Eddie Phelps was a catcher for four different National
League teams between 1902 and 1913.
Edward Jaykill Phelps (Jaykill was his mother’s maiden name)
was born March 3, 1879, in Albany, New York, to Marcus, a mason, and Anna
Phelps. He made his professional baseball debut at age 19 in 1898 with the
Danbury Hatters of the Class F Connecticut State League; the August 10, 1898, Waterbury Evening Democrat quoted the Meriden Journal as saying he was “the
premier catcher of the league.” He played in 93 games and had a batting average
of .233 (no other stats are available).
For 1899 Eddie signed with the Springfield Ponies of the
Class A Eastern League, jumping up to the level just below the majors. On June
2 it was reported that he had split one of his fingers in a game; injuries
would be a recurring theme in his career, which was not unusual for catchers in
those days. He played in 86 games that season, all at catcher, and hit .248
with a .309 slugging percentage.
On January 24, in Springfield, Eddie got married to local
girl Mary Bills. That season he caught 42 games for Springfield, then went to
the Montreal Royals, also in the Eastern League, and caught 29 games for them,
and then went to the Rochester Bronchos, of the same league, and caught 23
games for them. I have no details on either of those transactions. His play was
receiving some criticism in Springfield, then in late July and early August there
were observations in the newspapers that the change of scenery to Montreal had
done him a lot of good. For the year he had 318 at-bats in 94 games, and hit
.239.
Eddie stayed with Rochester in 1901. From the Worcester Daily Spy of June 7:
BONE BROKEN BY AN INSHOOT
Edward Phelps, Catcher on the Rochester Team, Has Been Suffering Six Days Without Knowing the Cause
FRACTURE LOCATED BY USE OF THE X-RAY
Player Injured Saturday in the Game at Providence—Umpire Declared the Ball Hit Phelps’ Bat—Dooley Doing the Baby Act to Square His Team
Edward Phelps, catcher for the Rochester team, was operated upon by Dr. E.A. Trowbridge last night, and a broken bone was discovered in Phelps’ left arm, just below the elbow. Phelps had been ignorant of the broken bone for six days, but intense pain forced him to seek a surgeon last night.
In the game at Providence Saturday Phelps was hit by one of Danny Friend’s shoots. He was not allowed to walk to first, the umpire claiming that the ball hit Phelps’ bat instead of his arm. For the past few days Phelps has been unable to catch, but he did not consider the services of a surgeon necessary until last night. The x-ray located the fracture.
Eddie had possibly the best offensive season of his minor
league career that year, hitting .290 and slugging .378 in 93 games, with 11
doubles, three triples and four homers. After the season he played indoor
baseball, which seems to have been a fad at that time, on a team in Troy, New
York, that included other professional players. Also in 1901 he appeared in the
Albany city directory for the first time, listed as a ballplayer living at 329
Washington Avenue, with his parents.
In December it was reported that Eddie had received an offer
from the Detroit Tigers, but he started the 1902 season back with Rochester. On
May 15 the Worcester Daily Spy reported:
Eddie Phelps is one of the best batting catchers in the league. He also does grand work in the field. Eddie is such a quiet chap that he appears out of place in his present company.
Eddie hit .255 in 91 games for Rochester, then on August 26
his contract was purchased by the Pittsburgh (or, as they spelled it in those
days, Pittsburg) Pirates. The Boston Braves claimed to have signed him first
but nothing came of that, and he made his major league debut for the Pirates on
September 3. The Worcester Daily Spy
continued to keep track of him, reporting on September 19: “Phelps is described
by a Pittsburg critic as being ‘a hard working but slow backstop.’ The Eastern
Leaguer is slow only in appearance.” Four days later, the Daily Spy added: “The Pittsburg management doesn’t hold anything in
reserve when it refers to Eddie Phelps, the former Rochester man, as the best
catcher the Pirates ever had.” He played in 18 games for the Pirates that
September, five of them filling in at first base for an injured Kitty
Bransfield, and hit .213 with a .284 on-base percentage and .230 slugging
percentage. After the season it was reported that his off-season job was in the
state printing office in Albany.
The Pirates won the 1903 National League pennant, and Eddie
was their number one catcher, appearing behind the plate in 81 of the team’s
141 games. On May 4 a story appeared in the Colorado Springs Gazette under the
headline “PIRATES HAVE ASSORTMENT OF QUEER NOMS DE PLUME” that included the
factoid “Eddie Phelps has such a jolly looking face that he is sometimes
referred to as ‘Smilie.’”
