Nineteenth century slugger Harry Stovey was one of the greatest players during the early days of baseball. Stovey
played the bulk of his major league career in the American Association, which
was a rival league to the National League.
Stovey dominated the game with power and speed and was arguably the finest player in the American Association's ten-year history. Stovey's career may have ended more than a
century ago but his significant accomplishments make him worthy of election to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Stovey was born Harold Duffield Stowe in Philadelphia on December 20, 1856.
Stowe began playing baseball at a young age and developed a passion for the game. However, Stowe's mother was not fond of the
sport so at age 20, he changed his last name to Stovey to keep her from
learning that he had embarked on a career as a professional baseball
player. After spending three years playing for minor league clubs, Stovey made his major league debut in 1880 with the Worcester Ruby
Legs during the team's inaugural season in the National League. Stovey made an immediate impact during his
rookie campaign, leading the NL in home runs, triples, and extra-base hits
while also finishing runner-up in runs scored and total bases. Stovey's league-pacing total of six
round-trippers is low by today's standards but at the time home runs were an
extremely rare occurrence because the baseball itself was softer and ball
fields of the day were vast. In
addition, teams only played around an 85-game schedule. Moreover, Stovey's six home runs represented
nearly a tenth of the 62 longballs hit in the NL that year and his one-man
total was higher than the team totals of three of the eight NL clubs. On defense, Stovey split his time between
first base and outfield. Stolen base records were not kept for the first six
years of Stovey's career but his speed not only made him a constant threat to
swipe a bag but also enabled him to hit inside-the-park home runs, take extra bases on would-be singles, and make the opposition pay for errors and
wild pitches.
Following the 1882 season, the Worcester Ruby Legs disbanded and Stovey was quickly signed by the Philadelphia Athletics of the American Association, which had just completed its first year of operation as a direct competitor to the National League. Stovey took the AA by storm, pacing his new league in several categories, including runs scored, doubles, slugging percentage, and total bases--in addition to setting the major league record for home runs with 14. The young power-hitter once again towered over the league in longballs with his round-tripper total making up nearly an eighth of the 114 homers hit in the AA and equaling or bettering five of the eight AA clubs in four-baggers. Stovey led the Athletics to a first place finish in a close race over the St. Louis Browns with the speedster even scoring the go-ahead run against the Louisville Eclipse in the pennant-clinching game. What's more, Stovey accomplished all this despite battling serious ankle injuries during the latter part of the season.
Following the 1882 season, the Worcester Ruby Legs disbanded and Stovey was quickly signed by the Philadelphia Athletics of the American Association, which had just completed its first year of operation as a direct competitor to the National League. Stovey took the AA by storm, pacing his new league in several categories, including runs scored, doubles, slugging percentage, and total bases--in addition to setting the major league record for home runs with 14. The young power-hitter once again towered over the league in longballs with his round-tripper total making up nearly an eighth of the 114 homers hit in the AA and equaling or bettering five of the eight AA clubs in four-baggers. Stovey led the Athletics to a first place finish in a close race over the St. Louis Browns with the speedster even scoring the go-ahead run against the Louisville Eclipse in the pennant-clinching game. What's more, Stovey accomplished all this despite battling serious ankle injuries during the latter part of the season.
