Here is an overview of "who's in center?" for each National League team during the Deadball Era. (Visit the AL 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 (see Acknowledgments).
For each team, three tables provide three perspectives on how the team
filled the center --centerfield, that is.
The first table names each
regular CF and lists his years of service in that role, with the
featured team and elsewhere in the Majors. The line for Pittsburgh
Ginger Beaumont 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07-09 Bosmeans that Ginger Beaumont was the regular CF for Pittsburgh, 1899-1906, and also filled that role for Boston, 1907-09. (That is Boston NL, by default; the American League or Federal League would be specified.) Beside providing names and some baseball-biographical information, the table shows the between-season stability or instability of the position. Pittsburgh made a change for the 1899 season, then no change for seven successive seasons, then a change for the 1907 season (implied by the next line of the table, not shown here).
In the second and third tables, time passes from left to right; each column represents a season and a regular centerfielder. The second gives the number of seasons that each season's regular CF filled that role somewhere in the Majors. It looks outward from each season to the entire career of the regular CF. The line for Pittsburgh
, , , , , , , , 7 , 7 7 , 2 1 1 1 , , , 1 , , , , , , ,
: : : : : :
1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 1925
shows when the team (Pittsburgh) relied on a 10-year career CF (a comma
is any two-digit number), when it resorted to a 1-year or "only-season"
man (four times including 1913-15), and so on.
The third table is a two-dimensional graph where the vertical dimension shows the share of a full schedule played by the regular CF. (Unfortunately, the measure is games played at any outfield position.) That reveals within-season stability at the position. Today, the image of the Deadball Era may be "Iron Men Everywhere", but 80% or 90% of a full schedule was common for a regular player and a few of the regulars in the league each year played 60% or 70% of a full schedule.
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, NL 1896-1923
The period 1896-1923 includes the whole tenure of Billy Hamilton and of Ray Powell as regular CFs in Boston. Within the Deadball Era, the Boston Braves' experience was one extreme in the National League, by a between-season or career measure: the CF position in Boston was unstable year-to-year and the Braves frequently relied on someone who filled that role for only a short time in the Majors. Within-season, Boston experience was not bad: the man of the year frequently played a full schedule or nearly so. seasons, seasons, regular CF, Bos-N regular CF elsewhere Billy Hamilton 96 97 98 99 00 01 93-95 Phi Billy Lush 02 Charlie Dexter 03 96 Lou Phil Geier 04 Rip Cannell 05 Johnny Bates 06 09-10 Phi, 11 Cin Ginger Beaumont 07 08 09 99-06 Pit Fred Beck 10 Mike Donlin 11 05 NY Vin Campbell 12 14 Ind-F Les Mann 13 14 21 SL Sherry Magee 15 Fred Snodgrass 16 10-11,13,15 NY Ray Powell 17 18 20 21 22 23 Joe Riggert 19 Some famous players patrolled the center in Boston: Hamilton, Beaumont Donlin, Magee, Snodgrass. Hamilton was on his last legs at the turn of the century and each of the others was past his prime when he came to Boston. Within the Deadball Era, Beaumont patrolled the center longest in both Pittsburgh and Boston. Beck, Campbell, and Mann, the regulars in 1910 and 1912-14, played in the Federal League. regular CF, Boston NL Career Seasons as TB-regular CF, Any MLB Team ( , = 10+ seasons) 9 9 9 9 9 9 1 2 1 1 4 , , , 1 2 2 3 3 1 5 6 6 1 6 6 6 6 : : : : : : 1895 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 Boston used fifteen regular CFs, including 6 in 6 years after Hamilton retired; 12 in 15 years between Hamilton and Powell. Six "only-season men" ('1' in the table) filled the regular CF role only once in the Majors. In each respect, Boston's experience was worst or tie for worst in the league during the Deadball Era. regular CF, Boston NL Games Played in the Outfield as % of Scheduled Games (nearest 10%) 100% H H H C Beaumont P P 90 G Ba Be C Ma P 80 L D B M M 70 H Hamilton B S 60 Powell 50% H P 40 D P R : : : : : : 1895 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 *Donlin, two teams 1911 Within-season, Boston's experience was below average but not extreme. The man of the year often played a reasonably full schedule. Donlin was acquired in mid-season 1911. Powell was one of 15(!) Braves in military service, 1918 (that was extreme). He played 53 games, then played a full season in 1919 when the CF position was divided again.Brooklyn, NL 1901-22
