Nap Shea
| Nap Shea | |
|---|---|
| Catcher | |
| Born: May 23, 1874 Ware, Massachusetts | |
| Died: July 8, 1968 (aged 94) Bloomfield Hills, Michigan | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 11, 1902, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 15, 1902, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Games played | 3 |
| At bats | 8 |
| Hits | 1 |
| Teams | |
John Edward "Nap" Shea (May 23, 1874 – July 8, 1968), nicknamed "Napoleon", was a catcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1902. He stood at 5' 5", weighed 155 lbs., and batted and threw right-handed.[1]
Career
[edit]Shea was born in Ware, Massachusetts.[1] He started his professional baseball career in 1894 and played for the New England League's Brockton Shoemakers for four seasons. In 1896, he batted a career-high .344 and slugged .452.[2] Shea then played in the New York State League from 1899 to 1902. He hit .323 in 1901. Early in the following season, he was sidelined by appendicitis[3] but then recovered and hit .300 for the Ilion Typewriters.[2]
Shea was acquired by the Philadelphia Phillies and played three games for them in September. In 10 plate appearances, he went 1 for 8 with a walk and a hit by pitch.[1] The next season, he caught for the Eastern League's Newark Sailors and stayed on that team for a few years.[2] He batted under .200 during most of his time at Newark, but the Sporting Life wrote that he was "one of the best backstops" in the league.[4]
Shea was sold to the Syracuse Stars in March 1908,[5] and he played one season there before retiring from professional baseball.[2] He died in 1968 in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Nap Shea Statistics and History". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
- ^ a b c d "Nap Shea Minor League Statistics & History". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
- ^ "State League Gossip". Amsterdam Evening Recorder, May 17, 1902, p. 5.
- ^ "Nap Shea a 'Copper King'". Sporting Life, May 18, 1907.
- ^ "Syracuse Buys Nap Shea". The Montreal Gazette, March 20, 1908, p. 5.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference
- 1874 births
- 1968 deaths
- Major League Baseball catchers
- Philadelphia Phillies players
- Brockton Shoemakers players
- Springfield Ponies players
- Springfield Maroons players
- Rome Romans players
- Ilion Typewriters players
- Newark Sailors players
- Syracuse Stars (minor league baseball) players
- Baseball players from Hampshire County, Massachusetts
- People from Ware, Massachusetts