortstop in Major League Baseball for four National League teams from 1891 to 1911. After twice batting over .350 for the Chicago Colts, he starred on championship teams with the Brooklyn Superbas and the New York Giants. At the end of his career he held the major league record for career games played (2,443); he ranked second in walks (1,064, behind Billy Hamilton's 1,187) and fifth in at bats (9,033), and was among the top ten in runs batted in (1,234), doubles (414) and extra base hits (661). He was also among the NL's top seven players in hits (2,461; some sources list totals up to 2,471), runs (1,589), triples (163) and total bases (3,447). After leading the league in assists four times and double plays three times, he set major league records for career games (2,132), putouts (4,850), assists (7,500), total chances (13,325) and double plays (881) as a shortstop; he still holds the record for total chances, and is second in putouts and fourth in assists. His 42-game hitting streak in 1894 was a record until 1897, and remains the fourth longest in history and the longest by a right-handed NL hitter.

Dahlen was born in Nelliston, New York at the corner of Berthoud and Dahlen and East Main.

Teams

As Player

Chicago Colts/Orphans (1891-1898)
Brooklyn Superbas/Dodgers (1899-1903, 1910-1911)
New York Giants (1904-1907)
Boston Doves (1908-1909)

As Manager

Brooklyn Superbas/Dodgers (1910-1913)

Career highlights and awards

World Series champion (1905)
National League pennant: 1899, 1900, 1904
National League RBI champion: 1904
3 seasons with a .300+ batting average
9 seasons with 30+ stolen bases
6 seasons with 100+ runs scored

Quite a bit more info on Dahlen if you click on the above link. I can see why a lot of historians and sabers say he belongs in the HOF.

[Old Sweater]

First Team, Left Fielder, Ed Delahanty


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Delahanty

Edward James Delahanty (October 30, 1867 – July 2, 1903), nicknamed "Big Ed", was a Major League Baseball player from 1888 to 1903 for the Philadelphia Quakers, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Infants and Washington Senators, and was known as one of the early great power hitters in the game.

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945.

Major league career

Ed Delahanty began his career on May 22, 1888, with the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League, playing 74 games that season with an uncharacteristically low .228 average, 1 HR, and 31 RBIs. The next year, in 56 games, he raised his average to .293. In 1890 he jumped to the Players' League, but returned to the Phillies the next year when that league folded. After a healthy .306, 6 HR, 91 RBI season in 1892, Delahanty blossomed in 1893 with .368, 19 HRs and 146 RBIs, narrowly missing the Triple Crown (teammates Billy Hamilton and Sam Thompson led the league in batting with .380 and .370 respectively).

Between 1894 and 1896 Delahanty compiled astonishing batting marks: .407, 4 HR, 131 RBI; .404, 11 HR, 106 RBI; .397, 13 HR, 126 RBI. In 1894 despite his high average of .407, the batting title went to Hugh Duffy with a major league record-setting .440. The 1894 Phillies outfield featuring Delahanty had a big season, with all four players averaging over .400. That season, Delahanty hit .407, Sam Thompson batted .407, Billy Hamilton .404 and spare outfielder Tuck Turner finished second to Hugh Duffy in hitting at .416. Delahanty won his first batting title in 1899 with a .410 batting average, adding nine homers and 137 RBIs and becoming the first player in major league history to hit .400 three times.

On July 13, 1896, Delahanty hit four home runs in a game, being only the second player to do so (Bobby Lowe was the first in 1894), the only player ever to do so with four inside-the-park homers, and the first one to do so in a losing effort. (The Phillies lost the game, 9-8.) Bob Horner, in 1986, is the only other MLB player to have hit four home runs in a losing effort. Later, in 1899, Delahanty hit four doubles in the same game. He remains the only man with a four-homer game to his credit to also have a game in which he hit four doubles. The same year Delahanty collected hits in 10 consecutive at bats, and in the 1890 and '94 seasons, he tallied six-hit games. After switching to the new American League in 1902, playing for the Washington Senators, Delahanty won his second batting title with a .376 mark. To date, he is the only man to win a batting title in both major leagues.

In his 16 seasons with Philadelphia, Cleveland and Washington, Delahanty batted .346, with 101 HRs and 1464 RBIs, 522 doubles, 185 triples and 455 stolen bases. He also led the league in slugging average and runs batted in three times each, and batted over .400 three times. In the years since, Rogers Hornsby has been the only 3-time .400-hitter in the National League (1922, 1924–25). His lifetime batting average of .346 ranks fifth all-time behind Ty Cobb (.366), Rogers Hornsby (.359), Joe Jackson (.356). and Lefty O'Doul (.349).

While with the Phillies, Delahanty played under manager Harry Wright, the man who assembled, managed, and played center field for baseball's first fully professional team, the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings. Wright managed the Phillies with Delahanty for four seasons, from 1890 to 1893, with the two and their fine supporting cast leading the Phils to "first division" finishes during those years, though the team never won a pennant.

Niagara Falls incident

Delahanty died when he was swept over Niagara Falls in 1903. He was apparently kicked off a train by the train's conductor for being drunk and disorderly. The conductor said Delahanty was brandishing a straight razor and threatening passengers. After being kicked off the train, Delahanty started his way across the International Bridge (near Niagara Falls) and fell or jumped off the bridge (some accounts say Ed was yelling about death that night). Whether "Big Ed" died from his plunge over the Falls, or drowned on the way to the Falls is uncertain.

A study of the tragedy appeared with the publication of July 2, 1903: The Mysterious Death of Big Ed Delahanty, by Mike Sowell (New York, Toronto, MacMillan Publishing Co., 1992). Sowell presents the evidence of a drunken accident, suicide, and even possibly a robbery murder (there were reports of a mysterious man following Delahanty).

Ed Delahanty was also the most prominent member of the largest group of siblings ever to play in the major leagues: brothers Frank, Jim, Joe and Tom also spent time in the majors.

Teams

Philadelphia Quakers/Phillies (1888-1889), (1891-1901)
Cleveland Infants (1890)
Washington Senators (1902-1903)

Career highlights and awards

Career batting average: .346 (5th all-time)
Led the league in batting average: 1899 (.410), 1902 (.376)
Led the league in home runs: 1893 (19) & 1896 (13)
Led the league in RBIs: 1893 (146), 1896 (126), 1899 (137)
Led the league in stolen bases: 1898 (56)

HOF, 1945, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

First Team, Center Fielder, Billy Hamilton




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Hamilton_%28baseball%29

William Robert "Sliding Billy" Hamilton (February 16, 1866 – December 15[1], 1940) was a 19th century Major League Baseball player. He holds a number of offensive records that still stand today, and was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 1961.

Biography

Born in Newark, New Jersey, Hamilton broke into the Majors in the American Association with the Kansas City Cowboys in 1888 at the age of 22 and established himself as a star the following season by batting .301 with 144 runs and 111 stolen bases.

In 1890, Hamilton was sold to the Philadelphia Phillies for cash by the Cowboys, who were ceasing their operation. The timing could not have been better for the team from Philadelphia as Sam Thompson joined the club the prior season and Ed Delahanty would become a Phillie the following year.

He is one of only five batters, through August 2009, to have hit both a leadoff and walkoff home run in the same game (having done so in 1892), the others being Vic Power (1957), Darin Erstad (2000), Reed Johnson (2003), and Ian Kinsler (2009).[2]

Hamilton continued his trend-setting ways over the following six years, averaging 146 runs and 92 stolen bases a season while hitting as high as .404 in 1894. He was now a part of one of the greatest hitting outfields and teams of all-time. Hamilton, Thompson, Delahanty, and Tuck Turner all hit over .400 for the year in 1894. Unfortunately, the mid-1890s was also the pinnacle of the original Baltimore Orioles of Willie Keeler and John McGraw, and later on, the powerful Boston Beaneaters of Hugh Duffy and Kid Nichols. In 1896, Hamilton moved to Boston, for whom he played his final six seasons. Although his numbers declined, Hamilton still scored over 100 runs in all but two of those seasons. He set the all-time standard for most runs scored in a season with 198 in 1894 while with the Phillies.

