Tagged: Western Association

Cedar Rapids Professional Baseball Alumni Bios – John O’Connell (1896, 1902 – Cedar Rapids Rabbits)

John O’Connell was the seventh player to make his Major League debut from our list of 384 Cedar Rapids professional baseball alumni who have played in Cedar Rapids either before or after their MLB debut. O’Connell played in the major leagues before and after he played in Cedar Rapids. He made his big league debut at age 19 on August 22, 1891, playing for the Baltimore Orioles. O’Connell played 8 games at second base, shortstop and in the outfield for the Orioles while hitting .172 with 1 double, seven RBI and stole a pair of bases in 29 at bats in 1891. The Orioles finished in fourth place with a 71-64 record under manager Billy Barney. O’Connell returned to the big leagues with the Detroit Tigers at age 30 in 1902. He appeared in eight games playing first and second base while hitting .182 in 22 at bats as the Tigers posted a 52-83 record under manager Frank Dwyer.

John O’Connell played for 19 different teams in ten minor league seasons between 1891 and 1905. He made stops playing for Lynn, the Mobile Blackbirds, Chattanooga Chatts, New Orleans Pelicans, Dover, Worcester, Bangor Millionaires, Lewiston, Lawrence Indians, Cedar Rapids Rabbits, Quincy Bluebirds, Topeka Giants, Ottumwa Giants, Scranton Miners, Utica Pentups, Albany Senators, Omaha Omahogs, Des Moines Hawkeyes, Colorado Springs Millionaires, Milwaukee Brewers, Evansville River Rats, a second tour with Cedar Rapids, Fort Wayne Railroaders, Boise Fruit Pickers, Vancouver Veterans and the Seattle Siwashes.

John O’Connell was a member of the 1896 Cedar Rapids squad that finished fourth with a 32-47 record in the Western Association under managers Hiram Ebright and Belden Hill‘s guidance. O’Connell returned in 1902 to play for the Rabbits squad that finished third in the Three-I League with a 63-56 record under Belden Hill.

John O’Connell passed away two days short of his 36th birthday on May 14, 1908 in Derry, NH. He was buried at Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Cedar Rapids Professional Baseball Alumni Bios – John Slagle (Cedar Rapids Rabbits – 1896)

John Slagle was the fifth player to make his Major League debut from our list of 384 Cedar Rapids professional baseball alumni who have played in Cedar Rapids either before or after their MLB debut. Slagle made his big league debut on April 30, 1891, playing for the Cincinnati Kelly Killers. Slagle pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief in his only big league appearance. He struck out one while allowing three hits and one walk.

The Cincinnati Kelly Killers were a member of the American Association in 1891. It was the only season Cincinnati would field a team in two leagues. The Kelly Killers and Frank Bancroft are credited with starting the “Opening Day” festivities that are now seen across baseball. The Kelly Killers season ended early when the franchise was suspended on August 17, 1891 and ceased operations due to financial issues. The Milwaukee Brewers of the Western League stepped in and played the rest of the Kelly Killers’ schedule. Four teams (St. Louis, Baltimore, Washington and Louisville) from the American Association were accepted into the National League following the season and the other franchises were paid to go away. Cincinnati would never be a two team town again.

John Slagle was a member of the 1896 Cedar Rapids Rabbits squad that finished the season in fourth place in the Western Association with a 32-47 record under the guidance of managers Hiram Ebright and Belden Hill.

Cedar Rapids Professional Baseball Alumni Bios – Belden Hill

Belden Hill was the fourth player to make his Major League debut from our list of 384 Cedar Rapids professional baseball alumni who have played in Cedar Rapids either before or after their MLB debut. Hill made his big league debut on August 27, 1890 at the age of 25, playing for the Baltimore Orioles. He hit .167 in 30 at bats, stole 6 bases, scored three runs and had two RBI in 9 games. Hill suffered a broken leg in 1891 and never returned to Major League baseball.

Belden Hill played 19 (1887-1905) seasons of minor league baseball playing for 16 different organizations, many in the capacity of player manager (1896-1905). Hill managed the Cedar Rapids Bunnies following his playing days from 1906-08 and then again from 1913-14. Hill only had one losing season during his Cedar Rapids tenure as a full season manager, a 59-65 mark in 1913.  His team won two championships (1897 and 1906) and rarely finished lower than third place.  Hill has the most career wins by any manager in Cedar Rapids club history with a career mark of 831-660 (.557). Belden Hill, along with Mike Sexton of Rock Island, formed the first Three-I League in 1901 to bring baseball back to Cedar Rapids after a one year layoff.  He later organized the Mississippi Valley League in 1922 and served as its president in 1926 and from 1928 to 1931.

Beldin Hill started the 1896 season as the Cedar Rapids Rabbits third baseman. The team had compiled a 19-32 record under manager Hiram Ebright, until Ebright resigned on the morning of June 28, 1896. Ebright recommended Hill as his successor and the Cedar Rapids club found its manager for 14 of its next 15 seasons.

