Tommy McCarthy

Infobox MLB retired
name=Tommy McCarthy


bgcolor1=#dcdcdc
bgcolor2=#dcdcdc
textcolor1=black
textcolor2=black
position=Outfielder
birthdate=July 24 1863
city-state|Boston|Massachusetts
deathdate=death date and age|1922|8|5|1863|7|24
city-state|Boston|Massachusetts
bats=Right
throws=Right
debutdate=July 10
debutyear=by|1884
debutteam=Boston Reds
finaldate=September 26
finalyear=by|1896
finalteam=Brooklyn Bridegrooms
stat1label=Batting average
stat2label=Hits
stat3label=Runs
stat1value=.292
stat2value=1,496
stat3value=1,069
teams=As Player
*Boston Reds (by|1884)
*Boston Beaneaters (by|1885, by|1892-by|1895)
*Philadelphia Quakers (by|1886-by|1887)
*St. Louis Browns (by|1888-by|1891)
*Brooklyn Bridegrooms (by|1896)As Manager
*St. Louis Browns (by|1890)
highlights=
hofdate=1946
hofmethod=Veteran's Committee

Thomas Francis Michael "Tommy" McCarthy (July 24 1863 – August 5 1922) was a 19th century Major League Baseball player.

McCarthy was born in Boston, Massachusetts and joined the Boston Reds in the Union Association in by|1884 as a starting pitcher and outfielder. In limited innings and at-bats, he played poorly, batting at a paltry .215 average, and lost all seven of his pitching appearances. McCarthy moved to the National League and played with the Boston Beaneaters the following season and the Philadelphia Quakers the following two years but failed to bat higher than .200 in any season, although in limited at-bats.

Setting aside aspirations of being a star pitcher, McCarthy finally settled into an everyday position in a lineup in by|1888 with the St. Louis Browns in the American Association. With the Browns until by|1891, McCarthy scored over 100 runs each season and grew increasingly productive at the plate. He batted .350 in by|1890 and drove in 95 runs in 1891. Although the shoddy record-keeping of the time prevents an accurate tally, he also asserted himself as a daring presence on the base-paths, by some accounts stealing over 100 bases in 1888 and approaching the mark in 1890.

McCarthy moved back to the National League to play for the Boston Beaneaters in by|1892 and enjoyed his most productive seasons over the next few years. In by|1893 he drove in over 100 runs for the first time in his career, a feat that he repeated in by|1894 while hitting 13 home runs. The press of the day called McCarthy and teammate Hugh Duffy the "Heavenly Twins" and their Boston team was one of the most successful clubs of the era. McCarthy played for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms in by|1896 before retiring. He finished his career with a .292 batting average, 44 home runs and roughly 500 stolen bases.

McCarthy was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946. His selection into the Hall of Fame has always been a controversial one due to his less than spectacular statistics, especially when compared to the statistics of his peers.

In his "Historical Baseball Abstract", Sabermetrician Bill James makes the point that McCarthy was held in such high esteem because of his introduction of the "hit and run" play into the game.fact|date=April 2008 This play, among other novel strategies (such as batter to baserunner signals, etc.) that he and his Boston teammates utilized, were a clever and gentlemanly counter to the rough and tumble "Baltimore" style of play which was, at the time, giving baseball a bad name.fact|date=April 2008 Nevertheless, James has said that McCarthy is one of ten examples of Hall of Fame inductees who do not deserve the honor. [ [http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/01/bill-james-answers-all-your-baseball-questions/#more-1967 Bill James Answers All Your Baseball Questions] , an April 2008 entry from the "Freakonomics" blog]

ee also

* List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
* List of Major League Baseball players with 400 stolen bases

References

External links

* [http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/hofer_bios/mccarthy_tommy.htm Baseball Hall of Fame]
*baseball-reference|id=m/mccarto01