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| Stovey was arguably the greatest player in the history of the American Association |
After leading the Athletics to the pennant, Stovey continued to dominate the AA
with a series of strong campaigns. Stovey's
potent power and electric speed continued to be hallmarks of his game. As the AA proved to be a formidable
competitor to NL, the two leagues expanded their schedules from just under 100
games in 1883 to nearly 140 by the end of the decade. In his first few seasons with Philadelphia,
Stovey saw most of his time at first base before being used more regularly in
one of the three outfield positions. In
1886, the AA and NL both started keeping stolen base records. During this time, the definition of what
constituted a stolen base was more liberal than what it is today. Nevertheless, the documenting of stolen base
records showcased the speed part of Stovey's game and he is recognized as the
AA's initial leader in swiped bags with 68 in 1886. Three seasons later, Stovey paced the AA and
set personal bests with 19 home runs and 119 RBIs. Stovey's excellent 1889 campaign proved to be
his last with Philadelphia as the fleet-footed slugger joined the Boston Reds
of the Players League--a rival league that the Brotherhood of Professional
Baseball Players formed because they were fed up with the reserve clause which
bound a player to one club in perpetuity and kept salaries low. Many of the AA's and NL's top players jumped
to the Players League. Stovey remained a
standout talent in his new league--leading the PL with 97 stolen bases and ranking
third with 12 home runs. Stovey's
stellar year helped Boston win the Players League's only pennant as the new
league folded after one season.
With the folding of the Players League, Stovey's rights as a player laid with the Philadelphia Athletics in the American Association. However, in an apparent oversight, the Athletics had failed to include Stovey on their reserve list--unintentionally making him a free agent of sorts. Stovey opted to stay in Boston to play for the Beaneaters of the NL. Now a 34-year old veteran, Stovey proved he could still dominate at the plate as well as on the basepaths--leading the NL in a slew of categories including home runs, triples, and extra-base hits while also stealing 57 bases--good for fifth highest in the league. Stovey's potent bat and quick feet proved key to the Beaneaters who captured the NL flag--giving the veteran the unique accomplishment of having won three pennants in three different leagues.
Stovey got off to an uncharacteristically poor start the following season and, with the Beaneaters looking to cut their payroll, the veteran was released in June. Stovey was signed by the Baltimore Orioles a couple of weeks later. Perhaps the time off helped Stovey, as the slugger rebounded in Baltimore, posting a 140 OPS+ over the balance of the season. However, Stovey struggled to start the 1893 campaign. After seeing a drop in his playing time, he asked for and was granted his release from Baltimore in late May. Stovey then caught on with the Brooklyn Grooms in what would ultimately be his final year playing major league baseball. Stovey played professionally in 1894 for former teammate King Kelly's Allentown club and later that season as player-manager for a team in New Bedford, Massachusetts--the same town where the slugger had met his wife, Mary, while playing for the city's minor league club in 1879. Stovey joined the New Bedford Police in 1895 and made news again in 1901 when he jumped into the water to save a 7-year old boy from drowning while patrolling the waterfront. Stovey was named Police Chief in 1915, a position he held until he retired in 1923. Stovey passed away at age 80 in 1937.
At the time of his retirement from major league baseball, Stovey was the career leader in home runs. Stovey initially set the career home run record while still active in 1885, then was briefly passed by Dan Brouthers in 1887, before recapturing the top career mark during his stellar 1889 campaign. Stovey's final career total of 122 was ultimately overtaken in 1895 by Roger Connor, who retired with 138 round-trippers. Despite playing during an era of 85 to 140-game schedules, Stovey still ranked fourth in career home runs in 1921 when Connor was finally surpassed for the career longball mark by Babe Ruth. Stovey's speed played a key role in his ability to hit home runs as 27 of his 122 round-trippers were of the inside-the-park variety. Not surprisingly, Stovey retired as the career leader for inside-the-park home runs and more than a century since his final game, still ranks tied for 15th all-time.
With the folding of the Players League, Stovey's rights as a player laid with the Philadelphia Athletics in the American Association. However, in an apparent oversight, the Athletics had failed to include Stovey on their reserve list--unintentionally making him a free agent of sorts. Stovey opted to stay in Boston to play for the Beaneaters of the NL. Now a 34-year old veteran, Stovey proved he could still dominate at the plate as well as on the basepaths--leading the NL in a slew of categories including home runs, triples, and extra-base hits while also stealing 57 bases--good for fifth highest in the league. Stovey's potent bat and quick feet proved key to the Beaneaters who captured the NL flag--giving the veteran the unique accomplishment of having won three pennants in three different leagues.
