Edwin John McKean (June 6, 1864 – August 16, 1919) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

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 played 13 seasons 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), ...

(MLB), primarily for 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 ...

Cleveland Spiders The Cleveland Spiders were an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The team competed at the major league level from 1887 to 1899, first for two seasons as a member of the now-defunct American Association (AA), followed ...

Career

Born in

Grafton, Ohio Grafton is a village in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, along the East Branch of the Black River. The population was 6,636 at the 2010 census. The Lorain Correctional Institution and several other prisons are located in and near Grafton. Hi ...

, McKean began his professional baseball career in 1884 with the

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...

club in the

minor league 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 ...

Iron & Oil Association. After two more seasons in the minors, he was signed by the Cleveland 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 ...

, and became the club's starting shortstop in their first year as a major league team. He remained in that position for the franchise (which was renamed the Spiders in 1889) for nearly its entire existence. With Cleveland, McKean had over 120 games played and 540

plate appearance In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner ...

s every year from 1887 to 1898. He was second in the National League in hits in 1891, with 170. In 1893, he was second in the National League in

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 ...

, with 133."Ed McKean Stats"
baseball-reference.com. Retrieved May 18, 2021. Prior to the 1899 season, the Spiders transferred most of their best players to the

St. Louis Perfectos ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

, including McKean. This was legal at the time, and both teams were owned by the same group led by the Robison brothers. On May 12, 1899, McKean hit a walk-off home run against the Spiders while technically being the visiting team. This feat was not accomplished again until

Amed Rosario Germán Amed Valdez Nate Rosario (born November 20, 1995) is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop and outfielder for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the New York Mets in 2017. Career Ne ...

did it for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

in 2020. However, McKean did not perform up to expectations and was let go in July. The following season, the Spiders folded, and such shenanigans were outlawed. During his MLB career, McKean had a total of 67 home runs, 2,084 hits, and 1,124 runs batted in and owned 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 .302. He recorded three seasons with over 110 runs scored and four seasons with over 110 runs batted in. Among peers in the late 19th century as shortstop (1871-1900), he had the most hits at the position. After not playing professionally for two years, McKean returned to play in the minor leagues in 1902 as player-manager of the

Rochester Bronchos The Rochester Bronchos were a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and ...

. He spent several more years in the minors and retired following the 1908 season. McKean died at age 55 in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

References

* Blevins, Rich. ''Ed McKean, Slugging Shortstop of the Cleveland Spiders.'' Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2014.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:McKean, Ed 1864 births 1899 deaths 19th-century baseball players Major League Baseball shortstops Cleveland Blues (1887–88) players Cleveland Spiders players St. Louis Perfectos players Youngstown (minor league baseball) players Nashville Americans players Rochester Maroons players Providence Grays (minor league) players Rochester Bronchos players Springfield Babes (baseball) players Colorado Springs Millionaires players Pueblo Indians players Evansville River Rats players Little Rock Travelers players Dayton Veterans players Bay City (minor league baseball) players Fort Wayne Billikens players Minor league baseball managers Baseball players from Ohio People from Lorain County, Ohio

Career

See also

References

External links