Nine former Pittsburgh Pirates born on this date, plus one transaction of note.
The Trade
On this date in 1992, the Pittsburgh Pirates traded pitcher Neal Heaton to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for outfielder Kirk Gibson. Heaton was 32 years old at the time. He had played three years in Pittsburgh, with the first two as a starting pitcher, before spending the 1991 season in the bullpen. He had a 4.33 ERA and a .135 WHIP in 68.2 innings over 42 appearances that year. Gibson was just shy of his 35th birthday at the time of the trade. He hit .236 in 1991, with 81 runs, 17 doubles, 16 homers, 55 RBIs, 18 steals, 69 walks and a .744 OPS in 132 games for the Royals. Gibson had asked for a trade once the Royals told him he would serve in a backup role for 1992. Just 16 games into the season with the Pirates, Gibson was placed on waivers. He said at the time that he would likely retire. He hit .196/.237/.304 over 60 plate appearances, with two homers and five RBIs during his time with the Pirates. He didn’t play again in 1992, but returned for three more seasons with the 1993-95 Detroit Tigers. Heaton was released in late July by the Royals after 31 relief appearances. He had a 4.17 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP in 41 innings. He pitched one game for the Milwaukee Brewers later that year, then 18 games for the New York Yankees in 1993, before retiring.
The Players
Josh VanMeter, utility fielder for the 2022 Pirates. He was a fifth round draft pick out of high school by the San Diego Padres in 2013. He went to the rookie level Arizona League after signing, where he had a .279 average in 44 games, with 33 runs, nine extra-base hits, 16 RBIs and a .727 OPS. He played for Fort Wayne of the Low-A Midwest League in 2014, where he batted .254 in 116 games, with 49 runs, 24 doubles, three homers, 39 RBIs and a .644 OPS. VanMeter split the 2015 season between Fort Wayne and the Arizona League team, which was a rehab stint with the latter club, after he spent a majority of the season on the disabled list with a broken leg. He hit .299/.375/.374 in 28 games that year. He played 95 games for Lake Elsinore of the High-A California League, then another 29 games for San Antonio of the Double-A Texas League in 2016. Between both stops that year, VanMeter had a .251 average, with 61 runs, 23 doubles, 14 homers, 56 RBIs and a .735 OPS. He had much better stats at the lower level that year. He reported to the Arizona Fall League after the season, where he had a .265 average and a .798 OPS in 21 games. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in December of 2016. VanMeter spent the 2017 season with Pensacola of the Double-A Southern League, where he had a .255 average in 132 games, with 45 runs, 29 doubles, five homers, 54 RBIs, 15 steals, 53 walks and a .678 OPS.
VanMeter split the 2018 season between 30 games for Pensacola, and 98 games for Louisville of the Triple-A International League. He had somewhat similar results in both spots, though a higher walk rate in Pensacola led to a better OPS there compared to Louisville. He combined to hit .260 in 128 games, with 53 runs, 35 doubles, six triples, 11 homers, 59 RBIs and a .791 OPS. A majority of the 2019 season was spent in the majors. He played 49 games for Louisville that season, putting up a .348/.429/.669 slash line. His rookie season in the majors saw him hit .237 in 95 games, with 33 runs, 13 doubles, eight homers, 23 RBIs, nine steals and a .735 OPS. He split the shortened 2020 season between the Reds and the Arizona Diamondbacks, who acquired him via trade on August 31st. VanMeter hit .129/.228/.257 in 29 games that season. He played 112 games for Arizona in 2021, finishing with a .212 average, 26 runs, 17 doubles, six homers, 36 RBIs and a .651 OPS in 310 plate appearances. He was traded to the Pirates on April 1, 2022, in exchange for minor league pitcher Listher Sosa. VanMeter hit .187/.266/.292 in 67 games for the 2022 Pirates, while playing six different positions, including pitcher and catcher. He was designated for assignment in September, then sent to Indianapolis of the Triple-A International League. He became a free agent at the end of the season, then signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers for 2023. In 300 games over four big league seasons, VanMeter has a .206 average, with 83 runs, 38 doubles, 19 homers and 79 RBIs.
Tike Redman, outfielder for the Pirates from 2000-01 and 2003-05. He was a fifth round draft pick of the Pirates in the 1996 amateur draft, selected at 19 years old out of Tuscaloosa Academy HS in Alabama. Redman batted .296 in 1996, with 51 runs, 18 extra-base hits, 37 RBIs, 22 steals and a .767 OPS in 69 games, splitting his first year between the Gulf Coast League Pirates (26 games) and Erie of the short-season New York-Penn League. He skipped from short-season ball up to High-A in 1997, hitting .251 that year, with 55 runs, 27 extra-base hits, 45 RBIs, 21 stolen bases, 45 walks and a .680 OPS in 125 games for Lynchburg of the Carolina League. He repeated High-A in 1998, hitting for a .257 average in 131 games for Lynchburg, with 70 runs, 42 extra-base hits, 46 RBIs, a .677 OPS and 36 stolen bases in 52 attempts. Redman moved up to Double-A in 1999, where he had a .269 average, with 84 runs, 35 extra-base hits, 60 RBIs, 52 walks, 29 steals and a .700 OPS in 136 games with Altoona of the Eastern League. He debuted in the majors in 2000, hitting .333/.368/.556 during a mid-season nine-game stint with the Pirates, yet it took him until the next May to make it back to the majors. He spent the rest of 2000 with Nashville of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, where he hit .261 in 121 games, with 62 runs, 39 extra-base hits, 51 RBIs and a .682 OPS. He stole 24 bases that year, but he was caught 18 times.
