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The Cleveland Forest Citys were a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio for two seasons in the National Association from 1871 to 1872. [1]
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| Player | Position | Seasons | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art Allison | CF | 1871–1872 | [2] | |
| John Bass | SS | 1871 | [3] | |
| Joe Battin | SS | 1871 | [4] | |
| Jim Carleton | 1B | 1871–1872 | [5] | |
| George Ewell | RF | 1871 | [6] | |
| Scott Hastings * | UT | 1872 | [7] | |
| Jim Holdsworth | SS | 1872 | [8] | |
| William Johnson | 2B / RF | 1871 | [9] | |
| Gene Kimball | UT | 1871 | [10] | |
| Martin Mullen | RF | 1872 | [11] | |
| Charlie Pabor * | LF | 1871–1872 | [12] | |
| Al Pratt | SP | 1871–1872 | [13] | |
| Joe Quest | UT | 1871 | [14] | |
| Joe Simmons | 1B / OF | 1872 | [15] | |
| Ezra Sutton | 3B | 1871–1872 | [16] | |
| Charlie Sweasy | 2B | 1872 | [17] | |
| Deacon White § | C | 1871–1872 | [18] | |
| Elmer White | RF | 1871 | [19] | |
| Rynie Wolters | SP / RP | 1872 | [20] |
The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP), often known simply as the National Association (NA), was the first fully-professional sports league in baseball. The NA was founded in 1871 and continued through the 1875 season. It succeeded and incorporated several professional clubs from the previous National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) of 1857–1870, sometimes called "the amateur Association". In turn, several NA clubs created the succeeding National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, which joined with the American League of Professional Base Ball Clubs to form Major League Baseball (MLB) in 1903.
After a tumultuous five-year existence, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NA) folded following the 1875 season. The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs (NL) was formed in Chicago, Illinois, by businessman and owner of the Chicago Base Ball Club, William Hulbert, for the purpose of replacing the NA, which he believed to have been corrupt, mismanaged, full of rowdy, drunken ballplayers, and under the influence of the gambling community. One of the new rules put into place by the new league was that all teams had to be located in cities that had a population of 75,000 or more. The initial NL season began with eight teams, and they were asked to play seventy games between April 22 and October 21. The NL is considered to be the first "major league", although it has been argued that the NA can make that claim.
William B. Phillips, also known as "Silver Bill", was a Canadian professional baseball first baseman from the mid-1870s until the late 1880s. From 1879 to 1888, he played for three major league teams; the Cleveland Blues of the National League (NL) from 1879 to 1884, the Brooklyn Grays of the American Association (AA) from 1885 to 1887, and the Kansas City Cowboys of the AA in 1888. A native of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, he has the distinction of being the first Canadian to play in the major leagues.
Willard Elmer White was an American professional baseball player. He served primarily as an outfielder but also as a catcher in 1871 with the Cleveland Forest Citys of the National Association. Although he broke his arm running into a fence during a game on June 22, he played 15 of Cleveland's 29 games in their inaugural season, batting .257. However, he died of tuberculosis in March 1872, becoming the first player from a professional baseball league to die. White was the cousin of Deacon White and Will White.
Charles Henry Pabor, also spelled Charley, nicknamed "The Old Woman in the Red Cap", was an American Major League Baseball left fielder and manager throughout the existence of the National Association, 1871–1875.
Winfield Scott Hastings was a Major League Baseball player and manager in the late 19th century. Primarily a catcher and outfielder, Hastings also appeared as a first baseman, second baseman, and shortstop over the course of his career.
The Cleveland Blues were a professional baseball franchise that operated in the National League (NL), a "major" league, from 1879 until 1884. They were organized by businessmen William Hollinger, and J. Ford Evans in 1878 as the Forest Citys, and played a season as an independent team. The NL expanded from six teams to eight before the 1879 season, and the Forest Citys accepted an invitation to join the league. Evans became their president and stayed in that capacity until C. H. Bulkeley assumed the role in 1882. In their six seasons in the NL, the team never finished higher than third place in the standings. They played their home games in League Park.
The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball franchise based in Providence, Rhode Island from 1878 to 1885. During the team's eight seasons in the National League (NL), which then comprised eight teams, they finished third place or higher in the final standings seven times, and won the league championship in both 1879 and 1884. Providence played their home games at the Messer Street Grounds, which was located in the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence. The Grays were officially organized on January 16, 1878 by Benjamin Douglas, who became the team's general manager. Henry Root was hired as the team president‚ and Tom Carey was initially hired to be the on-field captain, whose duties were similar to the modern-day manager. On January 21, 1878, Providence applied for membership in the NL, and was officially approved on February 6. On April 10, Root took over ownership of the team, fired Douglas for incompetence and insubordination, and hired Tom York to replace Carey as captain.
Charles Hodes was an American professional baseball player who played as a catcher, infielder, and outfielder in the National Association for three seasons from 1871 to 1874. A Brooklyn native, Hodes played one season each for the Chicago White Stockings, Troy Haymakers, and Brooklyn Atlantics. He had a career batting average of .231 in 63 total games before dying from tuberculosis in 1875.
John F. McMullin was an American professional baseball player. During the first professional league season in 1871, he was the only regular left-handed pitcher, while in later seasons he mainly played the outfield. After playing almost every game throughout the five National Association seasons (1871–1875), he did not play a single game in the National League that succeeded it. He died in his native Philadelphia five years later, only 32 years old.
The Philadelphia Athletics were a professional baseball team that existed for two seasons from 1890 to 1891. Known alternatively as the Philadelphia Quakers, and sometimes informally as "Buffinton's Beauties", they played their first season in the newly created Players' League (PL) of 1890, and were managed by Jim Fogarty and Charlie Buffinton. After the demise of the PL following the 1890 season, the team joined the American Association (AA) for the 1891 season, and were managed by Bill Sharsig and George Wood. For each season, the franchise used Forepaugh Park as their home field.
The Philadelphia White Stockings were a professional baseball franchise that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The team existed for three seasons in the National Association from 1873 to 1875. There were known alternatively as the Whites, Phillies, Philadelphias, or Pearls, and played their home games at the Jefferson Street Grounds.
The New York Mutuals baseball club, established 1859, played five seasons in the National Association, 1871–1875, and one in the National League, 1876. Here is a list of all their players in regular season games beginning 1871.
The Baltimore Canaries were a professional baseball team that existed for three seasons in the National Association, from 1872 to 1874.
The Kansas City Cowboys were a professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri that played in the American Association for two seasons from 1888 to 1889. The franchise initially used Association Park as their home field in 1888, then moved to Exposition Park for the 1889 season.