Seven former Pittsburgh Pirates born on this date, including a Hall of Famer.
Freddie Lindstrom, outfielder for the 1933-34 Pirates. He was a star third baseman for the New York Giants for nine years before coming to the Pirates. A bad back caused him to switch to the outfield in 1931, where he remained for the rest of his career. While he was in Pittsburgh, they had an entire outfield that would go on to the Hall of Fame, with Lindstrom and the Waner brothers playing together. He hit .333 during the World Series at 18 years old in 1924. He retired from baseball as a player at age 30, then was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1976 at age 70.
Lindstrom made his pro debut at 16 years old in 1922. He hit .304 over 18 games for Toledo of the Double-A American Association, which was the highest level of the minors at the time. He had just 23 at-bats over that time, finishing with five singles and two doubles. He hit .270 during his only full season in the minors (1923), with 21 doubles, seven triples and one homer in 147 games for Toledo. The Giants purchased his contract after the 1923 season, then brought him to the majors at 18 years old. Lindstrom saw very little playing time during the 1924 season, getting just 88 plate appearances in 52 games. He had a .253/.314/.317 slash line during that time, with 19 runs, four extra-base hits and four RBIs. The Giants lost the World Series to the Washington Nationals, but he had ten hits, three walks and four RBIs in the series. He started 91 games at third base for the 1925 Giants, finishing the year with a .287 average, 43 runs scored, 31 extra-base hits, 33 RBIs and a .761 OPS. He set a career best that year with 12 triples. He was a full-time starter throughout the 1926 season, hitting .302 in 140 games, with 90 runs scored, 37 extra-base hits, 73 RBIs and a .771 OPS. That led to a ninth place finish in the MVP voting. He batted .306 during the 1927 season, with 107 runs scored, 51 extra-base hits (36 doubles), 58 RBIs and a .790 OPS in 138 games. He led the National League with 231 hits during the 1928 season, while finishing second in the MVP voting. He hit .358 that year in 153 games, with 99 runs, 62 extra-base hits, 107 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. That year was his best on defense, with a 1.5 dWAR, which ranked eighth among all National League players. Lindstrom set a career high with 39 doubles, which he would tie twice over the next five years. He improved his OPS four a forth straight season, finishing with an .894 mark that he would top just once. The only downside to his great season was his stolen base rate. He attempted 36 steals, and he led the league by getting thrown out 21 times.
Lindstrom had a solid 1929 season that gets lost between his two big years. He hit .319 in 130 games that year, with 99 runs scored, 44 extra-base hits and 91 RBIs. His .819 OPS was the third highest mark of his career. He had his best season in 1930, though so did a lot of players due to a league-wide jump in offense. He batted .379 over 148 games, with a career high 127 runs, 68 extra-base hits and 106 RBIs. He had 39 doubles, seven triples and 22 homers, setting his career high in both doubles (tied) and homers. His .999 OPS easily topped his second best OPS from his 1928 season. It was also good for tenth best in the league. Lindstrom averaged 105 runs scored per season from 1926 through 1930. Ankle and back injuries limited him to 78 games during the 1931 season, though he was still able to put up a .300 average and a .785 OPS. He had 38 runs, 23 extra-base hits and 36 RBIs. He moved to center field in 1932, then hit .271 over 144 games, with 83 runs scored, 26 doubles, 15 homers, 92 RBIs and a .710 OPS. The Pirates acquired Lindstrom in a three-team deal with the Giants and Philadelphia Phillies on December 12, 1932, which included a total of five players.
Lindstrom hit .310 in 138 games for the 1933 Pirates, with 70 runs scored, 39 doubles, ten triples, five homers, 55 RBIs and a .798 OPS. He dropped down to a .290 average over 97 games in 1934, finishing with 59 runs, 32 extra-base hits, 49 RBIs and a .738 OPS. Lindstrom missed time early that year with a finger injury, then missed more time in July with a broken finger. Those injuries really hurt what could have been a strong season. He was hitting .340 on July 12th, but he batted just .257 over the final 56 games of the regular season. After playing two seasons for Pittsburgh, he was sent to the Chicago Cubs on November 22, 1934 in another five-player deal, with three players returning to the Pirates. Lindstrom lasted one year in Chicago, but he helped them to the World Series. He hit .275 in 90 games for the 1935 Cubs, with 49 runs, 29 extra-base hits, 62 RBIs and a .686 OPS. He batted .200/.250/.267 in the World Series against the Detroit Tigers. He was released by the Cubs in January of 1936, then signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers, where he hit .264/.297/.302 in 26 games during his final season. He was dealing with knee problems in 1935, then another leg injury in May of 1936 caused him to retire as a player on May 19th. He batted .302 in 235 games with the Pirates. He was a .311 career hitter over 1,438 games, with 895 runs scored, 301 doubles, 103 homers and 779 RBIs. He finished his career with three seasons of managing in the minors. Lindstrom’s son Charlie Lindstrom made it to the majors with the 1958 Chicago White Sox.