The period 1901-1922 includes the whole tenure of Hy Myers as regular CF in Brooklyn. seasons, seasons, regular CF, Bkn regular CF elsewhere Tom McCreery 01 Cozy Dolan 02 Johnny Dobbs 03 04 05 01 Cin, 02 Chi Billy Maloney 06 07 08 Al Burch 09 Bill Davidson 10 11 Herbie Moran 12 Casey Stengel 13 22 NY Jack Dalton 14 Hy Myers 15 16 18 19 20 21 22 23 SL Jim Hickman 17 1899-1900 CF Fielder Jones moved to Chicago AL for 1901, one of two regular CFs who signed immediately with the rival league. regular CF, Brooklyn NL Career Seasons as TB-regular CF, Any MLB Team ( , = 10+ seasons) 1 1 5 5 5 3 3 3 1 2 2 1 2 1 8 8 1 8 8 8 8 8 : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 Brooklyn used eleven regular CFs, including 9 in 14 years before Hy Myers. They used six "only-season men" ('1'), tie for worst. For six years running, 1909-14, the regular CF was someone who filled that role only once or twice in the Majors. regular CF, Brooklyn NL Games Played in the Outfield as % of Scheduled Games (nearest 10%) 100% Dl M M B Myers M M 90 Da M 80 D D M S D M M 70 M M H 60 M D 50% Da 40 : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 *Dobbs, two teams 1903 The Dodgers' regular CF played less than 75% of a full schedule six times, about average. Dobbs was a mid-season acquisition in 1903.Chicago, NL 1900-20
The period 1900-1920 includes the whole tenure of Danny Green and of Dode Paskert as regular CFs in Chicago. seasons, seasons, regular CF, Chi-N regular CF elsewhere Danny Green 00 01 Johnny Dobbs 02 01 Cin, 03-05 Bkn Davy Jones 03 Jack McCarthy 04 Jimmy Slagle 05 06 07 08 99 Was Solly Hofman 09 10 11 Tommy Leach 12 13 14 07,09-10 Pit, 15 Cin Cy Williams 15 16 17 18-24 Phi Dode Paskert 18 19 20 10 Cin, 11-14,16-17 Phi Bill Lange retired at age 28 in 1899. It appears that Chicago then scrambled to fill the CF position before settling on Slagle, who was a regular here from 1902. Jones and Hofman later played in the Federal League, neither one as a regular CF. Jones also played several years for Detroit AL. That was unusual between the American League and Federal League wars; most players remained in one league. regular CF, Chicago NL Career Seasons as TB-regular CF, Any MLB Team ( , = 10+ seasons) 2 2 5 1 1 5 5 5 5 3 3 3 7 7 7 , , , , , , : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 Chicago used nine regular CFs: a new man every year, 1901-05; then a period of relative stability where each man served three years. regular CF, Chicago NL Games Played in the Outfield as % of Scheduled Games (nearest 10%) 100% G Slagle Hofman W Paskert 90 J S L W P 80 S L Williams 70 G M S H H 60 P 50% Leach 40 D : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 *Dobbs a regular on two teams, 1902 *Leach, two teams 1912 Harry Steinfeldt became famous as the unknown member of the infield in the Cubs' heyday. Slagle and Hofman patrolled centerfield and did not become famous. The centerfielder was rarely a mainstay of the team during the Deadball Era. Dobbs and Leach were acquired mid-season in 1902 and 1912; Hofman played 36 games early in 1912 before the trade (even up for Leach?). Paskert batted .196 at age 37 in 1919 after a fine season in 1918.Cincinnati, NL 1901-26
The period 1901-1926 includes the whole tenure of Edd Roush as regular CF in Cincinnati. Dummy Hoy, 1902, was also the regular CF for the Reds in 1894 and 1896-97; those seasons are not featured here because he played elsewhere in the meantime. seasons, seasons, regular CF, Cin regular CF elsewhere Johnny Dobbs 01 02 Chi, 03-05 Bkn Dummy Hoy 02 88-89 Was, 90 Buf-PL, 91 SL-AA, 92-93 Was 94,96-97 Cin, 98-99 Lou, 01 Chi-A Cy Seymour 03 04 05 06 06-08 NY Art Kruger 07 14 KC-F John Kane 08 Rebel Oakes 09 10-13 SL, 14-15 Pit-F Dode Paskert 10 11-14,16-17 Phi, 18-20 Chi Johnny Bates 11 06 Bos, 09-10 Phi Armando Marsans 12 13 16 SL-A Bert Daniels 14 11 NY-A Tommy Leach 15 07,09-10 Pit, 12-14 Chi Edd Roush 16 17 18 19 20 21 23 24 25 26 15 New-F, 27,29 NY 1900 CF Jimmy Barrett moved to Detroit for 1901, one of two from the senior circuit who signed immediately with the American League. The ballclub was "on the front line" in the AL war, partly by choice of owner John Brush. Most of the action was in the outfield: the Reds signed Hoy and Mike Donlin offseason 1901-02, Seymour and Joe Kelley midseason 1902; they lost Barrett offseason 1900-01, Harry Bay midseason 1902, Sam Crawford offseason 1902-03. Kruger, Oakes, and