Redman hit .304 in 94 games for Nashville in 2001, with 53 runs, 31 extra-base hits, 42 RBIs, 21 steals and a .769 OPS. He hit .224/.246/.296 in 130 plate appearances over 37 games for the 2001 Pirates, seeing a short stint in May, then another that covered almost all of July and August. He spent all of 2002 in Nashville, batting .270 in 76 games, with 40 runs, 15 extra-base hits, 20 RBIs, 16 steals and a .660 OPS. Redman was with Nashville for a fourth season in 2003, where he hit .294 in 100 games, with 60 runs, 23 extra-base hits, 29 RBIs, a .757 OPS and 42 steals in 51 attempts. He was finally recalled by the Pirates on August 1, 2003, then went on to hit .330/.374/.483 over the last 56 games of that season, adding 36 runs, 24 extra-base hits, 19 RBIs and seven steals, which helped earn him a full-time big league job for 2004. In what ended up being his best year in the majors, Redman hit .280 for the 2004 Pirates, with 65 runs scored, 19 doubles, eight homers, 51 RBIs, 18 stolen bases and a .684 OPS in 155 games. He was unable to repeat the performance in 2005. His average dropping to .251 that year, to go along with 33 runs, 18 extra-base hits, 26 RBIs and a .625 OPS in 135 games. He had just four steals and 19 walks all season. The Pirates sold Redman to the New York Mets after the 2005 season. They ended up releasing him at the end of Spring Training in 2006. Redman spent the first half of the 2006 season in the minors for the Detroit Tigers, playing for Toledo of the Triple-A International League. He ended the year playing Double-A ball for the Houston Astros, seeing time with Corpus Christi of the Texas League. He combined to hit .268 in 106 games, with 47 runs, 22 extra-base hits, 19 RBIs, 16 steals and a .658 OPS.
Redman’s last big league experience was 40 games with the 2007 Baltimore Orioles. He signed with the Orioles after being released by the Boston Red Sox at the end of Spring Training. Redman hit .318/.341/.462 in 139 plate appearances, with 23 runs, 13 extra-base hits, 16 RBIs and seven steals during his time in Baltimore. That was a strong showing, but it proved to be a last hurrah. He also saw time that year in Triple-A with Norfolk of the International League (Orioles affiliate), and he had a brief stint in independent ball with York of the Atlantic League. He had a .304 average and a .788 OPS over 80 games in Norfolk. His York time amounted to a .464/.516/.546 slash line in seven games. Redman played pro ball until 2011, last seeing time in the Mexican League, where he also played two years of winter ball. He played winter ball in Puerto Rico during the 2005-06 off-season, and he appeared briefly in Venezuelan winter ball in 2010-11.
Redman spent the entire 2008 season back in Norfolk, where he had a .292 average in 116 games, with 77 runs, 26 extra-base hits, 36 RBIs and a .730 OPS. He played independent ball in 2009 with Newark of the Atlantic League, where he hit .292 in 74 games, with 49 runs, 13 extra-base hits, 36 RBIs, ten steals and a .778 OPS. Redman also spent a brief time in 2009 with the Milwaukee Brewers in Triple-A, putting up a .617 OPS in 15 games with Nashville of the Pacific Coast League. The 2010 season was split between Mexico and indy ball with Bridgeport of the Atlantic League. He didn’t do much with Bridgeport, putting up a .239 average and a .630 OPS in 57 games. He did well in Mexico, batting .355/.462/.509 in 62 games. After playing 54 games of winter ball during the 2010-11 off-season, he wrapped up his career with a .280 average and a .729 OPS over 62 games in Mexico. Redman played 1,953 games as a pro, 432 in the majors. In his five seasons with Pittsburgh, he hit .277 in 392 games, with 144 runs, 52 doubles, 15 homers, 101 RBIs and 33 stolen bases. His brother Prentice played in the majors with the 2003 Mets. Tike’s real first name is Julian.
