Robert Jackson Coulson (June 17, 1887 – September 11, 1953) is a former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

and Federal League outfielder. He played ball in four seasons, which spanned 7 years. In the Majors, he played for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

and

Brooklyn Superbas The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the club moved to Los Angeles, Californi ...

. In his one season in the Federal League, 1914, he played for the

Pittsburgh Rebels The Pittsburgh Rebels were a baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1913 to 1915. The team was a member of the short-lived Federal League. The team was originally called the Pittsburgh Stogies after an earlier Pittsburgh team that ...

. Coulson threw and batted right-handed, weighed 175 pounds, and was tall. He also attended

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State became ...

. On August 4, 1908, at the age of 21, Coulson made his Major League debut with the Reds. In 18 at-bats in his rookie year, he batted .333 (which would end up being the highest batting average in his career). In 1911, Coulson had a career year. Although he hit only .234 and led the league in

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s with 78, he stole 32 bases and collected 7 triples. He also had career highs in every major category except home runs. In 1914, 3 years after his last game in the Majors, Coulson played 18 games for the Federal League's Rebels. He had a batting average of .203. Overall, Coulson had one career home run (in 1910), 43 stolen bases, and a .236 career batting average. Statistically, according t
Baseball Reference
he is most similar to Karl Olson. Fielding, Coulson had a .961 career

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

. Coulson played his final game on July 3, 1914. He died in Washington, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 1953, and was laid to rest in Beallsville Cemetery in

Beallsville, Pennsylvania Beallsville is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States and part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area since 1950. The population was 392 at the 2020 census. Much of the borough has been designated the Beallsville Historic Di ...

References

Bob Coulson stats
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Baseball Almanac
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coulson, Bob 1887 births 1953 deaths Cincinnati Reds players Brooklyn Superbas players Brooklyn Dodgers players Pittsburgh Rebels players Major League Baseball outfielders Baseball players from Washington County, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania State University alumni Memphis Turtles players Altoona Rams players Kansas City Blues (baseball) players Newark Indians players Portland Beavers players Penn State Nittany Lions baseball players