On June 18 the good old Daily Spy informed its readers that “Eddie Phelps, former Rochester
backstop, is now put down as the greatest catcher Pittsburg has had since the
days of Connie Mack. A few weeks ago Phelps was reported a snail compared to
some of the other mittmen because a man stole home on him.” Two days later the Minneapolis Journal reported that
“Phelps is considered the best backstop in the country in the purely mechanical
part of the game.” Eddie missed some time in August with a sprained ankle. At
the end of the season in late September, he had hit .282/.338/.352 in 273
at-bats in 81 games and was second in the league in fielding percentage among
catchers at .980.
On September 27, the Boston
Journal, in an article assessing the Pirates in advance of their appearance
against the Boston Americans in the first AL/NL World Series, rated
Pittsburgh’s catching corps as follows:
Behind the bat “Eddie” Phelps has been the mainstay and he has done very commendable work. He is also a very fair hitter and, considering his size, a very fast man on the bases. Harry Smith is a good man who has not been in the very best of shape this season. Weaver and Carisch are still unknown quantities.
Boston defeated Pittsburgh 5 games to 3; Eddie caught seven
of the eight games and pinch-hit in the other, batting .231/.259/.308. The
Sporting News reported that “The series proved that ‘Chink’ Phelps is a good
catcher. He did magnificent work in the six [sic] games he acted as backstop.”
On December 12 the Wilkes-Barre
Times reported that Eddie was not playing indoor baseball, preferring to
take life easy. The following spring the 1904 edition of Tim Murnane’s How to Play Base Ball was published,
with the chapter “How to become a good catcher” credited to Eddie Phelps,
William Sullivan and M.J. Kittredge.
Meanwhile, Eddie began the 1904 season still as the primary
Pirate catcher. The Boston Journal’s account
of the game of May 24 included the passage:
Miller was almost invincible and the Bostons were powerless against his delivery. When they did manage to get to first base it was only to meet with disappointment at second through the lightning-like and accurate throws of Eddie Phelps. The Pittsburg’s backstop never threw the ball to second with more speed and accuracy than he did today and every Boston runner who attempted to steal was thrown out anywhere from one to five yards.
On July 11 the Pirates were again playing Boston, and again
the Journal will provide the account:
Eddie Phelps has been added to Capt. Clarke’s disabled list. In the third inning the backstop was knocked cold by a pitched ball that struck him dangerously near the temple. He dropped like a log and was carried to the club house in an unconscious condition. His head was placed in ice and later he recovered consciousness and was removed to his home in a carriage. The physician said that it would be absolutely necessary for him to remain quiet for two or three days, and it is possible that he may not be able to take his position behind the bat for a week or longer.
When Phelps was hit a heavy fog hung over the park and one of Pittinger’s inshoots struck him directly behind the eye before he could pull away from the plate.
It was in fact longer than a week. The August 9 Denver Post included this item:
Eddy Phelps, the fast catcher, who was hit by a pitched ball some weeks ago, will not be with the team either, as he can scarcely walk. The nerves of his head communicating with his spinal column have been hurt and Phelps can do but little. He will not be able to put his uniform on for weeks.
However, he got back into the lineup on August 13. At the
end of the season he had played in 94 games; his hitting dropped off from 1903,
to .242/.289/.278.
In December Eddie bought a house at 385 1st
Street in Albany, for himself, Mary, three-year-old Eddie Jr., and also his
parents, while he once again played indoor baseball. Also in December, he got
traded to Cincinnati for catcher Heinie Peitz. Peitz was 34 years old to
Eddie’s 25, and Eddie was considered the better hitter (despite the off-year),
runner, and catcher, so there was some surprise in baseball circles that the
Pirates would want to make the deal. But Peitz was given the edge in
intangibles, and eventually, in May, the following appeared in the Cincinnati Post as part of an article
under the heading “Why Barney Dreyfuss Let Eddy Phelps Go”:
“Against the Clevelands last fall,” is the light Al Crotty sheds on the situation, “Phelps played poor ball and his fate was sealed then. I believe he is a good catcher, but he hasn’t the ambition that Peitz possesses. He was the best bunter on the Pittsburg team, speedy in reaching first, but after he got there he seemed to slow down. When he gets well he will make a good man for Cincinnati, but he belongs to the class to whom the manager must furnish the steam.”
In other words, it is up to the managerial end to do the driving—a task that to Fred Clarke grew distasteful. The mystery of the switch of Phelps for Peitz is now cleared away. All but a few souls in Balldom imagined that Barney Dreyfuss had shrinkage of the noodle when he made the deal. It is up to Phelps to maintain the reputation he won while with the pennant winners.
(I don’t know who Al Crotty was, and the article does not
explain.)
Meanwhile, on January 13, 1905, the Post published an introductory letter from Eddie.