John Cangelosi, outfielder for the Pirates from 1987 until 1990. He was a fourth round draft pick of the Chicago White Sox in 1982 out of Miami-Dade College. Cangelosi put up huge stolen base and walk numbers in the minors to run his way to the White Sox by June of 1985, though his first stint with the team was brief. In his first season of pro ball, he had a .289 average, with 60 runs, 24 extra-base hits, 38 RBIs, 45 steals, 56 walks and an .839 OPS in 76 games, while playing in the short-season New York-Penn League with Niagara Falls. He hit .282 over 127 games in 1983, with 87 runs, 17 extra-base hits, 48 RBIs, 99 walks, a .756 OPS and 87 steals in 122 attempts with Appleton of the Class-A Midwest League. Cangelosi jumped to Double-A in 1984, where batted .282 in 138 games for Glen Falls of the Eastern League. He finished with 91 runs, 17 doubles, 38 RBIs, 65 steals, 101 walks and a .750 OPS. He had trouble with the jump to Triple-A in 1985, and his first big league cup of coffee lasted just five games. Cangelosi spent part of his Triple-A time in 1985 with Buffalo of the American Association, though he also saw time with Mexico City of the Mexican League (stats are unavailable). He hit .238 in 78 games for Buffalo, with 34 runs, 14 extra-base hits, 14 steals, 46 walks and a .682 OPS. He went 0-for-4 with two runs in his five big league games.
Cangelosi played his first full season in the majors in 1986. He hit just .235 in 137 games, but he had 65 runs, 16 doubles, 71 walks and 50 stolen bases. He also had 21 extra-base hits, 50 RBIs and a .648 OPS. The Pirates acquired him from the White Sox at the end of Spring Training in 1987, getting him in an even up exchange for relief pitcher Jim Winn. Cangelosi was used mostly as a pinch-hitter during his four seasons in Pittsburgh, playing 349 total games, while getting only 663 plate appearances. He hit .275 over 104 games during the 1987 season, with 44 runs, 15 extra-base hits, 18 RBIs, 21 steals, 46 walks and an .844 OPS, in what ended up being his best season with Pittsburgh. He spent over a month of the 1988 season in Triple-A, back with Buffalo, which switched affiliates from the White Sox to the Cleveland Indians in 1987 for one year, then on to the Pirates in 1988. He had a .331 average and an .782 OPS in 37 games with Buffalo. He batted .254 in 75 games with the Pirates that year, with 18 runs, five extra-base hits, eight RBIs and nine steals, while posting a .658 OPS in 139 plate appearances. Cangelosi spent the entire 1989 season in the majors as a bench player, hitting .219 in 112 games, with 18 runs, six extra-base hits, nine RBIs and a .634 OPS in 201 plate appearances. He stole 11 bases that year, but he was caught eight times. The Pirates released him following the 1990 season, after he received just 90 plate appearances in 58 games, while spending part of the year back in Buffalo. He hit .197/.307/.244 during his time in Pittsburgh that year. His time in Buffalo saw him put up a .348 average and an .847 OPS in 24 games. He hit .243 in his four seasons on the Pirates, with 93 runs, 28 extra-base hits, 36 RBIs and a 109:81 BB/SO ratio. Cangelosi stole 48 bases in 68 attempts while in Pittsburgh.
Cangelosi spent the entire 1991 season in Triple-A, splitting the year between the Milwaukee Brewers (Denver of the American Association) and the White Sox (Vancouver of the Pacific Coast League). He combined to hit .282 in 113 games, with 84 runs, 15 extra-base hits, 35 RBIs, 35 steals, 70 walks and a .732 OPS. He signed with the Texas Rangers in 1992, though they released him after he batted .188/.330/.247 in 106 plate appearances over 73 games. He signed with the Detroit Tigers to finish the 1992 season, then he remained there through the end of 1993, though he spent that entire time in Triple-A with Toledo of the International League. Cangelosi had a .270 average and a .676 OPS over 27 games to finish out 1992. He hit .292 over 113 games in 1993, with 73 runs, 23 doubles, six homers, 42 RBIs, 39 steals and a .780 OPS.
Cangelosi got back to the majors when signed with the New York Mets for 1994. He ended up played six straight seasons in the majors to finish out his career. He hit .252/.371/.288 in 62 games for the Mets during the strike-shortened 1994 season. He then signed with the Houston Astros in 1995. He batted .318 that year, with 46 runs, nine extra-base hits, 18 RBIs, 21 steals, 48 walks and an .850 OPS in 90 games. His 1.8 WAR that season tied his 1987 career best mark with the Pirates. Cangelosi played 108 games with the 1996 Astros, hitting .263 that year, with 49 runs, 16 extra-base hits, 16 RBIs, 17 steals, 44 walks and a .726 OPS. He spent the next two seasons with the Florida Marlins, seeing some starts and regular time off the bench. He played a total of 207 games with Florida, batting .248 during that time, while attempting just 11 stolen bases. He was part of their World Series winning team in 1997, hitting .245 in 103 games, with 28 runs, eight doubles, a homer, 12 RBIs and a .623 OPS. He played seven postseason games that year, going 2-for-9 with a walk at the plate.
Cangelosi had a better season at the plate with the 1998 Marlins, hitting .252 in 104 games, with 19 runs, eight doubles, a homer, ten RBIs and a .680 OPS. He finished his big league career with seven games for the 1999 Colorado Rockies. He went 1-for-6 with a double during that brief time. He also played 29 games for Colorado Springs of the Pacific Coast League, where he had a .330 average and an .874 OPS. He played 1,038 Major League games over 13 seasons, hitting .250 during that time, with 328 runs, 100 extra-base hits, 134 RBIs and 154 stolen bases in 215 attempts. He finished with a 358:322 BB/SO ratio. Despite being used 468 times as a pinch-hitter in the majors, he did not excel at the role. He had a .207 and a .589 OPS, while picking up just 11 RBIs. Cangelosi pitched three different times in his career, including two innings for the 1988 Pirates. He allowed just one hit over four shutout innings. He finished with 339 stolen bases in the minors, though his career totals are missing his stint in the Mexican League.