Hamilton retired after the 1901 season. Over his career he compiled 912 (or 937; see Career total discrepancy) stolen bases, a .344 batting average and 1690 runs in 1591 games; he is one of only three players to average more than one run per game played. His .455 career on base percentage is ranked fourth all time behind Ted Williams, Babe Ruth and John McGraw, and his 912 stolen bases rank 3rd behind Rickey Henderson and Lou Brock. Even for the run-happy 1890's, these are very fine career numbers. Hamilton also set the record for most stolen bases in one game, with seven, set August 31, 1894. Though stolen bases were credited differently during Hamilton's career than they are in modern time, he was very proud of his stolen base marks. In 1937, Hamilton lambasted the Sporting News in a letter he wrote to them stating, "I was and will be the greatest base stealer of all time. I stole over 100 bases on many years and if they ever re-count the record I will get my just reward." [3]

Hamilton was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1961. He was the first New Jersey native so honored, and remains the only one from the northern part of the State, although Goose Goslin was from Salem and Alabama-born Monte Irvin grew up in East Orange and South Carolina-born Larry Doby grew up in Paterson. Hamilton died at his home at 6 Lucian Street, Worcester, Massachusetts on December 15, 1940 according to the obituary in the Worcester Telegram morning edition of December 16 in 1940. This states he died "yesterday in his home". This date of December 15, 1940 was also confirmed by baseball historian David Allen Lambert with the City Clerk of Worcester, Massachusetts.

Teams

Kansas City Cowboys (1888-1889)
Philadelphia Phillies (1890-1895)
Boston Beaneaters (1896-1901)

Career highlights and awards

2-time NL batting champion: 1891, 1893
4-time NL runs scored leader
5-time NL stolen base leader
5-time NL walks leader
1-time NL hits leader

HOF, 1961, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

First Team, Right Fielder, Hugh Duffy



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Duffy

Hugh Duffy (November 26, 1866 – October 19, 1954) was a 19th century Major League Baseball player. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945.

Career

Duffy, born in Cranston, Rhode Island, was a textile mill worker who had taken up baseball as a semipro for weekend diversion. [1] He played a couple years of minor league ball in the New England League before jumping to the majors, starting up in the league's initial season of 1886, and playing on clubs in Hartford, Springfield and Salem, as well as the Lowell Massachusetts team in 1887. [2]

Duffy entered the National League with Cap Anson's Chicago White Stockings in 1888 after receiving an offer of $2,000 from the club. Anson initially was unimpressed with the 5'7" 150 pound Duffy, telling him, "We already have a batboy." [3] He shortly thereafter earned the reputation of an outstanding outfielder and powerful hitter. Duffy ended up replacing Billy Sunday as the team's regular right fielder. He switched leagues, joining the American Association's Boston Reds in 1891; he then returned to the NL with the Boston Beaneaters in 1892, where he enjoyed his best seasons.

Playing in Boston from 1891 through 1900, Duffy knocked in 100 runs or more eight times. In 1894 Duffy had one of the greatest seasons in baseball history, leading the league with 18 home runs, with 145 RBI and a .440 batting average (see Triple crown). Duffy's .440 average is the Major League single season batting average record.[4] He played with two other Hall of Fame outfielders during his career, Tommy McCarthy (as half of the "Heavenly Twins") and Billy Hamilton. Duffy finished his career in 1906 with 106 home runs which was, at the time, one of the highest career totals.

During the 1902 and 1903 seasons, Duffy was player-manager for the Western League's Milwaukee franchise and the following season was hired on as player-manager for the Phillies. [5] Duffy went on to coach the Harvard varsity and freshman baseball squads from 1917 through 1919. [6] He also managed the 1920 Toronto Maple Leafs to a .701 winning percentage — the best in the team's 83-year history, but only good enough for second place in the International League. In 1921, Duffy was hired as full-time manager of the Red Sox, guiding them for two seasons. He had previously been player-manager for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1901, the Phillies from 1904 to 1906 and the White Sox from 1910 to 1911.

He later became a scout for the Boston Red Sox from 1924 to 1953. He played much of his career with fellow Hall of Famers Jimmy Collins and Kid Nichols.

Teams

As Player

Chicago White Stockings (1888-1889)
Chicago Pirates (1890)
Boston Reds (1891)
Boston Beaneaters (1892-1900)
Milwaukee Brewers (1901)
Philadelphia Phillies (1904-1906)

As Manager

Milwaukee Brewers (1901)
Philadelphia Phillies (1904-1906)
Chicago White Sox (1910-1911)
Boston Red Sox (1921-1922)

Career highlights and awards

NL Triple Crown: 1894
NL batting champion: 1894
NL home run champion:1894, 1897
NL RBI champion: 1894
NL runs scored leader: 1890
NL hits leader: 1890, 1894
NL doubles leader: 1894
Highest Major League batting average ever, .4397; 1894

HOF, 1945, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

First Team, Pitcher, Kid Nichols




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kid_Nichols

Charles Augustus Nichols (September 14, 1869 – April 11, 1953), better known as Kid Nichols, was a Major League Baseball pitcher. Admired for his steadfast consistency year-in and year-out[citation needed], Nichols won 361 games, the 7th highest total in major league history. Nichols is the youngest pitcher[citation needed] to win 300 games, reaching that milestone at the age of 32.

Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Nichols entered the major leagues in 1890 with the Boston Beaneaters and was an instant success. Nichols went 27–19 with a 2.23 ERA and 222 strikeouts and began a string of ten consecutive seasons with 20 wins or more. Nichols also had a major league record seven 30 win seasons in this time (1891–1894, 1896–1898) with a career high of 35 in 1892.

Nichols had his first losing season in 1900 when he went 13–16 but improved to 19–16 the following year. After the 1901 season, Nichols purchased an interest in a minor league franchise in Kansas City. He left the Beaneaters to manage and pitch for the Kansas City club, where he won a total of 48 games in 1902 and 1903. After a two year hiatus from the major leagues, Nichols returned to the 20 win plateau for the eleventh and final time in his career in 1904 for a new team, the St. Louis Cardinals. He finished his career in 1906 with the Philadelphia Phillies, who picked him up off waivers in 1905. Nichols retired with 361 wins, a total exceeded at the time only by Cy Young, 208 losses, 1,868 strikeouts and a 2.95 ERA. He was a part of five National League pennant winners, all with the Boston Beaneaters (1891–93, 1897, 1898). His 361 victories ranks 7th all-time, and his 5056 1/3 innings pitched ranks 11th all-time.

After baseball, Nichols dabbled in the motion picture industry, partnering with Joe Tinker in running a business that distributed movies to theatres in the midwest, and opened bowling alleys in the Kansas City area. An accomplished bowler himself, Nichols won Kansas City's Class A bowling championship at age 64.[1]

Nichols was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1949.

Teams

As Player

Boston Beaneaters (1890–1901)
St. Louis Cardinals (1904–1905)
Philadelphia Phillies (1905–1906)

As Manager

St. Louis Cardinals (1904–1905)

Career highlights and awards

National League pennant: 1891, 1892, 1893, 1897, 1898
7th-most wins in Major League history (361)
11th-most innings pitched in Major League history (5056.3)
National League wins champion: 1896–1898
3-time National League shutout leader
11 20-win seasons
7 30-win seasons

HOF, 1949, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

First Team, Pitcher, Cy Young



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cy_Young

Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. During his 22-year baseball career, he pitched from 1890-1911 for five different teams. Young was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937. One year after Young's death, the Cy Young Award was created to honor the previous season's best pitcher.

Young established numerous pitching records, some of which have stood for a century. Young compiled 511 wins, 94 ahead of Walter Johnson, who is second on the list of most wins in Major League history.[1]

In addition to wins, Young still holds the Major League records for most career innings pitched (7,355), most career games started (815), and most complete games (749).[2][3][4] He also retired with 316 losses, the most in MLB history.[5] Young's 76 career shutouts are fourth all-time.[6] He also won at least 30 games in a season five times, with ten other seasons of 20 or more wins.[7] In addition, Young pitched three no-hitters, including the third perfect game in baseball history, first in baseball's "modern era".[a] In 1999, 88 years after his final Major League appearance and 44 years after his death, editors at The Sporting News ranked Cy Young 14th on their list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players".[8] That same year, baseball fans named him to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

Young's career started in 1890 with the Cleveland Spiders. After eight years with the Spiders, Young was moved to St. Louis in 1899. After two years there, Young jumped to the newly-created American League, joining the Boston franchise. He was traded back to Cleveland in 1909, before spending the final two months of his career with the Boston Rustlers. After his retirement, Young went back to his farm in Ohio, where he stayed until his death at age 88 in 1955.