Stovey got off to an uncharacteristically poor start the following season and, with the Beaneaters looking to cut their payroll, the veteran was released in June. Stovey was signed by the Baltimore Orioles a couple of weeks later. Perhaps the time off helped Stovey, as the slugger rebounded in Baltimore, posting a 140 OPS+ over the balance of the season. However, Stovey struggled to start the 1893 campaign. After seeing a drop in his playing time, he asked for and was granted his release from Baltimore in late May. Stovey then caught on with the Brooklyn Grooms in what would ultimately be his final year playing major league baseball. Stovey played professionally in 1894 for former teammate King Kelly's Allentown club and later that season as player-manager for a team in New Bedford, Massachusetts--the same town where the slugger had met his wife, Mary, while playing for the city's minor league club in 1879. Stovey joined the New Bedford Police in 1895 and made news again in 1901 when he jumped into the water to save a 7-year old boy from drowning while patrolling the waterfront. Stovey was named Police Chief in 1915, a position he held until he retired in 1923. Stovey passed away at age 80 in 1937.
At the time of his retirement from major league baseball, Stovey was the career leader in home runs. Stovey initially set the career home run record while still active in 1885, then was briefly passed by Dan Brouthers in 1887, before recapturing the top career mark during his stellar 1889 campaign. Stovey's final career total of 122 was ultimately overtaken in 1895 by Roger Connor, who retired with 138 round-trippers. Despite playing during an era of 85 to 140-game schedules, Stovey still ranked fourth in career home runs in 1921 when Connor was finally surpassed for the career longball mark by Babe Ruth. Stovey's speed played a key role in his ability to hit home runs as 27 of his 122 round-trippers were of the inside-the-park variety. Not surprisingly, Stovey retired as the career leader for inside-the-park home runs and more than a century since his final game, still ranks tied for 15th all-time.
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| Stovey retired as the career home run leader |
In addition to setting the career home run and inside-the-park home run records,
Stovey's 509 swiped bags placed him second only to Arlie Latham in career
stolen bases when he played his final major league game in 1893. While Stovey's stolen base totals may be
incomplete due to the statistic not being recorded until his seventh major
league season, the speed aspect of his game is also highlighted by his ability
to hit triples and produce incredible runs scored totals--two categories in which
the fleet-footed slugger ranked number three all-time when he hung up his
spikes. Because the baseball itself was
softer and the playing fields were vast, triples were much more common than
home runs during the nineteenth century.
Stovey smacked 176 triples during his career and with 1,495 runs
scored in just 1,489 games, Stovey holds the unique distinction of being one of only
three players--along with Billy Hamilton and George Gore--to play more
than 600 games and finish their career with more runs scored than games
played. The speed and aggressiveness
with which Stovey took to the basepaths were undoubtedly key factors in how he
was able to amass such amazing triples and runs scored totals. During the era in which Stovey played,
baseball equipment was archaic compared to what is used today so fielding
errors were much more common. Errors
themselves were tracked but many other important details such as reached on
errors, extra bases taken from errors, stolen bases, and wild pitches were
unrecorded during much or all of Stovey's career. His quickness and daring put pressure on
opposing defenses, causing them to make errors and pay significantly for them.
Stovey is also notable for being recognized as either the inventor--or at the very least an early adopter--of base running advancements such as sliding into bases feet first, wearing sliding pads to combat injuries, and using the pop up slide to better position himself for advancing to the next base. Stovey played during an era plagued by poor sportsmanship. That said, despite his propensity for sliding into bases feet first, Stovey was recognized as one of the game's cleanest players, earning him the nickname "Gentleman Harry." Alfred Henry Spink, author of the book The National Game, wrote this of Stovey in 1910: "He always slid feet first but was not "nasty" with his feet in the way of trying to hurt the baseman, as some of his imitators were."
