Charles Carbitt Carr (December 27, 1875 – November 25, 1932) was an American

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

and manager. He played professional baseball from 1894 to 1919, including seven years in

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), ...

with the Washington Senators (1898),

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...

(1901),

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

(1903–1904), Cleveland Naps (1904–1905),

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 ...

(1906), and

Indianapolis Hoosiers Indianapolis Hoosiers was the name of three major league and at least three minor league baseball clubs based in Indianapolis. * Indianapolis Hoosiers (American Association), which played in 1884 * Indianapolis Hoosiers (National League), which pla ...

(1914). Over his seven-year major league career, Carr had a .252 batting average with 493 hits, 106 extra base hits, and 240

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

(RBIs). He also served as a player-manager in the minor leagues for the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...

(1906-1910), Utica Utes (1911), and Kansas City Blues (1912-1913). He concluded his professional baseball career in 1919 as a player for the

Providence Grays The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from until . The Grays played at the Messer Street Grounds in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National Leagu ...

. He was also a principal of the Bradley & Carr sporting goods company.

Early years

Carr was born in 1876 in

Coatesville, Pennsylvania Coatesville is a city in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,350 at the 2020 census. Coatesville is approximately 39 miles west of Philadelphia. It developed along the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike beginning ...

. He attended elementary and high school in Coatesville and then enrolled at Lehigh University.

Professional baseball

1895 to 1902 seasons

Carr began playing professional baseball in 1895 in the Interstate League. He next played in 1897 for the Rochester club in the Eastern League. He had been a catcher up to that point, but he later recalled that his "throwing arm was dead", and he then became a first baseman. In 1898, he played for the Taunton Herrings in the New England League and compiled a .302 batting average. In September of that year, Carr made his major league debut with the Washington Senators of the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

. He appeared in 20 games late in the season and compiled a .192 batting average in 73 at bats. Carr returned to the minor leagues in 1899, playing for Worcester in the Eastern League, hitting .322 in 94 games. He next played for the Toronto club in the Eastern League, compiling a .327 average in 1900 and .304 in 1901. Carr had his second shot at the majors in 1901, appearing in two games for the

in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

. He had one hit in eight at bats for Philadelphia. He suffered from an illness that slowed him down while with the Athletics. Carr then spent the 1902 season playing for the Jersey City Skeeters of the Eastern League. He compiled a career-high .335 batting average in 100 games with Jersey City.

Detroit Tigers (1903-04)

In January 1903, Carr signed with the

. During the 1903 season, Carr was the Tigers' starting first baseman, appearing in 135 games. He hit .281 and ranked among the American League leaders with 111 assists at first base (first), 25 errors at first base (third), 1,276 putouts at first base (fifth), .982 fielding percentage (fifth), 60 double plays turned at first base (fifth), 548 at bats (eighth), and 79 RBIs (ninth). Carr holds the

team record for fewest

base on balls A base on balls (BB), also known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The base on balls is defined in Se ...

in a season by a player with at least 500 plate appearances. In 1903, he walked only 10 times in 573 plate appearances, a rate of one walk in every 57 at-bats. Carr returned to the Tigers as the starting first baseman in 1904. He suffered a broken nose when he was hit by a fastball between his nose and left eye during a spring game in Nashville. He appeared in 92 games for the 1904 Tigers, but his batting average fell by 67 points to .214. Interviewed in November 1905, Carr attributed his decline at the plate to the incident in which his nose was broken in Nashville: "There is no doubt that that bump I got in the nose down south two years ago had something to do with my falling off with the stick. I know I pulled away from the plate the rest of that year."

Cleveland Naps (1904-05)

On August 7, 1904, the Tigers traded Carr to the Cleveland Naps for

Charlie Hickman Charles Taylor Hickman (May 4, 1876 – April 19, 1934) was an American professional baseball player and college baseball coach. He played all or part of 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a utility player for seven different franchise ...