Cleveland Spiders

On August 6, 1890, Young's major league debut, he pitched a three-hit shutout.[15] While Young was on the Spiders, Chief Zimmer was his catcher more often than any other player. Bill James, a baseball statistician, estimated that Zimmer caught Young in more games than any other battery in baseball history.[16]

Early on, Young established himself as one of the harder-throwing pitchers in the game. Bill James wrote that Zimmer often put a piece of beefsteak inside his baseball glove to protect his catching hand from Young's fastball.[16] In the absence of radar guns, however, it is difficult to say just how hard Young actually threw. Young continued to perform at a high level during the 1890 season. On the last day of the season, Young won both games of a doubleheader.[12] In the first weeks of Young's career, Cap Anson, the player-manager of the Chicago Colts spotted Young's ability. Anson told Spiders' manager Gus Schmelz, "He's too green to do your club much good, but I believe if I taught him what I know, I might make a pitcher out of him in a couple of years. He's not worth it now, but I'm willing to give you $1,000 ($24,363 in current dollar terms) for him." Schmelz replied, "Cap, you can keep your thousand and we'll keep the rube."

After one-hitting Boston on May 2, 1904, Philadelphia Athletics pitcher Rube Waddell taunted Young to face him so that he could repeat his performance against Boston's ace. Three days later, Young pitched a perfect game against Waddell and the Athletics.[a2] It was the first perfect game in American League history.

Teams

Cleveland Spiders (1890–1898)
St. Louis Perfectos (1899–1900)
Boston Americans / Red Sox (1901–1908)
Cleveland Naps (1909–1911)
Boston Rustlers (1911)

Career highlights and awards

World Series champion (1903)
Pitched a perfect game on May 5, 1904
Major League Baseball All-Century Team

MLB Records

511 career wins
316 career losses
7,354 2/3 innings pitched
815 career games started
749 career complete games

HOF, 1937, BBWAA

[Old Sweater]

First Team, Pitcher, Amos Rusie




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amos_Rusie

Amos Wilson Rusie (May 30, 1871 – December 6, 1942), nicknamed "The Hoosier Thunderbolt", was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball during the late 19th century. He had a 10-season career in the National League (NL), which consisted of one season with the Indianapolis Hoosiers in 1889, eight with the New York Giants from 1890 to 1898, and one with the Cincinnati Reds in 1901.

He is best known for the speed in which he pitched a baseball. The velocity of his fastball was unknown, but it has been estimated that he threw it in the mid to upper 90s. He led the league in strikeouts five times, and won 20 or more games eight times. Though he did throw hard, he did not have good control of pitches, leading the league in walks five times, is seventh all-time among the career pitching leaders in that category, and in 1890 he walked 289, the all-time single-season record.

One of his fastballs struck future Hall of Fame Hughie Jennings in the head rendering him comatose for a period of four days before recovering. This incident was a catalyst for officials to change the distance from the pitching rubber to home plate from 50 feet (15 m) to the current 60 feet (18 m), 6 inches. This ruling was made effective for the 1893 season, right at the peak of Amos Rusie’s pitching prowess. The distance change did not hinder Rusie's effectiveness, leading the league in strikeouts three straight seasons afterward, while also winning what later would be known as the pitching triple crown in 1894. For his accomplishments, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977 by the Veterans Committee.

Early life

Rusie was born on May 30, 1871 in Mooresville, Indiana, to mason and plasterer William Asbury Rusie and his wife Mary Donovan.[1] When he was still young, his family moved to nearby Indianapolis, Indiana, where he eventually quit school to work in a factory.[1] It was during this time, when he was playing for a Semi-professional Indianapolis baseball team named the "Sturm Avenue Never Sweats," that scouts first took notice of the speed with which he threw a baseball, and his effectiveness as a pitcher when he shutout touring National League baseball teams, the Boston Beaneaters and the Washington Senators.[1]

In 1889, at the age of 18, Rusie signed with the Burlington Babies of the Central Interstate League.[2] However, he signed shortly thereafter by the Indianapolis Hoosiers of the NL, and made his major league debut on May 9 in a 2–13 loss to the Cleveland Blues, pitching in relief of starting pitcher Jim Whitney.[3][4] In 33 games pitched during the 1889 season, he posted a 12–10 win–loss record, he started 22, completed 19, and recorded one shutout.[4] Although his fastball was difficult to hit, he did not have good control of it, walking 116 batters in 225 innings pitched, although he struck out 109 and led the league with 11 games finished.

1893–1898

With the pitching area being moved back in 1893, Rusie’s strikeout total dropped from 288 to 208. Still he was league leader. The 1893 campaign was a truly extraordinary one for Amos Rusie. He had 50 complete games out of 52 starts and went 33-21.

Amos Rusie won his last strikeout crown in the 1895 campaign with 201. However, he finished with a mediocre (by Rusie's standards) 23 wins and 23 losses. After a bitter contract dispute with Giants' owner Andrew Freedman, Rusie responded by publicly thumbing his nose at Freedman, which was the 19th century variant of the middle finger.

Teams

Indianapolis Hoosiers (1889)
New York Giants (1890–1898)
Cincinnati Reds (1901)

Career highlights and awards

National League Pitching Triple Crown: 1894
National League ERA champion: 1894, 1897
National League wins champion: 1894
National League strikeout champion: 1890-1891, 1893-1895
4-time National League shutout leader
2-time National League complete game leader
8 20-win seasons
4 30-win seasons
5 200-strikeout seasons
2 300-strikeout seasons

HOF, 1977, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

Second Team, Catcher, Deacon McGuire



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deacon_McGuire

James Thomas "Deacon" McGuire (November 18, 1863 – October 31, 1936) was a catcher, manager and coach in Major League Baseball who spent over a quarter of a century playing professional baseball in a much-traveled career which saw him set several records for durability. His record of playing in 26 major league seasons was unmatched until 1993, and he established a major league record for career games caught which stood until 1925; his record of 1859 career assists as a catcher remains the major league record.

Baseball career

Born in Youngstown, Ohio, McGuire moved with his family to Cleveland when he was still a child.[1] He began his professional baseball career with the Toledo Blue Stockings of the American Association. When the team folded, he joined the Detroit Wolverines. In 1886, McGuire joined the Philadelphia Quakers, where he would stay for three years, and in 1888, he briefly returned to the Wolverines before playing 26 games for the Cleveland Spiders.

After serving as player-manager of the Toronto franchise in the International League in 1889, he had a one-year stint with the short-lived Rochester Broncos, then joined the Washington Senators, where he would stay for eight years until being traded to the Brooklyn Superbas during the 1899 season; in 1899 and 1900 he was one of the two principal catchers for Brooklyn's NL champions. In 1902 he joined the Detroit Tigers of the rival American League. Before the 1904 season, he was sold to the New York Highlanders, catching 97 games, at age 40, for a team that missed the pennant by 1.5 games.

Throughout his career, he was signed on and played for a total of 11 different major-league teams, wearing 12 different jerseys, giving him the record of playing for more teams than any other baseball player until he was surpassed by Matt Stairs in 2010 who played for 12 different teams.[2]
[edit] Managerial career and retirement

Already having been a player-manager for the Senators in 1898, he became manager of the Boston Red Sox in 1907, and had a three-year term leading the Cleveland Naps beginning in 1909. His career managerial record finished at 210-287 (.423). Afterward, he became a coach with the Tigers from 1911 to 1917, and later was coach at Albion College in Michigan.

McGuire died in Duck Lake, Michigan at age 72.

Teams

As Player

Toledo Blue Stockings (1884)
Detroit Wolverines (1885, 1888)
Philadelphia Quakers (1886-1888)
Cleveland Blues (1888)
Rochester Broncos (1890)
Washington Statesmen/Senators (1892-1899
Brooklyn Superbas (1899-1901)
Detroit Tigers (1902-1903, 1912)
New York Highlanders (1904-1907)
Boston Americans/Red Sox (1907-1908)
Cleveland Naps (1908, 1910)

As Manager

Washington Senators (1898)
Boston Americans/Red Sox (1907-1908)
Cleveland Naps (1909-1911)

[Old Sweater]

Second Team, First Baseman, Dan Brouthers


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Brouthers


Dennis Joseph "Dan" Brouthers (pronounced /ˈbruːθərz/,[1] May 8, 1858 – August 2, 1932) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball whose career spanned the period from 1879 to 1896, with a brief return in 1904. Nicknamed "Big Dan" for his size, he was 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and weighed 207 pounds (94 kg), which was large for 19th-century standards.[2]

Recognized as the first great slugger in baseball history,[3] and among the greatest sluggers of his era, he held the record for career home runs from 1887 to 1889,[4] with his final total of 106 tying for the fourth most of the 19th century. His career slugging percentage of .519 remained the major league record for a player with at least 4,000 at bats until Ty Cobb edged ahead of him in 1922. At the time of his initial retirement, he also ranked second in career triples (205), and third in runs batted in (1,296) and hits.[5]

A dominating hitter during the prime of his career, he led (or was in the top of) the league in most offensive categories, including batting average, runs scored, runs batted in (RBI), on base percentage and hits. He led the league in batting average five times, the most by a 19th-century player, and his career .342 batting average still ranks ninth all-time. He was also an active players' union member, and was elected vice president of the Brotherhood of Professional Base Ball Players. Brouthers was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945 by the Veterans Committee.