Brian Meadows, pitcher for 2002-05 Pirates. He was a third round draft pick out of high school in 1994 by the Florida Marlins. He went to the rookie level Gulf Coast League that year, where he went 3-0, 1.95 in 37 innings, with 33 strikeouts and a 1.08 WHIP. He played for Kane County of the Low-A Midwest League during the 1995 season, going 9-9, 4.22 in 147 innings over 26 games, with a 1.39 WHIP and 103 strikeouts. He moved up to Brevard County of the High-A Florida State League in 1996, where he went 8-7, 3.58 over 146 innings. He had a surprisingly low 69 strikeouts, yet he improved to a 1.05 WHIP. He also made four starts for Portland of the Double-A Eastern League that year, going 0-1, 4.33 in 27 innings. He then spent the entire 1997 season with Portland, going 9-7, 4.61 in 29 starts, with 115 strikeouts over 175.2 innings. He allowed 204 hits that year, leading to a 1.43 WHIP. Meadows jumped right to the majors from Double-A in 1998, then made 31 starts as a rookie. He had an 11-13, 5.21 record in 174.1 innings, with 88 strikeouts, a 1.54 WHIP and 222 hits allowed. That hit total ranked as the 15th most in the league, though everyone above him pitched at least 205 innings. That was followed by him going 11-15, 5.60 in 31 starts during the 1999 season, with 178.1 innings pitched, 214 hits allowed, a 1.52 WHIP and 72 strikeouts. His low strikeout rate from the minors carried over to the majors, finishing the 1999 season with 3.6 strikeouts per nine innings. He was traded to the San Diego Padres in November of 1999. Meadows made 32 starts in 2000, splitting the seasons between the Padres (22 starts) and Kansas City Royals, who acquired him at the trade deadline. He combined to go 13-10, 5.13 in a career high 196.1 innings, with 79 strikeouts and a 1.52 WHIP. He allowed a career high 234 hits that year.
Meadows remained with Kansas City for 2001, though he had a 1-6, 6.97 record and a 1.69 WHIP in 50.1 innings over ten starts. The rest of the year was spent at Omaha of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, where he went 6-5, 6.17 in 105 innings, with 74 strikeouts and a 1.55 WHIP. He was granted free agency after the 2001 season, then signed with the Minnesota Twins. Meadows was cut at the end of Spring Training in 2002, then signed with the Pirates just two days later. He was a starter during his first season in Pittsburgh, then moved to relief after a Triple-A stint during the 2003 season. He would end up making a total of 160 relief appearances for the Pirates. Despite a 1-6 record for the 2002 Pirates, he had a respectable 3.88 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP in 62.2 innings over 11 starts. The rest of the year was spent at Nashville of the Pacific Coast League, where he put up a 9-8, 4.27 record in 126.1 innings, with 98 strikeouts and a 1.25 WHIP. He had a 2-1, 4.72 record, 38 strikeouts and a 1.34 WHIP for the 2003 Pirates, throwing 76.2 innings over seven starts and 27 relief appearances. He pitched for Nashville in April, then again mid-season, going 7-0, 1.41 in 51 innings over eight starts and a relief appearance. He had an 0.63 WHIP, 40 strikeouts and zero walks. He actually finished his minor league career with zero walks over his final 69.2 innings, which set a Pacific Coast League record.
