Here is an overview of "who's in center?" for each American League team during the Deadball Era. (Visit the NL team overviews.) For now, this view is based entirely on the series of regular centerfielders, one for each team and season, identified by Total Baseball (TB-regular CFs, for short).
Acknowledgments. All of the data is derived from the team rosters in "The Annual Record", Total Baseball, 6th ed. (1999). TB and some other references identify one player as the regular at each of eight positions. There are some differences among them, mainly because of irregular lineups. For now, I follow TB6.Boston, AL 1901-19
The first regular CF for Boston was Chick Stahl, a four-year regular for the Boston NL ballclub, three seasons in right and one in left. By 1909, fourteen of 16 teams relied on a regular CF who filled that role only once in the Major Leagues. Boston did not do so until 1919, Braggo Roth (55 games). This is an oblique indicator of Boston's strength and stability thru 1918, which can also be measured acutely. seasons, seasons, regular CF, Bos-A regular CF elsewhere Chick Stahl 01 02 03 04 05 06 Denny Sullivan 07 08 Tris Speaker 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16-26 Cle, 27 Was Tilly Walker 16 17 15 SL, 18-19 Phi Amos Strunk 18 14,16-17 Phi, 21 Chi Braggo Roth 19 Speaker was a regular CF for 19 seasons, the longest career at the position. Glenn Stout, co-author of Red Sox Century, commends maligned owner Harry Frazee for the acquisition of Amos Strunk in 1918. regular CF, Boston AL Career Seasons as TB-regular CF, Any MLB Team ( , = 10+ seasons) 6 6 6 6 6 6 2 2 , , , , , , , 5 5 5 1 : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 Boston used six regular CFs. In 16 of 19 seasons, the regular CF was someone who filled that role for at least five years in the Majors. regular CF, Boston AL Games Played in the Outfield as % of Scheduled Games (nearest 10%) 100% Stahl St St S S Speaker 90 St St Su S S S S Strunk 80 Walker 70 60 Su W 50% St 40 R : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 *Sullivan, two teams 1908 As a rule, the Boston centerfielder played every day and his name began with 'S'.Chicago, AL 1901-20
The first regular CF for Chicago was Dummy Hoy, a famous career centerfielder who first filled the regular role in 1888 and did so for five 19th century ballclubs in three major leagues, and then for the 1900 AL champion Chicago White Stockings. Fielder Jones was also a regular CF in the 19th century NL (Brooklyn 1899-1900); he played right in 1900 and then replaced Hoy in center. The period 1901-20 includes the whole tenure of Happy Felsch, one of the Black Sox who was declared ineligible after the 1920 season. seasons, seasons, regular CF, Chi-A regular CF elsewhere Dummy Hoy 01 88-89 Was, 90 Buf-PL, 91 SL-AA, 92-93 Was 94,96-97 Cin, 98-99 Lou, 02 Cin Fielder Jones 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 99-00 Bkn-N Dave Altizer 09 Freddy Parent 10 Ping Bodie 11 12 14 19-20 NY W. Chick Mattick 13 Happy Felsch 15 16 17 19 20 Shano Collins 18 regular CF, Chicago AL Career Seasons as TB-regular CF, Any MLB Team ( , = 10+ seasons) , 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 1 1 5 5 1 5 5 5 5 1 5 5 : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 Chicago used eight regular CFs, including four only-season men. regular CF, Chicago AL Games Played in the Outfield as % of Scheduled Games (nearest 10%) 100% H J J J J J J F F 90 Jones F F 80 B B Felsch 70 C 60 Bodie 50% 40 A P M : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 Hoy, Jones and Felsch, the prominent career CFs, all played every day or nearly so. Jones was one "Iron Man" by Deadball standards. Felsch was in military service, 1918, and was one of the Black Sox banned after the 1920 season.Cleveland, AL 1901-26
The first regular CF for Cleveland was Ollie Pickering, age 31, who played for two seasons in the 19th century NL: 1996-97, including half of 1997 in Cleveland. The period 1901-26 includes the whole tenure of Tris Speaker. seasons, seasons, regular CF, Cle regular CF elsewhere Ollie Pickering 01 97 Lou-N, 03-04 Phi Harry Bay 02 03 04 05 Elmer Flick 06 Joe Birmingham 07 08 09 10 11 12 Nemo Leibold 13 14 15 21-22 Bos, 23-24 Was Tris Speaker 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 09-15 Bos, 27 Was regular CF, Cleveland Career Seasons as TB-regular CF, Any MLB Team ( , = 10+ seasons) 4 4 4 4 4 1 6 6 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 , , , , , , , , , , , : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 Cleveland used six regular CFs. Except for one only-season man, the regular CF filled that role for at least 4 years in the Majors. regular CF, Cleveland Games Played in the Outfield as % of Scheduled Games (nearest 10%) 100% P Ba F S S S S S S 90 BaBa Birmingham Speaker 80 Bay B S S 70 B B L S S 60 B B 50% Leibold 40 30 L : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 *Bay, two teams 1902 *Leibold, two teams 1915 During Speaker's seven seasons in Boston, the regular CF in Cleveland played only about 60% of the full schedule. The acquisition of Speaker changed that dramatically. Total Baseball names Leibold the regular CF seven times with about 540 games played, 80 games per season. Perhaps he was a platoon player. Some other sources do not list him as the regular.Detroit, AL 1901-25