. Carr appeared in 32 games for the Naps in 1904 as a backup to first baseman Charlie Hickman. Carr hit .224 in 120 at bats in 1904. In 1905, he became the Naps' starting first baseman, appearing in 89 games and compiling a .235 batting average in 306 at bats.

Cincinnati Reds (1906)

On November 23, 1905, the

purchased Carr from Cleveland. He was initially slated to be Cincinnati's manager, but the team instead hired Ned Hanlon as manager. At the time of Hanlon's hiring, Carr said: "While I feel sure that I could have made good as manager in Cincinnati, I think that Hermann has secured a splendid man in Hanlon." He appeared in only 22 games and hit .191. Carr later recalled his experience in Cincinnati as follows: "In 1906, with the understanding that I would serve as manager, I went to Cincinnati, but I didn't hit it off with an influential sports writer on the Enquirer, so I was forced to hunt a job elsewhere after starting that season with the Reds."

Indianapolis Indians (1906-10)

Carr served as a player-manager for the

of the American Association from 1906 to 1910. His 1908 Indianapolis team won the American Association pennant with a 92-61 record. Carr hit .301 in 522 at bats in 1908. Other key players on the 1908 team included Rube Marquard, Donie Bush, and

Ed Siever Edward Tilden Siever (April 2, 1875 – February 4, 1920) was an American baseball pitcher. He played professional baseball for 12 seasons from 1899 to 1910, including seven years in Major League Baseball with the Detroit Tigers (1901–1902, 1906 ...

. The Indians drew 500,000 spectators in 1908. Jack Hayden, who led the 1908 team with a .316 average, credited Carr with the team's success: "We have played under a leader who sympathizes with us. He always had courage and instilled courage in the team. We have been a happy family and it is with a great deal of regret that we part."

Utica and Kansas City (1911-13)

In 1911, he became player-manager for the Utica Utes of the New York State League. He served in the same capacity for the Kansas City Blues of the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

in 1912 and 1913.

Indianapolis Hoosiers (1914)

When the Federal League formed a third major league, Carr made a comeback and won a starting spot for the

. At age 37, Carr hit .295 for the Hoosiers and collected 11 doubles, 10 triples, 19 stolen bases, and 69 RBIs. After the 1914 season, Carr retired as a player to focus his efforts on a business he had established in Cleveland manufacturing athletic equipment. Carr moved his business from Cleveland to Indianapolis in 1908.

Providence Grays (1919)

In 1919, Carr returned as a player for one final season, playing for the

in the Eastern League. At age 42, he appeared in 101 games, principally at third base, and hit for a .213 batting average.

Later years

After his playing career ended, Carr operated a successful sporting goods manufacturing business, Bradley & Carr, which supplied baseballs to several minor leagues. In 1932, Carr died suddenly in a hospital in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. He was visiting Memphis on a business trip. He was buried at

Crown Hill Cemetery Crown Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located at 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana. The privately owned cemetery was established in 1863 at Strawberry Hill, whose summit was renamed "The Crown", a high poi ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

References

; General * ; Specific

External links

Baseball AlmanacBaseballLibrary.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carr, Charlie 1875 births 1932 deaths 19th-century baseball players Major League Baseball first basemen Cincinnati Reds players Cleveland Naps players Detroit Tigers players Indianapolis Hoosiers players Washington Senators (1891–1899) players Steubenville Stubs players Akron Akrons players Lima Farmers players Rochester Brownies players Montreal Royals players Taunton Herrings players Worcester Farmers players Toronto Canucks players Jersey City Skeeters players Indianapolis Indians managers Indianapolis Indians players Kansas City Blues (baseball) players Kansas City Blues (baseball) managers Providence Grays (minor league) players Lehigh Mountain Hawks baseball coaches Lehigh Mountain Hawks baseball players Baseball players from Pennsylvania People from Coatesville, Pennsylvania Sportspeople from Chester County, Pennsylvania Burials at Crown Hill Cemetery