Meadows was a full-time reliever for the 2004 Pirates, when he responded with his best season. He posted a 3.58 ERA, 46 strikeouts and a 1.21 WHIP in 78 innings over 68 appearances. He saw his ERA rise exactly one full run in similar work during the 2005 season, throwing 74.2 innings over 65 games. He finished with a 3-1, 4.58 record, 44 strikeouts and a 1.41 WHIP. The Pirates parted ways at the end of the season, letting him go via free agency on October 28, 2005. He was signed and cut by the Los Angeles Dodgers during the spring of 2006, then finished his big league career with the 2006 Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He had a 3-6, 5.17 record in 69.2 innings over 53 games during that final season, finishing with 35 strikeouts and a 1.51 WHIP. He picked up ten saves in his career and eight came during his final year. He signed a minor league deal with the Cincinnati Reds on February 1, 2007, but he was cut on March 16th, which officially ended his career. Meadows went 8-12, 4.20 over 291.2 innings in Pittsburgh. He pitched a total of nine big league seasons, going 47-62, 5.05 in 960.2 innings over 122 starts and 214 relief appearances, with 454 strikeouts and a 1.46 WHIP. His actually first name is Matthew, but he went by his middle name.
Bill Almon, utility fielder for the 1985-87 Pirates. He had a 15-year big league career after being selected first overall in the 1974 draft out of Brown University by the San Diego Padres. The Padres originally drafted him out of high school three years earlier in the 11th round, but his decision to go the college route paid off well. He played just 39 minor league games before making his big league debut in September of 1974. The first overall pick seemed to be warranted during his first taste of the majors, debuting just three months after he was drafted. He hit .316/.350/.342 in 16 games for the 1974 Padres. You would think that he tore up the minors to move that quickly, but it was quite the opposite. He started with Alexandria of the Double-A Texas League, where he had a .186 average and a .449 OPS in 25 games. He also played 14 games with Hawaii of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, where he had a .200 average and a .504 OPS. Despite rocketing to San Diego, he didn’t stick in the majors until 1977. Almon had a .228 average, 23 extra-base hits, 47 RBIs and a .586 OPS over 144 games for Hawaii in 1975. It wasn’t a completely poor season on offense, as he had respectable totals of 76 runs, 22 doubles, 33 steals and 56 walks. He played six games with the Padres in September of 1975, going 4-for-10 with four singles. He hit .291 over 129 games for Hawaii in 1976, finishing the year with 67 runs, 21 extra-base hits, 44 RBIs, 21 steals and a .701 OPS. That led to 14 games with the Padres in September. He batted .246/.271/.351 over 60 plate appearances during his third cup of coffee in the majors, with six runs, three doubles, one homer and six RBIs. Almon was in the majors for all of 1977. He put up a .261 average, 75 runs, 18 doubles, 11 triples, 43 RBIs, 20 steals and a .639 OPS in 155 games as the everyday shortstop. He set career highs in runs, triples, walks (37) and hits (160) that season.
Almon moved to third base for most of the 1978 season, when he hit .252 in 138 games, with 39 runs scored, 19 doubles, 21 RBIs, 17 steals and a .616 OPS. He batted .227 over 100 games in 1979, with 20 runs, four extra-base hits, eight RBIs and a .556 OPS. He saw most of his time at second base that season, though 43 of his games that year came off of the bench. The Padres traded him after the 1979 season to the Montreal Expos in a deal that involved former Pirates star Dave Cash. Almon split the 1980 season between the Expos and New York Mets, playing just 66 games total. He had a .193 average, 15 runs, seven extra-base hits, seven RBIs and a .498 OPS. He moved on to the Chicago White Sox as a free agent for 1981-82. He then went to Oakland A’s in 1983-84, before joining the Pirates as a free agent signing. He had his best season with Chicago during the strike-shortened 1981 campaign. He batted .301 in 103 games, with 46 runs scored, 16 extra-base hits, 41 RBIs, 16 steals and a .717 OPS. He put up a career best 2.1 WAR that season. That led to a 19th place finish in the MVP voting. Almon had a .256 average during the 1982 season, with 40 runs, 18 extra-base hits, 26 RBIs and a .667 OPS in 111 games. He became a free agent after the season, then signed a two-year deal with the A’s. He began to play a utility role in Oakland, which would carry over to Pittsburgh. He hit .266 over 143 games in 1983, while playing seven different positions. He finished that year with 45 runs scored and career highs of 29 doubles, 63 RBIs and 26 steals. Despite the success, his .663 OPS was actually four points lower than the previous season. He played seven positions again in 1984, when he hit .223 over 106 games, with 24 runs, 11 doubles, seven homers, 16 RBIs and a .628 OPS.
