Fred Carroll

Frederick Herbert (Fred) Carroll (July 2, 1864 - November 7, 1904) was a catcher and outfielder in Major League Baseball. From 1884 through 1891, he played with the Columbus Buckeyes (1884) and for the Pittsburgh teams Alleghenys (1885-89), Burghers (1890) and Pirates (1891). Carroll batted and threw right handed. He was born in Sacramento, California.

Baseball career

In an eight-season Major League career, Carroll posted a .284 batting average with 27 home runs and 366 RBI in 754 games played.

In 1886 Carroll compiled career-high numbers in hits (140) and doubles (28) while batting .288 with 92 runs and 64 RBI. The next season he went .328, 71, 54, and had a career-high 15 triples.

In August 1886, Carroll was briefly suspended after fighting with a teammate, first baseman Otto Schomberg. Schomberg was unpopular with his teammates, and the fight started after Carroll referred to him with what The Sporting News subsequently termed "vile names". The pair were separated by Frank Ringo and Ed Glenn, and while Carroll was immediately suspended, the suspension was short-lived. The directors of the Pittsburg Alleghenys convened a meeting that night, and after the players refused to testify, Carroll was reinstated and his penalty was reduced to a $50 fine."Caught on the Fly", The Sporting News, p. 5, published August 23, 1886, accessed January 31, 2008.]

Carroll died in San Rafael, California, at age 40.

Legacy

According Bill James in his book "Baseball Abstract", Carroll has been the best "young" catcher before Johnny Bench. A victim of the 1890s Brotherhood, he also was a competent outfielder and played shortstop, first base, and third as well.

Carroll holds a major league catchers record for age 24 in OPS with a .970 mark, set in 1889. The same season, he posted a career-high .330 BA and a .930 fielding percentage as catching. An above-average runner with good instincts, he compiled 137 stolen bases in his career.

Highlights

*Led NL in on base percentage (1889, .486)
*Led NL in OPS (1889, .970)
*Became the first Pittsburgh player to hit for the cycle (May 2, 1887)
*Set a major league record with nine hits in a doubleheader (July 5, 1886)

ee also

* Hitting for the cycle

External links

* [http://www.sabruk.org/examiner/12/graceland.html Baseball in Graceland]
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/chronology/1886JULY.stm Baseball Library]
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/carrofr01.shtml Baseball Reference]
* [http://members.tripod.com/bb_catchers/catchers/carrollf.htm Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers]

References