…Although it is over a month since the ex-Pirate joined the Red family, the appended letter is the first that has reached the fans of Cincinnati, and it comes in the shape of a personal missive to the Sporting Editor of the Post. Here it is:
“ALBANY, N.Y., Jan. 11—Dear Friend: These winter days have been busy ones to me, for I was fortunate enough to purchase a home last fall, and I’ve been fixing it up to suit myself. I am acting jack-of-all-trades. In regard to my transfer to Cincinnati, I will say that I am very well satisfied. I know I will like the city and will put forth my best efforts to favor the fans. I think myself fortunate to be working for Mr. Herrmann, and I hope I will prove satisfactory to him. I have been playing indoor ball this winter and find it a very good winter sport. I think it keeps a fellow in good shape. When ‘Cy’ Seymour was here I saw him very often, and he took part in a few of our indoor games.
“Sincerely yours,
E.J. Phelps.”
On March 8 Eddie had some more to say to the Post:
“Last spring I weighed 195 pounds,” declared Ed Phelps, “but I’m 13 pounds lighter than that at present and in splendid shape. I put in a busy winter, and between indoor baseball and running with the dogs I’ve had recreation enough to offset the work I did on my new home. I never saw so much snow in my life. I left Albany all frozen up, and it seemed queer to find no ice-bound streets in Cincinnati.”
Two days later he again spoke to the Post, and touched on the subject of last season’s head injury:
Ed Phelps, the Reds’ new stellar backstop, was one of the happiest members of the party. The deal which brought him to Cincinnati was most pleasing to him. He and Harry Arndt increase the Elks’ representation on the Red team, and they both wear the antlered buttons.
“The old bonnet feels all right,” said he, “and I’ve had no trouble at all for months. It didn’t bother me for three days after I stopped one of Charley Pittenger’s curves with my head, for I was dead to the world that long.”
On March 15 the Post
listed Eddie as 5-10, 178, on the 20th they mentioned that he was
looking for three or four rooms to rent in Cincinnati for himself, Mary, and
Eddie Jr., and on the 22nd they ran the following, under the heading
“WHAT’S DOING IN RED SOCIETY”:
“Ed Phelps will keep the third basemen guessing,” is Harry Steinfeldt’s opinion. “That new catcher of ours hits down the left line. He is a good bunter, and if the man on third moves in, Phelps is liable to drive the ball through him.”
During April there were various reports in the Post about the number of boils Eddie had
developed. The season began mid-month and he got off to a slow start, reportedly
due to an unspecified illness, while sharing the catching with Admiral Schlei.
On May 15 the Post made the cryptic
observation “When Bob Ewing pitches Ed Phelps acts as if he’d do better if he
had a bath towel tucked in his belt.” Soon after that a story circulated that
Eddie had inherited $40,000; the Post
had this to say on May 25:
EDDY PHELPS’ FORTUNE
“I went to bed last night worth $40,000 in the head lines and I woke up broke,” was the way Eddy Phelps referred to his recent dream of riches which were handed him by the legacy route. “I only wish it were true,” he added.
The Red backstop was not responsible for the circulation of the story that made him a forty-second cousin of Croesus, although he was willing to play the part.
“Me to the woods if I were a child of fortune,” said the Red backstop. “There’s nothing I like so much as a stroll through the country. I visited a kennel at Bryn Mawr while we were in Philadelphia and added a hound to my canine collection, but I’m afraid I’ll not have much time to take him out next fall, for I’m going to prepare for the sterner duties of life. I will go into the Commercial Bank at Albany, commence at the bottom and learn the business, for I want something substantial to drift into when my ball playing days are over.”
Mrs. Phelps returns to Cincinnati with the backstop, and they will join the Red colony on the hill. Phelps has a flat on Morris St., where he kept Bachelor’s Hall for some days, making his own bed and taking desperate chances on a boycott from the Chambermaids’ Union. The tale of Phelps’ windfall is said to be one of “Cy” Seymour’s inventions, and it swept through the East like a prairie wildfire…
On June 7 Eddie got hit in the head by a pitch again, but
only missed one game. In early July there were rumors that he would be traded
to St. Louis for malcontent catcher Jack Warner, but Reds manager Joe Kelley
spoke out against it and it didn’t happen. On July 17 the Post reported the following:
After the last weird exhibition of backstopping which Ed Phelps gave at the South End, Cincinnati’s lack of a great receiver general was strongly impressed upon Manager Kelley…
Manager Kelley has hoped almost against hope that Phelps would “come.” The Alabaman [?] was in poor health in the spring, but he was kept on duty in the full expectation that workouts would put him into shape, but that last display behind Orval Overall knocked from Kel the last crutch, and he is nursing regrets now that the deal which Frank Robison planned—Jack Warner for Phelps—did not go through. That switch would have entailed quite a neat outlay of cash on the Red side.
The catcher who can steady a pitcher is worth more than the mere mechanic, whose idea of the beginning and end of a backstop’s duties is the handling of thrown balls. Unless the man behind the bat is working well, the standard of play at the firing line is sure to fall off in like degree.
