Emmett Seery
Encyclopedia
John Emmett Seery was an outfielder
in Major League Baseball
. He played for the Baltimore Monumentals
, Kansas City Cowboys
, St. Louis Maroons
, Indianapolis Hoosiers
, Brooklyn Ward's Wonders
, Cincinnati Kelly's Killers, and Louisville Colonels
from 1884 to 1892. In 916 career major league games, Seery batted .252 with 893 hits
. He was 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighed 145 pounds.
, in 1861. He played semi-pro baseball for a team in Waltham, Massachusetts
. He started his professional baseball career in 1884 with the Union Association
's Baltimore Monumentals. That season, he batted .313 and finished in the top five of several UA statistical categories, including batting average
, on-base percentage (.342), hits (146), runs scored
(115), and total bases (192). He also led the league's outfielders in putout
s (157) and assists
(26).
In 1885, Seery joined the Western League's Kansas City Cowboys. He again performed well at the plate, pacing the circuit in both runs scored (43) and triples
(9). He also pitched for the Cowboys and led all pitchers with 11 losses. Seery played for the Cowboys until the team disbanded.
Seery finished the 1886 season with the St. Louis Maroons of the National League
until that team, too, disbanded at the close of the 1886 season. He batted just .162 in 59 games and took a lot of needling from his teammate, the "whiskey-guzzling" Charlie Sweeney
. Seery and Sweeney got into a vicious fight that year, with the whole team siding with Seery.
In 1886, Seery raised his batting average to .238 while playing in a league-leading 126 games. He was then purchased by the Indianapolis Hoosiers in March 1887 and played the next three years there as the club's regular left fielder
. In 1887, he batted .224, and in 1888, he batted .220 while ranking second in the league with 80 stolen base
s. In 1889, he raised his average above .300, to .314, for the first and only time since his rookie season in the Union Association. It was arguably Seery's best campaign, and he finished in the National League's top 10 in on-base percentage (.401), hits (165), and runs scored (123).
The following year, Seery joined the Brooklyn Ward's Wonders of the Players League, and his batting average fell to .223. In 1891, he went to the American Association
. He batted .285 for the Cincinnati Kelly's Killers, and his .423 on-base percentage was fourth-best in the circuit. In 1892, Seery went back to the National League to play for the Louisville Colonels. He batted just .201 in 42 games, and the last major league appearance of his career was on June 10. Seery also had short stints that year in the Southern Association and the Western League. His minor league and professional baseball career ended in 1895.
Seery was a patient hitter during his at bat
s. In 1887, the Detroit Free Press
wrote that he was "a good enough waiter to preside at a restaurant." He finished in his league's top 10 in bases on balls
five times, and he finished in the top 10 in strikeout
s four times.
Seery died in Saranac Lake, New York
, in 1930. He was buried in All Saints Cemetery in Jensen Beach, Florida
.
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
in 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...
. He played for the Baltimore Monumentals
Baltimore Monumentals
The Baltimore Monumentals were an American baseball team in the short-lived Union Association. In their lone season of 1884, they finished fourth in the UA with a 58-47 record.-History:The team was managed by William Henderson...
, Kansas City Cowboys
Kansas City Cowboys (Union Association)
The Kansas City Cowboys were a team in the Union Association during its only season, . Referred to as the "Cowboys" mostly by historians, they had no official nickname during their short life and were most frequently referred to by local press of the day as the "Unions" and by the press of other...
, St. Louis Maroons
St. Louis Maroons/Indianapolis Hoosiers
300px|thumb|right|1888 Indianapolis HoosiersThe St. Louis Maroons were a professional baseball club based in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1884-1886. The club, established by Henry Lucas, were the one near-major league quality entry in the Union Association, a league that lasted only one season, due...
, Indianapolis Hoosiers
St. Louis Maroons/Indianapolis Hoosiers
300px|thumb|right|1888 Indianapolis HoosiersThe St. Louis Maroons were a professional baseball club based in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1884-1886. The club, established by Henry Lucas, were the one near-major league quality entry in the Union Association, a league that lasted only one season, due...
, Brooklyn Ward's Wonders
Brooklyn Ward's Wonders
The Brooklyn Ward's Wonders was a team who played in the Players' League in 1890. The team's nickname derived from its superstar shortstop, hall of famer John Montgomery Ward. The team finished with a 76-56 record, good enough to finish in second place. Other notable players for Brooklyn that...
