Baseball Cards Archives

Owen Wilson

September 26, 2017 By General Manager Leave a Comment

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Chief Wilson

Born: August 21, 1883 in Austin, Texas
Died: February 22, 1954 (aged 70) in Bertram, Texas
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 185 lbs.
Position: Rightfielder

Played For:

As player

Pittsburgh Pirates (1908–1913)
St. Louis Cardinals (1914–1916)

Biography:

The Pirates signed Owen “Tex” Wilson and made him their right fielder in 1908. Wilson was an extremely quiet man, and he soon earned the nickname “Chief” not for having Native American blood, but for looking, to manager Fred Clarke-like a “Chief of the Texas Rangers.” At a pre-season gala at Clarke’s ranch in Winfield, Kansas, Wilson impressed Clarke with his ability to handle a lariat.

Handling a bat proved to be another matter. In his rookie year he was one of the worst offensive players in the league, as he hit .227 in 144 games, and all but 18 of his 120 hits were singles. The fans in Pittsburgh booed him regularly. The fact that this weak-hitting rookie played every day for a team that almost won the pennant is a testament to his defensive play. His fine fielding, especially his rifle arm in right field, drew comments early in his career. He hit from the left side, but he threw out enemy base runners with his right arm. He regularly recorded 20 assists per year, leading the league with 34 in 1914.

Owen Wilson is most remembered for hitting 36 triples in 1912, which is not only a major league record, but also a record for all of organized baseball. To the modern fan, that fact conjures up images of a speedy leadoff hitter racing around the bases, but that image does not square with Owen Wilson. At 6’2″ and 185 pounds, the left-handed hitting slugger was powerfully built and not particularly fast (his 1912 stolen base total of 16 was one shy of his career best), and he typically batted sixth or seventh in the batting order. Wilson typically blasted his triples over the heads of rival outfielders. “A three-base hit may usually be made only by driving the ball clear to the fence, particularly toward center field on most grounds,” he once said. “I made 36 triples my best year, but not a few of those long drives would probably have been homers had they not been stopped by the fence.”

More info:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Wilson
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wilsoch01.shtml
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/ed5711f8

September 26, 2017 By General Manager Leave a Comment

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Ed Walsh

Born: May 14, 1881 in Plains Township, Pennsylvania
Died: May 26, 1959 (aged 78) in Pompano Beach, Florida
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 193 lbs.
Position: Pitcher

Played For:

As player

Chicago White Sox (1904–1916)
Boston Braves (1917)

As manager

Chicago White Sox (1924)

Biography:

From 1907 to 1912, “Big Ed” Walsh tested the limits of a pitcher’s endurance like no pitcher has since. During that stretch the spitballing right-hander led the American League in innings pitched four times, often by staggeringly large margins. He hurled a total of 2,248 innings, 300 more than any other pitcher in baseball. He started 18 more games than any other pitcher, and led the American League during that stretch in games finished and saves, though the latter statistic would not be tracked for another 60 years. His finest season came in 1908, when Walsh became the last pitcher in baseball history to win 40 games, and hurled an incredible 464 innings, 73 1/3 more than any other pitcher in baseball.

One of 13 children, Walsh was a fierce competitor. Walsh wanted the heavy workload the White Sox hoisted upon him. He also fielded his position with as much agility as any pitcher in the history of the game. During his six-year stretch of historic greatness, Walsh accumulated 963 assists, an amazing 344 more than any other pitcher in baseball. He fielded bunts like a territorial animal. Once, when a new third baseman came in for a bunt with a runner on second, Walsh got to the ball but couldn’t make a play to third because it was uncovered. Walsh then turned to the third baseman and said, “If you do that again, I’ll kill you. On bunts on that side of the field, you stay where you belong.” Though he finished his career with the lowest ERA (1.82) in baseball history, Walsh’s arm couldn’t withstand the overuse, and by 1913 the “Iron Man” pitcher was a shadow of his former self. Despite winning an impressive 182 games before his 32nd birthday, Walsh finished his career short of 200 wins. Walsh holds the record for lowest career earned run average, 1.82. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946.

