Percival Wheritt Werden born in St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

 was a First Baseman

First baseman

First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...

 for the 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...

 (1884), Washington Nationals

Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...

 (1888), Toledo Maumees

Toledo Maumees

The Toledo Maumees were originally formed in 1888. The team was based in Toledo, Ohio and formed part of the Tri-State League for one season. Their home games were played at Speranza Park in Toledo....

 (1890), Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

 (1891), St. Louis Browns

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

 (1892-93) 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...

 (1897).

Werden played as a pitcher in where he had a 12-1 Win-Loss record (leading 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...

 in winning percentage at .923), 16 Games, 16 Games Started, 12 Complete Games, 1 Shutout, 141 ⅓ Innings Pitched, 113 Hits Allowed, 61 Runs Allowed, 31 Earned Runs Allowed, 1 Home Run Allowed, 22 Walks Allowed, 51 Strikeouts and a 1.97 ERA. During this season, he helped the Maroons win the first and only Union Association pennant.

An arm injury moved Werden to first base and in 7 seasons he played in 693 Games, 2,740 At Bats, 444 Runs, 773 Hits, 109 Doubles, 87 Triples, 26 Home Runs, 439 RBI, 150 Stolen Bases, 281 Walks, .282 Batting Average, .359 On-base percentage, .414 Slugging Percentage, 1,134 Total Bases and 5 Sacrifice Hits.

Werden had a remarkable minor league career. For the Minneapolis Millers

Minneapolis Millers

The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, until 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League.The team played first in Athletic Park and later Nicollet Park.The name Minneapolis...

 of the Western League in 1894, he hit .417 with 42 home runs. The next season he improved in both categories, hitting .428 with 45 home runs. These were astounding home run totals for the time (helped by the short outfield fence distance at their home field

Athletic Park (Minneapolis)

Athletic Park was the home of the Minneapolis Millers baseball team from 1889 to 1896. The park was located behind the West Hotel at 6th St and 1st Ave North in Minneapolis near where Target Center and Target Field are today. The playing field was very small causing a high number of home runs in...

): for example, Sam Thompson 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 runs with 18 in 1895. No one would hit more than 29 until Babe Ruth hit 54 in 1920. Werden retired with a career .341 batting average with five home run titles in the minor leagues.

He died in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

 at the age of 68.

Sources