Richard Joseph Padden (September 17, 1870 – October 31, 1922), nicknamed "Brains", was an American professional baseball player, born in

Wheeling, West Virginia Wheeling is a city in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located almost entirely in Ohio County, of which it is the county seat, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and also contains a tiny portion extending ...

, who played mainly as a second baseman 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), ...

for nine seasons from to . After playing a season and a half in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

, the right-handed

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

began his major league career for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

. He played three seasons in Pittsburgh, from 1896 to , before playing one season for the Washington Senators in . He returned to the minor leagues for the 1900 season, where he was the

player-manager A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...

for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

, then a minor league team. When the Chicago club entered 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 ...

, a major league, the following season, he moved on to play one season for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

, before becoming

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

from and 1905. In total, Padden played in 874 games, and collected 814

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

in 3545

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

s, for a lifetime

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

of .258. He finished in the league's top-ten finishers in being

hit by pitch In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is an event in which a batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provided ...

es six times, including a league-leading 18 in 1904. Padden's post-career activities included duties as a talent

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

for the

and the Washington Senators, as well a lengthy career in the

flint glass Flint glass is optical glass that has relatively high refractive index and low Abbe number (high Dispersion (optics), dispersion). Flint glasses are arbitrarily defined as having an Abbe number of 50 to 55 or less. The currently known flint gl ...

industry in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. After retiring, he attempted to gain the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

nomination for the 1912 mayoral race in his hometown of

Martin's Ferry, Ohio Martins Ferry is a city in Belmont County, Ohio, United States, on the Ohio River across from Wheeling, West Virginia. It is the largest city in Belmont County. The population was 6,915 as of the 2010 census. It is most known as the birth place o ...

. He died there, in 1922, at the age of 52 of

apoplexy Apoplexy () is rupture of an internal organ and the accompanying symptoms. The term formerly referred to what is now called a stroke. Nowadays, health care professionals do not use the term, but instead specify the anatomic location of the bleedi ...

Career

Pittsburgh

Padden began his professional career with the Roanoke Magicians, a minor league club in the Virginia State League in 1895, where he played with and managed the team to a 52–74

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

. During the 1896 season, the

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

Connie Mack Cornelius McGillicuddy (December 22, 1862 – February 8, 1956), better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball catcher, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds untoucha ...

, was seeking a replacement for

Harry Truby Harry Garvin Truby (May 12, 1870 – March 21, 1953), was an infielder in the Major Leagues in 1895 and 1896. Truby played for the Chicago Colts and Pittsburgh Pirates. In 70 games over two seasons, Truby posted a .281 batting average Batt ...

, his second baseman, who was not performing well, when Padden caught his attention.Macht, p. 126 Padden was playing for the Toronto Canadiens in the Eastern League, and had a reputation of being a smart and quick player with good instincts, as well as a "careful, timely batsman".Spink, p. 286 Based on his need to upgrade his second base position, and Padden's good reputation, Mack traded Truby for him. He began his major league career shortly thereafter on July 15, one day after Truby's final game in the majors. When Padden did not bat well to start the season, Mack and Pittsburgh's president and part owner, William Kerr, began to feud over the decision, with Kerr questioning Mack over whether they should have traded Truby. However, his hitting improved and he completed the season with a .242

in 61

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Basebal ...

. In , with the Pirates, he led all National League second basemen with 134 games played, and 369

putout In baseball statistics, a putout (denoted by ''PO'' or ''fly out'' when appropriate) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out by one of the following methods: * Tagging a runner wit ...

s. Besides games played, he established career highs in several batting categories that season, including; 517

s, 84 runs scored, 146

, 10

triples TripleS (stylized as tripleS; Help:IPA/English, /ˈtɹɪpəl:ɛs/; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by MODHAUS. They aim to be the world's first decentralized K-pop idol group. The members will rotate between the group, sub-unit, and solo ac ...

, and tied his career high in

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s with two. He made 128 appearances in , again as their starting second baseman. His statistical output dropped from his previous season; his batting average lowered to .257, and scored 61 runs in 463 at bats.

Washington

On December 14, 1898, after the season was completed, Padden was

traded Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct excha ...

, along with Jack O'Brien and

Jimmy Slagle James Franklin Slagle (July 11, 1873 – May 10, 1956), nicknamed both "Rabbit" and "Shorty", was a professional baseball player who played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1899 to 1908. In his 10 MLB seasons, he played for fou ...

, to the Washington Senators in exchange for

Heinie Reitz Henry Peter Reitz (June 29, 1867 – November 10, 1914), nicknamed "Heinie", was an American second baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Senators, and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was born in Chicago. Car ...