Art Herring, pitcher for the 1947 Pirates. He pitched six seasons in the majors (1929-34) before going to the minors for most of the next ten years. From late June of 1934 until August of 1944, he spent a total of just one month in the majors, which came with the 1939 Chicago White Sox. Once he got back at age 38 in 1944, he managed to get another four seasons of Major League service, including his time with the 1947 Pirates. His pro career began with a 27-game stint with Beaumont of the Class-A Texas League at 21 years old in 1927. He had a .261 average, with seven doubles and a triple. He was an outfielder at that point of his career. According to his online stats, his next pro appearances came as a Major League pitcher not too long afterwards. However, Herring was playing for Oklahoma City of the Class-A Western League in 1929, where he posted a 19-13 record and pitched 262 innings for former star Pirates pitcher Lefty Leifield, who was his manager. Leifield also recommended him to the Detroit Tigers, which gave him his first big break. Those Oklahoma City stats are currently listed as “Herring” on Baseball-Reference as a separate minor league player, but I was able to track down his beginnings. His big league career started with four late season starts for the 1929 Tigers. He went 2-1, 4.78 in 32 innings during that first cup of coffee.
Herring spent about half of the 1930 season in the majors, while also seeing time with Toronto of the Double-A International League (highest level of the minors at the time). He threw 98 innings for Toronto, where he had a 5-7, 3.95 record. Herring posted a 3-3, 5.33 record and a 1.71 WHIP in 77.2 innings over six starts and 17 relief appearances for the Tigers that year. The 1930 season was a huge year for offense in baseball, so his ERA wasn’t as bad as it appeared. Herring was with the Tigers for all of 1931, going 7-13, 4.31 in 165 innings, while making 16 starts and 19 relief appearances. He had a 1.53 WHIP and a 67:64 BB/SO ratio. He saw limited time during the 1932-33 seasons, throwing a total of 83.1 innings, while also seeing time spent back in Beaumont during each season. He had a 5.24 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP in 22.1 innings with the 1932 Tigers. He did well in Beaumont, though he was dropping down two levels to play there. He went 11-5, 2.94 in 150 innings. That was followed by a 3.84 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP in 61 innings over 24 games (three starts) with Detroit in 1933. His Beaumont time that year amounted to a 4-3, 2.49 record in 47 innings.
Herring was sold to the Brooklyn Dodgers after the 1933 season. He went 2-4, 6.20, with a 1.86 WHIP in 49.1 innings for the 1934 Dodgers, making four starts and ten relief appearances that year. More of the 1934 season was spent with Albany of the Double-A International League, where he had a 4-6, 4.46 record and a 1.61 WHIP in 103 innings. He was traded to Sacramento of the Double-A Pacific Coast League in December of 1934. Herring saw a lot of work in the minors over the next few years. In his only season with Sacramento in 1935, he went 19-14, 4.42 in 267 innings, with a 1.52 WHIP. The next four seasons were spent with St Paul of the Double-A American Association, before he got another crack at the majors in 1939. Herring had a 12-12, 4.64 record over 227 innings in 1936, with 123 strikeouts and a 1.46 WHIP. He followed that with a 14-11, 4.45 record over 184 innings in 1937, with 72 strikeouts and a 1.46 WHIP. Herring had a 16-6, 3.74 record, 84 strikeouts and a 1.30 WHIP in 200 innings during the 1938 season. His stint with the 1939 White Sox consisted of seven relief outings through the end of May, in which he had a 5.65 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP in 14.1 innings.
Herring returned to St Paul in 1939, where he finished the season by going 9-9, 3.55 in 137 innings, finishing with a 1.18 WHIP. He remained there until his next big league trial, which went much better than his brief time in Chicago. Herring went 17-10, 3.80, with a 1.47 WHIP over 239 innings in 1940. He had an 11-17, 4.59 record and a 1.48 WHIP in 190 innings during the 1941 season. That was followed in 1942 by a 13-11, 3.30 record and a 1.33 WHIP in 207 innings. At 37 years old in 1943, he put together a 13-10, 3.37 record and a 1.36 WHIP in 195 innings. Before coming back to the majors with the Dodgers in 1944, he had a 2.18 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP in 103 innings for St Paul. Herring pitched well with the Dodgers during the 1944-46 seasons in a swing role, getting limited time split between starting and relief. He pitched 69 games during that three-year stretch, appearing 23 times as a starter. He went 3-4, 3.42 in 55.1 innings to finish out the 1944 season. He had a 7-4, 3.48 record and a 1.18 WHIP in 124 innings during the 1945 season, splitting that work over 15 starts and seven relief appearances. Herring went 7-2, 3.35 in 1946, with five saves and a 1.40 WHIP in 86 innings over 35 games.
