Jake Stenzel
Encyclopedia
Jacob Charles Stenzel was a center fielder
in Major League Baseball
from 1890 to 1899. He played for the Chicago Colts
, Pittsburgh Pirates
, Baltimore Orioles
, St. Louis Browns/Perfectos
, and Cincinnati Reds
. Stenzel was 5 in 10 in (1.78 m) tall and weighed 168 pounds (76.2 kg).
and batted .387 in 41 games. He then spent the next two seasons in the Tri-State League
. In 1890, Stenzel hit .311 for the Texas League
's Galveston Sand Crabs and also made his major league debut with the Chicago Colts. He went back to the minors after the season. In 1892, while playing for the Portland Webfeet
, he led the Pacific Northwest League
in batting average
, at .339. He joined the National League
's Pittsburgh Pirates towards the end of the season and went hitless in nine at bat
s.
s, 150 runs scored
, and 121 runs batted in
. In 1895, Stenzel raised his batting average to .371; his OPS+ total of 157 ranked fifth in the league. In 1896, he hit .361 to lead the Pirates in batting average for the third straight season. He became the first Pittsburgh player to collect six hits
in a game, which he accomplished on May 14.
In November 1896, Stenzel was traded to the Baltimore Orioles. He had another solid season in 1897, batting .353 and leading the NL with 43 doubles
. He also hit .381 in the post-season Temple Cup
series, which Baltimore won over the Boston Beaneaters
. In 1898, Stenzel was batting .254 in June when he was traded to the St. Louis Browns. He finished the year with the Browns and then played briefly for the Browns and the Cincinnati Reds in 1899 before his professional baseball career ended. Over his nine-year MLB career, Stenzel had 1,024 hits and a .338 batting average in 761 games. He has the 21st-highest batting average in history.
. He then went to work as a night watchman in a factory.
Stenzel died in 1919 and was buried in St. Mary Cemetery
in Cincinnati.
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
from 1890 to 1899. He played for the Chicago Colts
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
, Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles (19th century)
The Baltimore Orioles were a 19th-century American Association and National League team from 1882 to 1899. The club, which featured numerous future Hall of Famers, finished in first place three consecutive years and won the Temple Cup championship in 1896 and 1897...
, St. Louis Browns/Perfectos
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
, and Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
. Stenzel was 5 in 10 in (1.78 m) tall and weighed 168 pounds (76.2 kg).
Early career
Stenzel was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1867. He started his professional baseball career in 1887 in the Ohio State LeagueOhio State League
The first Ohio State League was a baseball league in 1887 before changing names to the Tri-State League.The first 20th century Ohio State League started in 1908 as a class D loop and ran through 1916. Another Ohio State League was formed in 1936 and ran through 1947 except for a break in '42-'43...
and batted .387 in 41 games. He then spent the next two seasons in the Tri-State League
Tri-State League
The Tri-State League was the name of five different circuits in American minor league baseball.-History:The first league of that name played for four years and consisted of teams in Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia....
. In 1890, Stenzel hit .311 for the Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
's Galveston Sand Crabs and also made his major league debut with the Chicago Colts. He went back to the minors after the season. In 1892, while playing for the Portland Webfeet
Portland Webfeet
The Portland Webfeet were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pacific Northwest League. They were located in Portland, Oregon and played at Columbia Park. They were active from to ....
, he led the Pacific Northwest League
Pacific Northwest League
The Pacific Northwest League was a professional Minor League Baseball league based in the Pacific Northwest. It was the first professional baseball league ever in the region.-Founding:...
in batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
, at .339. He joined the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
's Pittsburgh Pirates towards the end of the season and went hitless in nine at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
s.
Major league regular
Stenzel appeared in 60 games for the Pirates in 1893 and batted .362 to establish his reputation as a strong hitter. Over the following three seasons, he was the team's regular center fielder. He posted the best statistics of his career in 1894, when he hit .352 with 13 home runHome run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s, 150 runs scored
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
, and 121 runs batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
. In 1895, Stenzel raised his batting average to .371; his OPS+ total of 157 ranked fifth in the league. In 1896, he hit .361 to lead the Pirates in batting average for the third straight season. He became the first Pittsburgh player to collect six hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
in a game, which he accomplished on May 14.
In November 1896, Stenzel was traded to the Baltimore Orioles. He had another solid season in 1897, batting .353 and leading the NL with 43 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
. He also hit .381 in the post-season Temple Cup
Temple Cup
The Temple Cup was a trophy awarded to the winner of a best-of-seven, post-season championship series in the National League, from 1894–1897. The 30-inch-high silver cup was donated by coal, citrus, and lumber baron William Chase Temple, the owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates at the time...
series, which Baltimore won over the Boston Beaneaters
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
. In 1898, Stenzel was batting .254 in June when he was traded to the St. Louis Browns. He finished the year with the Browns and then played briefly for the Browns and the Cincinnati Reds in 1899 before his professional baseball career ended. Over his nine-year MLB career, Stenzel had 1,024 hits and a .338 batting average in 761 games. He has the 21st-highest batting average in history.
Later life
Stenzel had a wife and two children. After his baseball days were over, he ran a bar in Cincinnati until he sold it during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He then went to work as a night watchman in a factory.
Stenzel died in 1919 and was buried in St. Mary Cemetery
St. Mary Cemetery, Cincinnati
St. Mary Cemetery, Cincinnati is located at 701 East Ross Avenue in St. Bernard, Ohio. St. Mary is a Roman Catholic cemetery, which has a German beginning in the nineteenth century. It was the cemetery of the Old St. Mary's Church in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati.Old St Mary's...
in Cincinnati.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball players with a career .400 on-base percentage
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
- List of Major League Baseball doubles champions
- List of Major League Baseball players with 20 triples