| Tommy McCarthy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born:(1863-07-24)July 24, 1863 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| Died: August 5, 1922(1922-08-05) (aged 59) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 10, 1884, for the Boston Reds | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 26, 1896, for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .292 |
| Home runs | 44 |
| Runs batted in | 732 |
| Stolen bases | 468 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
As player
As manager | |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1946 |
| Election method | Old-Timers Committee |
Thomas Francis Michael McCarthy (July 24, 1863 – August 5, 1922) was an AmericanMajor League Baseball player. He was elected to theBaseball Hall of Fame in 1946.
McCarthy was born on July 24, 1863, inBoston, Massachusetts, the eldest son of seven surviving children to Daniel and Sarah McCarthy née Healy.[1] Daniel McCarthy was born in County Kerry, Ireland. After graduating fromSouth Boston's John A. Andrew Grammar School, McCarthy worked for a clothing company during the day and played baseball at night. In 1884, he went to work for a piano company, where he received $18 a week for work in their factory and play for the company baseball team.[2] Later that year, McCarthy joined theBoston Reds in theUnion Association as astarting pitcher andoutfielder. In limited innings and at-bats, he played poorly,batting at a paltry .215 average, and lost all seven of his pitching appearances. McCarthy moved to theNational League and played with theBoston Beaneaters the following season and thePhiladelphia Quakers the following two years but failed to bat higher than .200 in any season, although in limited at-bats.
Setting aside aspirations of being a star pitcher, McCarthy finally settled into an everyday position in a lineup in1888 with theSt. Louis Browns in theAmerican Association. With the Browns until1891, McCarthy scored over 100runs each season and grew increasingly productive at the plate. He batted .350 in1890 anddrove in 95 runs in 1891. Although the shoddy record-keeping of the time prevents an accurate tally, he also asserted himself as a daring presence on the base-paths, by some accountsstealing over 100 bases in 1888 and approaching the mark in 1890.
McCarthy moved back to the National League to play for theBoston Beaneaters in1892 and enjoyed his most productive seasons over the next few years. In1893, he drove in over 100 runs for the first time in his career, a feat that he repeated in1894 while hitting 13home runs. The press of the day called McCarthy and teammateHugh Duffy the "Heavenly Twins". Their Boston team was one of the most successful clubs of the era. McCarthy played for theBrooklyn Bridegrooms in1896 before retiring. He finished his career with a .292 batting average, 44 home runs and roughly 500 stolen bases.
After his playing career ended, McCarthy served as the head baseball coach atHoly Cross (1899–1900, 1904–1905, and 1916),Dartmouth (1906–1907), andBoston College (1920).[3] He was also a scout for theCincinnati Reds (1909–1912), Boston Braves (1913–1915) andBoston Red Sox (1920) and manager of theNewark Bears (1918).[1] In 1921, he joined theBrooklyn Dodgers coaching staff.[4]
In 1921, McCarthy had a severe attack of double pneumonia and was in critical condition. He recovered and traveled south for the winter. His health declined when he returned home and in June was diagnosed with cancer. He died on August 5, 1922.[1][2]
McCarthy's selection into theBaseball Hall of Fame in1946 has always been a controversial one due to his less than spectacular statistics, especially when compared to those of his fellow inductees and some players who have not yet been honored.
In his 2001 book,The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract,SabermetricianBill James makes the point that McCarthy was held in such high esteem because of his introduction of the "hit and run" play into the game. This play, among other novel strategies (such as batter to baserunner signals, etc.) that he and his Boston teammates utilized, were a clever and gentlemanly counter to the rough and tumble "Baltimore" style of play which was, at the time, giving baseball a bad name. Nevertheless, in the same book, James also said that McCarthy is the worst right fielder in the Hall of Fame.[5] As of 2014, McCarthy had the lowestJaffe Wins Above Replacement Score of any player in the Hall of Fame.[6]
According toSABR, McCarthy is also the onlyUnion Association player elected to the Hall of Fame.[7]
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