Marsans, the regulars during four seasons 1907-13, later played in the Federal League (Marsans signed in midseason 1914). Roush came out of the FL via New York. regular CF, Cincinnati NL Career Seasons as TB-regular CF, Any MLB Team ( , = 10+ seasons) 5 , 6 6 6 6 2 1 7 , 4 3 3 2 7 , , , , , , 2 , , , , : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 Cincinnati used thirteen regular CFs, including 11 in 15 years before Edd Roush. There was a new man in the role for six years running, 1907-12. It appears that the Reds were slow to recognize the Great Fly Chaser Dode Paskert. regular CF, Cincinnati NL Games Played in the Outfield as % of Scheduled Games (nearest 10%) 100% S Seymour B Roush B 90 S P R R R R R R 80 K R 70 D O R 60 Kr M M L 50% H S D R 40 : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 *Seymour, a regular on two teams, 1906 *Roush, two teams 1916 Seymour and Roush played every day or nearly so. Otherwise, the position was normally unstable within-season. Seymour was acquired mid-season 1902. Roush came out of the FL via New York in 1916, when he played 69 games.New York, NL 1894-1919
The period 1894-1919 includes the whole tenure of George Van Haltren as regular CF in New York. seasons, seasons, regular CF, NY-N regular CF elsewhere George Van Haltren 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 93 Pit Steve Brodie 02 91 Bos, 92-93 SL, 94-96 Bal 97 Pit, 99 Bal, 01 Bal-A Roger Bresnahan 03 04 Mike Donlin 05 11 Bos Cy Seymour 06 07 08 03-06 Cin Bill O'Hara 09 Fred Snodgrass 10 11 13 15 16 Bos Beals Becker 12 Bob Bescher 14 Benny Kauff 16 17 18 19 15 Bkn-F Becker, Snodgrass, and Josh Devore split two positions in 1912, with Becker on the bench and Snodgrass in center for the World Series. Becker played a similar role on the 1915 Philadelphia Phillies. regular CF, New York NL Career Seasons as TB-regular CF, Any MLB Team ( , = 10+ seasons) 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 , 2 2 2 6 6 6 1 5 5 1 5 1 5 5 5 5 5 : : : : : : 1895 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 New York used ten regular CFs, including 8 in 14 seasons between George Van Haltren and Benny Kauff. This is New York, so all but the three "only-season men" are famous. regular CF, New York NL Games Played in the Outfield as % of Scheduled Games (nearest 10%) 100% V V V V V V V V D S Sn K K Kauff 90 [Van Haltren] Sn 80 Brodie S B B 70 O Snodgrass 60 B Bresnahan 50% Seymour Sn K 40 : : : : : : 1895 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 *Seymour a regular on two teams, 1906 *Snodgrass, two teams 1915 Van Haltren, Seymour, and Kauff played every day. Otherwise, the centerfield position was unstable in New York. Seymour was acquired mid-season 1906; after his short term as the regular, he was a heavy duty sub for two seasons. Snodgrass never fulfilled John McGraw's hopes and was released, I think, in mid-season 1915. Kauff came out of the Federal League. He was in military service, 1918, when he played 67 games, and was banned during or after the 1920 season, when he played 55 games.Philadelphia, NL 1899-1924
The period 1899-1924 includes the whole tenure of Roy Thomas and of Cy Williams as regular CFs in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia story is one extreme: no team was better served in centerfield than the Phillies, in those respects featured here. seasons, seasons, regular CF, Phi-N regular CF elsewhere Roy Thomas 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 Pit Ossie Osborn 08 Johnny Bates 09 10 06 Bos, 11 Cin Dode Paskert 11 12 13 14 16 17 10 Cin, 18-20 Chi Possum Whitted 15 Cy Williams 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 15-17 Chi Thomas served longest for any NL team, 1901-19: seven seasons as regular CF. Clyde Milan and Ty Cobb served much longer in the AL. In 1915, Paskert was fourth among Philadelphia outfielders in game played and atbats. Paskert, Whitted, and Gavy Cravath played every game in the World Series, with Beals Becker on the bench. regular CF, Philadelphia NL Career Seasons as TB-regular CF, Any MLB Team ( , = 10+ seasons) , , , , , , , , , 1 4 4 , , , , 1 , , , , , , , , , : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 Philadelphia used only six regular CFs. Thomas, Paskert, and Williams all served 10 years in that role, somewhere in the Majors. They covered 22 of 26 seasons for the Phillies during the period represented here. regular CF, Philadelphia NL Games Played in the Outfield as % of Scheduled Games (nearest 10%) 100% T T T T O Paskert P W W W W 90 T T T T P P W 80 [Thomas] T B P P Wh W 70 Williams 60 50% B 40 : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 *Bates, two teams 1909 The Phillies' regular CF played more than 75% of a full schedule during 24 of 26 seasons, often close to 100%. Bates was acquired in mid-season 1909.Pittsburgh, NL 1899-1926