Also in that day’s issue: “Ed Phelps is breathing sulphuric
imprecations upon the sneakthief who stole his big mitt at Boston.” And on July
22: “Ed Phelps might dispense with enough meat to stock a refrigerator without
injuring his playing avoirdupois.” On July 25 it was time for another serious
injury, with this account from the Washington
Evening Star:
PLAYER INJURED.
Catcher Phelps Knocked Out by Mertes’ Bat.
Eddie Phelps, the catcher of the Cincinnati team, was accidentally struck with a bat in the hands of Mertes at the Polo Grounds, New York, yesterday afternoon and injured so badly that he was taken to the J. Hood Wright Hospital in an ambulance. He bled profusely and it was feared his skull was fractured. Mertes was at the bat for New York, and Harper was pitching for Cincinnati. In swinging on a wild pitched ball Mertes turned almost completely around.
Phelps ducked low to the left of the plate to get the ball and Mertes’ bat hit him on the top of the head, inflicting a scalp wound which bled freely. A call for a doctor brought half a dozen from the grandstand on the run. Phelps was taken to the bench, where the flow of blood was checked. Fearing his skull was fractured, an ambulance from the hospital was called and the player, his head swathed in bandages, was taken from the grounds to the hospital.
Phelps was able to walk, but was very weak from loss of blood and in a dazed condition.
Later in the evening he was discharged from the hospital and went to his hotel. The wound, while not serious, is a very painful one, and it will probably be several days before Phelps can appear again on the diamond. No blame attaches to Mertes for the accident.
On July 31 the Post
reported “Ed Phelps was at the game. The wound in his head is slowly healing,
but it is so deep that it will be some time before he will be able to play
again.” He returned to action on August 22; on August 23 he was injured again,
as described in the Post of August
24:
Phelps, the unlucky cherub, received an injury that will keep him out of the game for the balance of the season. In the eighth a foul tip split his hand to the bone and Schlei succeeded him. Phelps was just beginning to hit the ball. He scored two runs himself and slammed in two others in Wednesday’s game before he was injured.
Elsewhere on the same page:
Ed Phelps is probably out of the game for the balance of the season. His right hand is badly split between the thumb and forefinger. After he receives the proper surgical attention Phelps will return to Cincinnati. He has played splendid ball in both the Quaker games. This is the worst year he has ever experienced during his career as a ballplayer.
Eddie did in fact miss the rest of the season. For the year
he hit .231/.306/.301 in 176 at-bats in just 44 games.
On February 25, 1906, Eddie was mentioned on the society
page of the Springfield (MA) Republican, as one of the attendees at
a family dinner at the Nelson hotel for his in-laws, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Bills,
for their silver wedding anniversary; he was described as “the well-known
professional baseball player of the Cincinnati team.” Father-in-law Frank was
at that time “foreman in the Cheney Bigelow wire works” and was “well known in
city life, having served as a councilman from Ward 1, besides making a good run
on the aldermanic ticket on two occasions.”
All through spring training the Post raved about what great shape Eddie was in. On March 3:
Ed Phelps, the big catcher, who was so badly and so often laid up by repeated hits of bad luck at the close of last season, looks, if anything, in the primest condition of the whole bunch. He was in such bum shape last fall, with a split hand and an injured thumb, that it’s really a delightful shock to see how “corking” good he looks now.
March 13:
ED PHELPS—His improved physical condition is undoubtedly enabling him to do better work than in the year past. His batting is improved and he’s putting up a snappier article of ball.
April 3:
Ed Phelps—His health and condition, far better than last year, have naturally caused great improvement in his work. He is one of the fastest runners on the team despite his avoirdupois, and is hitting the ball regularly.
Eddie caught twelve of the Reds’ 19 April regular-season
games, and with two triples and a homer in 40 at-bats was hitting an excellent,
for those days, .275/.326/.450. But on May 8 it was announced that the Reds had
given him his ten days’ notice of release, and this set in motion events which
led to baseball’s biggest controversy of the year.
All the other National League teams waived claim to Eddie,
which would have made him an unconditional free agent at the end of the ten
days. But, as Reds President Garry Herrmann told the story, he had an agreement
with Eddie that if he could find an American League team to buy his contract
before the ten days were up, he would split the purchase price with him. On May
18, the last day before Eddie would have become a free agent, Herrmann accepted
an offer of $1500 from the Red Sox. By this time, Eddie had written to the
Pirates asking for a position, and had gotten a response that if he reported to
them by the 21st they would sign him. This he did, the Reds
apparently having been unable to get ahold of him by phone to inform him he had
been sold to Boston. He made his debut with the Pirates on May 23, going
3-for-3 with a double, a triple, and 3 RBI, and the Red Sox made an appeal to
the National Commission. The National Commission was the ruling body of
organized baseball, consisting of the American and National League presidents
and a chairman; it was the chairman’s responsibility to rule in cases such as
this, and from 1903 to 1920 the chairman was…Garry Herrmann.