On the defensive side of the diamond, Stovey played the bulk of his games in the outfield but also saw his share of action at first base. During Stovey's era, first base was considered a much more challenging position on defense than it is today. Overall for his career, Stovey played 550 games at first base and 947 in the outfield with 519 of those in left field, 251 in right, and 176 in center. In 1888, Stovey showcased his arm strength in a distance-throwing contest held by The Cincinnati Enquirer, finishing second to only Ned Williamson with a mark of 369 feet, 2 inches.
Stovey is also notable for being recognized as either the inventor--or at the very least an early adopter--of base running advancements such as sliding into bases feet first, wearing sliding pads to combat injuries, and using the pop up slide to better position himself for advancing to the next base. Stovey played during an era plagued by poor sportsmanship. That said, despite his propensity for sliding into bases feet first, Stovey was recognized as one of the game's cleanest players, earning him the nickname "Gentleman Harry." Alfred Henry Spink, author of the book The National Game, wrote this of Stovey in 1910: "He always slid feet first but was not "nasty" with his feet in the way of trying to hurt the baseman, as some of his imitators were."
On the defensive side of the diamond, Stovey played the bulk of his games in the outfield but also saw his share of action at first base. During Stovey's era, first base was considered a much more challenging position on defense than it is today. Overall for his career, Stovey played 550 games at first base and 947 in the outfield with 519 of those in left field, 251 in right, and 176 in center. In 1888, Stovey showcased his arm strength in a distance-throwing contest held by The Cincinnati Enquirer, finishing second to only Ned Williamson with a mark of 369 feet, 2 inches.
Despite holding the career home run record for several seasons and regularly
leading his respective league in several important categories, Stovey has yet
to be honored with a bronze Hall of Fame plaque in Cooperstown. Stovey was arguably the greatest player in
the ten-year history of the American Association--ranking as the defunct
league's all-time leader in position player WAR, home runs, extra-base hits,
and runs scored even though he only spent seven seasons in the AA. However, having played a significant portion
of his career in the AA has likely hindered Stovey's Hall of Fame case since the league is widely viewed as inferior to the NL. Fifty-six percent of Stovey's career plate
appearances took place in the AA. Thus
far, the only players in the Hall of Fame who have anywhere near that high a
percentage of their career plate appearances in the AA are Tommy McCarthy and
Bid McPhee, who each had just over two-fifths of their turns at the plate come
in the defunct league. McCarthy was
voted into Cooperstown by the Old Timers Committee in 1946 as a player but was largely
elected due to the innovative strategies he devised such as the hit-and-run. McPhee's
career is less associated
with the AA since the Cincinnati Reds franchise where he spent the
entirety of his career joined the NL when the AA dissolved and also
because his years in
the senior circuit came during the high offense 1890s. Although McPhee made it into the Hall of
Fame, his time in the AA may have delayed his election to Cooperstown, which finally
came by way of the Veterans Committee in 2000--more than a century after he
played his last major league game. Perhaps
because the AA folded after ten seasons while its direct competitor the
NL survived and continues to thrive, the accomplishments of its
players have been discounted by Hall of Fame voters.
Another factor that has likely hurt Stovey's Hall of Fame case is that his career took place during an era with shorter schedules. Stovey spent the majority of the first half of his career only playing between 83 to 113-game schedules before the ledger finally expanded to around 140 games at the outset of his seventh season. The timing of Stovey's career also worked against his Hall of Fame case as during his final major league campaign the pitching distance was moved from 55 feet to 60 feet 6 inches. This change resulted in a significant increase in scoring that--along with playing their career under longer schedules--helped strengthen the Hall of Fame cases of hitters who played their prime years in the 1890s and made sluggers from Stovey's era look weaker by comparison.
Another factor that has likely hurt Stovey's Hall of Fame case is that his career took place during an era with shorter schedules. Stovey spent the majority of the first half of his career only playing between 83 to 113-game schedules before the ledger finally expanded to around 140 games at the outset of his seventh season. The timing of Stovey's career also worked against his Hall of Fame case as during his final major league campaign the pitching distance was moved from 55 feet to 60 feet 6 inches. This change resulted in a significant increase in scoring that--along with playing their career under longer schedules--helped strengthen the Hall of Fame cases of hitters who played their prime years in the 1890s and made sluggers from Stovey's era look weaker by comparison.
