| Andy Leonard | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born:(1846-06-01)June 1, 1846 Kilsallagh, County Cavan, Ireland | |
| Died: August 21, 1903(1903-08-21) (aged 57) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 5, 1871, for the Washington Olympics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 6, 1880, for the Cincinnati Stars | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .299 |
| Hits | 716 |
| Runs batted in | 346 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
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Andrew Jackson Leonard (June 1, 1846 – August 21, 1903) was an Irish born professionalbaseball player of the 19th century, who playedoutfield and was also a utilityinfielder. He playedleft field for the originalCincinnati Red Stockings, the first fully professionalbaseball team. He was one of five men to play regularly for both the Cincinnati and theBoston Red Stockings, the latter winning six championships during his seven seasons. He played several infield positions on lesser teams in his early twenties but left field was his regular professional position.
Born 1846 inCounty Cavan and raised inNewark, New Jersey, Leonard is commonly recognized as the first native ofIreland to play in the major leagues. He was one of four who played during the firstNational Association (NAPBBP) season, so he owes the distinction partly to fortunate scheduling in the spring of 1871, partly to our counting the NA as a major league. (But it seems likely that Leonard andFergy Malone both played in the firstNational League game, 22 April 1876.)
Leonard played five seasons in the amateur era of theNational Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP), beginning in 1864 with the Hudson River club ofNewburgh, New York, not far North of the metropolis. Early in the 1866 season he moved to the Irvington club ofIrvington, New Jersey, several miles inland from Newark and from theElysian Fields, Hoboken, where many New York city teams played home matches. (At least two teammates, Hugh and Matt Campbell, were natives of Ireland.) At that time, in his early twenties, the right-handed Leonard played mainly in the infield.
In 1868 "Andy" and teammateCharlie Sweasy moved toCincinnati, Ohio, and joined the Buckeyes, the chief local rival of theRed Stockings; the move suggests that he was somehow compensated by club members if not by the club.[1]
When the NABBP permitted professionalism for 1869, Leonard was one of five new men hired byHarry Wright of theCincinnati Red Stockings to complete the first fully professional team. He was paid $800 for the eight months from March 15 to November 15, the standard rate, while four men earned more.
All of the Red Stockings had previously played in the infield; Wright put Leonard inleft, then the most active outfield position. He played nine of the next ten seasons as Harry Wright's regular left fielder, although as a right-handed thrower with early infield experience he filled in at second, third, and shortstop, too.
Years later, the son of officer George Ellard recalled the skills of each player in words of praise. Ellard (1908: 101) called the "jolly, good-natured fellow ... of Irvington-Buckeye fame" a brilliant left fielder but noted that "he ranked the best as a batsman." The limited statistical record shows that he was one of the strong supporting players during the Red Stockings innings, perhaps third behind George Wright and Waterman over the two seasons, but that may be said of a few others. In two years, he played 128 of 131 games in the record books, one of six who played essentially without interruption.More important, he filled in at shortstop for about 15 games that Wright did not play in 1870.
Cincinnati toured the continent undefeated in 1869 and may have been the strongest team in 1870, but the club dropped professional base ball after the second season.
Wright was hired to organize a new team in Boston, where he signed three teammates for 1871. The other five regulars including Andy Leonard signed withNick Young'sWashington Olympics, an established club that also joined the new, entirely professionalNational Association (NA). Wright did sign Leonard one year later and he remained in place for theBoston Red Stockings' run of six pennants in seven seasons.
In a game against St. Louis on June 14, 1876, Leonard and his teammates experienced the worst day in the field that any major league team ever has. Boston committed 24 errors in their 20-6 loss to St. Louis. Leonard, playing second base, committed nine of them. Both of those figures remain major league records. St. Louis committed 16 errors, for a two-team record total 40. (The Sporting News Baseball Record Book, 2007, p. 83)[1] (BostonPost, June 15, 1876, p. 3, "A Miserable Fielding Display.")
Andy Leonard lost his major league job in 1879 but returned to the infield in Rochester as a shortstop, in some ways the most demanding position, one always filled byGeorge Wright on brother Harry's professional teams. In 1880 he returned to Cincinnati and the major leagues but "failing vision forced his retirement from the game. In his final game, on July 3, 1880, his errors allowed Providence four runs in a 6-4 Cincinnati loss" (Richardson and Sumner 1989).
Leonard worked for Wright & Ditson, George Wright's sporting goods firm, for several years before his 1903 death in Boston at age 57. He is buried in New Calvary Cemetery, Boston.
In theIrish Baseball League, the annual most valuable player award is named "The 'Andy Leonard' League MVP award.
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