More info:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Walsh
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/walshed01.shtml
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/3a0e7935

http://www.turkeyreds.com/?p=1481

Bobby Wallace

September 26, 2017 By General Manager Leave a Comment

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Bobby Wallace

Born: November 4, 1873 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Died: November 3, 1960 (aged 86) in Torrance, California
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 5’8″
Weight: 170 lbs.
Position: Shortstop and Third Baseman

Played For:

As player

Cleveland Spiders (1894–1898)
St. Louis Perfectos/Cardinals (1899–1901)
St. Louis Browns (1902–1916)
St. Louis Cardinals (1917–1918)

As manager

St. Louis Browns (1911–1912)
Cincinnati Reds (1937)

Biography:

Wallace was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He made his major league debut in 1894 as a starting pitcher with the Cleveland Spiders. After a 12–14 record in 1895, Wallace played outfield and pitcher in 1896. In 1897, Wallace was an everyday player as he became the team’s full-time third baseman, batted .335 and drove in 112 runs.

Perhaps the greatest defensive shortstop of his generation, Bobby Wallace was a fair right-handed hitter whose spectacular glove work catapulted him to the Hall of Fame. Wallace began his major league career as a pitcher, where his dazzling fielding soon convinced management to find a position that better suited his unique combination of skills. After spending two seasons at third base, Wallace moved to shortstop in 1899, where his strong arm, spectacular range, and fluid motion revolutionized the way the position was played. His defensive play was so outstanding that in 1911, a year in which Wallace batted only .232, Pittsburgh Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss declared, “The best player in the American League, the only man I would get if I could, plays on a tail-end team, and few people pay any attention to him. I mean Bobby Wallace of St. Louis. I wish I had him.” On June 10, 1902, Wallace accepted 17 chances in a game against Boston, a mark which has stood as the American League record for more than 100 years. In 1899, Wallace moved to the St. Louis Perfectos (renamed the Cardinals in 1900) and changed position to shortstop. He hit .295 with 108 RBI and 12 home runs(second in the league behind Buck Freeman’s 25). Wallace changed teams again in 1902, when he joined the St. Louis Browns.

Wallace had no children, but had no doubts that he would have wanted a son to play baseball. Reasoned Bobby, “Where else could he lead a cleaner and healthier life in sunshine and fresh air? Or bring so much pleasure to so many people? And be paid for it too?” Bobby Wallace died in a nursing home in Torrance, California on November 3, 1960, the day before his 87th birthday. He was buried in Inglewood Park Cemetery, in Inglewood, California.

More info:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Wallace_(baseball)
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wallabo01.shtml
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/59a8cf09

Ira Thomas

September 26, 2017 By General Manager Leave a Comment

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Ira Thomas

Born: January 22, 1881 in Ballston Spa, New York
Died: October 11, 1958 (aged 77) in Philadelphia
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 200 lbs.
Position: Catcher

Played For:

As player

New York Highlanders (1906–07)
Detroit Tigers (1908)
Philadelphia Athletics (1909–15)

Biography:

Ira Thomas was the first successful pinch hitter in the history of the World Series. While playing for the Detroit Tigers, he stroked a single while batting for Charley O’Leary against the Chicago Cubs’ Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown in the 9th inning of Game One of the 1908 World Series.

He played six seasons to finish his career with the Athletics. He was the team captain and shared equal catching duty with Jack Lappas the Athletics won consecutive World Series in 1910 and 1911. The team also won an American League pennant and a World Series, in 1913 and 1914, respectively, although Thomas did not play in either of the latter two World Series. In the 1911 season, Thomas finished eighth in American League MVP voting, with 17 extra base hits and 101 total bases. In 484 career games, he batted .242 with 327 hits and 155 RBI.

After retiring, Thomas was a scout for the Athletics, remaining with the franchise even as it relocated to Kansas City in 1955.