Herrmann ruled that Phelps belonged to Boston and had never
had any right to sign with Pittsburgh. He informed the Pirates of this around
June 20, and they requested that they be allowed to submit additional evidence.
Herrmann allowed this, but it didn’t change his mind, and he announced the
decision on June 27. Barney Dreyfuss of the Pirates blew his top, threatened
legal action, and accused Herrmann of ruling against him because he, Herrmann,
had bet $6000 that the Pirates would not win the pennant and wanted to weaken
them. This made Herrmann so mad that he bought Phelps back from the Red Sox and
gave him to Pittsburgh.
Eddie had been playing for the Pirates for over a month
anyway, having moved ahead of Heinie Peitz as the main backup to George Gibson,
and in his 37 at-bats between his debut with Pittsburgh and Herrmann’s
announcement on July 5 that he could stay was hitting .324. When the original
decision, that he belonged to Boston, was handed down, Eddie said he wouldn’t
go; the Sporting News wondered why he
would give up the $750 he was to get for going to the Red Sox and prefer “to
rejoin a club which had in effect declared him an incompetent catcher.” Various
newspaper writers also wondered why there was so much demand for someone the
Reds didn’t think worth keeping. Once Eddie’s contract status was settled his
hitting suffered, and he batted under .200 the rest of the season. His final
1906 numbers, including his time with both teams, were .247/.308/.323 in 158
at-bats in 55 games, not bad by the standards of catchers of that time, and
better than his previous two seasons.
During the off-season Eddie and Mary had their second son,
Arnold, and the Pirates tried to trade Eddie to Columbus of the American
Association, but the deal fell through. So he was back with Pittsburgh in 1907
as George Gibson’s backup. He missed over three weeks in August and September;
the Cincinnati Post reported on
September 5:
Ed Phelps, the Pittsburg catcher, has just recovered from a dislocated knee. Phelps was never suspected of undue interest in his job while a Red, but the injury to his knee resulted, he says, from his keen interest in a game. Phelps was on the bench when Tommy Leach drove out a triple. Phelps saw that the decision at third would be mighty close. He gripped the bench hard and “pulled” for “Tommy the Wee” to beat the ball. In his excitement Phelps twisted his leg, and when he untangled himself the dislocation had resulted.
Eddie had his worst offensive year, hitting .212/.282/.221
with just one extra-base hit in 113 at-bats.
In 1908 Eddie was once again George Gibson’s backup, but
Gibson caught 140 of the Pirates’ 155 games so that didn’t leave much work for
him. In late July it was reported that he had been traded to Brooklyn, along
with three other players, for first baseman Tim Jordan, but somehow it didn’t
actually take place. Eddie hit .234/.269/.328 in just 64 at-bats.
In January 1909 Eddie had been given his ten-days notice of
release when his contract was purchased by the St. Louis Cardinals. He was
intended to be the backup to catcher/manager Roger Bresnahan, but injuries
limited Bresnahan’s playing time and Eddie ended up as the main catcher. He got
off to a hot start and was showing up at the top of the batting leaders into
June, though with much fewer at-bats than the regulars, and was also starting
to get a reputation as a pinch-hitter. Also, while in the past he had almost
always batted eighth, he became the number three man in the batting order. In
the stats published in the papers on June 9, he was still at the top of the
league at .413 (19-for-46); on June 16 he was down to .357 and was behind Honus
Wagner. On June 19 the Washington Times
observed “Eddie Phelps is rapidly descending in the batting list. He overhit
himself a whole lot in the earlier games.” On June 27 he got a lengthy feature
in the Daily Illinois State Register,
which shows just how high his stock had climbed in two months:
CARDINAL SUB BEAU BRUMMEL
HE SHINES ON THE DIAMOND ON ACCOUNT OF HIS LOOKS.
Is a Good Receiver and a Hard Sticker—Thinks the World of His Family and His Kennel of Fox Hounds.
St. Louis, June 26.—The best hitting catcher and one of the best receivers in the National league; the best dresser in the organization, and one of the most modest men playing ball, and you have Eddie Phelps, the second catcher of the St. Louis Cardinals, and Roger Bresnahan’s lieutenant, in a nutshell.
Phelps came to the Cardinals at the beginning of the season from the Pittsburg team, where he has been one of the mainstays of Fred Clarke’s aggregation for years.
Despite his value to the Cardinals and his acknowledged ability as a ball player, Phelps is one of the cheapest men that President Robison has ever paid a salary.
