Six former Pittsburgh Pirates players born on this date.
Brian Burres, pitcher for the 2010-11 Pirates. He started his career as a 31st round selection in the 2000 amateur draft by the San Francisco Giants, selected out of Mount Hood Community College. It’s a school that has produced four Major League players, but Burres is the only one who has been drafted since 1989. He was a draft-and-follow player, who signed shortly before the signing deadline in May of 2001. He split his first two seasons of pro ball between starting and relief work. He debuted with Salem-Keizer of the short-season Northwest League, going 3-1, 3.10 in 40.2 innings, with 38 strikeouts and a 1.33 WHIP. Despite a 5-10, 4.75 record and a 1.40 WHIP for Hagerstown of the Low-A South Atlantic League in 2002, he had 119 strikeouts in 119.1 innings. He moved up to San Jose of the High-A California League in 2003, where he pitched strictly in relief (39 games), posting a 3.86 ERA in 60.2 innings, with 64 strikeouts and a 1.50 WHIP. He switched to a starting role during the 2004 season for San Jose, then had his breakout season in the hitter-friendly league. Burres went 12-1, 2.84 in 123.2 innings, with 114 strikeouts and a 1.17 WHIP, while making 15 starts and 21 relief appearances. He moved up to Norwich of the Double-A Eastern League in 2005, where he had a 9-6, 4.20 record in 128.2 innings over 24 starts and two relief outings, finishing with 105 strikeouts and a 1.45 WHIP. Burres then got hit around in the Arizona Fall League after the season, posting an 8.24 ERA and a 1.88 WHIP in 19.2 innings over six starts. He was put on waivers after five seasons in the minors, then was picked up by the Baltimore Orioles. He went 10-6, 3.76 in 26 starts for Ottawa of the Triple-A International League during his first season with the Orioles, finishing with 110 strikeouts and a 1.37 WHIP in 139 innings. He then had a successful Major League debut, posting a 2.25 ERA in eight innings over 11 relief appearances as a September call-up.
Burres spent most of the 2007-08 seasons in the majors with the Orioles, pitching 250.2 innings over that time, with a 13-18, 6.00 record, while putting up similar stats/work each year. He went 6-8, 5.95 over 121 innings in 2007, making 17 starts and 20 relief appearances. He had 96 strikeouts and a 1.70 WHIP. He went 7-10, 6.04 in 129.2 innings during the 2008 season, with 22 starts and nine relief appearances. He had 63 strikeouts that year, to go along with a 1.66 WHIP. The Toronto Blue Jays picked him up off waivers in February 2009. He made just two big league starts for Toronto, losing both, while giving up 12 runs in 6.1 innings. He went 6-7, 4.76 in 107.2 innings for Las Vegas of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League that year, putting up 84 strikeouts and a 1.40 WHIP. Burres signed with the Pirates as a free agent on December 31, 2009. He would end up making 13 starts and seven relief appearances with Pittsburgh in 2010. He went 4-5, 4.99, with a 1.53 WHIP and 45 strikeouts in 79.1 innings during that first season with the Pirates. He went 5-4, 4.50 in 82 innings with Indianapolis of the Triple-A International League that year. He re-signed with the Pirates for 2011, then went 5-9, 4.66 in 129.1 innings for Indianapolis, before getting a September call-up. Burres made two starts and three relief appearances for the Pirates that September, going 1-0, 3.86 in 14 innings.
Burres signed a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants for 2012. He had a 5.40 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP in 98.1 innings over 19 starts for Fresno of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. He pitched until 2016 without making it back to the majors. He spent the 2013 season in China, where he went 9-5, 3.49 over 121.1 innings for Lamigo. He then played in Triple-A for the Colorado Rockies for part of the 2014 season, going 1-6, 6.75 in 66.2 innings for Colorado Springs of the Pacific Coast League. Burres spent his final 2 1/2 seasons of pro ball playing for Southern Maryland of the independent Atlantic League. He went 3-2, 1.64 in 49.1 innings over nine starts with Southern Maryland in 2014. He had an 8-9, 3.98 record and 104 strikeouts in 133.1 innings during the 2015 season. He wrapped up his Southern Maryland time with an 11-9, 3.33 record and 133 strikeouts over 156.2 innings in 2016. He also played one year of winter ball in Mexico, and one year in Venezuela. In the majors, he had an 18-25, 5.75 record in 358.1 innings over 56 starts and 50 relief appearances, with 224 strikeouts and a 1.62 WHIP.
