Rollie Zeider
Encyclopedia
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...
infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
(playing over 100 games at all four infield positions in his career) for the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
(-), New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, Chicago Chi-Feds/Chicago Whales
Chicago Whales
The Chicago Whales were a professional baseball team based in Chicago. They played in the Federal League, a short-lived "third Major League", in 1914 and 1915. They originally lacked a formal nickname, and were known simply as the "Chicago Federals" to distinguish them from the Chicago Cubs and...
in the Federal League
Federal League
The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that operated as a "third major league", in competition with the established National and American Leagues, from to...
from -, and lastly the Chicago Cubs
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...
(-). He is one of only a few players to play for three different Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
teams in his career, and one of two to do it in the 20th century. He is the only person to hit home runs for all three Chicago Major League teams in the twentieth century. Along with Dutch Zwilling
Dutch Zwilling
Edward Harrison "Dutch" Zwilling , was a professional baseball player who played outfield in the major leagues from -...
he is the only 20th century player to play in the same city in three different Major Leagues (American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
(White Sox), Federal League (Chi-Feds/Whales), and 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...
(Cubs).
Strangely, Zeider contributed to another odd record along with Zwilling. The Cubs were one of the few teams in history, and the most recent until to have three players whose last names begin with "Z": Zeider, Zwilling, and Heinie Zimmerman
Heinie Zimmerman
Henry Zimmerman , known as "Heinie" or "The Great Zim," was a Major League Baseball player in the early 20th century. Zimmerman played for the Chicago Cubs and New York Giants...
. The 1999 Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
were the first and only since then with Jeff Zimmerman
Jeff Zimmerman
Jeffrey Ross Zimmerman is a former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched in Major League Baseball from 1999-2001 for the Texas Rangers.-Independent baseball:...
, Todd Zeile
Todd Zeile
Todd Edward Zeile is a former catcher, third baseman, and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played from 1989 to . After graduating from UCLA, where he played as a catcher, Zeile played for 11 Major League teams during his career: the St...
, and Gregg Zaun
Gregg Zaun
Gregory Owen "Gregg" Zaun is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He is the nephew of former MLB catcher Rick Dempsey. Zaun was a high school teammate of Mark Loretta...
.
His nickname Bunions came from the blood poisoning he received when Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
rammed his spike into his "bunion" during a play.
The right-handed Zeider was one of the fastest players in the game, even at the time. With the White Sox, as a rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
, Zeider accomplished what would end up being his career-high in stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s with 49. Not only that, but his 49 stolen bases stood as the record for stolen bases by a rookie until 76 years later, when John Cangelosi
John Cangelosi
John Anthony Cangelosi , is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as an outfielder from 1985–1990, 1992, and 1994-1999. He graduated from Miami Springs High School in Miami Springs, Florida...
, another White Sox player, broke it in with 50.
He reached the top 5 in stolen bases twice , and when he had 47 in . Besides those two season, Zeider's early career came as a utility player. Not until did he begin to play regularly every year. By that point, his speed had decreased, but he still came in eighth in the league in steals with 35 that year (tied with Tom Downey
Thomas Edward Downey
Thomas Edward Downey was a major league baseball player. Born in Lewiston, Maine, Downey played on several baseball teams after his first professional appearance at age 25 on May 7, 1909...
and Baldy Louden
Baldy Louden
William P. "Baldy" Louden , was a Major League Baseball infielder who played six seasons in the Major Leagues with the New York Highlanders , Detroit Tigers , Buffalo Buffeds , and Cincinnati Reds . Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Louden played mostly at second base and shortstop...
). It was also, arguably, his best full season.
In a nine-season career, he batted
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 :...
.240 with 5 home run
Home 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 and 253 RBIs in 941 games. He stole 223 bases in his career and scored 393 runs
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...
. He had 769 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 3210 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. In his only World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
appearance (1918
1918 World Series
The 1918 World Series featured the Boston Red Sox, who defeated the Chicago Cubs four games to two. The Series victory for the Red Sox was their fifth in five tries, going back to . The Red Sox scored only nine runs in the entire Series; the fewest runs by the winning team in World Series history...
with the Cubs), Zeider had two plate appearances and walked twice.
Zeider began his professional career in 1909 playing third base for the minor-league
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
San Francisco Seals. He also finished his career in the minors, playing for the Toledo Mud Hens
Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a minor league baseball team located in Toledo, Ohio. The Mud Hens play in the International League, and are affiliated with the major league baseball team the Detroit Tigers, based approximately 50 miles to the north of Toledo. The current team is one of several...
in .
Personal history
Zeider was born in the small town of Hoover near LogansportLogansport, Indiana
Logansport is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, Indiana, United States. The population was 18,396 at the 2010 census. Logansport is located in northern Indiana, at the junction of the Wabash and Eel rivers, northeast of Lafayette.-History:...
in Cass County, Indiana
Cass County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 40,930 people, 15,715 households, and 10,921 families residing in the county. The population density was 99 people per square mile . There were 16,620 housing units at an average density of 40 per square mile...
, where his father was a farmer, and grew up in Auburn, Indiana
Auburn, Indiana
Auburn is a city in DeKalb County, Indiana, United States. The population was 13,086 at the 2010 census. Founded in 1836 by Wesley Park , the city is the county seat of DeKalb County. Auburn is also known as Home of the Classics.-Geography:...
, where his father took a job in a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
. Zeider was married twice, first to Alberta Doyle, who died of tuberculosis in 1916, then to Margaret Pilgrim.
After retiring from professional baseball, he ran a restaurant in Garrett, Indiana
Garrett, Indiana
Garrett is a city in Keyser Township, DeKalb County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,286 at the 2010 census. Founded in 1875, Garrett was named for John W...
called Polly's Tavern. ("Polly" was his local nickname.) He moved to Orland, Indiana
Orland, Indiana
Orland is a town located in the northwest corner of Steuben County, Indiana in Millgrove Township at the intersection of State Road 120 and State Road 327. The population was 434 at the 2010 census...
in neighboring Steuben County
Steuben County, Indiana
Steuben County is a county located in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 34,185. The county seat is Angola...
in 1959. He died in a hospital in Garrett, aged 83, and was interred beside his first wife in Woodlawn Cemetery in Auburn
Auburn, Indiana
Auburn is a city in DeKalb County, Indiana, United States. The population was 13,086 at the 2010 census. Founded in 1836 by Wesley Park , the city is the county seat of DeKalb County. Auburn is also known as Home of the Classics.-Geography:...
.
Zeider was inducted into the Northeast Indiana Baseball Association Hall of Fame in 1965.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
- Wrigley Field: Weeghman Park and the Federal League (1913–1915)