Not that he is a cheap man as his services go, but his acquisition to the Cardinals involved the outlay of a paltry sum of $1,500. For Fred Clarke released Phelps to the St. Louis team for the waiver price. When Mr. Robison secured Eddie Phelps he turned one of the shrewd deals for which he is noted.
Mr. Robison got Ed Phelps for $1,500. If he cared to part with him he could realize a handsome return on his investment, for there are managers in the National league that would gladly give $7,500 for the second catcher of the Cardinals.
A sure receiver, a good thrower to the bases, a handy man with the bat, and an inside player of more than average acumen, Phelps is one of the few catchers who rank in the first flight. For catchers that combine these rare qualities are few and far between. When Bresnahan added Phelps to his catching corps, he completed a staff deemed the most formidable one in either the American or National league.
Phelps is as modest as he is expert in playing the national game. He dislikes to talk about himself, though by dint of hard work, one is able to get the history of the Cardinal catcher.
Phelps is 30 Years Old.
Phelps saw the light of day thirty years ago last March. Until 1896 he was unknown as a ball player. Then he was first heard of in Danbury, a little Connecticut hamlet that boasted a ball club. Phelps was the catcher of the village prides and the hero of the small boys of that far eastern town.
For two years he remained there when his ambition grew apace with his ability as a catcher [actually he was only there one year], and he then branched out, the fall of 1899 witnessing his transfer to Springfield, Mass., then in the Eastern league.
Of course, Phelps made good there, just as he has everywhere else. From Springfield it was an easy jump to Rochester club of the same league. It was in Rochester that Eddie first attracted the attention of National league managers.
Rochester successfully kept him covered until the spring of 1902, when the big league managers pounced upon him. Mr. Frank Robinson [Robison], a brother of the present owner of the clubs and then the controlling interest in the Cardinals, was one of the many who sought Phelp’s [sic] release. But Fred Clarke of the Pittsburg club, was the lucky combination, and Eddie Phelps became a Pirate member and a big league catcher.
Phelps, with Charlie Zimmer and Smith, were catchers of Pittsburg at the time. Phelps, the youngest of the trio, replaced Jack O’Connor, a St. Louis boy and now manager of the Little Rock team of the Southern league.
Despite his comparative youthfulness, Phelps made good from the jump and soon established himself as the first catcher of the team. To be the first receiver of the Pirates those days meant something for they, like now, had a tip top baseball team. In fact, the following year Pittsburg won the National league pennant and met Boston of the American league for the world’s championship.
In the meantime, Zimmer has been released by Manager Clarke and the bulk of the catching was thrown on Phelps. So well did Phelps do his part that Pittsburgers ran Boston to a nose for the world’s honors, losing only after one of the hardest series of games ever played on a baseball diamond.
Eddie is a Good Hitter.
So far, Phelps has worked in more games than he did with the Pirates all last season. Even though Phelps was the best hitter that Clarke had for extra duty, he was never considered a regular man, despite his undenied ability.
Phelps had kept up his good work with the bat since he came to St. Louis, and at present is leading the catchers of the league by a wide margin. In fact, there are none who are anywhere near him. He stands out as a Colossus among the receivers in hitting. Bresnahan, the manager of the Cardinals, pays this tribute to Phelps:
“I consider Phelps one of the best catchers of the game. A man of ability and with it a man of rare discernment, and, above all, a man of good habits, he combines the requisites that go to make up a valuable ball player.”
While Bresnahan’s tribute is short, it is to the point. That Roger believes what he says is best evidenced by the confidence that he puts in his lieutenant.
There are other things that interest Phelps besides baseball. He has a devoted wife and two rollicking, healthy sons established in a nice home in Albany, N.Y. Baseball is a secondary consideration, for that home comes first with Phelps.
Phelps has a hobby. All good ball players have. In fact, he has two. One is a kennel of blooded fox hounds; the other is Eddie’s wardrobe. Phelps prizes his dogs highly. Why shouldn’t he, for in the collection are animals from all parts of the world, the gifts of admiring friends.
Probably the most prized one of the “gang,” as Eddie calls them, is a big fellow, the gift of Phil Chinn, of Louisville. The Chinn dog is the manager of the team, boss of them all. He lords it over the others, as Roger does over his Cardinal baseball team. In fact, so well has his dog established himself as the leader that Eddie has named him Roger—you can guess the rest of the name.
Baseball’s Beau Brummel.
When Phelps is away from home, his family and his children, he turns his attention to clothes. Baseball, with clothers [sic] to vary the monotony in the summer time, and the chase in the winter, and you have the side issue of Phelp’s [sic] life.
He carries a huge trunk; sometimes two of them, both packed with the most stylish of clothers. And he wears them well. For Phelps has the frame to carry well-fitting clothers.
There are shirts to match, ties that harmonize, and socks that complete the wardrobe.