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| Stovey holds the unique distinction of winning pennants in three different leagues |
Nevertheless, Stovey's dominance as player is underscored by the frequency in which
he led his respective league in a variety of important categories: Stovey was a five-time leader in home runs
and extra-base hits. He stood atop
the league leader chart in triples and runs scored on four occasions. He also ranked first in total bases and
slugging percentage three times. Although stolen base totals were only recorded
for the final eight seasons of Stovey's 14-year career, the daring speedster twice paced the circuit in swiped bags. Stovey also led the league in doubles and RBI on one occasion each. In addition to establishing the record for career
home runs, he also set single-season records for home runs, extra-base hits,
triples, and stolen bases. Stovey's
dominance was not limited to just his time in the American Association as the
fleet-footed power-hitter led the National League in home runs and triples on
two occasions and also paced the senior circuit in total bases and slugging
percentage one time each--all despite spending only the first three and the
final three years of his career in the NL.
Moreover, Stovey was the most prolific base stealer in the Players League's single year of existence.
Stovey's dominance is further showcased by the Black Ink Test metric designed by sabermetrician Bill James which measures how often a player led their respective league in important offensive categories. Stovey ranks 28th all-time in position player career Black Ink--ahead of countless Hall of Famers and trailing only four players--Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Pete Rose, and Ross Barnes--who have yet to be enshrined in Cooperstown. Stovey's career also looks strong through another James metric, the Gray Ink Test, which measures how often a player finished in their league's top ten in important categories. Stovey is tied for 46th all-time among position players in Gray Ink, once again ahead of scores of enshrined players, with Bonds, Rose, Albert Pujols, and Miguel Cabrera as the only non-Hall of Famers in front of him.
Stovey's dominance is further showcased by the Black Ink Test metric designed by sabermetrician Bill James which measures how often a player led their respective league in important offensive categories. Stovey ranks 28th all-time in position player career Black Ink--ahead of countless Hall of Famers and trailing only four players--Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Pete Rose, and Ross Barnes--who have yet to be enshrined in Cooperstown. Stovey's career also looks strong through another James metric, the Gray Ink Test, which measures how often a player finished in their league's top ten in important categories. Stovey is tied for 46th all-time among position players in Gray Ink, once again ahead of scores of enshrined players, with Bonds, Rose, Albert Pujols, and Miguel Cabrera as the only non-Hall of Famers in front of him.
Stovey's career value is highlighted by two of today's more popular advanced metrics, WAR and OPS+. Although Stovey's 45.0 WAR looks modest by contemporary standards, his career total was accumulated in just 6,848 plate appearances due to playing in an era with shorter schedules. To put Stovey's WAR in better perspective, the speedy slugger averaged an impressive 4.9 WAR per 162 games during his career. In addition, Stovey finished his career with an excellent 144 OPS+. Only 34 position players have retired with more plate appearances and produced a career OPS+ equal to or greater than Stovey’s. Of those 34 position players, just five--Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Dick Allen, Manny Ramirez, and Lance Berkman--have yet to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Bonds, McGwire, and Ramirez undoubtedly would have been voted into Cooperstown had it not been for their ties to PEDs, while Allen seems destined for eventual enshrinement, having come a single tally shy of election in his two most recent appearances on Era Committee ballots. Moreover, the only active position players who currently exceed Stovey in both plate appearances and OPS+ are Joey Votto, Miguel Cabrera, and Albert Pujols, each of whom have won at least one MVP award and will likely be first-ballot Hall of Famers when they become eligible.