Tom Butters, pitcher for the 1962-65 Pirates. It took him six full seasons after signing with the Pirates before he reached the majors in September of 1962. In his pro debut at 19 years old in 1957, Butters played for two low level teams, pitching a total of 111 innings, while posting a 5.35 ERA, a 1.78 WHIP and a 103:65 BB/SO ratio. He had nearly identical records/workloads with both teams, but his control was much better (but still not good) with Jamestown of the Class-D New York-Penn League, where he walked 41 batters in 59 innings. He walked 62 in 52 innings with Aguascalientes of the Class-C Central Mexican League. His 1958 season was very similar, playing for two low level teams, while showing the wildness that held him back. However, he had much better results, putting up a 3.59 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP in 158 innings, with 114 walks and 141 strikeouts. Once again he showed much better control at the lower level, finishing with 67 walks in 113 innings for Clinton of the Class-D Midwest League, and 47 walks in 45 innings for San Jose of the Class-C California League. Butters moved up to Wilson of the Class-B Carolina League in 1959, where he went 8-5, 4.79 in 92 innings, with a 1.63 WHIP, 70 walks and 71 strikeouts. The 1960 season saw him play at three different levels. He had a lot of success with Burlington of the Class-B Three-I League, but he struggled with two higher level clubs in limited work. His combined record for the year was 8-6, 3.35, with a 1.53 WHIP in 129 innings, though he had a 1.43 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP in 88 innings with Burlington. He had an 8.33 ERA in 27 innings for Savannah of the Low-A South Atlantic League, and a 5.79 ERA in 14 innings for Salt Lake City of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.
Butters was loaned to the Minnesota Twins organization for the entire 1961 season. He had a 2.93 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP and 100 strikeouts in 93.1 innings, while pitching for Charlotte of the South Atlantic League. He pitched well upon his return to the Pirates in 1962, posting a 1.80 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP in 75 innings with Asheville of the South Atlantic League, as well as a 2.86 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in 22 innings with Columbus of the Triple-A International League. Pittsburgh called him up in September for his big league debut. He pitched well in four games, allowing one run in six innings. Despite the abbreviated success, he still spent most of the 1963 season at Columbus, before getting his second September trial. Butters had a 6-5, 2.69 record, a 1.10 WHIP and 128 strikeouts in 127 innings that year for Columbus. The Pirates used him six times at the end of the 1963 campaign, giving him his first big league start with just four games left in the season. He had a 4.41 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP in 16.1 innings. He made the Pirates Opening Day roster in 1964, the compiled four starts and 24 relief appearances during the year. He spent most of the season with the Pirates, although he was sent to Columbus in mid-July. He returned to the majors after going 5-3, 1.59 in 68 innings over nine starts and a relief appearance. He had a 2-2, 2.38 record in 64.1 innings for the 1964 Pirates, with 58 strikeouts and a 1.38 WHIP.
Butters got into a car accident during Spring Training of 1965, which left him with severe whiplash. The injury basically ended his career. He pitched five times for the 1965 Pirates before being released on July 22nd, after spending some time on the disabled list. He allowed eight runs over nine innings during his big league time that year. The Pirates received playoff shares for their third place finish that year, back when the top four teams all received money. He was voted a 1/4 share by the players, giving him a check in the amount of $311.42 for his work. He tried to make comeback in Spring Training of 1966 with the Pirates before retiring. He went 2-3, 3.10 in 95.2 innings with the Pirates, making five starts and 38 relief appearances. Despite possessing nice velocity on his fastball, he also often mixed in a knuckleball during games. After his playing days, he made a bigger name for himself as the Athletic Director at Duke from 1977 until 1997. He began working at Duke shortly after his baseball career ended.