Almon signed with the Pirates as a free agent on April 8, 1985, which was the day before Opening Day. He did well in limited time that year, hitting .270 over 88 games, with 33 runs, 17 doubles, six homers and 29 RBIs. He saw most of his defensive time at shortstop and in left field. His .744 OPS that year was his best over a full season in the majors. He saw a significant drop to his average over the next two seasons. He hit .219/.319/.383 in 102 games during the 1986 season, with 29 runs, seven doubles, a career high seven homers, 27 RBIs and 11 steals over 230 plate appearances. Almon was traded to the New York Mets on May 29, 1987 for Scott Little and Al Pedrique. He was hitting .200/.238/.250 in 19 games (21 plate appearances) before the trade. He hit .241/.339/.296 in 62 plate appearances over 49 games with the 1987 Mets. He started just eight games that season between both stops. Almon finished up his pro career with a brief stint for the 1988 Philadelphia Phillies, where he hit .115/.207/192 in 31 plate appearances over 20 games. He played seven positions during his time with the Pirates, seeing time everywhere except pitcher and catcher. He was a .246 hitter over 209 games in Pittsburgh, with 13 homers and 57 RBIs. Almon finished his career with a .254 average, 390 runs, 138 doubles, 25 triples, 36 homers, 296 RBIs and 128 steals over 1,236 career games. He put up decent defensive numbers when he was mostly playing shortstop, but his overall numbers took a hit when he became a utility player in 1983, leaving him with -1.5 career dWAR. He had 0.8 dWAR prior to his move to Oakland.
Darryl Patterson, pitcher for the 1974 Pirates. The Los Angeles Dodgers signed him at 20 years old as an amateur free agent in 1964, a year before the current amateur draft system started. He went 1-6, 6.60 in 60 innings for Santa Barbara of the Class-A California League during the 1964 season, with a 42:57 BB/SO ratio and a 1.77 WHIP. The Dodgers lost him after the season in the First Year draft to the Detroit Tigers. It took him four years to make the majors, debuting with the Tigers in April of 1968. Patterson cut his ERA in half during the 1965 season with Rocky Mount of the Class-A Carolina League, going 8-13, 3.30 over 161 innings, with 132 strikeouts and a 1.40 WHIP. He played in the Fall Instructional League after the 1965 season, where he had a 3.72 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP over 29 innings. He went 8-8, 4.78 over 128 innings with Montgomery of the Double-A Southern League in 1966, with 117 strikeouts and a 1.53 WHIP. He played fall ball again that year, where he had a 5.12 ERA, 39 strikeouts and a 1.53 WHIP in 51 innings. Patterson went 9-12, 3.23 in 156 innings for Toledo of the Triple-A International League during the 1967 season, with 98 strikeouts and a 1.23 WHIP. He made the 1968 Tigers Opening Day roster, then posted a 2-3, 2.12 record, 49 strikeouts, a 1.18 WHIP and seven saves in 68 innings over 38 appearances (one start) for the World Series champs. He pitched twice in the postseason, throwing three shutout innings during that time. Patterson had to spend the start of the 1969 season with the Army Reserves. He returned in June, then posted a 2.82 ERA, 12 strikeouts and a 1.52 WHIP in 22.1 innings over 18 appearances. He had to spend another month with the Army before the season ended. Patterson had a 7-1, 4.85 record, 55 strikeouts, a 1.54 WHIP and two saves in 78 innings over 43 appearances for the 1970 Tigers. Despite that impressive win/loss record, he finished his career with an 11-9 record over five seasons in the majors.
