External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
 | This biographical article relating to a baseball catcher is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
| Bob Valentine | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Catcher | |||
| |||
| MLB debut | |||
| May 20, 1876, for the New York Mutuals | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| May 20, 1876, for the New York Mutuals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .000 | ||
| At-bats | 3 | ||
| Teams | |||
| |||
Robert Valentine was a Major League Baseball catcher who played for one season. He played for the New York Mutuals for one game on May 20 during the 1876 New York Mutuals season, making him the very first major league player whose career lasted a single game.
| | This biographical article relating to a baseball catcher is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Roy Campanella, nicknamed "Campy", was an American baseball player, primarily as a catcher. The Philadelphia native played in the Negro leagues and Mexican League for several seasons before entering the minor leagues in 1946. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 1948 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, for whom he played until 1957. His playing career ended when he was paralyzed in an automobile accident in January 1958. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest catchers in the history of the game.
William Henry Keeler, nicknamed "Wee Willie", was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1892 to 1910, primarily for the Baltimore Orioles and Brooklyn Superbas in the National League, and the New York Highlanders in the American League. Keeler, one of the best hitters of his time, was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. One of the greatest contact hitters of all time and notoriously hard to strike out, Keeler has the highest career at bats-per-strikeout ratio in MLB history: throughout his career, on average he went more than 60 at bats between individual strikeouts.
Joseph Start, nicknamed "Old Reliable", was one of the most durable regulars of baseball's earliest era, and one of the top first basemen of his time. He began his playing career in 1859, before the advent of organized leagues and paid professionalism, and continued to play regularly until 1886, when he was 43. Start's career spanned countless innovations that transformed the game in fundamental ways, but he adjusted and continued to play at a high level for almost three decades.
William Arthur "Candy" Cummings was an American professional baseball player. He played as a pitcher in the National Association and National League. Cummings is widely credited with inventing the curveball. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.
Melvin Thomas Ott, nicknamed "Master Melvin", was an American professional baseball right fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Giants, from 1926 through 1947.
Estevan Enrique "Steve" Bellán, also known as Esteban, was a Cuban-American professional baseball player who played as a third baseman for six seasons in the United States, three in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) from 1868 to 1870, and three in the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP) from 1871 to 1873. He is credited as the first Latin American born individual to play professional baseball in the USA.
Charles Herbert Klein, nicknamed the "Hoosier Hammer", was an American professional baseball outfielder. Klein played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs (1934–1936), and Pittsburgh Pirates (1939).
James Henry O'Rourke, nicknamed "Orator Jim", was an American professional baseball player in the National Association and Major League Baseball who played primarily as a left fielder. For the period 1876–1892, he ranks behind only Cap Anson in career major league games played (1,644), hits (2,146), at-bats (6,884), doubles (392) and total bases (2,936), and behind only Harry Stovey in runs scored (1,370).
William Henry "Harry" Wright was an English-born American professional baseball player, manager, and developer. He assembled, managed, and played center field for baseball's first fully professional team, the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings. It was there where he is credited with introducing innovations such as backing up infield plays from the outfield and shifting defensive alignments based on hitters' tendencies. For his contributions as a manager and developer of the game, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953 by the Veterans Committee. Wright was also the first to make baseball into a business by paying his players up to seven times the pay of the average working man.
Plácido Enrique Polanco is a Dominican-American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers and Miami Marlins. He was a second baseman, third baseman, and shortstop. He was twice voted to start in Major League Baseball All-Star Games: in 2007, and again in 2011. Plácido Polanco retired with the highest all-time career fielding percentage for second basemen at 99.27% and the highest all-time career fielding percentage for third basemen at 98.34% which still appear to be records.
The Mutual Base Ball Club of New York was a leading American baseball club almost throughout its 20-year history. It was established during 1857, the year of the first baseball convention, just too late to be a founding member of the National Association of Base Ball Players.
The Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia was a prominent National Association, and later National League, professional baseball team that played in the second half of the 19th century.
Rex Edward Barney was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943 and from 1946 through 1950.
David W. "Davy" Force was a shortstop in Major League Baseball. From 1871 through 1886, he played in the National Association with the Washington Olympics (1871), Troy Haymakers (1872), Baltimore Canaries (1872[end]-1873), Chicago White Stockings (1874) and Philadelphia Athletics (1875), and in the National League for the Philadelphia Athletics (1876), New York Mutuals (1876), St. Louis Brown Stockings (1877), Buffalo Bisons (1879–1885) and Washington Nationals (1886). Force batted and threw right-handed.
Robert T. Mathews was an American right-handed professional baseball pitcher who played in the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, the National League of Major League Baseball and the American Association for twenty years beginning in the late 1860s. He is credited as being one of the inventors of the spitball pitch, which was rediscovered or reintroduced to the major leagues after he died. He is also credited with the first legal pitch which broke away from the batter. He is listed at 5 feet 5 inches tall and 140 pounds, which is small for a pro athlete even in his time, when the average height of an American male in the mid-19th century was 5 foot 7.
Michael Christopher Moustakas is an American professional baseball infielder for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Kansas City Royals and Milwaukee Brewers. Moustakas was drafted in the first round of the 2007 MLB draft by the Royals. During games he is often greeted by calls of "Moose", a nickname given by his little league coach along with fans and the media.
George A. Bechtel was an American right fielder and pitcher in professional baseball's early history who became one of the leading players of his era. He played in all five seasons of baseball's first all-professional league, the National Association, and later played in the first season of baseball's first major league, the National League, when the Association folded. He later became the first player in Major League history to be suspended for life for intentionally losing games for money.
Charles John "Chick" Fulmer was a Major League Baseball player who played shortstop from 1871 to 1884. He played for the Rockford Forest Citys, New York Mutuals, Philadelphia White Stockings, Louisville Grays, Buffalo Bisons, Cincinnati Red Stockings, and St. Louis Browns. His brother, Washington Fulmer, also played a single game at the major league level.
Cornelius Carmen "Nealy" Phelps was an American Major League Baseball right fielder who played for a total of five seasons, four in the National Association, and one in the National League.