Chick Lathers
Encyclopedia
Charles Ten Eyck "Chick" Lathers (October 22, 1888 - July 26, 1971) was an American baseball
player. With a .383 batting average
, he was the third baseman
and the leading hitter on the 1909 Michigan Wolverines baseball
team that finished with a record of 18-3-1. He later played two years of Major League Baseball
as an inifelder for the Detroit Tigers
. After retiring from baseball in 1913, Lathers worked for the Ford Motor Company
for several years, served in the U.S. Army during World War I
, and operated a dairy farm in northern Michigan from 1925-1962. He was also active in local government in northern Michigan.
. At age 16, Lathers played for the 1905 Cass club baseball team that won the city championship of Detroit, Michigan
. The 1905 Cass club team also included two other future professional players -- Bert Lerchen
, who played for the Boston Red Sox
, and Harvey Bussey, who played eight seasons in the minor leagues.
where he played as a third baseman for the Michigan Wolverines
baseball
team. He was enrolled at Michigan in the engineering program from 1907–1910 and was described as "a major contributor" to the success of the 1909 Wolverines baseball team. The 1909 team finished with a record of 18-3-1 and outscored its opponents 140-59. Lathers was the leading hitter on the 1909 team with a batting average of .383. He was described by The Washington Post as the "baseball star of the University of Michigan" and "one of the best throwers ever seen on a Michigan ball field." The Post reported that Lathers had a batting average of more than .400 at Michigan, and noted that, "when he does hit, the ball goes a mile." Lathers was also considered a "sure fielder."
In February 1910, press accounts reported that Lathers had either been "expelled" or "flunked out" at Michigan. The 1910 baseball season at Michigan was the first under new coach Branch Rickey
. Because of the expulsion of Lathers, Rickey, who was later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, was deprived of the services of the team's best batsman.
As soon as Lathers was expelled from Michigan, Detroit Tigers
manager Hughie Jennings
announced that Detroit had "first claim" on his services. Jenning said that he intended to take Lathers south for spring training and described Lathers as "an unusually promising player" whose "only fault" is base running, a skill at which Jennings was an expert teacher.
After joining the Tigers for spring training, Lathers made the team and had his major league debut on May 1, 1910. Early in the 1910 season, Lathers was touted as a future star. The Washington Post in late May 1910 published Lathers’ photograph with a caption describing him as "'Chick' Lathers, last year's star of the University of Michigan nine." However, with Jim Delahanty
, Donie Bush
, and George Moriarty
holding down the starting jobs at second base, shortstop and third base, Lathers did not find his way into Detroit’s starting lineup. As a result, Lathers spent most of the 1910 season, as one newspaper put it, "on the Tiger bench learning the rudiments by observing." Lathers played in 41 games for the 1910 Tigers, playing games at second base, shortstop and third base. He compiled a .230 batting average and .300 on base percentage in 93 plate appearances during the 1910 season.
In February 1911, Lathers returned to the Tigers for spring training. Press accounts suggested that, if the injured legs of Delahanty and Bush had healed, there was "no chance" of Lathers taking their starting spots. However, one newspaper opined that Lathers "is a much better batter than O'Leary
and if he could learn some of the fine points of the game while South, would have the call" at second base. As the spring progressed, Detroit manager Hughie Jennings tried moving Lathers to first base to find a spot for him in the starting lineup. The press reported that Jennings planned to have both a right and left hand batting first baseman, with Del Gainer
or Ness getting the start when a left-hander was pitching and Lathers getting the start against right-handers. In the end, Jennings moved Delahanty to first base in 1911, and Lathers saw even less playing time than he had in his rookie season. He played in only 29 games and compiled a batting average of .222 and an on base percentage of .314 in 53 plate appearances.
In 1912, Lathers tried for a regular position in the Tigers outfield, but failed to make the team. He was then shipped to the minor leagues by the Tigers to play with the Providence Grays in the International League
. Lathers was joined in Providence by two other Detroit cast-offs, catcher Boss Schmidt
and outfielder Delos Drake
. By late July, newspapers reported that the three former Tigers playing in Providence were "fairly burning up the International League with their hitting." At the time, Schmidt was hitting .364 and Drake .330. Lathers spent much of the 1912 season on the "sick list," causing his batting average to slump, but by late July, his batting average had started to climb and stood at .304.