Teams

Troy Trojans (1879–1880)
Buffalo Bisons (1881–1885)
Detroit Wolverines (1886–1888)
Boston Beaneaters (1889)
Boston Reds (1890–1891)
Brooklyn Grooms (1892–1893)
Baltimore Orioles (1894–1895)
Louisville Colonels (1895)
Philadelphia Phillies (1896)
New York Giants (1904)

Career highlights and awards

9th highest batting average in major league history (.342)
8th most triples in major league history (205)
15th best on base percentage in major league history (.423)
5-time league batting champion
5-time league on base percentage leader
7-time league slugging percentage leader
2-time league runs scored leader
3-time league hits leader
3-time league doubles leader
2-time league home run leader
2-time league RBI leader

HOF, 1945, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

Second Team, Second Baseman, Bid McPhee




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bid_McPhee

John Alexander "Bid" McPhee (November 1, 1859 – January 3, 1943) was a 19th century Major League Baseball second baseman. He played 18 seasons in the majors, from 1882 until 1899, all for the Cincinnati Reds franchise. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000. Known more for his fielding than his hitting, McPhee was the last second baseman to play without a glove.

Early career

Born in Massena, New York, McPhee broke into professional baseball in 1877 as a catcher with the Davenport Brown Stockings of the Northwestern League.[1] He played for Davenport for three seasons, shifting to second base during the 1879 season.[1] After not playing baseball in 1880, he joined an independent team in Akron, Ohio in 1881.[1] Before the 1882 season, he signed a contract to play for the Cincinnati Red Stockings, a team in the newly-formed American Association.[2]
[edit] Playing career

Making his major league debut on May 2, 1882, the 22-year-old McPhee had a batting average of just .228, but he led the league in several fielding categories, including putouts and fielding percentage.[2] With McPhee in the lineup for 78 out of their 80 games, the Red Stockings won the inaugural AA championship. McPhee was the only starting second baseman Cincinnati would have for the first eighteen seasons of its existence, accompanying the team to the National League in 1890, when they became the Cincinnati Reds. In last two seasons of his career, he was the oldest player in the major leagues.[2]
[edit] Career summary

Over 18 years, McPhee batted .271, hit 53 home runs, hit 188 triples, scored 1678 runs, had 1067 RBI, and stole 568 bases. He had ten 100-plus seasons in runs scored and regularly led the league in many defensive categories despite playing without a glove for the first 14 years of his career. Without the benefit of the padding provided by fielding gloves, McPhee toughened his hands by soaking them in salt water.
[edit] Managerial career

Shortly after retiring as a player in 1899, McPhee rejoined the Reds as a manager. At the team's helm for 1901 and part of 1902, he posted 79 wins and 124 losses for a .389 winning percentage.

Teams

Cincinnati Red Stockings/Reds (1882–1899)

Career highlights and awards

Led AA in Games (112) in 1884
Led AA in Home Runs (8) in 1886
Led AA in Triples (19) in 1887

HOF, 2000, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

Second Team, Third Baseman, John McGraw




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McGraw

John Joseph McGraw (April 7, 1873 — February 25, 1934), nicknamed "Little Napoleon" and "Muggsy," was a Major League Baseball player and manager. Much-lauded as a player, McGraw was one of the standard-bearers of dead-ball era major league baseball. Known for having fists as quick as his temper, McGraw used every advantage he could get as both a player and manager. He took full advantage of baseball's initial structure that only provided for one umpire, becoming notorious for tripping, blocking and impeding a baserunner in any way he could while the umpire was distracted by the flight of the ball. His profligacy in employing such tactics may have led to additional umpires being assigned to monitor the basepaths.

However, even with his success and notoriety as a player, he is most well-known for his record as a manager. His total of 2,763 victories in that capacity ranks second overall behind only Connie Mack; he still holds the National League record with 2,669 wins in the senior circuit.[1] McGraw is widely held to be "the best player to become a great manager" in the history of baseball.

In the major leagues

McGraw made his major league debut in 1891 in the American Association with the Baltimore Orioles. After the Orioles moved to the National League a year later, he remained with the team until 1899.[13] During this time, McGraw established himself as an adept batsman with a keen eye, and an excellent third baseman. He walked over 100 times in a season three times, scored over 100 runs in a season five times, batted .320 or higher in every year from 1893 on, and also boasted an on base percentage of .400 or higher in every year from 1893 on, including a career high mark of .547 in 1899. McGraw also took on managerial duties for the 1899 Oriole team and posted an 86–62 record.

McGraw's playing time diminished over the following years as he played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1900), the American League Baltimore Orioles (1901–1902) and the New York Giants (1902–1906). He effectively retired after the 1902 season, not posting more than 12 at bats in any season thereafter. He retired having accumulated 1,024 runs, 13 home runs, 462 RBI, a .334 batting average and a .466 on base percentage. His .466 career on base percentage remains third all-time behind only baseball legends Ted Williams (.482) and Babe Ruth (.474)

As a manager

Despite great success as a player, McGraw is most remembered for his tremendous accomplishments as a manager. In his book The Old Ball Game, National Public Radio's Frank Deford calls McGraw, "the model for the classic American coach—a male version of the whore with a heart of gold—a tough, flinty so-and-so who was field-smart, a man's man his players came to love despite themselves."[14] McGraw took chances on players, signing some who had been discarded by other teams, often getting a few more good seasons out of them. Sometimes these risks paid off; other times, they did not work out quite so well. McGraw took a risk in signing famed athlete Jim Thorpe. Alas, Thorpe was a bust, not because he lacked athletic ability, but because "he couldn't hit a ball that curved."[14]

Over 33 years as a manager with the Baltimore Orioles of both leagues (1899 NL, 1901–1902 AL) and New York Giants (1902–1932), McGraw compiled 2,763 wins and 1,948 losses for a .586 winning percentage. His teams won 10 National League pennants, three World Series championships and had 11 second place finishes while posting only two losing records. In 1918 he broke Fred Clarke's major league record of 1,670 career victories. McGraw led the Giants to first place each year from 1921–1924, becoming the only National League manager to win four consecutive pennants. McGraw is second all time with a total of 131 total ejections (at least 14 of these came as a player). Bobby Cox set the record as the Atlanta Braves manager on August 14, 2007.

Teams

As Player

Baltimore Orioles (AA/NL) (1891–1899)
St. Louis Cardinals (1900)
Baltimore Orioles (AL) (1901–1902)
New York Giants (1902–1906)

As Manager

Baltimore Orioles (NL) (1899)
Baltimore Orioles (AL) (1901–1902)
New York Giants (1902–1932)

Career highlights and awards

World Series champion: 1905, 1921, 1922
National League pennant: 1894, 1895, 1896, 1904, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1917, 1923, 1924
Managerial record: 2,763–1,948 (.586)
3rd-best on base percentage in Major League history (.466)
2-time National League runs scored leader
2nd all time in ejections (132)
Name honored by the Giants.

HOF, 1937, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

Second Team, Shortstop, Herman Long


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Long_%28baseball%29

Herman C. Long (April 13, 1866–September 17, 1909) was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the Kansas City Cowboys (1889), Boston Beaneaters (1890-1902), New York Highlanders (1903), Detroit Tigers (1903), and Philadelphia Phillies (1904).

Long was born in Chicago, Illinois. He later managed in the minor leagues. He died of tuberculosis at age 43 in Denver, Colorado.

Records held

As of June 2009, Long holds the Major League record for most errors in a career, with 1,096 errors made over his seventeen year career.[1] Only three other players have made more than 1,000 errors in their careers: Bill Dahlen, Deacon White, and Germany Smith. This includes a record 1,070 errors committed while playing shortstop.

Teams

Kansas City Cowboys (1889)
Boston Beaneaters (1890-1902)
New York Highlanders (1903)
Detroit Tigers (1903)
Philadelphia Phillies (1904)

Career highlights and awards

National League pennant: 1891-1893, 1897-1898
National League home run champion: 1900
4 seasons with a .300+ batting average
2 seasons with 100+ RBI
7 seasons with 100+ runs scored

[Old Sweater]

Second Team, Left Fielder, Jesse Burkett



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Burkett

Jesse Cail Burkett (December 4, 1868 – May 27, 1953), nicknamed "The Crab", was a Major League Baseball player at the turn of the 20th century. He also was a coach in the Major Leagues under John McGraw for the New York Giants, owned and managed the minor league Worcester club, and coached Holy Cross College.