More info:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Thomas
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/thomair01.shtml
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Ira_Thomas

Fred Tenney

September 26, 2017 By General Manager Leave a Comment

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Fred Tenney

Born: November 26, 1871 in Georgetown, Massachusetts
Died: July 3, 1952 (aged 80) in Boston, Massachusetts
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 155 lbs.
Position: First Baseman, Outfielder and Catcher

Played For:

As player

Boston Beaneaters/Doves/Rustlers(1894–1907)
New York Giants (1908–1909)
Boston Rustlers (1911)

As manager

Boston Doves/Rustlers (1905–1907, 1911)

Biography:

Born in Georgetown, Massachusetts, Tenney was one of the first players to enter the league after graduating college, where he served as a left-handed catcher for Brown University. Signing with the Beaneaters, Tenney spent the next 14 seasons with the team, including a three-year managerial stint from 1905–1907. In December 1907 Tenney was traded to the Giants as a part of an eight-man deal; after two years playing for New York, he re-signed with the Boston club, where he played for and managed the team in 1911.

When it came to fielding prowess, the consensus was that Fred Tenney ranked behind only Hal Chase among first basemen of the Deadball Era. Considered the originator of the 3-6-3 double play, Tenney also developed the style of playing deep and well off the bag, as modern first basemen do. “Tenney’s way is far different from that of other first baseman,” wrote a Chicago News reporter in 1897. “He reaches his hands far out for the ball, and stretches his legs, so that he is farther out from the bag on every throw than any other first baseman in the league.” With his unconventional methods that soon became the norm, the 5’9″, 155 lb. first sacker led the National League in putouts in 1905 and 1907-08 and assists each year from 1901 to 1907, setting a major-league record with 152 in 1905 that lasted until Mickey Vernon topped it in 1949. As for his offense, Tenney was a masterful bunter and exceptional place hitter who batted over .300 seven times in his 17-year career, retiring in 1911 with a .294 lifetime average.

Grandson of a former Massachusetts state treasurer and son of a Civil War veteran, Frederick Tenney was born in Georgetown, Massachusetts, on November 26, 1871. Fred’s nickname, the “Soiled Collegian,” came from his aggressive playing style and his degree from Brown University, where he was a left-handed catcher. Late in the evening of June 15, 1894, the night of his senior dinner, he received a telephone message from Boston Beaneaters manager Frank Selee, who was in urgent need of a fill-in for his injured catchers. After going to bed at 4 a.m., Fred arose early, looked for his absent roommate until he found him sleeping under a tree on campus, took a shower at the gym, had breakfast, and caught the train from Providence to Boston. That afternoon he made his NL debut, catching the entire game even though a foul tip fractured the forefinger on his throwing hand in the fifth inning. The Beaneaters offered him a contract despite the injury. The 22-year-old rookie rejoined the team a month later when his finger mended, demonstrating his offensive potential by batting .395 in 27 games.

More info:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Tenney
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/tennefr02.shtml
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/40c98ad2

Billy Sullivan

September 26, 2017 By General Manager Leave a Comment

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Billy Sullivan

Born: February 1, 1875 in Oakland, Jefferson County, Wisconsin
Died: January 28, 1965 (age 89) in Newberg, Oregon
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 155 lbs.
Position: Catcher

Played For:

As player

Boston Beaneaters (1899–1900)
Chicago White Sox (1901–1912), (1914)
Detroit Tigers (1916)

As manager

Chicago White Sox (1909)

Biography:

William Joseph Sullivan, Sr. (February 1, 1875 – January 28, 1965) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for 16 seasons, most notably for the Chicago White Sox. Although he was a relatively weak hitter, he was considered one of the best defensive catchers of his era.

Sullivan’s reputation as a defensive standout is enhanced because of the era in which he played. In the Deadball Era, catchers played a huge defensive role, given the large number of bunts and stolen base attempts, as well as the difficulty of handling the spitball pitchers who dominated pitching staffs. He had to catch every type of pitch imaginable, such as shine balls, spitballs, knuckleballs, and emory balls.

Though “never very strong in stick work,” his Deadball Era contemporaries believed that Billy Sullivan’s “brilliant performances behind the bat … more than offset his weak hitting.” Although his paltry .213 lifetime batting average is the second worst all-time (next to Bill Bergen) among players with at least 3,000 at bats, Sullivan developed a reputation as a brainy backstop with an uncanny ability to handle pitchers. Described by Ty Cobb as the best catcher “ever to wear shoe leather,” Sullivan was “the best man throwing to bases in the American League,” and “no man in the business [knew] more about getting the best work from a pitcher and holding an infield together.” Sullivan also revolutionized the way his position was played; he is credited as the first catcher to position himself directly behind the batter and as the inventor of an inflatable chest protector.

