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Buck West

Outfield
  • Series: Beginnings: 1880's
  • City: Minneapolis
  • Team: Millers
  • League: Western Association

Milton Douglas West (1860-1929) was another in a long line of players who could excel in minor league play but flounder on the big stage. Buck often hit over .300 during his long tenure in professional baseball. He starred in many of the higher circuits including the Northwestern and Tri-State Leagues; and the Western and Southern Associations from 1883-1895. His chances in the majors came twice, first with the Cincinnati Red Stockings of the American Association in 1884 and finally with the Cleveland Spiders of the National League in 1890. Significantly, Buck’s call-ups came when baseball was sifting out its league organizations. The years he played at the top were years a rival third league made overtures to compete. The talent pool was tested and players such as West got rare opportunities to show their mettle. The sturdy outfielder was a big man for his day at 5’10” and 200 lbs, yet he swatted only three home runs in MLB. But one of those was memorable, establishing West as the first in the big leagues to homer in his final at-bat, September 18, 1890 at League Park.

  • Buck’s offensive output for his two seasons: 282 ABs, .245 average with 40 RBI
  • He reached his pinnacle at the plate with the Syracuse Stars in 1891 hitting .339 and leading the Eastern Association

Auction History

George Turner

Outfield
  • Series: Beginnings: 1880's
  • City: Minneapolis
  • Team: Millers
  • League: Western Association

George Turner is a mystery man. He is the subject of five Old Judge cards in the 1889 series. He wears a Minneapolis Millers (Western Assoc.) uniform and is identified as a center fielder. He strikes a left-handed batting pose in two portraits. Miller, Gonsowski and Masson, in their compilation of Goodwin and Co. cards for 1886-90 state that Turner played for the WA Denver Grizzlies in the same year. There is a Thomas Turner on the Denver roster and a “Lone” Turner on the Millers, shown as a CF-Pitcher. No other information is recorded for this enigmatic player.

  • Turner’s Old Judge poses show two with the bat and three with bare-hand catching poses

Auction History

Dan Minnehan

First Base
  • 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

Auction History

John “Dummy” Ryn

First Base
  • Series: Pioneer Portraits II: 1875-1899
  • City: Minneapolis
  • Team: Millers
  • League: Western Association

John Ryn (1862-1928) came out of Ohio and the Ohio Institute for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb, a nursery of some of the great baseball talent of the 1870s and 80s. A teammate of William Hoy and Edward Dundon, Ryn never followed them into the majors but floated on the periphery of the big leagues from 1884 to ‘95. The strapping first baseman had power and character but injuries and bad timing conspired to keep him in the minors. Hearing-impaired players made a significant imprint on the early game, none more so than Hoy, the “King of the Mutes” in the benighted lingo of sports scribes then. Ryn was able to carve out a pro career that spanned a dozen teams ending with the Twin Cities Hustlers of the Interstate League. The sketchy data indicate a .270 overall BA but press coverage consistently portrayed Ryn as a man to be reckoned with on the diamond.

  • John and his sisters were deaf, their parents were not. A lifelong bachelor, Ryn made a living as a manual laborer and lived out his life with sister Anna in Marion OH

Auction History