Burkett began his pro career as a pitcher, won 27 games at the age of 19 in 1888 in Scranton, Pa., and also compiled a 39-6 record for the Worcester Club of the New England League. He played in the Major Leagues from 1890 to 1905, predominantly as an outfielder, and had an accomplished hitting career, smacking 200 hits in a season six times and batting over .400 twice (1895 and 1896), only the second hitter in Major League history to do, the first being Ed Delahanty. On his Hall of Fame plaque, Burkett is credited for hitting over .400 three times; subsequent research and updated records have lowered his 1899 batting average to .396. In 1895 and 1896, Burkett's two best seasons, the Cleveland Spiders finished second twice and faced off against the Baltimore Orioles both seasons in the Temple Cup series, beating the Orioles in the 1895 series with Cy Young pitching three victories. Also, in game one of the series, Burkett scored the game winning run in the bottom of the ninth to set the tone for the series.[2]

Burkett was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946. The Wheeling[3] native became the first West Virginian elected to the Hall of Fame.

Teams

New York Giants (1890)
Cleveland Spiders (1891-1898)
St. Louis Cardinals (1899-1901)
St. Louis Browns (1902-1904)
Boston Americans (1905)

Career highlights and awards

Career Inside The Park Home Runs (55) 1st in major league history[1]
Career batting average (.338) 19th in major league history
NL batting champion: 1895, 1896, 1901
NL runs scored leader: 1896, 1901
NL hits leader: 1895, 1896, 1901
NL doubles leader: 1894

HOF, 1946, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

Second Team, Center Fielder, George Van Haltren


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Van_Haltren

George Edward Martin Van Haltren (March 30, 1866 - September 29, 1945) was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball who also pitched and played shortstop infrequently. He batted and threw left-handed. Van Haltren played with the Chicago Cubs for the first 3 years of his career, and played the last 10 with the New York Giants. He played with a number of teams in between.

He was born in St. Louis, Missouri.

His career statistics include a .316 batting average with 69 home runs and 1014 RBIs. He also ended his career with 2532 hits and 583 stolen bases. He was tied for the lead in triples in 1896, with Tom McCreery. They had 21.

He died in Oakland, California at the age of 79.

Teams

Chicago White Stockings (1887-1889)
Brooklyn Ward's Wonders (1890)
Baltimore Orioles (1891-1892)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1892-1893)
New York Giants (1894-1903)

Career highlights and awards

20th-most stolen bases in Major League history (583)
12 seasons with a .300+ batting average
2 seasons with 100+ RBI
11 seasons with 100+ runs scored

[Old Sweater]

Second Team, Right Fielder, Mike Tiernan


Michael Joseph Tiernan (January 21, 1867 - November 7, 1918), nicknamed "Silent Mike", was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who played exclusively for the New York Giants from 1887 to 1899. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, his debut game was on April 30, 1887. His final game was played on July 31, 1899. Tiernan led the National League in home runs in 1890 and 1891, and compiled a .311 lifetime batting average. He is the Giants' all-time franchise leader in triples and stolen bases.

Teams

New York Giants (1887-1899)

Career highlights and awards

National League pennant: 1888, 1889
National League home run champion: 1890, 1891
7 seasons with a .300+ batting average
7 seasons with 100+ runs scored

One thing I like about doing these bio's is reading about some players that the history books I have don't mention like Mike Tiernan.

[Old Sweater]

Second Team, Pitcher, Jack Stivetts


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Stivetts

John Elmer Stivetts (March 31, 1868 Ashland, Pennsylvania - April 18, 1930 Ashland, PA) was a pitcher with an 11-year career from 1889 to 1899. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals of the American Association and the Boston Beaneaters and Cleveland Spiders, both of the National League. He also played other positions when not pitching, and hit well over his career with 35 home runs.

He led the American Association in earned run average (ERA) in 1889 with 2.25 and in strikeouts in 1891 with 259.

Teams

St. Louis Browns (1889-1891)
Boston Beaneaters (1892-1898)
Cleveland Spiders (1899)

Career highlights and awards

American Association ERA champion: 1889
American Association strikeout champion: 1891
6 20-win seasons
2 30-win seasons

[Old Sweater]

Second Team, Pitcher, Bill Hutchinson> weird, Firefox reported this as an attack page at BR(for picture). I typed in his name like James has it as Hutchison and it went right to his page spelled Hutchinson with the *n*?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Hutchison_%28baseball%29

William Forrest "Wild Bill" Hutchinson (December 17, 1859 – March 19, 1926) was a professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher over parts of nine seasons (1884, 1889–1897) with the Kansas City Cowboys, Chicago White Stockings/Colts and St. Louis Browns. He was the National League wins leader for three straight season (1890–1892) and strikeout champion in 1892 with Chicago. For his career, he compiled a 183-163 record in 375 appearances, with a 3.59 ERA and 1234 strikeouts.

During his seven seasons with the Chicago franchise (now the Chicago Cubs) he ranks 4th all-time in franchise history in wins (181), 6th in games pitched (367), 2nd in innings pitched (3021), 6th in strikeouts (1224), 3rd in games started (339), 1st in complete games (317), 10th in shutouts (21), 1st in base on balls allowed (1109), 1st in losses (158), and 1st in wild pitches (120).

He was born in New Haven, Connecticut, attended Yale, and later died in Kansas City, Missouri at the age of 66.

Teams

Kansas City Cowboys (1884)
Chicago White Stockings/Colts (1889–1895)
St. Louis Browns (1897)

[Old Sweater]

Second Team, Pitcher, Ted Breitenstein



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Breitenstein

Theodore P. "Ted" Breitenstein (June 1, 1869 – May 3, 1935) was an American Major League Baseball player from St. Louis, Missouri who pitched from 1891 to 1901 for the St. Louis Browns/Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds.[1] He is most known today for throwing a no-hitter in his first Major League start.

Career

During his first season in the Majors, he was able to pitch occasionally in relief, but on the final day of the 1891 season, October 4, Breitenstein was allowed to start and he pitched a no-hitter against the Louisville Colonels, an 8–0 victory. He faced the minimum number of batters of 27, allowed just one base on balls, which was erased by a double play or by a pickoff play.[2] It was also the last no-hitter thrown in the American Association, as the league folded following the season.[2]

He became part of the pitching rotation in 1892, but had a lackluster season with a 9–19 win/loss record and a 4.69 earned run average. He turned his pitching around after that, and in 1893, Breitenstein's 3.18 ERA was tops in the National League.[1] In 1894, he won 27 games while leading the league in games started, complete games and innings pitched, although he led the league in runs allowed, and had a 4.79 ERA. In the following season, his workload stayed the same, leading the league in games started and complete games once again, but his stats took a slide downward, leading the league in runs allowed, base on balls, and losses.[1] His 30 losses in 1895 stand as the 3rd on the all-time list for losses in a season by a pitcher.[2]

After a similar season in 1896, he was sold to the Cincinnati Reds for a reported $10,000, but it could have been as low as $4000, and this move gave Breitenstein a new start and he took advantage of it, winning more than 20 games in each of his first two season with Reds. He lowered his ERA to 3.62 in 1897 and 3.42 in 1898 respectively.[1] On April 22, 1898, he pitched his second no-hitter, this time against the Pittsburgh Pirates, a 11–0 victory. What made this no-hitter notable is the fact that another no-hitter was pitched on the same day. Jay Hughes of the Baltimore Orioles threw one against the Boston Beaneaters. This was the first occurrence of two no-hitters had been thrown on the same day in the Major Leagues.[2]

His next two seasons in Cincinnati were respectable, but his skills had shown that they were declining, not able to pitch with the same durability of seasons past, so through an unknown transaction, he returned to his old team in St. Louis, now known as the Cardinals.

His career ended after only a few games in 1901 and he went on to a lengthy minor league baseball career, most notably with the New Orleans Pelicans of the Southern Association. He played eight seasons for the Pelicans, ten years in all with the Association.[3] During World War I, Breitenstein was named as a director of an athletic camp especially organized for Army and Navy soldiers.[4] He died in St. Louis, Missouri at the age of 65, and is interred in Saint Peter's Cemetery in Normandy, Missouri.