, Cincinnati Kelly's Killers, and Louisville Colonels
Louisville Colonels
The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that played in the American Association throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891, first as the Louisville Eclipse and later as the Louisville Colonels , the latter name derived from the historic Kentucky colonels...
from 1884 to 1892. In 916 career major league games, Seery batted .252 with 893 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
. He was 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighed 145 pounds.
Career
Seery was born in Princeville, IllinoisPrinceville, Illinois
Princeville is a village in Peoria County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,621 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Princeville is located at ....
, in 1861. He played semi-pro baseball for a team in Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
. He started his professional baseball career in 1884 with the Union Association
Union Association
The Union Association was a league in Major League Baseball which lasted for only one season in 1884. St. Louis won the pennant and joined the National League the following season...
's Baltimore Monumentals. That season, he batted .313 and finished in the top five of several UA statistical categories, including 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 :...
, on-base percentage (.342), hits (146), runs scored
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
(115), and total bases (192). He also led the league's outfielders in putout
Putout
In baseball statistics, a putout is given to a defensive player who records an out by one of the following methods:* Tagging a runner with the ball when he is not touching a base...
s (157) and assists
Assist (baseball)
In baseball, an assist is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is awarded to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional...
(26).
In 1885, Seery joined the Western League's Kansas City Cowboys. He again performed well at the plate, pacing the circuit in both runs scored (43) and triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
(9). He also pitched for the Cowboys and led all pitchers with 11 losses. Seery played for the Cowboys until the team disbanded.
Seery finished the 1886 season with the St. Louis Maroons of the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
until that team, too, disbanded at the close of the 1886 season. He batted just .162 in 59 games and took a lot of needling from his teammate, the "whiskey-guzzling" Charlie Sweeney
Charlie Sweeney
Charles J. Sweeney was an American Major League Baseball pitcher from 1882 through 1887. He played with moderate success for several teams, but he is best known to historians for the inadvertent career boost that he gave to future Hall of Famer Old Hoss Radbourn.Sweeney began his major league...
. Seery and Sweeney got into a vicious fight that year, with the whole team siding with Seery.
In 1886, Seery raised his batting average to .238 while playing in a league-leading 126 games. He was then purchased by the Indianapolis Hoosiers in March 1887 and played the next three years there as the club's regular left fielder
Left fielder
In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
. In 1887, he batted .224, and in 1888, he batted .220 while ranking second in the league with 80 stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s. In 1889, he raised his average above .300, to .314, for the first and only time since his rookie season in the Union Association. It was arguably Seery's best campaign, and he finished in the National League's top 10 in on-base percentage (.401), hits (165), and runs scored (123).
The following year, Seery joined the Brooklyn Ward's Wonders of the Players League, and his batting average fell to .223. In 1891, he went to the American Association
American Association (19th century)
The American Association was a Major League Baseball league that existed for 10 seasons from to . During that time, it challenged the National League for dominance of professional baseball...
. He batted .285 for the Cincinnati Kelly's Killers, and his .423 on-base percentage was fourth-best in the circuit. In 1892, Seery went back to the National League to play for the Louisville Colonels. He batted just .201 in 42 games, and the last major league appearance of his career was on June 10. Seery also had short stints that year in the Southern Association and the Western League. His minor league and professional baseball career ended in 1895.
Seery was a patient hitter during his at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
s. In 1887, the Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
wrote that he was "a good enough waiter to preside at a restaurant." He finished in his league's top 10 in bases on balls
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
five times, and he finished in the top 10 in strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s four times.
Later life
After retiring from baseball Seery lived in Florida, "thriving" as the proprietor of an orange grove. In 1907, he attended an "Old-Timers Day" in Massachusetts with other former ballplayers.Seery died in Saranac Lake, New York
Saranac Lake, New York
Saranac Lake is a village located in the state of New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,406. The village is named after Upper, Middle, and Lower Saranac Lakes, which are nearby....
, in 1930. He was buried in All Saints Cemetery in Jensen Beach, Florida
Jensen Beach, Florida
Jensen Beach is a census-designated place in Martin County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,100 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Port St...
.
External links
- Emmett Seery at Find a Grave