Tom Stouch
Encyclopedia
Thomas Carl "Tom" Stouch (December 2, 1869 – October 7, 1956) was a former Major League Baseball
second baseman
who played four games with the Louisville Colonels
of the National League
in 1898. He is best known for "discovering" Shoeless Joe Jackson
who played against him while Jackson was in a mill team in Greer, South Carolina
in 1907.
in 1869. His professional career started in the Texas League
in 1892. He also played for a minor league team in Charleston (unclear what city) in 1892. He moved on to Lancaster
of the Pennsylvania State League in 1895. He moved around the Minors playing with four teams in 1896. He played in the New England League
in 1897 and 1898 before landing a four game stint with the Louisville Colonels in 1898. He had a .313 batting average
, with 6 runs batted in in 16 at bat
s during his stint in the major leagues. He went back to the minor leagues playing in the Virginia League, the Atlanta Crackers
of the Southern Association
, and the Tennessee-Alabama League before becoming player-manager of the Greenville Spinners
.
against Jackson mill team in Greer, South Carolina in 1907. His team couldn't hold Jackson off the bases and Stouch made sure Jackson moved up the Minor Leagues. He got the chance to sign Jackson when he was offered the job of managing the Spinners in 1908. He quickly signed Jackson for $75 a month, more than Jackson made playing in the mill leagues. When the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League
offered $900 for his contract, Stouch was the one who convinced Jackson who originally hesitated to play for the Athletics.
of the Sally League
in 1911. He retired to Lancaster, where he died at the age of 86.
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...
second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
who played four games with the Louisville Colonels
Louisville Colonels
The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that played in the American Association throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891, first as the Louisville Eclipse and later as the Louisville Colonels , the latter name derived from the historic Kentucky colonels...
of 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...
in 1898. He is best known for "discovering" Shoeless Joe Jackson
Shoeless Joe Jackson
Joseph Jefferson Jackson , nicknamed "Shoeless Joe", was an American baseball player who played Major League Baseball in the early part of the 20th century...
who played against him while Jackson was in a mill team in Greer, South Carolina
Greer, South Carolina
Greer is a city in Greenville and Spartanburg counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina, between the cities of Greenville and Spartanburg. The population was 25,515 at the 2010 census. It is projected to hit 30,000 within 4 years. Each day, more than three times that number of people pass...
in 1907.
Playing career
Stouch was born in Perrysville, OhioPerrysville, Ohio
Perrysville is a village in Ashland County, Ohio, United States. The population was 816 at the 2000 census. The area was first permanently settled around 1811. One of the settlers, Judge Coulter, picked the most beautiful spot for a village with the intentions of naming it Coulterville...
in 1869. His professional career started in 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...
in 1892. He also played for a minor league team in Charleston (unclear what city) in 1892. He moved on to Lancaster
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
of the Pennsylvania State League in 1895. He moved around the Minors playing with four teams in 1896. He played in the New England League
New England League
The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played sporadically in five of the six New England states between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League Baseball clubs in Boston and alongside stronger, higher-classification...
in 1897 and 1898 before landing a four game stint with the Louisville Colonels in 1898. He had a .313 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 :...
, with 6 runs batted in in 16 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 during his stint in the major leagues. He went back to the minor leagues playing in the Virginia League, the Atlanta Crackers
Atlanta Crackers
The Atlanta Crackers were minor league baseball teams based in Atlanta, Georgia, between 1901 and 1965. The Crackers were Atlanta's home team until the Atlanta Braves moved from Milwaukee in 1966....
of the Southern Association
Southern Association
The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A , Class A1 and Class AA...
, and the Tennessee-Alabama League before becoming player-manager of the Greenville Spinners
Greenville Spinners
The Greenville Spinners were a minor league baseball team located in Greenville, South Carolina.They played in the Carolina Association from 1908-1912, the South Atlantic League from 1919-1930, 1946-1950 and 1961-1962, the Palmetto League in 1931 and the Tri-State League from 1954-1955.The team had...
.
Shoeless Joe Jackson
Stouch first discovered Jackson while playing an exhibition gameExhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
against Jackson mill team in Greer, South Carolina in 1907. His team couldn't hold Jackson off the bases and Stouch made sure Jackson moved up the Minor Leagues. He got the chance to sign Jackson when he was offered the job of managing the Spinners in 1908. He quickly signed Jackson for $75 a month, more than Jackson made playing in the mill leagues. When the Philadelphia Athletics of the 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...
offered $900 for his contract, Stouch was the one who convinced Jackson who originally hesitated to play for the Athletics.
Later career
Stouch was player-manager for the Greenville Spinners for four seasons from 1907–1912, with the exception of a eight game stint with AugustaAugusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
of the Sally League
Southern League (baseball)
The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...
in 1911. He retired to Lancaster, where he died at the age of 86.