Teams

St. Louis Browns/Cardinals (1891–1896, 1901)
Cincinnati Reds (1897–1900)

Career highlights and awards

National League ERA champion: 1893
2-time National League complete game leader
3 20-win seasons
Pitched 2 no-hitters

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Catcher, Chief Zimmer



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Zimmer

Charles Louis Zimmer (November 23, 1860 in Marietta, Ohio – August 22, 1949 in Cleveland, Ohio) was a catcher in Major League Baseball for 19 seasons from 1884 to 1903, playing for the Detroit Wolverines (1884), New York Metropolitans (1886) Cleveland Blues/Spiders (1887–1899), Louisville Colonels (1899), Pittsburgh Pirates (1900–1902), and Philadelphia Phillies (1903). He was also the player/manager for the Phillies in 1903. Zimmer played in 1280 major league games, including 1239 as a catcher. He had a career batting average of .269 with a .339 on base percentage, 1227 hits, 617 runs scored, 222 doubles, 76 triples, 26 home runs, 625 RBIs, 151 stolen bases, and 390 bases on balls. His career fielding percentage as a catcher was .952 (16 points higher than the average catcher of his era) with 4883 putouts, 1580 assists and 135 double plays.

Zimmer is credited with being the first catcher (in 1887) to play directly behind the plate on every play. Prior to 1887, catchers typically positioned themselves farther back of the plate with runners on base. Zimmer was considered one of the finest defensive catchers of his day. He led the National League in putouts in 1891 and 1900 and in assists in 1890 and 1891. In 1895 he batted a career-high .340.

In 1894, Zimmer became one of the first hitters to get six hits in a single game, off Win Mercer. He also helped Cleveland win the 1895 Temple Cup, the equivalent at that time of the World Series.

While playing for Cleveland, Zimmer was Cy Young's catcher for the first half of Young's career, and a close friend of Young.

Despite his nickname, "Chief" Zimmer was not of American Indian descent. Zimmer said he got the nickname while playing for Poughkeepsie as captain and manager. "Since we were fleet of foot, we were called the Indians. As I was the head man of the Indians, somebody began to call me 'Chief.' It stuck."[1]

After retiring from baseball, Zimmer worked as a cabinet-maker, cigar roller, and owned and managed at least two minor league baseball teams. He is prominently featured in "Zimmer's Base Ball Game," a baseball table game that was popular in the 1890s and which is now a valuable collectible.[2] Although his name is affixed to the game, Zimmer, nor did the game-making behemoth McLoughlin Bros. It was a man named Joseph A. Meaher of Cleveland who got the idea patented in February of 1893, according to Tom Shieber, senior curator for the Baseball Hall of Fame. While Meaher was likely responsible for the game’s set-up as well as the painting of the field and the children peeking over the one-and-a-half inch outfield wall, it was no doubt McLoughlin Bros. – revered for their lithographs – that created the instructions along with the image of Zimmer and 18 other portraits, including 11 Hall of Famers.[3]

While a good but not great baseball player (he was not a Hall of Famer), Zimmer was one of the first athletes to actively pursue self-marketing. In addition to the board game, Zimmer endorsed a line of cigars.

Zimmer died in Cleveland, Ohio at age 88.

Career statistics
Batting average .269
On base percentage .339
RBI 625
Teams

Detroit Wolverines (1884)
New York Metropolitans (1886)
Cleveland Blues/Spiders (1887–1899)
Louisville Colonels (1899)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1900–1902)
Philadelphia Phillies (1903)

Career highlights and awards

Oldest player in the National League from 1900 to 1903.

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, First Baseman, Roger Connor



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Connor

Roger Connor (July 1, 1857 – January 4, 1931) was a 19th century Major League Baseball player, born in Waterbury, Connecticut. Known for being the player whom Babe Ruth succeeded as the all-time home run champion, Connor hit 138 home runs during his 18-year career, and his career home run record stood for 23 years after his retirement in 1897.

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.

Career

Connor entered the National League in 1880 as a member of the Troy Trojans. He later played for the New York Gothams, and, due to his great stature, gave that team the enduring nickname "Giants". He was regularly among the league leaders in batting average and home runs until his retirement in 1897. Although he only led the league in home runs once (the Players League in 1890), Connor's career mark of 138 was a benchmark not surpassed until 1921 by Babe Ruth. He finished his career with a .317 batting average.[1] Connor is credited with being the first player to hit a grand slam in the major leagues[2] and being the first to hit an over-the-wall home run at the Polo Grounds. His grand slam came with two outs and his team down three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. George Vecsey, in The New York Times wrote: "Roger Connor was a complete player — a deft first baseman and an agile base runner who hit 233 triples and stole 244 bases despite his size (6 feet 3 inches and 200 pounds)."[3]

Over a 12-year period, 1880 through 1891, Connor finished in the top ten in batting average ten times. He led the National League with a .371 average in 1885. Over an 18 year career, Connor finished in the top ten for doubles ten times, finished in the top three for triples seven times and remains fifth all-time in triples with 233. He also established his power credentials by finishing in the top ten in RBIs ten times and top ten in homers twelve times.[4]

In the 1880s, the Polo Grounds was considered a difficult place to hit a home run. However, on September 11, 1886, Roger Connor hit a ball completely out of the Polo Grounds, off Boston's Old Hoss Radbourn, depositing the ball over the right field fence and onto 112th Street. The New York Times reported of the feat, "He met it squarely and it soared up with the speed of a carrier pigeon. All eyes were turned on the tiny sphere as it soared over the head of Charlie Buffinton in right field." [5]

In Connor's first year in the Majors with the Troy Trojans, he teamed with future Hall-of-Famers Dan Brouthers, Buck Ewing, Tim Keefe and Mickey Welch, all of whom were just starting their careers. Also on that 1880 Trojans team, though much older, was Bob "Death to Flying Things" Ferguson.[6]

After retiring as a player in 1897, Connor moved back to his hometown of Waterbury and managed several minor league teams. He lived to see his career home run record bested by Babe Ruth, although if it was celebrated, it might have been on the wrong day. At one time, Connor's record was thought to be 131, per the Sporting News book Daguerreotypes. As late as the 1980s, in the MacMillan Baseball Encyclopedia, it was thought to be 136. However, John Tattersall's 1975 Home Run Handbook, a SABR publication, credited Connor with 138. Both MLB.com and the independent Baseball-Reference.com now consider Connor's total to be 138.

Teams

As Player

Troy Trojans - (1880-1882)
New York Gothams/Giants - (1883-1889), (1891), 1893-1894)
New York Giants (PL) - (1890)
Philadelphia Phillies - (1892)
St. Louis Browns - (1893-1897)

As Manager

St. Louis Browns - 1896

Career highlights and awards

Player's League home run champion: 1890

HOF, 1976, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Second Baseman, Bobby Lowe


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Lowe

Robert Lincoln Lowe (July 10, 1865 – December 8, 1951), nicknamed "Link", was a second baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Beaneaters (1890–1901), Chicago Cubs (1902–03), Pittsburgh Pirates (1904), and Detroit Tigers (1904 player-manager, 1905–07). He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Listed at 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m), 150 pounds (68 kg), Lowe was a right-handed batter leadoff man with fair power and one of the best second baseman of the 19th century. In the field and at the plate, he starred on all five Beaneaters pennant winners of the 1890s and in the 1892 World Series Championship.

On May 30, 1894, Lowe became the first Major Leaguer ever to hit four home runs in one game, doing it in consecutive at-bats, another MLB record. In his 18-season career, he batted .273, with 71 HR, 984 RBIs, 1131 runs, 1929 hits, 230 doubles, 85 triples and 302 stolen bases in 1818 games.

In 1932, after Lou Gehrig hit four home runs in a game, Lowe, wearing his old Beaneaters uniform, posed with Gehrig. He was 38 years older than Gehrig, but outlived him by 10 years.

Lowe died in Detroit, Michigan at 86 years of age. He is a member of the Lawrence County (Pennsylvania) Hall of Fame. His life has been preserved through the gleeful Greystones character of Bobby Lowe, who shares the same namesake. Bobby Lowe from Greystones has a long history of being Bobby Lowe. After stumbling on to a degree course studying Marxist economic theory in Dun Loaghaire, he began cementing the memory of Bobby Lowe throughout the Dun Loaghaire Rathdown county of Dublin. He is a well mannered and respected member of the Socialist Society.