Patterson split the 1971 season between the Tigers, Oakland A’s and St Louis Cardinals, posting a 4.97 ERA, a 25:18 BB/SO ratio and a 1.54 WHIP in 41.2 innings over 29 appearances (two starts). He was traded to the A’s on May 22nd, then was sold to the Cardinals on June 25th. The A’s got Patterson back in late October of 1971, then he spent the 1972 season in the minors. He struggled that year with Iowa of the Triple-A American Association, going 1-7, 5.37 in 52 innings spread over five starts and 17 relief appearances, finishing with 41 strikeouts and a 1.81 WHIP. He joined the Pirates system in April of 1973 as a minor league free agent, then spent the year at Charleston of the International League. He had a 7-5, 3.07 record, 50 strikeouts, a 1.39 WHIP and four saves in 82 innings over 28 games (four starts). He was back at Charleston to start 1974, before he was called up on June 14th to replace young Kent Tekulve on the roster, after he was sent back to the minors. Patterson had a 3-0, 1.75 record for Charleston, with 18 strikeouts and a 1.00 WHIP in 36 innings. The Pirates and Cincinnati Reds had a brawl in mid-July, where he received bite wounds from Reds pitcher Pedro Borbon. Patterson was sent down for a time in August, but returned to the Pirates on September 5th. He made one appearance during his final month in the majors. He had a 7.29 ERA and a 2.10 WHIP in 21 innings over 14 relief appearances with the 1974 Pirates. He finished his career back at Charleston during the 1975 season, posting a 6.00 ERA in 18 innings over ten appearances. His career ended with a freak accident in mid-June, when he broke his hand after accidentally bumping into a hot coffee pot. He hit his hand against the wall while quickly pulling away from the coffee pot and broke a bone. The Pirates released him right after it happened. Patterson went 11-9, 4.09 over 142 games (three strarts) during his five big league seasons, finishing with a 1.48 WHIP, 142 strikeouts and 11 saves in 231 innings
Billy Clingman, third baseman for the 1895 Pirates. Prior to joining the Pirates, he had eight games of big league experience early in his career. He played seven games for the Cincinnati Reds in 1890 and one game for Cincinnati of the American Association in 1891. That 1890 season was his first year in pro ball at 20 years old. He joined Cincinnati in September, after playing with Mansfield of the Tri-State League. No stats are available for Mansfield. He hit .259/.286/.296 in 28 plate appearances for the Reds, with two runs, a double and five RBIs. He went 1-for-5 with a double during his one game with Cincinnati in 1891, playing for a team referred to as the Kelly’s Killers, who were named after manager King Kelly, Clingman also saw time with Jamestown of the New York-Penn League and Terre Haute of the Northwestern League that year. He had a .218 average, 21 runs, eight extra-base hits and five steals for Jamestown. No stats are available for Terre Haute. He played briefly for Indianapolis of the Class-A Western League in 1892, going 4-for-9 in three games. The majority of that season, as well as the entire 1893 season, was spent with Memphis of the Class-B Southern Association. Clingman hit .277 over 78 games for Memphis in 1892, with 54 runs, 13 extra-base hits and 25 steals. He followed that up by hitting .310 over 94 games in 1893, with 84 runs scored and 35 extra-base hits (30 doubles). Prior to the start of the 1895 season, the Pirates picked up Clingman in the Rule 5 Draft from the Milwaukee Brewers of the Western League. He hit .332 over 1894 with Milwaukee, while collecting 128 runs, 40 extra base hits and 32 stolen bases in 126 games. That was a huge year for offense all around baseball, but those were still above average numbers.
Clingman hit .256 in 107 games for the 1895 Pirates, with a career high 69 runs, as well as 16 doubles, four triples, no homers, 45 RBIs and a .650 OPS. His defense at third base was slightly above average that year, though later in his career he was known more for his strong glove. He led all National League third baseman in fielding percentage during the 1897 season. He led all American League shortstops in fielding percentage during the 1901 season. He also led the league in assists during the 1901 season. Clingman was dealt to the Louisville Colonels on May 2, 1896 for catcher Eddie Boyle and outfielder Joe Wright. He was actually with the Pirates for the first 11 games of the 1896 season, but he failed to get into a game. He still had seven more seasons ahead of him in the majors after the trade, including four seasons in Louisville (1896-99), and one year each with the 1900 Chicago Orphans (Cubs), the 1901 Washington Senators and the 1903 Cleveland Naps (Indians). He hit .234 for the 1896 Colonels, with 57 runs scored, 14 extra-base hits, 37 RBIs, 19 steals, 57 walks and a .611 OPS in 121 games. He batted .228 over 115 games in 1897, with 61 runs, 23 extra-base hits, 47 RBIs and a .614 OPS. Clingman played a career high 154 games in 1898, when he led the league with 60 strikeouts. He improved to a .257 average that year, finishing with 65 runs, 18 extra-base hits, 50 RBIs and 51 walks. He had a slight bump to his OPS, finishing with a .628 mark. He batted .263 in 110 games for the 1899 Colonels, with 68 runs, 22 extra-base hits, 45 RBIs and a .696 OPS.