The Pirates were getting a good pitcher when they acquired Herring in 1947, though he was already 41 years old. Many players who did well during the war years, struggled when the quality of play improved with the return of younger players who served during the war. Pittsburgh purchased his contract from the Brooklyn Dodgers in October of 1946. Herring made 11 early season appearances out of the bullpen for the Pirates, pitching a total of 10.2 innings. He had an 8.44 ERA and a 2.06 WHIP during that time. He allowed runs in three of his last four outings before being released in late June. He signed with Columbus of the Triple-A American Association, where he finished his pro career later that season. He went 6-2, 3.99 in 70 innings with Columbus. Herring won 181 minor league games over 16 season, which includes the missing Oklahoma City stats. He had a 34-38, 4.32 record in 697.2 innings pitched over 199 Major League games. He made 56 starts, tossed 25 complete games, and three of those games were shutouts. Though not an official stat at the time, he finished with 13 saves. He finished with more walks (284) than strikeouts (243). He pitched a total of nine seasons for St Paul, where he compiled 113 of his minor league victories.
Jack Mercer, pitcher for the 1910 Pirates. He was just 21 years old at the time of his big league debut, having already played parts of four seasons in the minors. However, that one appearance for the Pirates would also be the last game of his big league career. He threw one inning for the Pirates on August 2, 1910, allowing no runs on two walks and one strikeout. He was a project of Pirates manager Fred Clarke, who believed he had a natural ability that could lead to him being a great pitcher if he had the ambition to work on his control. His fastball was said to have great speed, and he had an easy delivery, which made it a bit deceptive to hitters. Mercer began his pro career in 1907, appearing briefly for the Springfield Babes of the Class-B Central League. He’s credited with losing his only game that year. He had a 12-20 record (he has no available minor league ERA numbers) and threw 290 innings in 1908, while splitting his time between Springfield/Portsmouth and Marion, both of the Class-D Ohio State League. He’s credited with 147 walks and 180 strikeouts that year. He was pitching for Peoria of the Three-I League before joining the Pirates. He had a 7-10 record in 123 innings over 20 games for Peoria in 1909. He then went 6-6 in 15 games in 1910. The Pirates signed Mercer on July 15, 1910, under the recommendation of scout Howard Earl, who called him the best pitcher he saw that season, though he also noted that he would still probably need more minor league work. Mercer reported to the Pirates on July 25th, then made his big league debut eight days later. He pitched the bottom of the eighth in a 6-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. He remained with the Pirates through the middle of September, though he was often left at home when the team went on road trips, which was a cost-saving move for travel expenses. On September 19th, he was released to Jersey City of the Class-A Eastern League, seemingly ending his time in Pittsburgh, though that didn’t go as planned.
Mercer brought up a case against the Pirates in March of 1911, claiming that they owed him $160, as payment for the final 21 days of the season (players were paid until October 15th that year). That was after he was already released by the Pirates. The Pirates won the case, though they actually provided proof that they paid him until October 9th, so all they would have owed him had they lost was six days pay. While still technically a member of the Pirates, Mercer was placed on the ineligible list in 1911 because he failed to report. The Pirates received him back from Jersey City 16 days after his case against them was decided. The Pirates released him to Chattanooga of the Southern Association on December 14, 1911, then he was removed from the ineligible list on January 7, 1912. The Pirates couldn’t get rid of him though, because he pitched poorly in Chattanooga in the spring of 1912, partially due to an early spring illness, so his rights were returned to the Pirates on April 4th. Chattanooga had a deal with Barney Dreyfuss that they would only pay for Mercer if he earned a spot on their team. He ended up signing with Fort Wayne of the Central League on May 17, 1912. He pitched poorly for them in a few appearances, going 0-3 over 31 innings. The team manager noted that he wasn’t showing him previous pitching ability, but they kept him around hoping for it to return. Mercer was once credited with an appearance for the 1912 St Louis Cardinals as a first baseman, but that has been changed over the years. The 1912 player was a man named John Mercer. This Jack Mercer for the Pirates was actually named Harry Mercer, and Jack was just a nickname. To make things a bit more confusing, during his brief time in Pittsburgh, he was known as John Mercer. His pitching hand is listed as unknown online, but the September 20, 1910 Pittsburgh Post lists him as a right-handed pitcher.
Walter “Judge” Nagle, pitcher for the 1911 Pirates. He began his Major League career with the Pirates on April 26, 1911, after spending the first ten seasons of his pro career in the minors. He pitched in relief that first game and picked up the win, then pulled off the same feat the next game. Three innings into his MLB career he had two wins to his credit. A week later he started his first game against the St Louis Cardinals. While he allowed ten hits and the Pirates scored just two runs, he pitched a complete game and gave up just one run, collecting his third career victory. He lost his next start five days later, giving up six earned runs in six innings against the Philadelphia Phillies. He picked up his fourth and final win with the Pirates on May 15th, when he allowed five runs during a three-inning relief appearance against the Boston Braves. The Pirates won that game 12-10. After going 4-2, 3.62 in 27.1 innings over eight games (three starts) for Pittsburgh, he was sold to the Boston Red Sox on June 21st. He pitched five games for Boston before returning to the minors for 2+ seasons, retiring after a sore arm left him unable to pitch. With the Red Sox, he went 1-1, 3.33 in 27 innings.