Kirby Higbe, pitcher for the 1947-49 Pirates. He had a rough introduction to pro ball at 18 years old in 1933. Playing in the Class-A Western League with Wichita, which was a bit advanced for a young pitcher with no experience, Higbe gave up 38 runs in 34 innings, while walking 36 batters, leading to a 2.18 WHIP. He pitched just 14 innings in 1934 with Atlanta of the Class-A Southern Association, where he didn’t do much better, posting an 8.36 ERA and a 1.93 WHIP. He then saw regular mound time for the first time in 1935, while playing for Portsmouth of the Class-B Piedmont League. That year he went 10-13, 3.93 in 206 innings, finishing with a 1.49 WHIP. He split the 1936 season between Portsmouth and Columbia of the Class-B South Atlantic League. Higbe went 11-12, 5.20 in 187 innings between both stops, with a 1.74 WHIP and a 117:128 BB/SO ratio. He pitched for Moline of the Class-B Three-I League in 1937, where he went 21-5 in 215 innings, with a 1.32 WHIP and 257 strikeouts. His ERA isn’t available for this league, but we know he allowed 3.56 runs per nine innings. That earned him his first big league cup of coffee, and it was just one cup, getting a five-inning relief appearance for the Chicago Cubs on October 3, 1937. The Cubs sent him to Birmingham of the Southern Association in 1938, where he went 15-10, 3.96 in 218 innings, with 157 strikeouts and a 1.39 WHIP. That performance led to two September starts in 1938, and an Opening Day spot in 1939. He gave up six runs over ten innings during those 1938 starts, failing to receive a decision in either game.
Higbe went 2-1, 3.18 in 22.2 innings in 1939, before the Cubs traded him on May 29th to the Philadelphia Phillies. He finished the rest of the year by going 10-14, 4.85 in 187.1 innings over 26 starts and eight relief appearances. Combined he went 12-15, 4.67 in 210 innings, with a 1.63 WHIP, a 123:95 BB/SO ratio, 14 complete games and his first career shutout. Higbe had a 14-19, 3.72 record and a 1.28 WHIP in 283 innings over 36 starts and five relief appearances for the 1940 Phillies. He led the league with 137 strikeouts, though he also led with 121 walks. He pitched 20 complete games, setting a career high. He was elected to the All-Star game that year for the first time, and he received mild MVP support as well, finishing 21st in the voting. He was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers for three players and cash after the 1940 season ended. Higbe took full advantage of pitching for a better team, going 22-9, 3.14 in 298 innings, with 121 strikeouts and a 1.26 WHIP. He led the league in wins, starts (39) and games pitched (48), but also led in earned runs, walks (a career high 132) and wild pitches (nine). He finished seventh in the MVP voting. He started game four of the World Series and got a no decision. That turned out to be his only postseason start. Higbe went 16-11, 3.25 in 221.2 innings in 1942, with 13 complete games, 115 strikeouts and a 1.29 WHIP. The Dodgers won 104 games in 1942, but they missed the World Series, as the St Louis Cardinals won 106 games. He then followed that up by going 13-10, 3.70 in 185 innings in 1943, with 108 strikeouts and a 1.53 WHIP.
Higbe missed all of the 1944-45 seasons while he was serving in the military during WWII. In his first year back from the war in 1946, he went 17-8, 3.03 in 210.2 innings, with 134 strikeouts and a 1.35 WHIP. He made the National League All-Star team for the second time in his career. He was in his ninth season in the majors when the Pirates acquired him on May 3, 1947, coming over in a six-player deal with the Dodgers. He started off the 1947 season 2-0 with the Dodgers, but he had a 5.17 ERA, and couldn’t make it through six innings in any of his three starts. Higbe went 11-17, 3.72 in 225 innings for the 1947 Pirates, with 99 strikeouts and a 1.40 WHIP. He made 30 starts, 16 relief appearances, and he picked up five saves (not an official stat at the time). He lost five of his first seven starts for the Pirates, and ended up leading the league with 122 walks. He was in a relief role for 1948, finishing with an 8-7, 3.36 record in 158 innings over eight starts and 48 relief appearances. He had ten saves, 86 strikeouts and a 1.41 WHIP. He got off to a slow start in 1949, then would be dealt to the New York Giants on June 6th for Ray Poat and Bobby Rhawn. He had a 13.50 ERA in 15.1 innings with the Pirates at the time of the deal, then he posted a 3.47 ERA in 80.1 innings in 37 appearances (two starts) with the Giants. He had a 5.08 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP for the season.
