| Bid McPhee | |
|---|---|
 McPhee in 1888 | |
| Second baseman | |
| Born:(1859-11-01)November 1, 1859 Massena, New York, U.S. | |
| Died: January 3, 1943(1943-01-03) (aged 83) San Diego, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 2, 1882, for the Cincinnati Red Stockings | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 15, 1899, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .272 |
| Hits | 2,258 |
| Home runs | 53 |
| Runs batted in | 1,072 |
| Stolen bases | 568 |
| Managerial record | 79–124 |
| Winning % | .389 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| As player As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2000 |
| Election method | Veterans Committee |
John Alexander "Bid"McPhee (November 1, 1859 – January 3, 1943) was an American 19th-centuryMajor League Baseballsecond baseman. He played 18 seasons in the majors, from1882 until1899, all for theCincinnati Reds franchise. He was elected to theBaseball Hall of Fame in2000. Known more for his fielding than his hitting, McPhee was the last second baseman to play without a glove.[1]
Born inMassena, New York, McPhee broke into professional baseball in1877 as acatcher with theDavenport Brown Stockings of theNorthwestern League.[2] He played for Davenport for three seasons, shifting to second base during the1879 season.[2] After not playing baseball in 1880, he joined an independent team inAkron, Ohio in1881.[2] Before the1882 season, he signed a contract to play for theCincinnati Red Stockings, a team in the newly formedAmerican Association.[3]
Making his major league debut on May 2, 1882, the 22-year-old McPhee had abatting average of just .228, but he led the league in several fielding categories, includingputouts andfielding percentage.[3] With McPhee in the lineup for 78 out of their 80 games, the Red Stockings won the inaugural AA championship. McPhee was the only starting second baseman Cincinnati had for the first 18 seasons of its existence, accompanying the team to theNational League in1890, when they became theCincinnati Reds. In last two seasons of his career, he was the oldest player in the major leagues.[3]
Over 18 years, McPhee batted .272, hit 53home runs, hit 189triples, scored 1,684runs, had 1,072runs batted in, and stole 568bases (this number however is noted by the fact that statistics for McPhee's first four seasons did not include stolen bases, and from 1886 until 1898, the American Association counted stolen bases if a runner happened to go from first base to third base on a single or advanced a base on an out).[4] He had ten 100-plus seasons in runs scored and regularly led the league in many defensive categories despite playing without a glove for the first 14 years of his career. Without the benefit of the padding provided by fielding gloves, McPhee toughened his hands by soaking them in salt water.
Shortly after retiring as a player in 1899, McPhee rejoined the Reds as amanager. At the team's helm for 1901 and part of 1902, he posted 79 wins and 124 losses for a .389 winning percentage.
McPhee died in 1943. He was cremated and his ashes were interred in the mausoleum at Cypress View Memorial Gardens inSan Diego, California.
McPhee was inducted into theBaseball Hall of Fame in2000, more than 100 years after he played in his last major league game. He is the only Hall of Famer to spend significant time in the American Association. He is one of three Baseball Hall of Famers, along withJohnny Bench andBarry Larkin, who played their entire career in Cincinnati. McPhee is also the only Hall of Famer from the 1882 pennant-winning Cincinnati Red Stockings team.
Two years after his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, McPhee was inducted into theCincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.
· ESPN · Baseball Reference · Fangraphs · Baseball Reference (Minors) · Retrosheet · Baseball Almanac, orRetrosheet| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | American Association Home Run Champion 1886 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Hitting for the cycle August 26, 1887 | Succeeded by |
