Biography

Traffley was born on December 21, 1859, in Staten Island

Staten Island

Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. When he was 18 years old, in 1878

1878 in baseball

-Champions:*National League: Boston Red Caps*International Association: Buffalo Bisons*Pacific Coast: San Francisco Athletics Inter-league playoff: Boston and Buffalo each won 1 game in 2 game series.-National League final standings:...

, he played two games for the Chicago White Stockings

1878 Chicago White Stockings season

-Roster:-Starters by position:Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in-Other batters:Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg...

.

Traffley did not play in professional baseball for another five years, in 1883

1883 Cincinnati Reds season

The Cincinnati Red Stockings season was a season in American baseball. The team finished third in the American Association with a record of 61-37, 5 games behind the Philadelphia Athletics.-Regular season:...

. He played 30 games that season.

His next three seasons (and his last) were spent with the Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles (19th century)

The Baltimore Orioles were a 19th-century American Association and National League team from 1882 to 1899. The club, which featured numerous future Hall of Famers, finished in first place three consecutive years and won the Temple Cup championship in 1896 and 1897...

.

Traffley died on June 23, 1908, in Des Moines

Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...

, Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

. His brother, John Traffley

John Traffley

John M. Traffley was an American professional baseball player who played for the 1889 Louisville Colonels. He appeared in one game for the Colonels, on June 15, 1889 as an outfielder. His brother, Bill Traffley, also played professional baseball. He got his chance to play for the Colonels because...

, also played professional baseball.