- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Philadelphia
- Team: Quakers
- League: National League
Joseph H. Mulvey (1858-1928) was a durable third baseman, enjoying a twelve-year career with six clubs. He debuted with the Providence Grays in 1883, played primarily in Philadelphia for three teams (Quakers, Athletics and Phillies) before ending his ML tenure with the Brooklyn Grooms in 1895. Mulvey had 28 HRs in the Deadball Era.
- Compiled 1080 hits over his career with a .261 batting average
- In 4084 ABs, Mulvey struck out only 257 times
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Cincinnati
- Team: Red Stockings (AA)
- League: American Association
Anthony John Mullane (1859-1944) won 284 games over a 13 year career with 7 teams, primarily in the AA. In 2010 he was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds’ Hall of Fame. When the NL added 10.5 feet from mound to plate, Mullane was never the same pitcher. The next year (’94) he surrendered 16 first inning runs to the Beaneaters.
- Ambidextrous, Mullane held the ball in both hands, disguising his intended offering
- Lost a season (’85) to suspension amidst his string of five 30-win years
- Mullane was voted SABR's Overlooked 19th Century Legend for 2015
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Boston
- Team: Beaneaters
- League: National League
John Francis Morrill (1855-1932) was a successful player/manager, primarily for the Beaneaters, in a career spanning 1876-90. His team’s third pennant came in ’83, the year after he took over as manager at Boston. “Honest John” hit .319, played six positions, and piloted the club to victory, winning 33 of its final 44 games.
- Batted .260 over his 15 year career
- Received a 5-minute ovation upon his return to Boston after a brief stint w/Washington
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Indianapolis
- Team: Hoosiers (NL)
- League: National League
Samuel R. Moffett (1857-1907) had one of the most dismal starts to his ML career as anyone ever has. He came up with the Cleveland Blues in 1884 and went 3-19 for the seventh place club. Only four rookies in all of baseball have had poorer seasons. Perhaps that led to Sam’s decision to try another venture. He literally struck gold with his brothers in Montana, taking over $200K out of the ground in ’85. He gave baseball another shot in 1887-88 with the Indianapolis Hoosiers, but his 1-5 record in ’87 coupled with a .122 BA sent him back west.
- The strapping Moffett (6’, 175 lbs) managed only a .169 career BA and went 6-29 on the mound
- Sam’s kid brother Joe was a fellow big-leaguer who played one year for the Toledo Blue Stockings of the American Association in 1884
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Minneapolis
- Team: Millers
- League: Western Association
Daniel Joseph Minnehan (1865-1929) played a lot of pro ball in the 1880s and 1890s but only got into seven of the last eight games of the Louisville Colonels’ 1895 season for his only stint in the major leagues. Dan did make the most of his brief tenure, however, as he hit .382 giving him an enviable “career” average. His six runs scored and six RBI also gave him a production record that would get the attention of any scout. Sadly, it was back to the Syracuse Stars the following year followed by a dwindling number of plate appearances for several Pennsylvania and northeastern clubs until Minnehan finished his time in professional ball with the Schenectady Electricians in 1899.
- Minnehan was born in Troy NY months after the Civil War ended and died there months before the onset of the Great Depression–a life bookended by the darkest days of the nation and blessed to play ball in some of the Republic’s most golden era
- Perhaps Dan’s claim to fame is that he was hired by Louisville to replace Jimmy Collins who was moving on to a Hall of Fame career with the Boston Beaneaters
Ars Longa Store
Newsletter