Stovey’s Hall of
Fame case has long been championed by writers and
historians familiar with nineteenth century baseball. In 2011, the Society for American Baseball
Research selected Stovey as its Overlooked 19th Century Baseball Legend. Stovey made his most recent appearance on a Hall of Fame ballot in December 2015 when he was included on the Pre-Integration Era ballot which considered candidates who made their greatest contributions to the sport prior to Jackie Robinson's breaking of baseball's color line in 1947. Stovey drew 50% of the vote, coming four tallies shy of gaining the 75% required for election from the 16-member panel. Stovey tied fellow nineteenth century slugger Bill Dahlen for the second-highest vote total among the ten candidates on the ballot, trailing only nineteenth century pioneer Doc Adams who came the closest to enshrinement, falling two check marks shy with 62.5% of the vote.
Stovey was next eligible for consideration by the Early Baseball Era Committee which replaced the Pre-Integration Era Committee. Two key differences between the Pre-Integration Era Committee and the Early Baseball Era Committee were the timeframe cutoff was changed from 1946 to 1949 and eligibility was restored to black candidates who made their greatest contributions to the sport while participating in the Negro Leagues and pre-Negro Leagues. The Hall of Fame had ceased considering these candidates for enshrinement after the Special Committee on the Negro Leagues elected 17 candidates in 2006. By restoring the eligibility of the Negro Leagues and pre-Negro Leagues candidates, the Hall of Fame essentially reopened a road to Cooperstown that never should have been closed. In December 2021, the Early Baseball Era Committee held its first election with the 16-member panel voting in a pair of worthy candidates, Buck O'Neil and Bud Fowler, who were each eligible due to the restoration of Negro Leagues and pre-Negro Leagues candidates to the ballot. Two notable exceptions who were not selected to appear among the Early Baseball Era Committee's ten-candidate ballot were Doc Adams and Harry Stovey. The exclusions of Adams and Stovey highlighted the difficulty of selecting candidates for the Early Baseball Era which covers, by far, the most expansive timeframe of the four Era Committees. Moreover, unlike the Today's Game, Modern Baseball, and Golden Days Era Committees, the Early Baseball Era is tasked with considering candidates from more than just the American and National Leagues, drawing its pool from a wide variety of defunct leagues such as the American Association where Stovey spent the majority of his career or one of the Negro Leagues or pre-Negro Leagues where O'Neil and Fowler made their respective marks on the game.
Barring a restructuring of the Era Committees, the Early Baseball Era Committee is not scheduled to hold another election until December 2031. Thus, Stovey's Hall of Fame candidacy is on hold for now. Nevertheless, Stovey's
incredible combination of power-hitting and base running gave him the ability
to regularly lead his respective league in a number of important categories and
dominate the game like few players have. Stovey was one of the nineteenth century's greatest players and his outstanding career is worthy of a bronze plaque in Cooperstown and Hall of Fame immortality.
----by John Tuberty
----by John Tuberty
Follow me on Twitter @BloggerTubbs
Stat links to players mentioned: Harry Stovey, Bill Dahlen, Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Pete Rose, Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, Joey Votto, Mark McGwire, Dick Allen, Manny Ramirez, Lance Berkman, Jackie Robinson, Buck O'Neil, Bud Fowler, Ross Barnes, Arlie Latham, Ned Williamson, George Gore, Doc Adams, Billy Hamilton, King Kelly, Roger Connor, Bid McPhee, Tommy McCarthy
Sources: Baseball Reference, Stathead, Baseball Hall of Fame, SABR, 19th Century Baseball, Baseball Almanac, Philly.com, The Roanoke Times Virginia Chronicle, SouthCoastToday.com, David Nemec and Mark Rucker-The Beer and Whiskey League (Globe Pequot), Edward Achorn-The Summer of Beer and Whiskey (PublicAffairs), David L. Porter-Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: Q-Z (Greenwood Publishing Group), Alfred Henry Spink-The National Game (National Game Publishing Company), Norman L. Macht-Connie Mack and the Early Years of Baseball (University of Nebraska Press), John Thorn-Base Ball: A Journal of the Early Game, Volume 7 (McFarland), The Sporting News, Fangraphs
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