- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: St. Louis
- Team: Whites (WA)
- League: Western Association
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Jacob Peter Beckley (1867-1918) was a durable first-baseman over a 20-year career. Though he never played for a pennant winner, Beckley hit .309 lifetime and held the games-played-at-first record until Eddie Murray surpassed him in 1994. Hit .300+ in 13 seasons (three different Pittsburgh clubs, Giants, Reds and Cards). Upon his retirement, Beckley’s 2,930 career hits placed him second only to Cap Anson.
- Not above subterfuge, worked a hidden-ball trick on Honus Wagner using two balls
- Known for cheating on the base paths, was called out by the ump for “getting there too fast!” after racing from 2nd directly home while Blue wasn’t looking
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1971
- Series: Pioneer Portraits I: 1850-1874
- City: Troy
- Team: Haymakers
- League: National Association (NAPBBP)
William Flynn (1849-1881) was one of the remarkable group of early baseball players to come out of Lansingburg (Troy) NY. This small town had an out-sized impact on the game as amateur ball was being born on a national scale right after the Civil War. Flynn was a first-baseman for the Troy Haymakers from 1867-69 before joining teammates in Chicago with the White Stockings in 1870, all with the National Association of Base Ball Players. He became part of the first openly professional sports league when the Haymakers helped form the NAPBBP in 1871. The following season, Flynn moved south for a brief stint with the D.C. Olympics but the club disbanded after a mere nine games in ‘72. The slightly-built Flynn hit .338 in ‘71, ranking with the leaders on the team. He managed only a .225 average in his final tour with the Washingtons. The 1880 census-taker found “Clipper” home in Lansingburg with his wife and four kids where he worked in a brush factory.
- Flynn and his Troy mates did deprive Harry Wright’s all-pro Cincinnati Red Stockings of one more win in their undefeated 1869 season. The teams were deadlocked at 17-17 when the visiting New Yorkers left the field in the sixth inning
- Series: Pioneer Portraits I: 1850-1874
- City: Lansingburgh
- Team: Union of Lansingburgh
- League: National Association (NABBP)
Michael James McAtee (1845-1876) played 2 yrs in the Nat’l Assoc for the Chicago White Stockings (1871) and his home town Troy Haymakers (1872). He was a good fielding first baseman with an overall batting average of .249. Played SS for the amateur Haymakers when they surprised the mighty Mutuals in 1866.
- The Great Fire in 1871 destroyed the White Stockings stadium, ending play for 2 years
- McAtee died at age 31, attended by 4 surviving teammates of the 1866 triumph
- His Tribune obituary said: “As a ball-tosser he was reliable, always striving his best to win; as a boy he was generous to a fault, respected by all who knew him”
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Indianapolis
- Team: Hoosiers (NL)
- League: National League
Otto H. Schomberg (1864-1927) played 1B and OF for parts of three seasons in the Major Leagues, for the Alleghenys and Hoosiers. He was a fine hitter but cursed with an erratic throwing arm which led to the demise of his big league career. He shuttled between first and the OF as managers tried to find a place for this promising slugger. Schomberg was also plagued by heart problems and suffered a bout of malaria that combined to end his hopes for a baseball future.
- During his only full season in 1887, Schomberg was among the top ten batters in the NL and received the Spalding Ivory Bat award as his team’s hitting leader
- Schomberg had an entrepreneurial talent that led to a successful career in the timber industry
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: New York
- Team: Metropolitans
- League: American Association
David L. Orr (1859-1915). A 1st baseman for 5 teams over 7 major league seasons, Orr was one of the best hitters of the 1880s. Largely forgotten today, Orr may have made a case for the Hall of Fame were it not for a career-ending, paralyzing stroke suffered on the field in 1890. Dave’s .342 lifetime average is 11th all-time & in 4 of 7 seasons, his closest comp is Dan Brouthers.
Brouthers himself believed Orr was the greatest hitter of his time:
"The greatest hitter that ever played ball was old Dave Orr. He didn't care whether they were over the plate or not. If they were within reach of that long bat of his he would hit them out, and when he hit them there was no telling whether they would be found again or not. I have always held that Dave Orr was the strongest and best hitter that ever played ball." - Dan Brouthers, Sporting Life, 1894
- Won AA batting title: 1884
- Won AA RBI crown: 1884
- Lead AA in hits: 1884 & 1886
- Lead AA in triples: 1885 & 1886
- The team identification on this card was corrected in September, 2017, from Brooklyn to the NY Metropolitans. While Orr did play for Brooklyn in 1888, this photo was taken in 1887 when Orr was a member of the Mets and, indeed, he is wearing a Mets uniform. Nine cards were previously sold identifying Orr as a member of the Brooklyn club.
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