- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: St. Louis
- Team: Browns (AA)
- League: American League
- Hall: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
James Edward O’Neill (1858-1915) came out of Woodstock, Ontario to take the American Association by storm, becoming Canada’s Babe Ruth. Tip debuted with the NL’s Gothams in 1883 as a pitcher, receiving tepid reviews. He made a better impression on Charles Comiskey who signed him the next season in St. Louis to replace switch-pitching Tony Mullane. The following year theWoodstock Wonder came into his own at the plate. He became the Browns’ best hitter and led the team to four straight pennants, then falling second to Brooklyn in ‘89. Ever loyal to Comiskey, Tip followed his leader to the Players’ League Chicago Pirates, back to St. Louis in ‘91 and on to Cincinnati for his final campaign the next year. In his decade at the pinnacle of the game, O’Neill established one of the best hitting records of the 19th century: .326 BA, .458 slugging and a Triple Crown. He and Paul Hines remain the only such champions eligible for the Hall to be excluded (a fate shared with all the greats who played primarily in the AA, save for Bid McPhee).
- Tip’s excellence is commemorated north of the border with the Tip O’Neill Award given annually by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
- U.S. Speaker of the House “Tip” O’Neill was nicknamed after James
- Elected to Canadian BB Hall of Fame: 1983
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Brooklyn
- Team: Bridegrooms
- League: American Association
William D. O’Brien (1863-1893) was an outfielder for the NY Metropolitans in his rookie year, 1887, and then played five years with the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. A speedster, O’Brien stole 321 bases in his illness-shortened career, hitting .282 with an OBP of .344. One of those with the distinction of playing for Brooklyn’s pennant winners in the AA in ’89 and NL in 1890.
- Ill when he reported for spring training in ’93, team raised money and sent him to CO to heal
- The weakened O’Brien succumbed to typhoid fever at the age of 29
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Kansas City
- Team: Cowboys
- League: American Association
James Milton Burns (1861-1909) was an outfielder for the Kansas City Cowboys and Washington Statesmen in three seasons. He played for the Kansas City Cowboys in 1888-89 and for Washington’s first season in the American Association, 1891. That was also the American Association’s final year and the team moved to the National League as the Senators. 1888 was KC’s first year in the AA and ’89 was their last, so Burns was with teams in flux. A productive hitter, his batting average over the three years was .305 with 111 RBI. Jim had begun with Oshkosh and Omaha in ‘86-88 before getting a trial with the Cowboys and he stayed with the team when it became the KC Blues of the Western Association in 1890. He had a brief stint with the Denver Mountaineers before joining the D.C. squad in ‘91. Burns stayed in the minors after his season with the Statesmen, playing exclusively in the Western Association for the Minneapolis Minnies/Millers, the Detroit Creams, Grand Rapids Gold Bugs and St. Paul Apostles
- Jim had a fine .332 average in his ten minor league seasons showing that his MLB stats were typical of a good hitter
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Kansas City
- Team: Cowboys
- League: American Association
Myron Smith Allen (1854-1924) was an outfielder for the NY Gothams, Boston Beaneaters, Cleveland Blues and Kansas City Cowboys in the 1880s. In fact virtually his whole tenure in MLB was with the American Association as his stints with the NL NY and Boston clubs were precisely one game each.
- Allen’s ’87 season with the Blues was by far his most productive with a .276 BA in 463 ABs
- He drove in one run in the NL and 87 in the AA
- Allen also pitched 4 games for 3 teams, going 1-3
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Old Judge Pose: 4-3
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: St. Paul
- Team: Apostles
- League: Western Association
Patrick Lawrence Murphy (1857-1911) played one year in the major leagues for the Washington Statesmen. The year was 1891, the first in the storied franchise that became the Senators. The American Association folded the next year giving Murphy the distinction of playing for the nation’s capital’s only entry in that league. Murphy batted left-handed and managed one HR and a .265 BA. Murphy came late to the big stage. He made his pro ball debut at age 31 with the St. Paul Apostles, moving over to the Minneapolis Millers in ’91 before joining the Statesmen. He ended his minor league tenure the following year, playing for four teams: the Chattanooga Chatts, the Indianapolis Hoosiers, the New Haven Nutmegs and the Buffalo Bisons.
- This Canadian late-comer to America’s game batted a modest .237 in his minor league play
- The Toronto native died in Indianapolis only 20 years after his brief time in MLB
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