 |
|||||||||
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Jack "Moose" Farrell, Second Baseman
Jack Farrell was born in scenic Newark, New Jersey, and came to the Grays in 1879. Although his batting statistics do not look very good now, he was one of the best hitting second basemen of his era. Going into the 1884 season, he held fifth place on the National League's all-time home run list with 14. His 5 homers in 1881 were a league record for second basemen. He was also a strong defensive player; in 1883 he led the league in fielding average and assists. Farrell's hitting ability disappeared during the 1884 season, though he was only 26 and should have been just hitting his prime. He hit only .217 during the championship year, though his fielding average remained just a fraction below the league leader. He was fined $5 on May 12 for arguing with the umpire a bit too heatedly. He only hit one home run all year, a "clean hit over the left field fence for four bases" at Messer Park on May 14. On September 13, at the last home game of the season, "Farrell was made happy by the gift of a handsomely framed crayon portrait of himself, and an excellent gold watch, chain and charm in the form of a $20 gold piece prettily monogrammed". Still, the highlight of his season was undoubtedly when he scored the winning run in the championship-clinching 3-1 victory against the Metros. The only personal information we have on "Moose" was that Bill James put him, without any further explanation, on a list of "drinking men" of the 1880s. With that in mind, we can read the Providence Journal story about the May 31 game, when the Grays were riddled with injuries and needed every man on the field. Farrell showed up claiming to be ill, and asked to be excused from the game. His request was denied, and he reportedly looked "listless" in the field. Farrell hung around in Providence, Washington, Philadelphia and Baltimore for five more years, but his bat never returned. He never hit over .225 again, and disappeared after the 1889 season. He died in a hospital in Overlook, New Jersey in 1914. His obituary asserted that "in his prime, he was regarded as the best second basemen in the country." copyright Rick Stattler 2002 |
|
