Kid Elberfeld
Kid Elberfeld | |
---|---|
Shortstop | |
Born: Pomeroy, Ohio, U.S. | April 13, 1875|
Died: January 13, 1944 Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S. | (aged 68)|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
May 30, 1898, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 24, 1914, for the Brooklyn Robins | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .271 |
Home runs | 10 |
Runs batted in | 535 |
Teams | |
As player
As manager
|
Norman Arthur "Kid" Elberfeld (April 13, 1875 – January 13, 1944) was an American
Elberfeld was given the nickname "the Tabasco Kid"[1] because of his fiery temper. He was known for his ferocious verbal, and sometimes physical, assaults on umpires. On one occasion, while in the minors, Elberfeld threw a lump of mud into the umpire's open mouth.[2] Later in his career, Elberfeld assaulted umpire Silk O'Loughlin and had to be forcibly removed by police; Elberfeld was suspended for just 8 games.[3] Records show he was tossed from a major league game 22 times as a player and 4 times as a manager.[4]
Early career
Elberfeld broke into organized baseball in 1892 in
Detroit Tigers: 1900–1903
Prior to the 1900 season, the Reds sent Elberfeld back to Detroit, then still part of the
In 1902, Elberfeld's batting average dropped to .260, but he started the 1903 season on a hitting tear. In June 1903, with Elberfeld hitting .341 for the Tigers, he was traded to the
New York Highlanders: 1903–1909
Elberfeld was with the Highlanders from 1903 to 1909. During that time, he broke the .300 mark only once, batting .306 in 1906. Nevertheless, he was considered an integral part of the Highlanders teams, contributing in many small ways. For example, on May 20, 1907, Elberfeld stole home twice in the same game, the first American League player to accomplish that feat.
Elberfield would become the second Yankee captain after Clark Griffith. He would hold the captaincy from 1906 through 1908.[8] In late June 1908, New York manager Clark Griffith resigned, and Elberfeld took over as the manager. The Highlanders finished the 1908 season, Elberfeld's only season as a Major League manager, in last place having gone 27–71 (a .276 winning percentage) under Elberfeld.[7]
Washington Senators and Brooklyn Robins: 1910–1914
In December 1909, Elberfeld was sold to the
Elberfeld returned briefly to the Major Leagues in 1914, where he played with the
Player profile
Aside from his temper, Elberfeld became known as one of the best shortstops in the early years of the twentieth century. He was known as a tough competitor who challenged baserunners to slash him out of their way. On May 1, 1908, Elberfeld was severely spiked in the foot by Bob Ganley‚ essentially ending his season. During Ty Cobb's rookie season, Cobb slid headfirst into second base, only to have Elberfeld dig his knee into the back of Cobb's neck, grinding his face in the dirt. According to a Cobb biographer, the incident marked the last time that Cobb would slide headfirst into a base.[9] Shortly before his death, Elberfeld was quoted as saying "Ty found out my feet were harder than his head. Then he started coming in spikes first. I had to protect myself."[6] Elberfeld's legs were badly scarred from years of high-flying spikes, and it was reported that he poured raw whiskey into spike wounds to cauterize them.[10]
Further showing his toughness, Elberfeld led the American League in times hit by a pitch in 1903 and 1911, and was among the league leaders in the category nine times. In 1911, he was hit by a pitch 25 times, setting an American League record that was not broken until 1986 when Don Baylor was hit 35 times. In his career, Elberfeld was hit 165 times, 13th on the all-time list.
Despite 458 errors at the shortstop position, Elberfeld had great range in his early years. In 1901, he made 332 putouts and had a range factor rating of 6.14 – 87 points higher than the league average for shortstops. He also recorded a career-best 459 assists at shortstop the following season with the Tigers. Elberfeld collected 12 assists in a single game in 1901. As injuries and age slowed him down, Elberfeld's range was more limited later in his career.
Minor league manager and retirement
Elberfeld remained active in major and minor league baseball for 30 years. From 1915 to 1917, Elberfeld managed the Chattanooga Lookouts, then went on to the Little Rock Travelers, where he managed for several years, winning a pennant in 1920.[5] While managing the Travelers, Elberfed met a 14-year-old Travis Jackson. Elberfeld observed Jackson in an impromtu workout, and later signed Jackson to his first professional contract.[11][12]
Early in his baseball career, Elberfeld bought an apple orchard on Signal Mountain, near Chattanooga. Elberfeld built his home and raised a family of five daughters and a son on Signal Mountain. His daughters formed a basketball team that played as "The Elberfeld Girls" and appeared on many Southern programs for several years. Elberfeld lived at his Signal Mountain home until his death in 1944.
Managerial record
Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
NYH | 1908 | 98 | 27 | 71 | .276 | 8th in AL | – | – | – | – |
Total | 98 | 27 | 71 | .276 | 0 | 0 | – |
See also
- List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
- List of Major League Baseball player-managers
References
- ^ Kid Elberfeld Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac at www.baseball-almanac.com
- ^ Legends of the Game at www.deadball.com
- ^ a b c Kid Elberfeld - Baseballbiography.com
- ^ "Kid Elberfeld".
- ^ a b TheDeadballEra.com :: KID ELBERFELD'S OBIT Archived 2004-09-25 at the Wayback Machine at www.thedeadballera.com
- ^ a b BGS The Report Card – December 8, 2006 Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine at www.beckett.com
- ^ a b Simpkins, Terry. "Kid Elberfeld". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ^ Tasch, Justin (December 21, 2022). "The 16 Yankees captains through the years: Clark Griffith to Aaron Judge". The New York Post. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ^ How Cobb Played the Game at wso.williams.edu
- ^ The Ballplayers – Kid Elberfeld Archived 2007-05-20 at the Wayback Machine at www.baseballlibrary.com
- ^ Erion, Greg. "Travis Jackson". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
- ^ "Travis Jackson Began Tossing a Ball at Age of Three, Playing with Dad – and Kept on Until he Became Star". The Sporting News. June 6, 1930.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)