The first regular CF for Detroit was Jimmy Barrett, who was the regular for Cincinnati in 1900. Corner outfielder Sam Crawford moved from Cincinnati to Detroit two years later. The period 1901-25 includes the whole tenure of Ty Cobb as regular CF. By any measure, Detroit enjoyed stability in center during the Era. seasons, seasons, regular CF, Det regular CF elsewhere Jimmy Barrett 01 02 03 04 00 Cin Dick Cooley 05 Sam Crawford 07 08 09 Ty Cobb 06 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 regular CF, Detroit Career Seasons as TB-regular CF, Any MLB Team ( , = 10+ seasons) 5 5 5 5 1 , 3 3 3 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 Detroit used only four regular CFs during the Deadball Era, fewest of the sixteen ML ballclubs. regular CF, Detroit Games Played in the Outfield as % of Scheduled Games (nearest 10%) 100% B B B B C C C C 90 CrCrCrC C C C C C 80 C C C C 70 C 60 C 50% ClCobb 40 [Cr = Crawford] : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 Barrett played 162 games in 1904, or 105% of full schedule! Player and team held the single-season records until 1962, when Maury Wills, the Dodgers, and the Giants played 165 games. Cobb was no Iron Man but he provided more stability in the center than anyone else, from season to season: his run of 16 years as the regular in Detroit was the longest by four years over Milan in Washington.New York, AL 1903-21 [Baltimore, 1901-02]
Steve Brodie was the regular CF for the opening season in Baltimore. He was a career centerfielder who first filled the regular role in 1891 and did so for four different NL ballclubs, including Baltimore during its three championship seasons, 1894-96. The first regular for New York was Herm McFarland, who assumed the role in the second half of 1902, after all of Baltimore's good players were divided by the NY Giants and Cincinnati Reds. 1904 regular John Anderson also filled the regular CF role in 1898. He was a career first baseman and corner outfielder, evidently pressed into CF duty in an emergency. The period 1901-21 includes the whole tenure of Ping Bodie and Elmer Miller in New York. The CF position was extremely unstable here. Only the immortal Mr. Miller served the team for three seasons, when he played only 235 total games! Ping Bodie played 262 games in his two seasons as regular CF. seasons, seasons, regular CF, NY-A regular CF elsewhere Baltimore, 1901-02 Steve Brodie 01 91 Bos, 92-93 SL, 94-96 Bal 97 Pit, 99 Bal, 02 NY-N Herm McFarland 02 03 New York, 1903-21 John Anderson 04 98 Was-N Dave Fultz 05 01-02 Phi Danny Hoffman 06 07 05 Phi, 08-10 SL Charlie Hemphill 08 10 06-07 SL Ray Demmitt 09 Bert Daniels 11 14 Cin-N Dutch Sterrett 12 Harry Wolter 13 Birdie Cree 14 Hugh High 15 Lee Magee 16 14 SL-N Elmer Miller 17 18 21 Ping Bodie 19 20 11-12,14 Chi Almost everyone played centerfield in New York. Unlike the crowd of 15 who served Boston NL, few of the New Yorkers are famous. regular CF, New York AL Career Seasons as TB-regular CF, Any MLB Team ( , = 10+ seasons) 9 2 2 2 3 6 6 6 4 1 4 2 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 5 5 3 : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 New York used fifteen regular CFs, none for more than two seasons during the Deadball Era; 9 in 9 years from 1909. New York's experience at the position was worst in the league. regular CF, New York AL Games Played in the Outfield as % of Scheduled Games (nearest 10%) 100% B 90 H He 80 F Da W H Ma B 70 M A D M 60 B H He 50% M C M 40 M 30 20 St : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 *McFarland, two teams 1902 *Hoffman, two teams 1906 Within-season, too, New York's experience was worst in the league. On average, the regular CF played only 70% of a full schedule. Magee was the regular CF for St. Louis NL in 1914 and came to New York from the Federal League, where he played second base.Philadelphia, AL 1901-19