In his two-year major league career, Lathers played in a total of 70 games, all with the Detroit Tigers. He played games at all four infield positions (22 games at 3rd base, 16 games at 2nd base, and 8 games at shortstop). He had a career batting average of .228 with a .305 on base percentage. His lifetime fielding percentage of .906 was 32 points lower than the league average during his years of play, and his Range factor
of 2.94 was 1.66 points lower than the league average of 4.59.
. In return for Lathers, the Tigers were to have received Charley O'Leary
-- the same player whose starting job Lathers had sought in 1911. Lathers was expected to play in the outfield for Indianapolis. However, in February 1913, the trade was cancelled after Lathers said he would not play baseball in 1913. It was reported that Lathers had quit baseball permanently to become an automobile salesman. Lathers reported that he was attached to the Kalamazoo, Michigan
store of the Ford Motor Company
as a salesman. Lathers said of the new job that he "likes it so well he proposes to stick to it."
Lathers served in U.S. Army as an ordnance officer during World War I
. After the war, Lathers returned to work at Ford Motor Company as a branch manager.
at Indian Point (also known as Colonial Point). Lathers built a dairy barn, which was still standing in 2006, a sheep barn, chicken coop, icehouse and other buildings. Lathers' farm bottled and sold unpasteurized milk from "his prized Golden Guernseys." He used giant chunks of ice cut from Burt Lake in winter to keep the milk chilled. For many years, Lathers also supplied the iceboxes of area resorters. Lathers continued to operate his dairy farm until 1962.
Lathers was also active in local government. In 1945, Lathers was living in Petoskey, Michigan
, and was one of the principal forces pushing a plan to raise $50,000 to partially finance the reconstruction of the inland water route from Cheboygan, Michigan
to Conway, Michigan. Lathers and a group of northern Michigan businessmen formed a non-profit corporation to raise the funds from local residents and tourists. Lathers believed the route, which was known as Michigan’s "forgotten water route," would promote tourism in northern Michigan.
Lathers was also a longtime member of the Cheboygan County Road Commission. In 1953, he was elected chairman of the commission. He also served for a time as the head of the Michigan Association of Road Commissioners.
. He is buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Petoskey.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player. With a .383 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
, he was the third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
and the leading hitter on the 1909 Michigan Wolverines baseball
Michigan Wolverines baseball
The Michigan Wolverines baseball team represents the University of Michigan in NCAA Division I college baseball. Along with most other Michigan athletic teams, the baseball team participates in the Big Ten Conference...
team that finished with a record of 18-3-1. He later played two years of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
as an inifelder for the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
. After retiring from baseball in 1913, Lathers worked for the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
for several years, served in the U.S. Army during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and operated a dairy farm in northern Michigan from 1925-1962. He was also active in local government in northern Michigan.
Early years
Lathers was born in Dearborn, MichiganDearborn, Michigan
-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...
. At age 16, Lathers played for the 1905 Cass club baseball team that won the city championship of Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. The 1905 Cass club team also included two other future professional players -- Bert Lerchen
Dutch Lerchen
Bertram Roe "Dutch" Lerchen was a shortstop who played briefly for the Boston Red Sox during the season. Listed at 5' 8", 160 lb., Lerchen batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Detroit, Michigan. His cousin, George Lerchen, played for Detroit and Cincinnati from 1952-53.In a...
, who played for the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, and Harvey Bussey, who played eight seasons in the minor leagues.
University of Michigan
After graduating from high school, Lathers enrolled at the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
where he played as a third baseman for the Michigan Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team. He was enrolled at Michigan in the engineering program from 1907–1910 and was described as "a major contributor" to the success of the 1909 Wolverines baseball team. The 1909 team finished with a record of 18-3-1 and outscored its opponents 140-59. Lathers was the leading hitter on the 1909 team with a batting average of .383. He was described by The Washington Post as the "baseball star of the University of Michigan" and "one of the best throwers ever seen on a Michigan ball field." The Post reported that Lathers had a batting average of more than .400 at Michigan, and noted that, "when he does hit, the ball goes a mile." Lathers was also considered a "sure fielder."