Higbe would finish his big league career in 1950 with a 4.93 ERA in 34.2 innings over 18 appearances for the Giants. He finished the year with Minneapolis of the Triple-A American Association, where he went 5-8, 4.71 in 105 innings. He spent the next three seasons pitching in the minors before retiring. He split 1951 between Atlanta of the Double-A Southern Association, and Montgomery of the Class-A South Atlantic League, combining to go 17-8, 3.78 in 205 innings, with 140 strikeouts. Higbe remained in Montgomery for all of 1952, where he went 13-14, 2.79 in 248 innings over 26 starts and 20 relief appearances. He had 18 wins and threw 249 innings at 38 years old during his final season in 1953, though he played part of that year with Forest City of the Class-D Tar Heel League, six levels below the majors. A majority of the season was spent with Rock Hill of the Class-B Tri-State League. In his 12-year big league career, he had a 118-101, 3.69 record in 1,952.1 innings, with 238 starts and 180 relief appearances. He threw 98 complete games and 11 shutouts, while picking up 24 saves. Higbe had control issues during his entire career, four times leading the league in walks. He ended up with 979 career base on balls, while recording 971 strikeouts. His actual first name was Walter, but he went by Kirby during his baseball days.
Reddy Grey, left fielder for the Pirates on May 28, 1903. On a trip to Boston on May 26, 1903, Pittsburgh found themselves short on players and in need of an outfielder. They used star pitcher Deacon Phillippe in left field on May 27th in place of a sick Fred Clarke. They also didn’t have third baseman Tommy Leach, who returned home to be with his ill son. On May 28th, the Pirates got 28-year-old Reddy Grey on loan from the Worcester Riddlers, a local minor league team from the Boston area. He belonged to Rochester up until just a few days before playing for the Pirates. The local papers said that he was due to report in Worcester on May 28th (Worcester was off that day, traveling back from a road trip). Grey left Rochester during the middle of the 1902 season without any notice. They held on to his rights for a time, until they decided to give him to Worcester, so his game with the Pirates was actually his 1903 season debut. Grey played left field during the Pirates 7-6 win. He collected a single, a walk, two RBIs (he’s only credited with one now, but recaps from the day credit him with two) and he scored a run. He had just one ball hit his way and handled it cleanly. He was referred to as “Gray” in the papers and the Pittsburgh Press said “Gray proved to be no slouch. Wonder who he really is?”. When the Pirates left to go to Pittsburgh the next day, Grey joined his minor league team as the lead-off hitter playing center field, officially ending his big league career. He hit .310 in 56 games for Worcester that year, with 25 runs and 12 extra-base hits . The 1903 season was his last year in pro ball, ending his nine-year baseball career. He was a consistent .300 hitter in the minors, who spent seven seasons in the Class-A Eastern League. That was the top level of the minor leagues at the time, but his Major League career lasted just one day.
Grey’s full minor league stats are incomplete, but it’s known that he debuted at age 20 in 1895, splitting the season between Jackson of the Class-B Michigan State League and Findlay of the Interstate League (no stats available from his first two seasons). He played for Fort Wayne of the Interstate League in 1896, which was classified as Class-C that year, after being independent in 1895. Grey hit .309 in 133 games for Buffalo of the Eastern League in 1897, finishing with 118 runs, 29 doubles, 11 triples, two homers and 19 stolen bases. He followed it up by batting .300+ in back-to-back seasons for Toronto of the Eastern League in 1898-99. He hit .320 over 122 games in 1898, with 110 runs, 24 doubles, nine triples, four homers and 21 steals. The next year saw him hit .317 in 112 games, with 90 runs, 15 doubles, nine triples, nine homers and 33 steals. There are no stats available for his time in Toronto in 1900, but a recap said that he got injured mid-season and struggled as he tried to play through it for the rest of the year. Toronto released him after the season, then he ended up playing for Buffalo early in 1901. He latched on with Rochester of the Eastern League to finish the season. Grey batted .307 in 124 games between both stops, with 18 doubles, 11 triples and 12 homers. He remained in Rochester until he left the club on his own in 1902, after hitting .250 in 46 games. It was said that he decided to go to dentistry school after leaving Rochester. He ended his career as a pitcher, despite having no known prior pitching records. His real name was Romer Carl Grey, making him the only player with the name Romer to play in the majors. The nickname “Reddy” came from his hair color. Prior to his final season of pro ball, it was announced that he inherited a considerable sum of money, and he was taking up a course in dentistry. His older brother was the famous author Zane Grey, who was also his teammate with the 1895 Findlay Sluggers during Reddy’s first year of pro ball.