The period 1899-1926 includes the whole tenure of Ginger Beaumont and of Max Carey as regular CFs in Pittsburgh. seasons, seasons, regular CF, Pit regular CF elsewhere Ginger Beaumont 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07-09 Bos Tommy Leach 07 09 10 12-14 Chi, 15 Cin Roy Thomas 08 99-07 Phi Max Carey 11 16 17 18 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 28 Bkn Owen Wilson 12 15-16 SL Mike Mitchell 13 Joe Kelly 14 Zip Collins 15 Carson Bigbee 19 Carey was the regular centerfielder at age 21 in 1911, the last season for manager Fred Clarke in left. Carey then served in left for four years, while the team scrambled to fill the center. He returned to centerfield in 1916, when Nixey Callahan replaced Clarke as a manager. This is a puzzle. Carey is a Hall of Fame centerfielder. The Total Baseball measure, Fielding Runs, supports his reputation for excellent defense. Would Fred Clarke agree? regular CF, Pittsburgh NL Career Seasons as TB-regular CF, Any MLB Team ( , = 10+ seasons) , , , , , , , , 7 , 7 7 , 2 1 1 1 , , , 1 , , , , , , , : : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 1925 Pittsburgh used nine regular CFs. For most of the featured period, a 10-year regular Major League centerfielder (represented by a comma) filled that role Pittsburgh: Beaumont early and Carey late with one season each by Roy Thomas and Carey in between. The team also relied on 7-year cf, Tommy Leach, who was previously the regular third baseman. On the other hand, Pittsburgh was the only NL ballclub that used three successive "only-season men" ('1'), who filled the regular CF role for only one season in the Majors. regular CF, Pittsburgh NL Games Played in the Outfield as % of Scheduled Games (nearest 10%) 100% B B B B W C C Carey C C C 90 B L K B C 80 L Carey C C 70 Beaumont Leach 60 B Thomas Co 50% B C 40 M (54 games or 35%) : : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 1925 two teams: *Thomas *Mitchell *Carey The Pirates' longtime career centerfielders Beaumont and Carey each played 95% or 100% of a full schedule during half of his seasons with the team. That was unusual during the Deadball Era. Beaumont played much less in his first season, as did Carey in his last season, when he was traded to Brooklyn after a public dispute with management. 1905-08 is another lowspot on the graph, indicating instability within-season: Beaumont no longer played every day; Leach was in transition from thirdbase to the outfield. Mike Mitchell was acquired mid-season 1913; his stint in Pittsburgh was the shortest for any TB-regular CF in the Deadball Era NL. Five men played the center in 1913 while 1911 CF Carey and 1912 CF Wilson played every day in left and right.St. Louis, NL 1900-22
The period 1900-1922 includes the whole tenure of Snags Heidrick and of Jack Smith as regular CFs in St. Louis. seasons, seasons, regular CF, SL-N regular CF elsewhere Snags Heidrick 00 01 02-04 SL-A Homer Smoot 02 03 04 05 06 Jack Burnett 07 Al Shaw 08 09 14 Bkn-F Rebel Oakes 10 11 12 13 09 Cin, 14-15 Pit-F Lee Magee 14 16 NY-A Owen Wilson 15 12 Pit Jack Smith 16 17 20 22 26,28 Bos Cliff Heathcote 18 19 Les Mann 21 13-14 Bos 1900-01 regular CF Snags Heidrick signed with the AL when the Milwaukee club moved into St. Louis, offseason 1901-02. Five men split two positions in 1907. Shaw, Oakes, and Magee, the regulars in 1908-14, all played in the Federal League. So did Mann, the regular in 1921. regular CF, St. Louis NL Career Seasons as TB-regular CF, Any MLB Team ( , = 10+ seasons) 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 1 3 3 7 7 7 7 2 2 6 6 2 2 6 3 6 : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 St. Louis used ten regular CFs in 23 seasons. Maybe Jack Smith was out of position when he played center; his range factor was below league-average for all outfielders. Maybe the Cardinals had no true centerfielder, 1914-22. regular CF, St. Louis NL Games Played in the Outfield as % of Scheduled Games (nearest 10%) 100% Oakes 90 S S S Smoot O O S 80 H O S Smith 70 M W H H 60 H S ShSh S 50% M 40 B : : : : : 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 * Smoot, two teams 1906 Smoot played every day or nearly so for 4-1/2 seasons, Oakes for four. Otherwise, the Cardinal centerfielder did not play every day. Jack Smith was in military service, 1918, when he played 42 games.