Nagle pitched in the lower levels/independent leagues, beginning at 21 years old in 1901 for the Oakland Commuters of the California League. He has no known records in 1902, but his SABR bio places him with San Francisco for at least part of that season. He also played for San Francisco and Fresno of the California State League, and Stockton of the California League during the 1903-06 seasons, but he has no known pitching stats until he joined Los Angeles of the Class-A Pacific Coast League in 1905. Until 1912, Class-A was the highest level of the minors. He had a remarkable start with Los Angeles, going 11-0, 1.37, with an 0.94 WHIP over 118.1 innings in 1905. He had a 9-16, 3.03 record and a 1.20 WHIP over 213.2 innings in 1906. Nagle put together a 16-12, 2.26 record and a 1.03 WHIP in 266.1 innings over 29 starts and five relief appearances during the 1907 season. He compiled a 24-10 record over 38 appearances in 1908 (stats are limited for that season). That was followed by a 20-10, 2.13 record and a 1.09 WHIP in 292 innings over 30 starts and four relief appearances in 1909. He was an absolute workhorse in 1910, going 25-16, 1.91 in 400.2 innings, with 41 starts and ten relief appearances, while posting an 0.97 WHIP. On December 22, 1910, he was traded to the Pirates for a player to be named later, with the understanding that if they were going to send him to the minors, he would return to Los Angeles. The Pirates were actually his first team outside of California.
After his final big league game, Nagle completed the 1911 season by making two starts for Los Angeles, going 1-1, 4.00 in 18 innings. He went 8-6, 3.38, with a 1.44 WHIP in 106.2 innings over 14 starts and eight relief appearances with Los Angeles during the 1912 season. He was a player/manager for San Jose of the Class-D California League during the 1913 season, which was his last year in pro ball. He went 1-3 on the mound that year, while playing 105 games in the field (mostly at first base). He batted .272 in 368 at-bats that season. He was a .236 hitter during his time as a pitcher with Los Angeles, showing limited power over those nine season. His nickname came from his father’s profession (he was a judge obviously). After his final game in 1913, Nagle retired to his hometown of Santa Rosa, California, where he got a job with Chamber of Commerce and ran a local baseball team. He stayed in his hometown until his passing in 1971 at 91 years old, though technically he’s buried there at the Santa Rosa Memorial Park, so he never left.
Gene DeMontreville, shortstop for the 1894 Pirates. He debuted in pro ball in 1894, playing for three different minor league teams in New York, two of those teams before the Pirates gave him a two-game trial in August. He played 29 games for Binghamton of the Eastern League, as well as spending some time (no stats available) with Albany of the Class-B New York State League. He was signed by the Pirates on August 19th and joined the club the next day in Baltimore. On August 20th, he played in place of star shortstop Jack Glasscock, who was out of action after splitting a finger on his glove hand. The 21-year-old DeMontreville was referred to as both Dumont and Demont in the game recap, which showed that he went 1-for-4 with an error, while handing six chances in the field in a 7-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles. A detailed description of the error noted that he made a nice catch on a low liner to shortstop, but the umpire failed to call it properly and the runner reached first base safely before his throw could arrive. The Baltimore Sun was brutal to him after one game, saying that had slow footwork, his throws were slow and he cannot bat. DeMontreville picked up a hit and a walk in his second game, while handling three plays in the field. The Pirates released DeMontreville on August 23rd, then they used veteran Farmer Weaver at shortstop instead. Weaver had just two games of experience at shortstop during his first six seasons in the majors before joining Pittsburgh. DeMontreville finished the season with Buffalo of the Eastern League. In his 36 total games in the Eastern League that year (includes his earlier Binghamton time), he had a .308 average and 13 extra-base hits.
DeMontreville made it back to the majors in 1895 with the Washington Senators, where he was a star by the 1896 season. He played most of 1895 with Toronto of the Eastern League, where he hit .316 in 112 games, with 92 runs, 34 extra-base hits and 40 steals. He batted .217/.265/.370 in 12 games with the Senators that year. DeMontreville batted .343 for the 1896 Senators, while playing in a league-leading 133 games. That high average came with 94 runs, 24 doubles, five triples, eight homers, 77 RBIs, 28 steals and an .833 OPS. He put up a .341 average in 1897, with 92 runs scored, 27 doubles, eight triples, three homers, 93 RBIs, 30 steals and a .799 OPS in 133 games. He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in a six-player deal prior to 1898, then batted .328 in 151 games, with 93 runs, 21 extra-base hits, 86 RBIs, 52 walks, 49 steals and a .763 OPS. DeMontreville’s production dropped a bit in 1899, when he was traded mid-season to the Chicago Colts (Cubs). He hit .280 in 142 games that year between both stops, with 83 runs, 19 doubles, seven triples, 76 RBIs, 47 steals and a .667 OPS, which was 96 points lower than the previous season. His production really slipped in 1900, when he hit .244 in 69 games for Brooklyn, finishing the year with 34 runs, nine extra-base hits, 28 RBIs and 21 steals. His .570 OPS was a career low that season. That low point was followed by a partial bounce back in 1901, when he hit .300 over 140 games for the Boston Beaneaters. His OPS was just .685, due to low walk and power numbers, but it was still an improvement over the previous two seasons. He had 83 runs, 23 extra-base hits, 72 RBIs and 25 steals that year.