The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired most of the Louisville roster after the 1899 season. They originally got 13 players in a trade made on December 8th. Pittsburgh got Louisville’s remaining players when they folded prior to the 1900 season. Clingman wasn’t part of either group though, as he was sold to Chicago on December 13th, along with teammate Charlie Dexter. He batted .208/.292/.245 in 47 games at shortstop during his lone season with Chicago, while collecting 15 runs, six doubles, 11 RBIs and six steals. He was released in August of 1900, then finished the season with Kansas City of the Class-A American League (highest level of the minors at the time), after he was claimed via waivers. He hit .310 in 41 games for Kansas City that year, with 18 runs and five extra-base hits. The manager of Kansas City was Jim Manning, who managed the Washington Senators during the 1901 season. He signed Clingman for the 1901 season, which got him back to the majors. He batted .242 in 137 games for Washington that season, with 66 runs, 19 extra-base hits, 55 RBIs and a .612 OPS. He was back in the minors in 1902, where he had a .308 average and 30 extra-base hits in 141 games for Milwaukee of the Class-A American Association. Clingman played for the Cleveland Naps at the start of 1903, hitting .281/.387/.328 in 21 games, before finishing the year with Columbus of the American Association. He hit just .153 in 56 games for Columbus, though he managed to score 30 runs during that time.
Clingman would end up playing minor league ball for three more seasons, mostly spent with Toledo of the American Association, before retiring as a player. The 1904 season was split between Toledo and St Paul of the American Association. He combined to hit .251 in 126 games, with 21 doubles, seven triples and one homer. He batted .270 over 155 games for Toledo in 1905, finished with 21 doubles and six triples. He then wrapped up his career with a .244 average and 11 extra-base hits in 75 games for Toledo during the 1906 season. He hit .245 in 820 games over ten seasons, with 413 runs scored, 86 doubles, 32 triples, eight homers, 302 RBIs and 98 steals. He finished with 303 walks and 303 strikeouts. He’s credited with two inside-the-park homers, which came against Hall of Famers Joe McGinnity and Cy Young.
Alex Beam, pitcher for the 1889 Alleghenys. His big league playing career started on May 25, 1889, and ended four days later. Beam only pitched twice for the Alleghenys due to major control issues. In two complete game starts, he is credited with walking a total of 15 batters (disputed number, see below), while recording just one strikeout. Beam was a strong pitcher from the area, and the Alleghenys scooped him up so Hall of Fame manager Harry Wright couldn’t pick him up for his own Philadelphia Phillies team. He was just 19 years old at the time, so there was much more potential beyond what he was already offering as a pitcher, which makes it a little surprising that his big league career was so short. Exactly two weeks before his pro debut, he played for a local team called the Greensburgs, where it was said that he had 24 strikeouts and allowed one hit. Beam’s big league debut was a successful 3-1 win over the last place Washington Nationals. He won despite issuing nine walks (some sources say eight walks) and only picking up one strikeout. His second start was a double failure for the young pitcher. He faced Harry Wright’s club and got battered, losing 15-4. He’s credited with nine walks in this game and 17 walks total by most sources from the day. Not only was that his last game with Pittsburgh, it also left a bad impression with Wright. It was said in multiple reports that he threw a lot of off-speed pitches early, but after the Phillies put up 11 runs, he looked much better throwing only fastballs. He had great success during his first game with what was then called a “drop ball”, but is known as a sinker now.
Beam was supposed to pitch for the Alleghenys on June 5th, but the game was rained out, which was once again double bad for him. He not only didn’t get to prove himself, he also had numerous friends and family in attendance to watch the game. It was said that he would pitch the first five innings, then another young pitcher named Al Krumm would pitch the rest of the game, so that the local fans could see both pitchers in action. The Alleghenys went on a three-city road trip the next day and Beam wasn’t with the team (it was common practice to leave some players behind due to travel costs). He stayed behind and practiced with Krumm and a 17-year-old pitcher named Andy Dunning. All three were being coached by Pete Conway, a 30-game winner in 1888, who was injured at the time. Before Beam could see another opportunity with the Alleghenys, he was released by the team on June 25th, exactly one month after his debut.