More info:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Sullivan_(baseball)
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sullibi03.shtml
http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/d0d341b0

Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown

September 15, 2017 By General Manager Leave a Comment

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Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown

Born: October 19, 1876, Nyesville, Indiana
Died: February 14, 1948, Terre Haute, Indiana
Bats: Both
Throws: Right
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 175
Position: Pitcher

Played For:

St. Louis Cardinals (1903), Chicago Cubs (1904-1912, 1916), Cincinnati Reds (1913), Brooklyn Tip-Tops (1914), St. Louis Terriers (1914), Chicago Whales (1915)

Elected to the Hall of Fame by Veterans Committee: 1949

Biography:

Nicknamed “Three Finger” or “Miner”, was an American Major League Baseball pitcher at the turn of the 20th century. Due to a farm-machinery accident in his youth, Brown lost parts of two fingers on his right hand[1] and eventually acquired his nickname as a result. Mordecai Brown was one of the best National League pitchers in the early 20th century. With 239 victories, Brown’s winning percentage was a lofty .648. Brown’s most productive period was when he played for the Chicago Cubs from 1904 until 1912. During this stretch, he won 20 or more games six times and was part of two World Series championships. New York Giants manager John McGraw regarded his own Christy Mathewson and Brown as the two best pitchers in the National League.

More info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordecai_Brown
http://baseballhall.org/hof/brown-mordecai

George Stone

August 22, 2017 By General Manager Leave a Comment

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George Stone

Born: September 3, 1876 in Lost Nation, Iowa
Died: January 3, 1945 (Aged 68) in Clinton, Iowa
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 175 lbs.
Position: Leftfielder

Played For:

Boston Americans (1903)
St. Louis Browns (1905–1910)

Biography:

George Robert Stone, nicknamed Silent George, (September 3, 1876 – January 3, 1945) was a left fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox (1903) and St. Louis Browns (1905–10). Stone batted and threw left-handed. He was the 1906 American League batting champion.

Stone’s statistics fell off in both 1907 and 1908, though he was still an outstanding hitter. One account indicates that he contracted malaria in 1908, and Stone’s production plummeted in 1909 when he suffered an injury to his ankle. That injury cost Stone his speed, which had enabled him to beat out many infield hits. He also had problems with his arm, and “any time a ball was hit into his territory the opposing base runners advanced almost at will. The worry over all these things caused Stone’s batting to suffer and as a result the sensation of the American League of 1906 was a near joke in 1910.” Stone never hit higher than .300 after 1907, and his average fell to .256 in 1910, his last season in the major leagues. Stone returned to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1911, batting .282, but injuries led him to retire from professional baseball just 12 games into the 1912 campaign. He wrote to manager Duffy “that he has retired from the game for good and will spend all of his future time attending to his business in Nebraska.”

Stone soon entered the banking industry in Coleridge, Nebraska, and retirement afforded him more time to play the violin. He also owned a Western League franchise in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1916. In 1940, he and his wife Pearl (Moore) moved to Clinton, Iowa, near his birthplace. George Stone died of a heart attack in Clinton at age 67 on January 3, 1945. He was survived by his wife and son, Dr. Vean M. Stone. He is buried at Coleridge Cemetery in Coleridge, Nebraska.

More info:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Stone_(outfielder)
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/stonege01.shtml
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/8933bd24

Frank Smith

August 22, 2017 By General Manager Leave a Comment

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Frank Smith

Born: October 28, 1879 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Died: November 3, 1952 (aged 73) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 194 lbs.
Position: Pitcher

Played For:

Chicago White Sox (1904–1910)
Boston Red Sox (1910–1911)
Cincinnati Reds (1911–1912)
Baltimore Terrapins (1914–1915)
Brooklyn Tip-Tops (1915)

Biography:

Smith was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After attending Grove City College, he started his professional baseball career in 1901 in the Virginia-North Carolina League. In 1903, he went 18–13 on the mound. He was drafted by the White Sox in September.

