Fred Odwell
Encyclopedia
Frederick William Odwell (September 25, 1872 - August 19, 1948) was a professional baseball player. He was an outfielder
over parts of four seasons with the Cincinnati Reds
. In 1905, he led the National League
in home run
s. He was born in and later died at the age of 75 in Downsville, New York
.
1904 was Odwells's first season in the major leagues. He made his major league debut on April 16, and finished the season with Cincinnati with a batting average
of .284, with 133 hits, including 22 doubles, 10 triples and a home run, plus 26 walks.
In 1905, Odwell finished with a .241 average, with ten doubles, nine triple and nine home runs, along with 26 walks. The nine home runs hit led the National League that season, edging teammate Cy Seymour
who had eight. Seymour led the National League that season in batting average (.377) and runs batted in (121) and was tied with Odwell for the lead in home runs at eight with two games left in the season, and would have taken the batting Triple Crown
if the two stayed tied. In the next-to-last game of the season, Odwell hit an inside-the-park home run
and took the home run title with nine. The nine home runs he hit in 1905 were the last home runs of his major league career.
Odwell only played in 58 games for Cincinnati in the 1906 season, finishing with a batting average of .245 with two doubles, four triples and no home runs, together with 15 walks. In the 1907 season, his last in the majors, he hit for a .294 average, with five doubles, seven triples and no home runs, with 22 walks. His last major league game was on September 12, 1907.
Though Odwell was almost exclusively an outfielder during his career, he played one game at second base in 1904 and another in 1907.
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...
over parts of four seasons with the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
. In 1905, he led 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...
in home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s. He was born in and later died at the age of 75 in Downsville, New York
Downsville, New York
Downsville, New York is a hamlet and former village within the town of Colchester in Delaware County, New York.It is the site of the Downsville Bridge, a covered bridge and the historic Union Free School....
.
1904 was Odwells's first season in the major leagues. He made his major league debut on April 16, and finished the season with Cincinnati with a 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 :...
of .284, with 133 hits, including 22 doubles, 10 triples and a home run, plus 26 walks.
In 1905, Odwell finished with a .241 average, with ten doubles, nine triple and nine home runs, along with 26 walks. The nine home runs hit led the National League that season, edging teammate Cy Seymour
Cy Seymour
James Bentley "Cy" Seymour was an American center fielder and pitcher in Major League Baseball. From 1896 through , Seymour played for the New York Giants , Baltimore Orioles , Cincinnati Reds and Boston Braves...
who had eight. Seymour led the National League that season in batting average (.377) and runs batted in (121) and was tied with Odwell for the lead in home runs at eight with two games left in the season, and would have taken the batting Triple Crown
Triple crown (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, a player earns the Triple Crown when he leads a league in three specific statistical categories. For batters, a player must lead the league in home runs, run batted in , and batting average; pitchers must lead the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average...
if the two stayed tied. In the next-to-last game of the season, Odwell hit an inside-the-park home run
Inside-the-park home run
In baseball parlance, an inside-the-park home run, "leg home run", or "quadruple", is a play where a batter hits a home run without hitting the ball out of play.-Discussion:...
and took the home run title with nine. The nine home runs he hit in 1905 were the last home runs of his major league career.
Odwell only played in 58 games for Cincinnati in the 1906 season, finishing with a batting average of .245 with two doubles, four triples and no home runs, together with 15 walks. In the 1907 season, his last in the majors, he hit for a .294 average, with five doubles, seven triples and no home runs, with 22 walks. His last major league game was on September 12, 1907.
Though Odwell was almost exclusively an outfielder during his career, he played one game at second base in 1904 and another in 1907.