Beam made his pro debut in the majors, and he only pitched minor league ball until 1892, with his pro career ending at 22 years old. His minor league stats are all incomplete. Before joining Pittsburgh on May 21st (four days before his debut), the local papers called him a young phenom discovered by Pittsburgh president William Nimick. It was said that Beam “enjoys an enviable reputation among the Western Pennsylvania League clubs”. Just one day before signing, the same papers were reporting that the two sides were too far apart on salary demands, so the Alleghenys would look elsewhere for a pitcher. Beam wanted a guarantee of $1,200 for the rest of the season, while the Alleghenys offered him contracts that called for $100 per month, or $200 per month if he turned out to be good. He was originally said to be signing with Pittsburgh on May 17th, but he had to wait until his dad returned home from business so he could get his consent first. While they were waiting for his dad, he pitched a game on May 18th in front of members of the Alleghenys, which satisfied those in attendance. Right after his time with the Alleghenys ended, he went to pitch for Burlington of the Central Interstate League, but he returned home in August of 1889 after his arm gave out. He saw time with Altoona of the Eastern Interstate League in 1890, doing more work in the outfield than in the pitcher’s box. He then played for Bay City of the Northwestern League in 1891. During his final season in 1892, he played for Lead City of the Black Hills League and Green Bay of the Wisconsin-Michigan League. His only available minor league stats show that he went 0-2 for Burlington as a pitcher, while going 2-for-11 at the plate with two singles. Beam was small for a pitcher by today’s standards, standing in at 5’9″, 155 pounds.
Henry Youngman, infielder for the 1890 Alleghenys. The 1890 Pittsburgh club was the worst in team history and it isn’t even close. They went 23-113, while using numerous players for a short time to get through the season. It was during a time when teams regularly used 15-20 players over a full season, but the Alleghenys used 46 players that year. Youngman had a decent minor league career between 1888 and 1899, but his brief time in the majors was unsuccessful. He hit .128/.226/.192 and made 16 errors over 13 games split between third base and second base. He had six runs, two extra-base hits and four RBIs. That ended up being his only chance in the majors. Perhaps the most surprising part was his big league debut, in which he had two hits and his defense at third base was praised. The team actually expected good things from him after a strong showing during Spring Training. Youngman made the 1890 Opening Day roster. He debuted on April 19th, batting seventh on Opening Day. His final game came on May 23rd. Local papers speculated about his release in early May, saying that team president J. Palmer O’Neil was looking for a regular shortstop and Youngman would likely be the man to go when that happened. The Alleghenys actually cut star infielder Fred Dunlap first, after it was noted that his salary of $3,500 was too much, while Youngman was doing comparable work while getting paid $1,050 for the season. Youngman was one of three players released by the Alleghenys on June 1st, after they completed a 33-day road trip.
Almost no stats are available from Youngman’s minor league time, but there is a paper trail of where he played. He was born in Germany in 1865. He was found playing semi-pro ball near Pittsburgh in 1885-86 for a team from Homestead, Pa. His pro debut came with Danville of the Central Interstate League in 1888, where he was teammates with Pete Daniels and Fred Roat, who both joined Youngman on the 1890 Alleghenys Opening Day roster. Danville moved to the Illinois-Indiana League in 1889, where he played as a teammate of Roat. Youngman played for two different minor league teams in Pennsylvania after being released by Pittsburgh, seeing time with McKeesport of the Tri-State League and Bradford of the New York-Penn League to finish out the 1890 season. He spent the 1891 season with Oakland of the California League, then played for Homestead again in 1892. There are no stats available for any of those stops. He played for Altoona of the Pennsylvania State League during the 1893-94 seasons, while also seeing time in the same league with Lancaster during the 1894 season. He hit .288 over 97 games in 1893, with 94 runs, 20 doubles, seven triples and 32 steals. He had a .247 average, 48 runs and 13 extra-base hits in 70 games split between Altoona/Lancaster during the 1894 season. Youngman played for Titusville of the Class-C Iron and Oil League in 1895. He had an offer to play for a team from Bradford, Pa. (one of the towns he played at in 1890) in 1896, but decided against playing ball that season. He returned in 1897 to play his final three years of pro ball (1897-99) for Dayton of the Class-B Interstate League. He was still found playing for Homestead in 1902. An article from the Pittsburgh Press said that he was doing some managing in 1904, before become the police chief of Homestead.
