A Look Back at the Top 30 Prospects for the 1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenys

20 Jun at 12:01 am

I recently released my book titled The 1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenys: The Worst Team in Pittsburgh Pirates History. The book is available for sale on Amazon. It was self-published with the help of noted Pittsburgh sports author David Finoli (more on him below).

As part of a fun side project to promote the book, and show just how bad the team was that year, I decided to figure out a top 30 prospect list for the 30 players on the team who debuted in the majors that season. I didn’t just figure these out based on their career big league numbers. That would be too easy and require little thought. These rankings are a combo of career numbers and how those players were perceived going into their big league debut, as well as how they performed during their time in Pittsburgh.

I’ve done a lot of my writing work over the years on a prospect site for the Pirates. I write just as much on Pirates history now. This article combines the two areas into one list that introduces you to a majority of the players who saw action with the 1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenys.

1. Duke Esper – Future 20-game winner, 100 wins, early in his career, Alleghenys gave up on him too soon.

2. Eddie Burke – Speedy outfielder, should have been around after 1890. Had big league success until 1897.

3. Bill Phillips – Young starter who would go on to win 70 big league games

4. Kirtley Baker – Strong pitcher back then on a bad team, injuries limited him. Played five seasons in majors

5. Tun Berger – Solid season in 1890, played three years in majors, versatile defender/catcher

6. John Kelty – Very good player hampered by drinking. Had a chance to be much more.

7. Crazy Schmit – Talented pitcher who bounced around a lot due to off-field issues

8. Pete Daniels – Minor league pitching star. Made four starts for the Alleghenys, then asked for his release. Won 179 games in minors

9. Billy Gumbert – Star amateur pitcher from Pittsburgh, who only pitched home games and his other work came first

10. Fred Roat – Solid defender at third base, injuries limited him. Played with Reds in 1892.

11. Fred Sales – Broken finger limited his time. Long-time minor league player

12. Bill Wilson – Played three years in majors and played pro ball off-and-on until he was 40.

12 Phil Routcliffe – Young outfielder, lasted one game, but was released due to illness. Would have played more later in the season

14. Henry Youngman – Struggled in 13 games before being released. Played nine more seasons in pro ball.

15. Charlie Heard – Was 18 years old and a highly sought after pitcher in 1890, though his career ended then.

16. Charlie Gray – Good enough to make the Opening Day roster, but didn’t last long and didn’t pitch after 1890.

17. Fred Osborne – Signed for his bat, but ended up pitching often as well. Decent little minor leaguer.

18. Sumner Bowman – College pitcher from Philly area hampered by control, played two seasons in majors.

19. Henry Jones – Pitched better than most in brief time, but he was already 29 years old. Won 21 games in minors in 1891.

20. George Ziegler – Got hit hard in only appearance, but was considered a solid hitter/decent pitcher in minors

21. Robert Gibson – Local college player, made debut against Alleghenys and pitched well. Pitched very poor in Pittsburgh

22. Al Lawson – Had a brief trial (two starts) and made one start for Boston. Played in minors for next five years

23. Harry Gilbert – Philly amateur, did well in only two games. Five years younger than his brother (see below)

24. Dad Lytle – 28 years old, had issues on defense and at the plate. Played until 1900. Decent MiLB player.

25. Mike Jordan – 27-year-old who couldn’t hit MLB pitching. Rated this high because his defense got a ton of praise.

26. John Gilbert – 26 years old, went 0-for-8 in only two games. Had one minor lg season and played SS

27. Fred Hayner – 18-year-old Chicago amateur, only pro game was a relief appearance. Hit hard.

28. Fred Truax – Amateur Chicago player, his game with Pittsburgh was his only pro game. Went 1-for-3, BB, but didn’t impress.

29. Frank McGinn – Cincy amateur, went 0-for-4 in only pro game, 2 K’s.

30. Fred Clement – Philly amateur, who they needed just two innings to decide he wasn’t ready.

About the Publisher

I mentioned up top that noted Pittsburgh sports author David Finoli helped tremendously with the publishing of this book. I wanted to share his extensive body of work for those of you unfamiliar with the man.