Smith made his major league debut in April 1904. That season, he was taught how to throw a spitball by Elmer Stricklett and was able to harness the pitch on his way to 16 wins. In 1905, he improved to 19 wins. Smith threw his first no-hitter, against the Detroit Tigers, on September 6, and the final score (15–0) was the most lopsided in a no-hitter in American League history. Smith did not allow a home run in either 1904 or 1905 and kept his earned run average under 2.20 in both seasons, as well.

The “Piano Mover” slumped in 1906, going just 5–5 with a 3.39 ERA. The White Sox won the World Series that year, but Smith did not pitch in the six games. The next season, he bounced back with 23 wins, although his ERA+ was below 100 and he also led the league in walks. He then lowered his ERA to 2.03 in 1908. On September 20, he pitched his second no-hitter, this time against the Philadelphia Athletics. He won the game 1–0 when Chicago scored the only run in the bottom of the ninth inning. Smith was the only pitcher in team history to throw two no-hitters before Mark Buehrle accomplished the feat over 100 years later.

Smith had his best statistical season in 1909. Finally the White Sox staff ace, he pitched a career-high 365 innings and went 25–17 with a 1.80 ERA. He led all AL pitchers in games started, innings pitched, and strikeouts, and he finished second in wins. In 1910, Smith started off 4–9 and was traded to the Red Sox in August. He was then sold to the Reds in 1911. Smith spent 1912 and 1913 in the International League and led the league in innings pitched in 1913 while winning 21 games. He finished his career with two seasons in the Federal League.

After his baseball career ended, Smith went back to the moving business. He died in 1952, of Bright’s disease, and was survived by his wife and son.

More info:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/smithfr06.shtml
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Smith_(1900s_pitcher)
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/bb6d2cab

Wildfire Schulte

August 22, 2017 By General Manager Leave a Comment

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Wildfire Schulte

Born: September 17, 1882 in Cochecton, New York
Died: October 2, 1949 (aged 67) in Oakland, California
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 170lbs.
Position: Outfielder

Played For:

Chicago Cubs (1904–1916)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1916–1917)
Philadelphia Phillies (1917)
Washington Senators (1918)

Biography:

Frank “Wildfire” Schulte was born in Cochecton, New York, in 1882 to German immigrants. He played independent baseball as a teenager, despite his father’s opposition to the idea. From 1902 to 1904, he played for the New York State League’s Syracuse Stars. He was purchased by the Chicago Cubs in August 1904.

Perhaps as dangerous on the base paths as at the plate, Schulte, who daringly stole home 22 times in his career, became a fixture on Chance’s Cub “machine”. Along the way he picked up the nickname that became synonymous with him. Legend states that Schulte admired actress Lillian Russell and that he and his teammates saw her perform in a play called “Wildfire” in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The Cub players then enjoyed a party thrown by Russell, and Schulte, an owner of race horses (some of which were trotters he raced on ice in upstate New York) subsequently named one of his trotters Wildfire. Before long the Chicago sportswriters got wind of these developments, and he too became known by the name.

Schulte’s eccentricities weren’t limited to his nickname, as he prompted Tinker to “doubt…whether a quainter or more original character ever existed in the National Pastime.” Wildfire was known to comb the streets looking for hairpins; he claimed that they predicted his success in the batter’s box. The bigger the hairpin, the greater the success Schulte would achieve. A bent hairpin, he further surmised, indicated the direction of his upcoming safety.

Schulte made his major league debut for the Cubs in September 1904. He played on the Cubs teams that won National League pennants in 1906, 1907, 1908, and 1910. They won the World Series in 1907 and 1908. In his four World Series appearances, Schulte had an overall batting average of .321.

In 1910, Schulte led the NL with 10 home runs. In 1911, he led the NL in home runs (21), runs batted in (121), and slugging percentage (.534). He also became the first player in major league history to have more than 20 doubles, triples, home runs, and stolen bases in a season. The feat would not be accomplished again until Willie Mays did it in 1957. Schulte won the 1911 NL Chalmer’s Award.

More info:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Schulte
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/schulfr01.shtml
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/66b47e26

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