Beldin Hill’s 1897 Rabbits club earned the Western Association title with an 84-41 record. Hill led the 1897 squad with a .327 batting average playing third base. Following that season, the Evening Gazette ran a sketch of the team and praised Hill for his baseball acumen:  “As a judge of players, Belden Hill has no superior; as a manager he is economical, careful and prudent; as a disciplinarian he cannot be excelled, ruling firmly yet with much kindness.  What “Beldy” says is law and gospel, and what a player tells him must be true or there is trouble ahead…It is needless to say that the players idolize him as their pet name, ‘Pa’ will signify.”

Beldin Hill led the Cedar Rapids Rabbits to a pair of runner-up finishes in 1898 and 1899 as the Western Association struggled mightily to complete its full season each year. Cedar Rapids was left without a baseball team in 1900 when the Western Association disbanded on June 16, 1899 and was reassembled as the Western League and Beldin Hill served as the player manager for the Des Moines Hawkeyes for the 1900 season.

Belden Hill was instrumental in forming the first Three-I League in 1901 and returned to lead the Cedar Rapids Rabbits squad to a second place finish with a 69-43 record. The 1902 squad finished third with a 63-56 mark and the 1903 squad finished 60-60 in their final season being known as the Rabbits. Hill and the renamed Cedar Rapids Bunnies rebounded for a runner-up finish in 1904 with a 70-52 record. The Bunnies posted a 63-61 mark in 1905 to place fifth in Hill’s final season playing in the field at age 40.

Belden Hill and the 1906 Bunnies earned Cedar Rapids its first Three-I league championship with a 79-43 record in Hill’s first season on the bench. The 1906 championship squad featured future big leaguers Neal Ball (turned MLB baseball’s first unassisted triple play), Russ Ford (inventor of the Emery/Scuff Ball), Rebel Oakes and Doc Crandall among others. Hill led the Bunnies to 72-61 record in 1907 and a 69-63 mark in 1908 before stepping down as the team’s manager.

Belden Hill returned to pilot the squad for their first two seasons in the Central Association in 1913 and 1914. The Bunnies finished 59-65 and 65-59 respectively in Hill’s final two seasons at the helm. Belden Hill once again stepped down at the age of 49 after the 1914 season.

Belden Hill would help organize the Mississippi Valley League and served as the league president in 1926 and between 1928-31.

Belden Hill was born August 24, 1864 in Kewanee, Illinois, and died October 22, 1934, at Cedar Rapids at age 70.  Old Hill Park, the predecessor of Veterans Memorial Stadium, was named in his honor. Belden Hill was a member of the inaugural class of the Cedar Rapids Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.

Cedar Rapids Professional Baseball Alumni Bios – Hi Ebright (Cedar Rapids Rabbits -1895)

Hiram Ebright (Buck) was the second player to make his Major League debut from our list of 384 Cedar Rapids professional baseball alumni who have played in Cedar Rapids either before or after their MLB debut. Ebright made his big league debut on April 24, 1889 at the age of 30, playing for the Washington Nationals one year before Cedar Rapids fielded its first squad. Ebright hit .254 with two doubles, two triples, a HR and six RBI in 16 games for the 1889 Nationals squad in his only big league season. He served as a utility player appearing in games as a catcher, shortstop and outfielder.

Hiram Ebright played six seasons in the California League appearing in games for the San Francisco Haverlys, Stockton, Oakland Colonels, San Jose Dukes and San Francisco Friscos between 1888 and 1893. Ebright then spent four seasons as a player manager in the Western League. He served as manager for the Lincoln Treeplanters for two seasons (1894-95) before spending part of  a season each as the player manager for the Cedar Rapids Rabbits (1896) and the Peoria Blackbirds (1897). Ebright split playing the 1898 season between St. Joseph Saints and the Reading Coal Heavers. He played one final season with the Sioux City Cornhuskers at age 41.

Ebright served as an umpire in the Western League, American Association, Southern League and American League. In 1902, while working as a clerk at the Chicago Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, Ebright was charged with laying out and setting up the diamond at new Athletic Park. He took over as the groundskeeper in May of 1903 before leaving the position for an umpiring opportunity in the Southern League.

Hi Ebright served as the Cedar Rapids Rabbits player manager for the beginning of the 1896 season before Beldin Hill took over. The Rabbits finished in fourth place in their first season in the Western Association with a 32-47 record.

Hiram C. Ebright died on October 24, 1914 at age 57 in Milwaukee, WI. where he was buried at Evergreen Cemetery.

The article above was from the June 29, 1896 edition of the Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette. It is a feature covering Hi Ebright’s resignation mid-season as the Cedar Rapids Rabbits player manager. Ebright suggested Beldin Hill as his successor. Hill piloted the Cedar Rapids squad to league championships in 1897 and 1906.