Fred Waterman
| Fred Waterman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||
| Third baseman | |||
|
Born: December 1845 New York City |
|||
|
Died: December 16, 1899 (aged 53–54) Cincinnati |
|||
|
|||
| MLB debut | |||
| May 5, 1871, for the Washington Olympics | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 23, 1875, for the | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .333 | ||
| Runs | 81 | ||
| Runs batted in | 38 | ||
| Teams | |||
|
|||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
|
|||
Frederick A. Waterman (December 1845 – December 16, 1899) played third base for the original , the first fully professional baseball team. Throughout his career with "major" teams, amateur and pro, third base was his regular position in the field.
Born 1845 in New York City, Waterman played for the Empire club of his native city in 1865 and for the famous Mutual club (New York Mutuals) the next two years. Some Mutuals players were compensated materially during the amateur era of National Association of Base Ball Players—city employment is one possibility—and Waterman may be considered a candidate.
At age 22 Waterman moved to Cincinnati for the 1868 season and played for the original managed by Harry Wright. Open professionalism was one year away but the long move suggests that Waterman was somehow compensated by club members if not by the club. Cincinnati fielded a strong team that year, with five of the famous team already in place. Playing statistics suggest that Waterman was the second best batsman behind John Hatfield, another import from the Mutuals, for he was second on the team both in scoring 4.4 runs per game and in being put out only 2.3 times per game.
When the NABBP permitted professionalism, the Red Stockings hired five incumbents including Waterman and five new men to complete its famous First Nine of 1869, the first team on salary for a season. A few others had previously played some third base (all played at the six infield positions in 1868), but Wright retained Waterman at the position.
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.
Harry Wright was hired to organize a new team in Boston, where he signed three teammates for 1871. The other five regulars including Fred Waterman signed with Nick Young's Washington Olympics, an established club that also joined the new, entirely professional National Association (NA).
...
Wikipedia