In early August Eddie was hitting .301, and later in the
month he missed some games after being injured in a home plate collision. His
hitting tailed off further after that, but he set career highs with 104 games
played and 306 at-bats, hitting .248/.350/.297—he walked much more frequently
than he ever had before. Defensively he allowed 125 stolen bases, fourth-most
in the league, and threw out just 36% of opposing runners, which was a career
low and didn’t compare well to the league average of 45%.
In January 1910 there were rumors that Eddie would be going
to the Cubs in a three-team deal, but it didn’t happen. During spring training
he managed the team when Bresnahan was busy with logistical issues, and for the
season the two of them ended up splitting the catching, with Roger dealing with
more health issues, including ptomaine poisoning. They shared the number six
spot in the order. Eddie hit .263/.356/.293, keeping up his new-found skill at
getting on base, in 270 at-bats in 93 games. Defensively, though, he allowed
137 stolen bases, second only to George Gibson, who played in many more games,
and his caught-stealing rate was down to 30%.
In December, Eddie and two teammates were released to the
Toronto Maple Leafs of the Class A Eastern League. On December 26 the Cincinnati Post reported:
INABILITY TO PEG LOST JOB FOR EDDY PHELPS
Cincinnati fandom was somewhat surprised when it learned that Manager Bresnahan, of the St. Louis Cardinals, had succeeded in securing waivers on Catcher Eddy Phelps, who performed for the Reds a few years ago, and later did good work for other major league clubs. Queen City bugs remembered little about Phelps, except that he made about as many timely hits against the Reds as any player in the business. Mean, looping singles, that just cleared the heads of the infielders and fell in too close for the outfielders to handle, were Phelps’ specialty. The Cardinals were rather successful in copping games in Cincinnati, and those pesky Texas League drives delivered by Phelps were instrumental in winning many a game for Bresnahan’s crew.
All Cincinnati fandom realized that Phelps was not much of a baserunner, but did not notice that he had a poor throwing arm, because the Cincinnati swipers stole bases with the same abandon, no matter who did the backstopping.
But it was Phelps’ inability to whip the ball to the bases in time to head off the daring purloiners that caused Bresnahan to issue walking papers to the man who reminded the bugs of [deleted offensive racial remark suggesting that Phelps looked Asian].
…Good authority says that Manager Fred Clarke, of the Pirates, allowed Phelps to get away from that club because of a weakness at the plate when baserunners showed their threatening spikes. This combined with his inability to throw to the bases with a satisfactory degree of accuracy, caused the club which harbored him to be handicapped.
In one game last season, in which Zmich, the young left-hander, worked against the Giants, Phelps allowed 10 steals, which caused Zmich to lose his game by the score of 3 to 2.
A few bugs, especially some in St. Louis, where Phelps was very popular, are criticizing Bresnahan for letting Phelps go, but those who remember what a shrewd move Roger made when he secured Huggins and Mowrey from the Reds after other managers had turned them down, are confident that he used good judgment.
Toronto was spending a lot of money on former major league
stars in an effort to win the Eastern League pennant—in addition to Eddie,
there were Willie Keeler, Bill Bradley, Tim Jordan, and Carl Lundgren. On May
11 this ran in the Bridgeport Evening
Farmer:
KOCHER SAYS ED PHELPS IS SOME CATCHER
Former Bridgeport Backstop Boosts Another Old Connecticut Leaguer
“I wish I could catch like Eddie Phelps,” says Brad Kocher, the former Bridgeport catcher, now with Toronto. Kocher, who has been in town visiting old friends, says Phelps, the old Danbury backstop, is the best catcher in the Eastern league. “He is the most careful fellow behind the bat you ever saw,” declares Brad, “and he is some thrower, too.” After graduating from Danbury, Phelps went to the Eastern league and then played with Cincinnati, Pittsburg, St. Louis and other big league clubs…
In concurrence was the Washington
Evening Star, which said on May 11, “Eddie Phelps, who used to be a Red,
and then went to the Cardinals, is the catching sensation of the Eastern League
this year. His throwing is said to be letter perfect."
The Maple Leafs did go 94-59, but that was only good enough
for third place. The Rochester Bronchos, or Hustlers, were the league
champions, and after the season played a series against a team of all-stars
from the rest of the teams, for which Eddie caught. For the season he hit .271
and slugged .378 in 310 at-bats in 96 games, and hit eight triples, twice his next-highest
professional total.