Teams

As Player

Boston Beaneaters (1890–1901)
Chicago Orphans (1902–1903)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1904)
Detroit Tigers (1904–1907)

As Manager

Detroit Tigers (1904)

Career highlights and awards

Became the first player to hit 4 home runs in one game on May 30, 1894
Led NL in at-bats in 1894 with 613

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Third Baseman, Bill Joyce


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Joyce_%28baseball%29

William Michael Joyce (September 21, 1865 - May 8, 1941) was a professional baseball player. He was a third baseman over parts of 8 seasons with the Brooklyn Ward's Wonders (of the Players' League), Boston Reds (of the American Association), Brooklyn Grooms, Washington Senators, and New York Giants. For the Giants, he was also the manager for duration of his time with them. He tied for the National League lead in home runs in 1896 (with Ed Delahanty) while playing for Washington and New York, and finished second three other times. He holds the record with 4 triples in one game which he accomplished in 1897. In 1891 he reached base in 64 consecutive games, a major league record not bettered until 1941. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri and died in St. Louis at the age of 75.



Teams

As Player

Brooklyn Ward's Wonders (1890)
Boston Reds (1891)
Brooklyn Grooms (1892)
Washington Senators (1894-1896)
New York Giants (1896-1898)

As Manager

New York Giants (1896-1898)

Career highlights and awards

American Association pennant: 1891
National League home run champion: 1896
7th-best on base percentage in Major League history (.435)
5 seasons with a .300+ batting average
5 seasons with 100+ runs scored
Managerial record: 179-122

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Shortstop, Hughie Jennings


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hughie_Jennings

Hugh Ambrose Jennings (April 2, 1869 – February 1, 1928) was a Major League Baseball player and manager from 1891 to 1925. Jennings was a leader, both as a batter and as a shortstop, with the Baltimore Orioles teams that won National League championships in 1894, 1895, and 1896. During the three championship seasons, Jennings had 355 RBIs and hit .335, .386, and .401. Jennings was a fiery, hard-nosed player who was not afraid to be hit by a pitch to get on base. Also in 1896, he was hit by a pitch 51 times – a major league record that has never been broken. Jennings also holds the career record for being hit by a pitch with 287, with Craig Biggio (who retired in 2007) holding the modern day career record of 285. Jennings also played on the Brooklyn Superbas teams that won National League pennants in 1899 and 1900. From 1907-1920, Jennings was the manager of the Detroit Tigers, where he was known for his colorful antics, hoots, whistles, and his famous shouts of “Ee-Yah” from the third base coaching box. Jennings suffered a nervous breakdown in 1925 that forced him to leave Major League Baseball. He died in 1928 and was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945.

Early years

Born in Pittston, Pennsylvania, Jennings was the son of a Scottish mother and James Jennings, a native of County Galway.

Jennings worked as a breaker boy (young boys who separated the coal from the slate) in the local anthracite coal mines. He drew attention playing shortstop for a semi-professional baseball team in Lehighton, Pennsylvania in 1890. He was signed by the Louisville Colonels of the American Association in 1891. He stayed with the Colonels when they joined the National League in 1892 and was traded on June 7, 1893 to the Baltimore Orioles.
[edit] Baltimore Orioles: 1893-1899

Jennings played with the Orioles for parts of seven seasons and became a star during his years in Baltimore. The Baltimore Orioles teams of 1894, 1895, and 1896 are regarded as one of the greatest teams of all time. The teams featured Hall of Fame manager Ned Hanlon and a lineup with six future Hall of Famers: first baseman Dan Brouthers, second baseman John McGraw, shortstop Jennings, catcher Wilbert Robinson, right fielder ”Wee Willie” Keeler, and left fielder Joe Kelley.

The fiery Jennings was also known as one of the most fearless players of his time, allowing himself to be hit by a pitch more than any other player. In one game, he was hit by a pitch three times. In 1896, he was hit by a pitch 51 times—a Major League record that still stands. In just five seasons with the Orioles from 1894–1898, Jennings was hit by a pitch an unprecedented 202 times. During one game, Jennings was hit in the head by a pitch in the 3rd inning, but managed to finish the game. As soon as the game ended, Jennings collapsed and was unconscious for three days.

A lifetime of tragic accidents

Jennings’ life was filled with several tragic accidents. There was the beaning incident in Philadelphia that left him unconscious for three days. While attending Cornell, he fractured his skull diving head-first into a swimming pool at night, only to find the pool had been emptied.(<dang, Hughie) In December 1911, Jennings came close to death after an off-season automobile accident. While driving a car given to him by admirers, Jennings’ car overturned while crossing a bridge near Goldsboro, Pennsylvania. In the crash, Jennings again fractured his skull, suffered a concussion of the brain, and broke both legs and his left arm. For several days after the accident, doctors were unsure if Jennings would survive.[3]

The physical abuse and blows to the head undoubtedly took their toll. During the 1925 season, McGraw was ill, and Jennings was put in full charge of the Giants. The team finished in second place and the strain caught up with Jennings, who suffered a nervous breakdown when the season ended.[3] According to his obituary, Jennings “was unable to report” to spring training in 1926 due to his condition. Jennings retired to the Winyah Sanatorium in Asheville, North Carolina. He did return home to Scranton, Pennsylvania, spending much of his time recuperating in the Pocono Mountains.[3] In early 1928, Jennings died from meningitis in Scranton, Pennsylvania at age 58.

Teams

As Player

Louisville Colonels (1891-1893)
Baltimore Orioles (1893-1899)
Brooklyn Superbas (1899-1900,1903)
Philadelphia Phillies (1901-1902)
Detroit Tigers (1907,1909,1912,1918)

As Manager

Detroit Tigers (1907-1920)
New York Giants (1924-1925)

Career highlights and awards

Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee (1945)
.314 career batting average

HOF, 1945, Veterans Committee

Picture below, Wee Willie Keeler, Joe Kelly, John McGraw, Hughie Jennings

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Left Fielder, Joe Kelly




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Kelley

Joseph James Kelley (December 9, 1871 – August 14, 1943) was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball who starred in the outfield of the powerful Baltimore Oriole teams of the 1890s.

Kelley broke into the National League in 1891 with the Boston Beaneaters, and after a brief stint in Pittsburgh the following year, came into his own as a member of the Baltimore Orioles in 1893. In 1894 he had arguably his finest offensive season, batting .393 with 111 RBI and 165 runs. Combined with 107 walks, Kelley posted a spectacular .502 on base percentage.

Kelley continued his fine hitting throughout his career, which included stops with the Brooklyn Superbas (1899–1901), the fledgling American League's Baltimore Orioles franchise (1902), the Cincinnati Reds (1902 - 1906), and Boston again (1908). Aside from consistent run production and hitting (which included 11 consecutive .300-plus seasons), Kelley was also known as a good base runner and stole a career-high 87 bases in 1896. He retired with a career .317 batting, .402 on base percentage, 65 home runs (including a career high 10 in 1895), 1421 runs, 1194 RBI and 443 stolen bases in 1853 career games.

Kelley also managed from 1902 until 1905 with the Cincinnati Reds, and in 1908 with the Boston Doves. He compiled a solid, but unspectacular, 338-321 record as a major league manager. Kelley managed the Toronto Maple Leafs to the International League pennant in 1907, and returned to manage the team from 1909 to 1914, winning a second pennant in 1912.

Kelley was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971.

Teams

As Player

Boston Beaneaters/Doves (1891, 1908)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1892)
Baltimore Orioles (NL) (1892-1898)
Brooklyn Superbas (1899-1901)
Baltimore Orioles (AL) (1902)
Cincinnati Reds (1902-1906)

As Manager

Cincinnati Reds (1902-1905)
Boston Doves (1908)

Career highlights and awards

National League pennant: 1891, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1899, 1900
9th-most triples in Major League history (194)
11 seasons with a .300+ batting average
5 seasons with 100+ RBI
7 seasons with 100+ runs scored
Managerial record: 338-321

HOF, 1971, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Center Fielder, Mike Griffin



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Griffin_%28outfielder%29

Michael Joseph Griffin (March 20, 1865 – April 10, 1908) was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who hailed from Utica, New York. He played in 1511 games spread over 12 seasons for teams in the American Association, the Players League, and National League. He had 1753 hits, resulting in a .296 batting average, and was a prolific base stealer who swiped 473 bases during his career. In his last year in the majors, he was also the player-manager for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms for a short period of time,[1]

Scouted and signed by Billy Barnie of the Baltimore Orioles, while playing for the local Utica professional team, he was one of the premiere ball players at the time, leading the league in runs scored in 1889, doubles in 1891, and many top ten finished in most offensive categories. On April 16, 1887, he became the first major league player to hit a home run in his first plate appearance.