In February 1910, press accounts reported that Lathers had either been "expelled" or "flunked out" at Michigan. The 1910 baseball season at Michigan was the first under new coach Branch Rickey
Branch Rickey
Wesley Branch Rickey was an innovative Major League Baseball executive elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967...
. Because of the expulsion of Lathers, Rickey, who was later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, was deprived of the services of the team's best batsman.
Professional baseball
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
manager Hughie Jennings
Hughie Jennings
Hugh Ambrose Jennings was a Major League Baseball player and manager from 1891 to 1925. Jennings was a leader, both as a batter and as a shortstop, with the Baltimore Orioles teams that won National League championships in 1894, 1895, and 1896. During the three championship seasons, Jennings had...
announced that Detroit had "first claim" on his services. Jenning said that he intended to take Lathers south for spring training and described Lathers as "an unusually promising player" whose "only fault" is base running, a skill at which Jennings was an expert teacher.
After joining the Tigers for spring training, Lathers made the team and had his major league debut on May 1, 1910. Early in the 1910 season, Lathers was touted as a future star. The Washington Post in late May 1910 published Lathers’ photograph with a caption describing him as "'Chick' Lathers, last year's star of the University of Michigan nine." However, with Jim Delahanty
Jim Delahanty
James Christopher Delahanty was a second baseman in Major League Baseball. He played thirteen seasons with eight clubs: the Chicago Orphans , New York Giants , Boston Beaneaters , Cincinnati Reds , St. Louis Browns , Washington Senators , Detroit Tigers , and Brooklyn Tip-Tops...
, Donie Bush
Donie Bush
Owen Joseph "Donie" Bush , was a Major League Baseball shortstop in the American League for the Detroit Tigers and the Washington Senators...
, and George Moriarty
George Moriarty
George Joseph Moriarty was an American third baseman, umpire and manager in Major League Baseball from 1903 to 1940. He played for the Chicago Cubs, New York Highlanders, Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox from 1903 to 1916.Moriarty was born in Chicago, Illinois, where he grew up near the Union...
holding down the starting jobs at second base, shortstop and third base, Lathers did not find his way into Detroit’s starting lineup. As a result, Lathers spent most of the 1910 season, as one newspaper put it, "on the Tiger bench learning the rudiments by observing." Lathers played in 41 games for the 1910 Tigers, playing games at second base, shortstop and third base. He compiled a .230 batting average and .300 on base percentage in 93 plate appearances during the 1910 season.
In February 1911, Lathers returned to the Tigers for spring training. Press accounts suggested that, if the injured legs of Delahanty and Bush had healed, there was "no chance" of Lathers taking their starting spots. However, one newspaper opined that Lathers "is a much better batter than O'Leary
Charley O'Leary
Charles Timothy O'Leary was a Major League Baseball shortstop who played eleven seasons with the Detroit Tigers , St. Louis Cardinals , and St. Louis Browns ....
and if he could learn some of the fine points of the game while South, would have the call" at second base. As the spring progressed, Detroit manager Hughie Jennings tried moving Lathers to first base to find a spot for him in the starting lineup. The press reported that Jennings planned to have both a right and left hand batting first baseman, with Del Gainer
Del Gainer
Dellos Clinton Gainer , nicknamed "Sheriff," was a Major League Baseball first baseman who played 10 seasons in the Major Leagues...
or Ness getting the start when a left-hander was pitching and Lathers getting the start against right-handers. In the end, Jennings moved Delahanty to first base in 1911, and Lathers saw even less playing time than he had in his rookie season. He played in only 29 games and compiled a batting average of .222 and an on base percentage of .314 in 53 plate appearances.
In 1912, Lathers tried for a regular position in the Tigers outfield, but failed to make the team. He was then shipped to the minor leagues by the Tigers to play with the Providence Grays in the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
. Lathers was joined in Providence by two other Detroit cast-offs, catcher Boss Schmidt
Boss Schmidt
Charles "Boss" Schmidt was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played six seasons with the Detroit Tigers ....
and outfielder Delos Drake
Delos Drake
Delos Daniel Drake was a Major League Baseball player who played 83 games in the Detroit Tigers outfield in 1911 beside Ty Cobb and also played in the Federal League in 1914 and 1915 for the St...