In November reports began to appear that the Brooklyn
Dodgers wanted Eddie, and in late January a trade was finally announced, with
two players going to Toronto. During spring training 1912 manager Bill Dahlen
put him in charge of the pitchers and catchers. There was speculation in the
newspapers that Eddie would be the regular catcher, and also speculation that
he would be let go at the end of spring training. He did spend the year with
the Dodgers, though as the number three catcher. In August his name came up in (distant)
connection with a gangland murder case, as Baldy Jack Rose, a key witness in
the trial of Charles Becker for the murder of Herman Rosenthal, had been an
owner of Danbury when Eddie played there in 1898. On August 20 Eddie was
enlisted to finish the game as the home plate umpire after both umps had been
injured. For the year he hit .288/.388/.378, the best numbers of his career,
though in just 111 at-bats in 52 games; his throwing, which had apparently been
great at Toronto, returned to its St. Louis level, according to both the stats
and newspaper reports.
In December it was reported that the Albany Senators of the
Class B New York State League wanted Eddie as player/manager, but he decided to
go back to Brooklyn for 1913. He didn’t play much, but was apparently the
pitching coach, also coaching on the bases. He had four hits in 18 at-bats in 15
games, mostly as a pinch-hitter. In mid-September he was sent as a courtesy to
Newark of the Class AA International League, because they were short-handed
after an injury to catcher/manager Harry Smith, his old 1903-04 Pirate
teammate, but no stats for him there have turned up.
In February 1914 the Dodgers released Eddie so that he could
take the job of managing Albany, a year after the idea first came up; he said
that he planned to do most of the catching. On April 3 the Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader reported “Eddie Phelps, the rotund
manager of the Albany team, is putting forth strong efforts to make the
Senators a pennant factor. He has been on the job for some time and is not
wasting an opportunity to sign good men.” Two weeks later the same paper ran an
interview with Albany president Charles M. Winchester, who said:
“I think the Albany team measures up to any club in the State League. I am well satisfied with the team and with the addition of Eddie Phelps, the local boy, who is a smart base ball man, and three or four men, the team is as strong as any aggregation in the circuit…The Albany baseball public never heard much of Phelps until he signed to manage the Albany team. Phelps’ case is a peculiar one. Here’s a native boy that played in the major leagues practically since he graduated from the sand lots in this city, yet he has never been given much publicity. Eddie is a good baseball player; he knows a disposition that will make even the most sullen player like him…”
On June 23 the Bridgeport
Evening Farmer reported that the Albany team was “proving a financial failure
and there is some talk of giving up the franchise rather than lose more money,”
but they finished the season, ending up in fifth place in the eight-team
league. Eddie did about half the catching, hitting .233/.286/.265.
Albany released Eddie in March 1915, and he found a job
catching with the Sioux City Indians of the Class A Western League, where he
was hitting .316 in 38 at-bats in 18 games when he was injured by a foul tip.
He then requested and received his release, and in late June re-signed with
Albany, not as manager, but just as a player. For the Senators he hit .211 in
133 at-bats in 41 games.
In April 1916 Eddie applied for the job of manager of the
Bridgeport Hustlers of the Eastern League; the Springfield Daily News’ story on April 5 said “Phelps is not only a
credit to the game in a baseball way, but also in his deportment on the field,
which was always that of a gentleman. This is saying something in days when
rough stuff is of such frequent occurrence.” He didn’t get the job, though, and
on April 21 the Harrisburg Patriot
reported that he had been signed by manager Jimmy Sheckard of the Reading
Pretzels of the New York State League; two days later the Springfield Republican was reporting that he might be managing the
North Adams team in a proposed Class D Massachusetts State League. The league
didn’t pan out, and there’s no evidence that Eddie played in Reading, or
anywhere else, in 1916 or anytime thereafter.
Sometime during 1916 Eddie took a job as a file clerk at the
Delaware & Hudson Railroad in Albany. By then he and Mary owned a home in
East Greenbush, a suburb of Albany across the Hudson River, where they lived
with their sons, now numbering three. Eddie’s mother, Anna, died that July, and
father Marcus moved in with Eddie’s brother Charles. Eddie’s 1918 draft card
described him as tall and stout with gray eyes and brown hair; Eddie Jr.’s card
listed him as height: short and build: medium, with blue eyes and light hair,
and showed that by then he too was a clerk at the railroad. 1920 saw the
arrival of fourth child, Jeanette.
In April 1922 it was announced that Eddie had joined the
coaching staff at Rutgers University and would be working mainly with the
pitchers and catchers; I don’t know how long that lasted, as that was the last
newspaper mention of Eddie that I found during his lifetime. The 1923 Albany
City Directory shows him back at the railroad, if he had ever left. At some
point he was the manager of the railroad’s semi-pro baseball team, for which
Eddie Jr. played.
Eddie Phelps passed away in East Greenbush on January 31,
1942, after a long illness. As of 1941 he was still a file clerk for the
Delaware & Hudson Railroad. Eddie Jr. passed away at age 51 in 1952, after
working for the railroad for 34 years. Mary died at age 76 in 1958.
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