DeMontreville put up a .592 OPS over 124 games with Boston in 1902. He hit .260 that season, with 51 runs, 23 extra-base hits, 53 RBIs and 23 steals. He finished his big league career with 12 games for the Washington Senators in 1903, and four games for the St Louis Browns in 1904. Most of the 1903 season was spent back in the Eastern League, with the Montreal/Worcester club. That league was Class-A that year, which was the highest level of the minors at the time. DeMontreville hit .254 in 45 games, with 20 runs and nine steals. He had a .273/.273/.318 slash line in 45 plate appearances with the Senators that year. A large majority of the 1904 season was played for Atlanta of the Class-A Southern Association, where he had a .288 average and 27 extra-base hits in 120 games. He went 1-for-9 with two walks in his brief time with the Browns that year. He was with Toledo of the Class-A American Association in 1905, where he hit .290 in 152 games, with 49 doubles, four triples and a homer. DeMontreville remained in Toledo for 1906, hitting .282 over 133 games, with 29 doubles, five triples and three homers. He then split 1907 between Toledo and Birmingham of the Southern Association. He hit .247 in 135 games that year, finishing with 75 runs and 22 steals. He stayed in Birmingham for 1908, where he dropped down to a .222 average in 69 games, with 28 runs and 26 steals.
DeMontreville finished his career in 1910 with two seasons for New Orleans of the Southern Association. He had a .229 average over 109 games in 1909, with ten doubles and two triples. He finished up his career with a .189 average over 107 games in 1910, with seven doubles, two triples and a homer. DeMontreville finished his 11-year big league career as a .303 hitter in 922 games, with 537 runs scored, 130 doubles, 35 triples, 17 homers, 497 RBIs and 228 stolen bases. The Pirates decided that he wasn’t fit to play shortstop, which is why they moved on so quickly. That seemed to check out, because he had some brutal stats at the position in 1896-97, even for a time when official scorers were extremely tough (Basically, if you can get to it, you need to make the play. Period), and the equipment and fields were sub-standard. He committed 97 errors in 1896 and 78 in 1897. For reference, those are two of the ten highest season totals at shortstop since 1895. Despite those stats, he still had a positive career mark according to dWAR, with some of his best work coming at the more suitable second base position. His brother Lee DeMontreville played for the 1903 St Louis Cardinals.
Edward “Dad” Lytle, second baseman/outfielder for the 1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenys. He has no known minor league records before the age of 27 in 1889, and he played just 16 Major League games, all in 1890. His pro debut came with Colorado Springs of the Colorado State League in 1889, though no stats are available for that league. He began the 1890 season in the minors with Wheeling of the Tri-State League, before making his big league debut on August 11th with the Chicago Colts, who were playing the Alleghenys that day. Lytle played right field and went 0-for-4 with a run scored. The next day he was with Pittsburgh, playing 15 straight games before his Major League career ended on August 28th. He wasn’t a stranger to Pittsburgh going into that game with Chicago. They got to see him when he played against them in a Spring Training exhibition game earlier that season. Chicago gave up on him after one game because every time he threw the ball in from the outfield, he would throw it to second baseman Bob Glenalvin, regardless of the situation. When asked about it afterwards, Lytle reportedly said that Glenalvin was the only player he knew (they were teammates in 1889 and 1890). His debut was far from impressive, and Chicago was done with him after one day. However, Pittsburgh saw outfielder Billy Sunday suffer a knee injury during that game, and utility man Fred Roat was temporarily away from the club, so they took the first player they could get their hands on, which was Lytle. With much smaller rosters back in the 19th century, suffering two losses usually led to pitchers in the field and/or a new local player being signed. He was basically in the right place at the right time, at least for himself, but not so much for Pittsburgh.
Lytle hit just .145/.254/.164 for the Alleghenys, with two runs, a double, no RBIs and eight walks in 63 plate appearances. He also committed ten errors in his limited time. As an odd note to his brief big league career, he never played on a winning team in the majors. The Alleghenys beat the Colts during his one game, then they lost every game he played for them. In fact, from July 28th until September 3rd, Pittsburgh only won that one game against Chicago, on their way to a 23-113 record. The September 3rd date is significant, because that’s not only the end of the losing streak, it’s also the day the Alleghenys released Lytle (and outfielder/pitcher Fred Osborne). He did not play during his final six days with the club. The interesting part about him signing with Chicago on August 10th (the day before his debut) is that Ned Hanlon of the Pittsburgh Player’s League club arrived in Youngstown, Ohio to sign Lytle later that same day, only to find out that Cap Anson signed him to a deal hours earlier. Lytle played another ten seasons in the minors following his brief stint in the majors. He moved around a lot in his minor league career, including spending time with five different teams in four different leagues during the 1897 season. He also had three different stints with Wheeling, and played on the west coast for a time. Despite the moving, he played multiple years for four teams, including 2 1/2 seasons with Wilkes-Barre of the Class-A Eastern League.
