Sam Barkley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sam Barkley | ||
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| Second baseman | ||
| Born: May 24, 1858 Wheeling, West Virginia |
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| Died: April 20, 1912 (aged 53) Wheeling, West Virginia |
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| Batted: Right | Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | ||
| May 1, 1884 for the Toledo Blue Stockings |
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| Final game | ||
| July 12, 1889 for the Kansas City Cowboys |
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| Career statistics | ||
| Batting Average | .258 | |
| Home runs | 10 | |
| Runs batted in | 231 | |
| Teams | ||
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As Player
As Manager |
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| Career highlights and awards | ||
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Samuel E. Barkley (May 24, 1858 - April 20, 1912) was a 19th century Major League Baseball player born in Wheeling, West Virginia, who played mainly as a second baseman for four different team in his six seasons.[1]
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[edit] Career
Sam began his career with the Toledo Blue Stockings of the Northwestern League, and was a member of their championship team in 1883[2], and was still with the team when they joined the American Association for the 1884 season, and was the everyday second baseman. He batted .306 that season and led the league in doubles with 39.[1] Following the season, Toledo and the St. Louis Browns had made an arrangement in the off-season for a trade involving several players, but the trade broke down after the waiting period and only Barkley and one other player actually played with St. Louis. After a lawsuit, and it was estimated that Barkley had been valued for $800. Chris von der Ahe later claimed that Barkley's value was $1,000, but that may have been the asking price.
In March 1886, Browns owner Chris Von der Ahe had offered Barkley for $1000 to the first team to pay the money. Billy Barnie was able to have Barkley sign an undated contract with the Baltimore Orioles and wired the asking price to Von der Ahe, but he had already secured a deal with owner of the Pittsburgh Alleghenys, Denny McKnight, and Sam was convinced to play for the Pittsburgh club instead. The American Association suspended and fined Barkley for signing with Pittsburgh this action. Barkley sued the Association, but they settled out of court with suspension being lifted although the fine stayed in place. Baltimore was offered and accepted Milt Scott as payment.[3]
That first season with Pittsburgh, the 1886 season, he hit .266 with 31 doubles, and he also stole 22 bases, while playing in 122 games. He stats declined significantly in 1887, only playing in 89 games, hitting only .224. After the season was over, Pittsburgh sold him to the Kansas City Cowboys of the American Association.[1]
He was given good playing time in 1888 by the Cowboys, playing in 116 games, but his batting average slid further down, to .216,[1] but the season was not uneventful. On June 13, he hit for the cycle[4], and he was given the managerial reigns, which lasted 58 games and 21 wins.[1]
[edit] Post-career
After his career in baseball ended, he went on to be a cigar maker.[5] He died at the age of 53 in his hometown of Wheeling, and was buried in Peninsula Cemetery.[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f Sam Barkley's Statistics. retrosheet.org. Retrieved on 2008-03-15.
- ^ Baseball In Toledo, pg. 11. by John Husman. Retrieved on 2008-03-15.
- ^ Baseball: The Early Years, pgs. 217-218. Harold Seymour. Retrieved on 2008-03-15.
- ^ Cycle hitters. Baseball Digest, Nov. 2005. Retrieved on 2008-03-15.
- ^ The Dead Ball Era: Heading Home. thedeadballera.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-15.
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