Pete Daniels, pitcher for the 1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenys. He went by the nickname “Smiling Pete”, but he probably wasn’t smiling much while pitching for the Alleghenys in 1890, a team that finished 23-113 on the season. He spent 14 seasons in the minors, winning 20 games at least five times, and collecting at least 176 wins. Minor league records from that era are incomplete (he has two full seasons missing all stats) so his totals in both categories could be higher. Daniels debuted in pro ball at 23 years old in 1887, when he pitched for Wichita and St Joseph of the Western League, combining to go 2-11, 4.50, with a 1.92 WHIP in 124 innings, while putting up a .285 batting average and 22 extra-base hits over 242 at-bats. Despite that record, he had his first chance at the majors in the spring of 1888, when the Louisville Colonels of the American Association signed him to a deal. He failed to make the club, then pitched in the minors with Danville of the Central Interstate League (no stats available). That trial likely helped him in the future, as one of his fellow pitchers that spring was Guy Hecker. Daniels had a 20-20 record for Dallas of the Texas League in 1889, while also going 8-5 for Quincy of the Central Interstate League. Ted Sullivan, who was a scout for the Alleghenys, signed Daniels in late October of 1889, after seeing the 25-year-old lefty pitch nine times during the season.
Two months before the 1890 season started, new Alleghenys manager Guy Hecker noted that Daniels was a pitcher with a lot of potential. Daniels was a late arrival to Spring Training (along with two other players), getting there 17 days into the preseason. His first exhibition start was a crazy game, with the Alleghenys putting up 34 runs against a minor league team from McKeesport. Daniels got some praise from the local papers, who were impressed at how hard he threw. He got two more spring starts, then he got the call on Opening Day, when he led the Alleghenys to a 3-2 victory over the Cleveland Spiders. He then started the last game of the four-game series with Cleveland. He got pulled early that day after pitching poorly, but the Alleghenys walked away with a 20-12 victory. After losing his next two games, his Pittsburgh career was over. He last pitched on May 9th, then got released seven days later, just a day after the team left him home (along with two other players) while they went on a road trip to Brooklyn. The last mention of him noted that he was paid up until his final day with the team before being released unconditionally. He went 1-2, 7.07 in 28 innings with the Alleghenys. He has no records for the 1890 season after being released, but I was able to track him down to playing for Washington of the Atlantic Association through August, then Olean of the New York-Penn League to finish the year. The Washington club was managed by Ted Sullivan, the scout who recommended him to Pittsburgh, so it’s no surprise that he ended up there until the team disbanded. Those stats have been mistakenly given to a man named Charles Daniels for some reason, an old pitcher who would have been playing for the first time in 12 years at age 41.
Daniels spent the next seven seasons in the minors before being purchased by the St Louis Browns (Cardinals) for the 1898 season. He went 29-10, 0.79 in 321 innings in 1891 for Quincy of the Illinois-Iowa League. He spent the next two years pitching for Mobile of the Class-B Southern Association, where he won a total of 42 games (28 losses). He threw 355 innings in 1892, when he finished with a 24-12 record, 102 strikeouts and a 1.16 WHIP. He went 18-16 over 37 games (34 starts) in 1893. He had an incredible pitching performance during the 1894 season for Kansas City of the Western League, where he went 37-14, 3.53, while throwing 444 innings. Despite that record, he had just 130 strikeouts, while posting a 1.56 WHIP. The next year he went 20-17, 4.05 over 331 innings for Kansas City, when the Western League became a Class-A minor league during his second season with the club (it wasn’t classified in 1894). Class-A ball was the highest level of the minors at the time. He split the 1896 season between Kansas City and Columbus of the Western League, though no stats are available.