. He played the 1899 season in Washington, and appeared in 134 games as their starting

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

. He had a batting average of .277, established his career high in

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

s (27), and was

ejected Ejection or Eject may refer to: * Ejection (sports), the act of officially removing someone from a game * Eject (''Transformers''), a fictional character from ''The Transformers'' television series * "Eject" (song), 1993 rap rock single by Sense ...

from the game by the

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...

three times, which led the league.

Chicago

Following the 1899 season, the Senators franchise ceased operations, which resulted in Padden's sale, along with O'Brien, to the

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 ...

of the

, which was a minor league at the time. However, before the season began, he joined the

, also a minor league team, as their

instead. On May 16, he was involved in a physical altercation with

Ducky Holmes James William "Ducky" Holmes (January 28, 1869 – August 6, 1932) was an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played ten seasons in the National League and American League with the Louisville Colonels (1895–97), New York Giants (1897), S ...

and another

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

player. While playing a doubleheader on September 16, against Connie Mack and his Milwaukee team, Padden suggested to Mack that the second game be shortened to five innings due to the fact that the first game lasted just over three hours, and they might not finish the second game before darkness. Mack, who estimated that he could get five more good innings from his game one

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

Rube Waddell George Edward Waddell (October 13, 1876 – April 1, 1914) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). A left-hander, he played for 13 years, with the Louisville Colonels, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago Orphans in the National Le ...

, quickly agreed. Padden's suggestion backfired, and turned into a successful strategy for Mack, whose team, with Waddell pitching, won the game. Despite that incident, Padden and his leadership skills led the White Sox to the American League championship that season.James, p. 91

St. Louis

The White Sox stayed with the American League as they became a major league in , but Padden moved on to play for the

of the National League. He was the team's starting second baseman, and played in a total of 123 games. He had a batting average of .256 that season, and again led the league in ejections, with five; however, he stole 26 bases, he had 62

RBIs 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 ...

, his highest single season total. After his lone season with the Cardinals, Padden, along with many of his teammates deserted to the newly created

franchise, which was scheduled to begin playing in 1902 in the American League. Padden was Captain of the Browns during his time on the team. In both 1902 and , he was the Browns' starting second baseman, and were the only two of his four seasons with the club in which he played in more than 29 games. He led the league in

hit by a pitch In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is an event in which a batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provided ...

es with 18 in , the only time in which he led the league in this category, although he did finish in the league's top-ten five times previously. On May 19, 1905, after 16 games, Padden was released by the Browns, and his major league career came to an end.

Post-major league career

Padden was the player-manager for the minor league team

St. Paul Saints The St. Paul Saints are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and have played their home games at CHS Field since 2015. They prev ...

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 ...

for the 1906 season. He had a batting average of .288 that year, and hit three home runs. He stayed with the Saints for the 1907 season, but as a player only. After 52 games played, his season ended when he sprained his ankle. After his injury, he and his Saints manager, Mr. Ashenbach attempted to buy the

Daytona Beach Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County near the Atlantic coastline, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. Daytona Beach is approximately nort ...

team of the Eastern League, but were unsuccessful. He had hoped that his ankle would heal, so that he could be ready for the next season, but he never appeared as a player after the injury. Following his retirement as a player, Padden returned to his old team and became a talent scout for the Browns in 1909. He also became a talent scout for the Senators and worked in the

industry in

Alfred Henry Spink Alfred Henry Spink (August 24, 1854 – May 27, 1928) was a Canadian-born American baseball writer and club organizer based mainly in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1886, he established a weekly newspaper, ''The Sporting News'' (TSN), that emerged from ...

described him as "one of the real foxy fellows of the baseball world. He could field beautifully and was never better than when being hard driven." Padden retired to

Martins Ferry, Ohio Martins Ferry is a city in Belmont County, Ohio, Belmont County, Ohio, United States, on the Ohio River across from Wheeling, West Virginia. It is the largest city in Belmont County. The population was 6,915 as of the United States Census 2010, 201 ...

where in 1912, he tried to secure the

nomination for the mayoral race. He died in Martins Ferry of

on October 31, 1922 at the age of 52, and is interred at St. Marys Cemetery.

References

;General * * * * ;Specific

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Padden, Dick 1870 births 1922 deaths Major League Baseball second basemen Baseball players from West Virginia St. Louis Cardinals players St. Louis Browns players Pittsburgh Pirates players Washington Senators (1891–1899) players 19th-century baseball players Sportspeople from Wheeling, West Virginia Roanoke Magicians players Toronto Canadians players Albany Senators players Chicago White Stockings (minor league) players St. Paul Saints (AA) managers St. Paul Saints (AA) players People from Martins Ferry, Ohio