Griffin was team captain of Bridegrooms in 1897 and 1898, serving as interim manager for a part of 1898, a total of four games, winning one. After the 1898 season Brooklyn signed him to a $3,500 contract to manage the following season. But before the season started, Brooklyn and Baltimore merged and Baltimore manager Ned Hanlon was named Brooklyn's manager instead. Griffin was offered a $2,800 contract to play by Brooklyn, but he refused to sign. Brooklyn released him to the Cleveland Spiders, who then released him to the St. Louis Perfectos. After failing to receive a contract he felt he was worth from any team, he sued Brooklyn for the salary he believed they owed him from the contract he had signed and won a judgment of $2,300 from the club. He then unofficially retired from major league baseball.[2]

Griffin returned to Utica where he became involved in the management of local breweries. It was here that he died from pneumonia, at age 43, and was laid to rest at St. Agnes Cemetery.

Teams

As Player

Baltimore Orioles (1887–1889)
Philadelphia Athletics (1890)
Brooklyn Bridegrooms (1891–1898)

As Manager

Brooklyn Bridegrooms (1898)

Career highlights and awards

6 seasons with a .300+ batting average
10 seasons with 100+ runs scored
8 seasons with 30+ stolen bases

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Right Fielder, Jimmy Ryan


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Ryan_%28baseball%29

James Edward "Jimmy" Ryan (February 11, 1863 - October 26, 1923), nicknamed "Pony", was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Stockings/Colts/Orphans (1885–89, 1891–1900) in the National League, Chicago Pirates (1890) in the Players League, and Washington Senators (1902–03) in the American League.

A native of Clinton, Massachusetts, Ryan was a power hitting outfielder who occasionally made pitching appearances throughout his career.

Ryan enjoyed his best season in 1888, leading the league in home runs (16), hits (182), doubles (33), total bases (283) and slugging percentage (.515), and also was second in batting average (.332), runs (115) and extra base hits (59). In that season, he also hit for the cycle. Ryan, primarily a CF, also appeared in that game as a pitcher. He is the only player in the history of baseball to hit for the cycle and pitch in the same game. The date was 7/28/1888. The Cubs beat the Detroit Wolverines 21-17.

Ryan was a .306 hitter career with 118 home runs and 1093 RBI in 2012 games. As a pitcher, he compiled a 6-1 record with 43 strikeouts and a 3.62 ERA in 117 innings.

On the tough side, he was one of the few players to punch a reporter at least twice. After his first episode, in 1887, Charlie Seymour of the Chicago Herald wrote, "Ryan slugged the magnificent Chicago reporter in Pittsburg [sic] the other day." In the other, in 1892, he took exception to George Beachel of the Chicago Daily News. In the clubhouse after a game, Ryan "picked a quarrel with [Beachel], and then attacked him, using him up pretty badly. No arrests have been made." In 1896, he punched a train conductor after losing his place and his teammates had gone to bed. A conductor who intervened was "called down by Mr. Ryan, who got in one upper cut before [his longtime-captain manager Cap] Anson stopped the fun," wrote Tim Murnane of the Boston Globe.[1]

Ryan, in an article under his byline in 1905, advised against baseball as a profession, because few players last long enough in the big leagues to make money: "Baseball is not a permanent business. Look in the newspapers and you will see that a baseball player 35 years of age is considered an old man."

Ryan died in Chicago, Illinois at age 60.

Teams

Chicago White Stockings / Colts / Orphans (1885-1889, 1891-1900)
Chicago Pirates (1890)
Washington Senators (1902-1903)

Career highlights and awards

National League home run champion: 1888

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Pitcher, Frank Dwyer



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Dwyer

John Francis Dwyer (March 25, 1868 - February 4, 1943) born in Lee, Massachusetts was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball with the Chicago White Stockings (1888–89), Chicago Pirates (1890), Cincinnati Kelly's Killers (1891), Milwaukee Brewers (1891), St. Louis Browns (1892) and Cincinnati Reds (1892–99).

He led the National League in saves (2) in 1893 and home runs allowed (27) in 1894.

He currently ranks 61st on the MLB career complete games List (270) and 85th on the MLB career hits allowed list (3,301).[citation needed]

In 12 seasons he had a 176-152 win-loss record, 365 games (318 started), 270 complete games, 12 shutouts, 6 saves, 2,810 innings pitched, 3,301 hits allowed, 1,782 runs allowed, 1,202 earned runs allowed, 109 home runs allowed, 764 walks allowed, 563 strikeouts, and a 3.85 ERA. On June 23, 1896, Dwyer gave up Roger Connor's 123rd homer, breaking Harry Stovey's previous record of 122. Connor's record of 138 would eventually be broken by Babe Ruth.

He later served as the second manager of the Detroit Tigers, managing for one season in 1902. Dwyer briefly umpired in the NL in 1899 and 1901, and in American League in 1904; during which he umpired Cy Young's perfect game.

He died in Pittsfield, Massachusetts at the age of 74.

Teams

As Player

Chicago White Stockings (1888-1889)
Chicago Pirates (1890)
Cincinnati Kelly's Killers (1891)
Milwaukee Brewers (1891)
St. Louis Browns (1892)
Cincinnati Reds (1892-1899)

As Manager

Detroit Tigers (1902)

Career highlights and awards

2 20-win seasons

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Pitcher, Nig Cuppy



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nig_Cuppy

George Joseph "Nig" Cuppy (July 3, 1869 – July 27, 1922) was an American baseball pitcher during the 1890s. He spent nine years of his 10-year major league career as the number two starter behind Cy Young.

Cuppy was born George Maceo Koppe in Logansport, Indiana (it is unclear at what point he changed his name but "Cuppy" is the phonetic spelling of the German name "Koppe").[1] His rookie season came with the Cleveland Spiders in 1892, two years after Cy Young's debut with the team. In his first season Cuppy recorded an ERA of 2.51 and a record of 28-13, a performance better than either of Young's first two major league seasons. However, Cuppy was never able to match these figures. In 1893 the distance between the pitcher's mound and home plate increased from 50 feet to 60 feet, 6 inches.[2] Although he remained an effective pitcher throughout the rest of his career, after this rule was enacted he never recorded an ERA under 3.00.

On August 9, 1895, Cuppy scored five runs against the Chicago Colts in an 18-6 victory,[3] the most runs ever scored by a pitcher in a major league baseball game.[4]In 3 post-season appearances with the Spiders (1892, 1895-96) he compiled a 1-4 record. In three of his four losses, his teammates were shut out.[5]

Cuppy remained with the Spiders until March 29, 1899, when the club's owners transferred him, along with the majority of the roster, to their other team, the St. Louis Perfectos.[1] He spent only one season with the Perfectos before being sold to the Boston Beaneaters on May 23, 1900.[1] The 1900 season was the only year of his career in which he did not pitch with Young. At the end of the season, during which he had recorded an ERA of 3.04 and a win-loss record of 8-4, he moved across town to the newly formed Boston Americans.

The 1901 season, Cuppy's last in major league baseball, resulted in the only season in which he had a losing record, albeit he did have a career-low 13 appearances. Cuppy was released by Boston in August 1901.[1]

Cuppy died at the age of 53 in Elkhart, Indiana.[1] He was interred at the Rice Cemetery in Elkhart.

His nickname, "Nig", is often adjudged to be a racist reference to his dark complexion.[3] In the first half of the 20th Century, before the game was integrated, ballplayers with a dark complexion were sometimes nicknamed "Nig."[6] In addition to Cuppy, the following other major league players bore the nickname: Johnny Beazley (1941-49), Joe Berry (1921-22), Bobby Bragan (1940-48), Nig Clarke, Nig Fuller (1902), Johnny Grabowski (1923-31), Don Gutteridge (1936-1948), Nig Lipscomb (1937), Charlie Niebergall (1921-24), Nig Perrine (1907), and Frank Smith (1904-15).

Teams

Cleveland Spiders (1892-1898)
St. Louis Perfectos (1899)
Boston Beaneaters (1900)
Boston Americans (1901)

Career highlights and awards

Three 20-win seasons (1892, 1895, 1896)
1894: Led NL in shutouts and games finished.

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Pitcher, Pink Hawley


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Hawley

Emerson Pink Hawley (December 5, 1872 in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin - September 19, 1938 in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin), was a professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1892-1901. He played for the St. Louis Browns, Cincinnati Reds, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Milwaukee Brewers. He threw a league-leading 34 complete games in 1900.

Teams

St. Louis Browns (1892-1894)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1895-1897)
Cincinnati Reds (1898-1899)
New York Giants (1900)
Milwaukee Brewers (1901)