Daniels spent the 1897 season with Columbus, going 12-3, 2.16, with a 1.27 WHIP in 149.2 innings over 16 starts and seven relief appearances. The St Louis Browns purchased his contract at the end of the 1897 season. His first start for the Browns in 1898 was a 10-5 loss to Cy Young. He lost by the same score a month later to Hall of Famer Amos Rusie. Daniels went 1-6, 3.62 in 54.2 innings over six starts and four relief appearances through the end of May before being released, ending his big league career. He lost all six of his starts. Daniels finished his minor league career four seasons later, moving around a lot during that time. He pitched one game for Omaha of the Western League in 1898, then played for two teams in 1899, and two more in 1900. His only pitching record available during the 1899-1900 seasons is a 3-8 record for Rockford of the Class-B Western Association. He played for three different teams in the Class-B Interstate League during those two seasons, seeing time with the Grand Rapids/Columbus/Springfield franchise in 1899, followed by time with the Columbus/Anderson and Youngstown/Marion franchises in 1900. All three of those teams went through a mid-season relocation. His final years were spent with Fort Wayne of the Class-A Western Association in 1901, and Decatur of the Class-B Three-I League in 1902. His only pitching records available from those years are his games pitched totals. Daniels got into 35 games with Fort Wayne and 26 with Decatur. He was born in Ireland, which produced a lot of players before him, but only 12 since.
John Peters, shortstop for the 1882-84 Pittsburgh Alleghenys. He began his Major League career in the National Association in 1874, the only major league that predates the National League. Peters played two years for the Chicago White Stockings in the National Association. The league played much shorter schedules with lots of exhibition games mixed in. Peters played 55 of 59 games in 1874 and he played all 69 games in 1875. He had a .289 average in 1874, with 39 runs, ten doubles, a homer, 25 RBIs and a .638 OPS. He then hit .286 during the 1875 season, with 40 runs, 16 doubles, two triples, 34 RBIs and 12 steals. Modern defensive metrics rank him as the best defensive player at any position in 1875. When the National League was formed in 1876, he played two seasons for a team by the same name, which is the current day Chicago Cubs franchise. From 1876-78 he batted over .300 each season, finishing in the top ten in batting all three years. He peaked at a .351 average in 1876, when he scored 70 runs and drove in 47 runs in 66 games (the season was 66 games long that year). He had 17 extra-base hits and a .775 OPS that year. He batted .317 in 60 games in 1877, with 45 runs, ten doubles, three triples, 41 RBIs and a .697 OPS. He played for the Milwaukee Grays in 1878, where he put up a .309 average in 55 games, with 33 runs, seven extra-base hits, 22 RBIs and a .664 OPS. That turned out to be the only season for that Milwaukee franchise, so Peters returned to the White Stockings for the 1879 season. His batting skills quickly went downhill after 1878, batting under .250 each of the next three years, but his defense at shortstop was still above average.
Peters hit .245 for Chicago in 1879, finishing with 45 runs, 16 extra-base hits, 31 RBIs and a .546 OPS in 83 games. He’s credited with walking just one time at season. That’s a little misleading without knowing that walks took eight balls at the time, and the league leader only had 29 walks. Peters then moved on to the Providence Grays for 1880, where he had a .228 average and had just five extra-base hits (all doubles) in 86 games. He scored 30 runs and he had 24 RBIs, while finishing with a .481 OPS. He played for the Buffalo Bisons in 1881, where he hit .214 in 54 games, with 21 runs, nine extra-base hits, 25 RBIs and a .482 OPS. When Pittsburgh joined the American Association in 1882, Peters signed as their everyday shortstop. He hit .288 in 1882, with 46 runs scored, 11 extra-base hits and a .627 OPS in 78 games (the team played 79 games that year). His batting average ranked him seventh in the league, and third highest on the Alleghenys. Over the next two seasons (his last two in baseball) he played just nine games with Pittsburgh, going 3-for-32 at the plate. Eight of those games came early in 1883 when he went 3-for-28 at the plate with three singles and a .214 OPS.
American Association teams had reserve teams at the start of the 1884 season. Those clubs were basically minor league clubs that allowed them to keep extra players around in case they were needed for the season, but the idea only lasted until late May because the reserve teams weren’t drawing big enough crowds to make financial sense to keep them. Peters played for the reserve club before joining the Alleghenys for his final big league game on June 11th. Two days later he was released, with manager Bob Ferguson saying that Peters had too many ideas of his own, and he (Ferguson) intended on running the team his own way. Peters played minor league ball for the first time during the 1883 season with Springfield of the Northwestern, while also serving as the team’s manager. He was also a player-manager in the same league with Stillwater, which was his only other minor league experience. He was a .278 career hitter, with 373 runs scored and 107 extra-base hits in 615 games over 11 seasons in the majors. Peters has a unique case in Pirates history, which I included in my list of the 26 groups of relatives that played for the Pirates as an asterisk category. His foster-brother was Henry Oberbeck, who played for the 1883 Alleghenys.