Lytle played for Portland of the Pacific Northwestern League in 1891, where he hit .286 in 100 games, with 109 runs, 24 extra-base hits and 27 steals. He split the 1892 season between Kansas City of the Class-A Western League and Los Angeles of the Class-B California League. He had a .224 average that year, with 47 runs, 21 extra-base hits and 12 steals in 98 games. He remained with Los Angeles in 1893, though the league was independent that year. He batted .281 in 94 games, with 61 runs, 21 extra-base hits and 19 steals. Lytle split 101 games between Wilkes-Barre and Binghamton of the Eastern League in 1894. He hit .338 that year, with 119 runs, 39 extra-base hits and 39 steals. He had a .336 average over 479 at-bats for Wilkes-Barre during the 1895 season, with 112 runs, 39 extra-base hits and eight steals. His 1896 stats for Wilkes-Barre aren’t available, which is common for that season around the minors. Lytle played for Wheeling and New Castle of the Class-B Interstate League in 1897, as well as nine games for Hartford of the Class-B Atlantic League, one game for Milwaukee of the Class-A Western League and 17 games for Rochester/Montreal of the Eastern League. Limited stats are available for that year, but those final three teams show a .229 average in 109 at-bats, with 17 runs and seven extra-base hits.
Lytle’s minor league stats are incomplete for most years, but his best season appears to be 1898 when he spent the entire year with New Castle of the Class-B Interstate League. He hit .314 in 149 games, with 108 runs scored, 33 extra-base hits and 29 steals. He had better stats during the 1894-95 seasons, but those were high years for offense all around baseball due to new pitching rules in place that favored hitters. No stats are available from his final two seasons, which were spent with Wheeling and Fort Wayne of the Interstate League in 1899 and just Wheeling in 1900. Lytle played every position except pitcher according to his know minor league stats. His nickname now is recognized as “Dad”, but more often than not, he was called Pops. They were names given to older players, though both could be found in use by 1891.
John Kelty, outfielder for the 1890 Alleghenys. While both Kelty and Dad Lytle (see bio above) played for the 1890 Alleghenys, they were never teammates. Kelty was with the team since the beginning of Spring Training, but he played his final game on July 12th. He got released two days later, 29 days before Lytle signed. Kelty debuted in pro ball in 1888 at 17 years old, playing for two different teams in the New England League (Worcester and Manchester), where he batted .276 in 90 games, with 61 runs, 19 doubles, eight triples, eight homers and 29 steals. He spent the 1889 season playing for Mansfield of the Tri-State League after being released by Worcester in March of 1889. When Mansfield’s season ended, he finished out the year with Youngstown of the Ohio State League, joining them on September 17th. On November 20, 1889, he was part of a group of eight players who were announced as officially signed by the Alleghenys for the 1890 season, though his actual signing date can be traced back to November 11th (the later date is when the league office made it official). Minor league stats aren’t available from that season, but on the day he signed, it’s said that he played left field for Mansfield and led the team in hitting.
Kelty was the Opening Day right fielder for the Alleghenys in 1890. He hit the first home run of the season for Pittsburgh, an inside-the-park homer on April 23rd, which would be their only home run during the first two months of the season. It was also his only career homer in the majors. Kelty was released by Pittsburgh on June 1st due to his drinking, but just four days later, he was brought back after too many of his teammates complained about his release. In late June, he received a $25 a month raise from the team (giving him a $200 monthly salary), which is obviously something that is unheard of now. He was playing through a broken finger in early July. On July 12th, Kelty had a lot of trouble in the outfield, in what turned out to be his final game. The team signed outfielder Fred Osborne that same day, and said if he did well in a trial, that he would replace Kelty. He did well and Kelty was released the following day. Kelty batted .237 in 59 games for the Alleghenys, with 24 runs, ten doubles, two triples, one homer, 27 RBIs, ten steals and a .641 OPS. He reportedly signed with New Haven of the Eastern Association in March of 1891 to play left field, but there’s no record of him with that team, though that could mean his time with the club was short. At that time of the announcement, he was said to be working as a plumber in his hometown of Jersey City, NJ. He would finish his playing career in the minors with Hartford of the Class-E Connecticut State League in 1891, after signing with the club in early May. He played his final known game of pro ball at 20 years old a short time later. He reportedly signed with Dayton of the Northwestern League in early July of 1891, but there’s no record of him there. Just like with New Haven, it could be due to his time there being short. He had the nickname Chief while in the minors, and also during his time with the Alleghenys. There was a popular story passed around about how he sold the bat belonging to Pittsburgh teammate Doggie Miller to a player on Brooklyn for $10. Kelty then took Miller out for an extravagant night without telling him where the money came from until the next day.