The first regular CF for Philadelphia was Dave Fultz, a part-timer in 1898-99 who did not keep a job when the NL contracted in 1900. The centerfield careers of the Athletics' men fit neatly within the 1901-19 Deadball Era. seasons, seasons, regular CF, Phi-A regular CF elsewhere Dave Fultz 01 02 05 NY Ollie Pickering 03 04 97 Lou-N, 01 Cle Danny Hoffman 05 06-07 NY, 08-10 SL Bris Lord 06 Rube Oldring 07 08 09 10 11 12 Jimmy Walsh 13 15 Amos Strunk 14 16 17 18 Bos, 21 Chi Tilly Walker 18 19 15 SL, 16-17 Bos regular CF, Philadelphia AL Career Seasons as TB-regular CF, Any MLB Team ( , = 10+ seasons) 3 3 4 4 5 1 6 6 6 6 6 6 2 5 2 5 5 5 5 : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 Philadelphia used eight regular CFs, about average. None is famous. This was one of the great teams of the Era. How many of its regular CFs can you identify by last initial: regular CF, Philadelphia AL Games Played in the Outfield as % of Scheduled Games (nearest 10%) 100% P S 90 O S 80 F F P H S 70 L O O O Wa W W 60 O O Wa 50% 40 : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 Oldring in Philadelphia and Birmingham in Cleveland served six years as regular CF while playing only 70% of full schedule. Philadelphia used an every-day man only after the breakup of its winning team: Amos Strunk 1916-17.St. Louis, AL 1902-25 [Milwaukee 1901]
Hugh Duffy was the regular CF in Milwaukee, a half-time player and the team's manager. He played center for Boston 1892-95, then moved to the corner beside Billy Hamilton. The first regular CF in St. Louis was Emmet "Snags" Heidrick, who filled the role for St. Louis NL 1900-01 and moved across town when the AL moved in. He was moved from Cleveland to St. Louis for the 1899 season, presumably as a promising young player. seasons, seasons, regular CF, SL-A regular CF elsewhere Milwaukee 1901 Hugh Duffy 01 92-95 Bos-N St. Louis 1902-25 Emmet Heidrick 02 03 04 99-00 SL-N Ben Koehler 05 Charlie Hemphill 06 07 08,10 NY Danny Hoffman 08 09 10 05 Phi, 06-07 NY Burt Shotton 11 12 13 14 Tilly Walker 15 16-17 Bos, 18-19 Phi Armando Marsans 16 12-13 Cin-N Baby Doll Jacobson 17 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Jack Tobin 18 regular CF, St. Louis AL Career Seasons as TB-regular CF, Any MLB Team ( , = 10+ seasons) 5 5 5 5 1 4 4 6 6 6 4 4 4 4 5 3 8 1 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 St. Louis used ten regular CFs of whom six also filled the role for at least one other MLB ballclub. regular CF, St. Louis AL Games Played in the Outfield as % of Scheduled Games (nearest 10%) 100% HeHe S S M J J 90 S S W J J J J 80 H H H K J T 70 HoHo Jacobson 60 Ho 50% D 40 [S = Shotton] : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 Duffy was a half-time player and manager in 1901, the one season in Milwaukee. In St. Louis, the centerfield position was relatively stable within-season, even in 1915-18 when the ballclub relied on a new man each year. Marsans and Tobin were members of the SluFeds whose owner Phil Ball acquired the AL Browns in the Federal League settlement. Marsans was an everyday player only in 1916; his claim to fame is his Cuban nationality. Tobin spent his career in the corner except for 1918, when Jacobson was in military service and did not play at all.Washington, AL 1901-19
The first regular CF for Washington was Irv Waldron, acquired in midseason from Milwaukee, which means that someone else was first. 1902-03 regular Jimmy Ryan was an ancient NL veteran with seven years long-ago experience in center: 1887-93 in Chicago, NL and PL. The period 1901-19 includes the whole tenure of Clyde Milan. seasons, seasons, regular CF, Was regular CF elsewhere Irv Waldron 01 Jimmy Ryan 02 03 87-93 Chi-N, Chi-PL Bill O'Neill 04 Charlie Jones 05 06 07 Clyde Milan 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 regular CF, Washington Career Seasons as TB-regular CF, Any MLB Team ( , = 10+ seasons) 1 9 9 1 3 3 3 , , , , , , , , , , , , : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 Washington used five regular CFs, second in the Majors to Detroit. The position was a weak spot until Clyde Milan arrived in 1908; thenceforth No Problem. Jimmy Ryan was the regular for Chicago, 1887-93, and over the hill in 1902-03. regular CF, Washington Games Played in the Outfield as % of Scheduled Games (nearest 10%) 100% M M M M M M M 90 R J M 80 R J M Milan 70 J M 60 W O M 50% 40 : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 *Waldron a regular on two teams, 1901 *O'Neill, two teams 1904 Waldron was acquired midseason 1901, from the only-season Milwaukee Brewers where he played left beside Hugh Duffy. He led the league in playing time and the encyclopedias identify him as a regular for both teams, which is unusual. O'Neill was acquired midseason 1904. Milan served one team longer than anyone else within-Era, although his career was over in 1920 and Cobb played six more seasons in Detroit. Milan also played a very heavy schedule during his every-day seasons.