. By late July, newspapers reported that the three former Tigers playing in Providence were "fairly burning up the International League with their hitting." At the time, Schmidt was hitting .364 and Drake .330. Lathers spent much of the 1912 season on the "sick list," causing his batting average to slump, but by late July, his batting average had started to climb and stood at .304.
In his two-year major league career, Lathers played in a total of 70 games, all with the Detroit Tigers. He played games at all four infield positions (22 games at 3rd base, 16 games at 2nd base, and 8 games at shortstop). He had a career batting average of .228 with a .305 on base percentage. His lifetime fielding percentage of .906 was 32 points lower than the league average during his years of play, and his Range factor
Range Factor
Range Factor is a baseball statistic developed by Bill James. It is calculated by dividing putouts and assists by number of innings or games played at a given defense position...
of 2.94 was 1.66 points lower than the league average of 4.59.
Military service and Ford Motor Company
In December 1912, Lathers was traded by the Detroit Tigers to the Indianapolis baseball team run by Mike KelleyMike Kelley
Mike Kelley is a contemporary American artist. Kelley's work involves found objects, textile banners, drawings, assemblage, collage, performance and video. He often works collaboratively and has done projects with artists Paul McCarthy, Tony Oursler and John Miller...
. In return for Lathers, the Tigers were to have received Charley O'Leary
Charley O'Leary
Charles Timothy O'Leary was a Major League Baseball shortstop who played eleven seasons with the Detroit Tigers , St. Louis Cardinals , and St. Louis Browns ....
-- the same player whose starting job Lathers had sought in 1911. Lathers was expected to play in the outfield for Indianapolis. However, in February 1913, the trade was cancelled after Lathers said he would not play baseball in 1913. It was reported that Lathers had quit baseball permanently to become an automobile salesman. Lathers reported that he was attached to the Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
store of the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
as a salesman. Lathers said of the new job that he "likes it so well he proposes to stick to it."
Lathers served in U.S. Army as an ordnance officer during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. After the war, Lathers returned to work at Ford Motor Company as a branch manager.
Dairy farmer and local politics
In 1925, Lathers bought property on Burt LakeBurt Lake
Burt Lake is a 17,120 acre lake in Cheboygan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The western shore of the lake is on the boundary with Emmet County...
at Indian Point (also known as Colonial Point). Lathers built a dairy barn, which was still standing in 2006, a sheep barn, chicken coop, icehouse and other buildings. Lathers' farm bottled and sold unpasteurized milk from "his prized Golden Guernseys." He used giant chunks of ice cut from Burt Lake in winter to keep the milk chilled. For many years, Lathers also supplied the iceboxes of area resorters. Lathers continued to operate his dairy farm until 1962.
Lathers was also active in local government. In 1945, Lathers was living in Petoskey, Michigan
Petoskey, Michigan
Petoskey is a city and coastal resort community in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6,080. It is the county seat of Emmet County....
, and was one of the principal forces pushing a plan to raise $50,000 to partially finance the reconstruction of the inland water route from Cheboygan, Michigan
Cheboygan, Michigan
Cheboygan is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 5,295. It is the county seat of Cheboygan County....
to Conway, Michigan. Lathers and a group of northern Michigan businessmen formed a non-profit corporation to raise the funds from local residents and tourists. Lathers believed the route, which was known as Michigan’s "forgotten water route," would promote tourism in northern Michigan.
Lathers was also a longtime member of the Cheboygan County Road Commission. In 1953, he was elected chairman of the commission. He also served for a time as the head of the Michigan Association of Road Commissioners.
Later years
In 1962, Lathers sold his dairy farm. In his later years, he spent his winters in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Lathers died in 1971 at age 82 at Little Traverse Hospital in Petoskey, MichiganPetoskey, Michigan
Petoskey is a city and coastal resort community in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6,080. It is the county seat of Emmet County....
. He is buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Petoskey.