BOOKS WRITTEN:

• For the Good of the Country: Baseball in World War II: McFarland Publishers (2002)

• The Pittsburgh Pirates Encyclopedia: Sports Publishing Inc (2003) with Bill Ranier

• The Birthplace of Professional Football: Southwestern Pennsylvania: Arcadia Publishers (2004) with Tom Aikens

• When the Bucs Won it All: The 1979 World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates: McFarland Publishers (2005) with Bill Ranier

• Steel City Gridirons: Maguire Towers Publishing (2005) with Chris Fletcher • The Pittsburgh Pirates: Arcadia Publishers (2006)

• Baseball in Altoona: From the Mountain City to the Curve: Arcadia Publishers (2008)

• When Cobb met Wagner: The Seven Games of the 1909 World Series: McFarland Publishers (2011) with Bill Ranier

• The Steel City 500: the Greatest 500 Athletes in Western Pennsylvania History: Createspace Press (2013) with Chris Fletcher

• Forbes Field: Arcadia Publishers (2013) with Tom Aikens

• Classic Bucs: the 50 Greatest Games in Pittsburgh Pirates History: Kent State University Press (2013)

• Classic Steelers: the 50 Greatest Games in Pittsburgh Steelers History: Kent State University Press (2014)

• Foundations: The Resurrection of Wilkinsburg Football 1996-1998: Createspace Press (2014)

• When Pitt Ruled the Gridiron: Football at the University of Pittsburgh 1924-1938: McFarland Publishers (2015)

• Classic Penguins: the 50 Greatest Games in Pittsburgh Penguins History: Kent State University Press (2015)

• The Pittsburgh Pirates Encyclopedia-Second Edition: Sports Publishing Inc (2015) with Bill Ranier

• The Pittsburgh Pirates: The 1960 Season: Arcadia Publishers (2015)

• Pirates by the Numbers: The Complete History of the Bucs by Uniform Number: Sports Publishing Inc (2015)

• The 50 Greatest Players in Pittsburgh Pirates History: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (2016)

• Kings on the Bluff: The 1955 NIT Champion Duquesne Dukes: Createspace Press (2016) with Robert Healy III

• Classic Penguins: the 50 Greatest Games in Pittsburgh Penguins History, Second Edition: Kent State University Press (2017)

• Pittsburgh’s Greatest Teams: The History Press (2017)

• Kings on the Bluff: The Next Chapter: Createspace Press (2017) with Robert Healy III

• Roll Out the Stoney’s: The History of Stoney’s Beer: Createspace Press (2017)

• Unlucky 21: The Saddest Stories and Games in Pittsburgh Sports History: The History Press (2018) with David Cicotello, Chris Fletcher, John Franko, Sean Gibson, Robert Healy III, Gary Kinn, Jim Lachimia, Bill Ranier, Sam Reich, Tom Rooney, Josh Taylor & Ronald Waldo

• Classic Burgh: the 50 Greatest Collegiate Games in Pittsburgh Sports History: Kent State University Press (2019)

• Pittsburgh’s Greatest Athletes: The History Press (2019)

• Breaking Barriers: The Chuck Cooper Story Amazon Publishing (2020) with Chuck Cooper III

• Three Rivers Stadium: Confluence of Champions The History Press (2020) with Chris Fletcher, John Franko, Robert Healy III, Gary Kinn, Jim Lachimia, Bill Ranier, Frank Garland, Tom Rooney, Josh Taylor & Lance Jones

• The Pittsburgh Pirates All-Time All Stars: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (2020)

• Pittsburgh Sports Firsts The History Press (2021) with Chris Fletcher, John Franko, Robert Healy III, Gary Kinn, Jim Lachimia, Bill Ranier, Tom Rooney, Josh Taylor & Douglas Cavanaugh

• Pittsburgh’s Civic Arena: Stories From the Igloo The History Press (2021) with Chris Fletcher, John Franko, Robert Healy III, Gary Kinn, Rich Boyer, John Wdowiak, Douglas Cavanaugh, Paul Alexander, Frank Garland, Tom Rooney, Josh Taylor & Lance Jones

• The 1976 National Champion Pitt Panthers: Miracle on Cardiac Hill The History Press (2021)

• Where Pittsburgh Played: Oakland’s Historic Sports Venues: The History Press (2022) with Chris Fletcher, Robert Healy III, Douglas Cavanaugh, & Tom Rooney

• Integrating Pittsburgh Sports: The History Press (2023) with Chris Fletcher, Robert Healy III, Bill Ranier, Douglas Cavanaugh, Josh Taylor, Samuel Black, Rick Boyer, & Tom Rooney

• Pittsburgh Sports in the 1970s: Tragedy, Triumph & Championships The History Press (2023) with Chris Fletcher, Frank Garland, Tim Rooney, & Tom Rooney

• Perfection: The 1910 Pitt Panthers: Amazon Publishing (2023) with Gary Kinn