Charles F. "Fatty" Briody (August 13, 1858 – June 22, 1903), nicknamed "Alderman", was a professional

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 ...

player whose career spanned from 1877 to 1888. He played eight 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), ...

— for the

Troy Trojans The Troy Trojans are the sports teams of Troy University. They began playing in the NCAA's Division I-A in 2001, became a football only member of the Sun Belt Conference in 2004, and joined that conference for all other sports in 2005. Troy Univer ...

(1880), Cleveland Blues (1882–1884),

Cincinnati Outlaw Reds The Cincinnati Outlaw Reds of 1884, also called the Cincinnati Unions, were a member of the short-lived Union Association. One of the league's best teams, they finished third with a record of 69-36. The team was owned by former Cincinnati Stars a ...

(1884), St. Louis Maroons (1885), Kansas City Cowboys (NL) (1886),

Detroit Wolverines The Detroit Wolverines were a 19th-century Major League Baseball team that played in the National League from 1881 to 1888 in the city of Detroit, Michigan. In total, they won 426 games and lost 437, taking their lone pennant (and winning the pre ...

(1887) and Kansas City Cowboys (AA) (1888).

Early years

Briody was born in

Lansingburgh, New York Lansingburgh was a village in the north end of Troy. It was first laid out in lots and incorporated in 1771 by Abraham Jacob Lansing, who had purchased the land in 1763. In 1900, Lansingburgh became part of the City of Troy. Demographics Lansi ...

, four miles outside of

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...

. He spent most of his life in Lansingburgh, though he lived in Wisconsin for nine years as a child.

Professional baseball career

Minor leagues

Briody began his professional baseball career at age 18 playing for the

Troy Haymakers The Troy Haymakers were an American professional baseball team. History Established in 1860 as the Union Base Ball Club Lansingburgh, located in neighboring Lansingburgh, New York, the Haymakers participated in the first professional pennant ra ...

of the

League Alliance The League Alliance was the first semi-affiliated minor league baseball league. Proposed by Al Spalding on January 15, 1877. Independent baseball teams were to affiliate with National League teams, which would honor their respective contracts. The ...

. By 1879, he was playing for New Bedford in the National Association. On June 16, 1880, Briody received a one-game tryout in the major leagues with the

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 ...

. Appearing as the

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

in a 9-5 loss against Cleveland, Briody went hitless in four at bats for a .000

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 ...

and committed three errors in ten chances for a .700

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 ...

. During the 1881 season, Briody played in the Eastern Championship Association for the Washington Nationals and

New York Metropolitans The Metropolitan Club (New York Metropolitans or the Mets) was a 19th-century professional baseball team that played in New York City from 1880 to 1887. (The ''New York Metropolitan Baseball Club'' was the name chosen in 1961 for the New York ...

Cleveland Blues

Briody played at the catcher position for the Cleveland Blues of the

from 1882 to 1884. He made his major league debut on June 16, 1882, and appeared in 53 games as the Blues' catcher during the remainder of the 1882 season. He compiled a .258

with 13 doubles and 13 RBIs. He also compiled a .902

with 251

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 and 89 assists. In 1883, the Blues acquired catcher

Doc Bushong Albert John Bushong (September 15, 1856 – August 19, 1908), known as Doc Bushong, was an American catcher in Major League Baseball. Bushong also made appearances as an umpire and after his retirement from baseball, he practiced as a dentist. So ...

, and Briody became a backup to Bushong. Briody appeared 33 games as a catcher that year and also made appearances at first, second, and third bases. His batting average declined to .234, and his fielding percentage at catcher was .900 with 171 putouts and 46 assists. At the start of the 1884 season, Briody resumed his role as Bushong's backup. He appeared in 42 games as catcher and improved his fielding percentage to .922 with 243 putouts and 74 assists. However, his batting average declined markedly to .169.

Cincinnati Outlaw Reds

In the middle of the 1884 season, Briody jumped leagues, joining the

of the

Union Association The Union Association was a league in Major League Baseball which lasted for just the 1884 season. St. Louis won the pennant and joined the National League the following season. Seven of the twelve teams who were in the Association at some poi ...

. In 22games for the Outlaw Reds, Briody's batting average nearly doubled—he compiled a .169 average with Cleveland and hit .337 in 89 at bats for Cincinnati.

St. Louis Maroons

After his short stint in the Union Association, Briody returned to the National League in 1885, playing for the St. Louis Maroons. He was the Maroons' catcher in 60 games and compiled an .893 fielding percentage with 243 putouts and 83 assists. However, on returning to the National League, Briody's batting average dropped to .195.

Kansas City Cowboys

In February 1886, St. Louis returned Briody to league control, and he was claimed by the

Kansas City Cowboys Several sports team in Kansas City, Missouri have used the name Cowboys: *Kansas City Cowboys (Union Association), a baseball team in the Union Association in 1884 *Kansas City Cowboys (National League), a baseball team in the National League in 18 ...

the following month. Briody played in 54 games as a catcher for the Cowboys, compiling a .919 fielding percentage with 258 putouts and 95 assists. His batting average increased to .237.

Detroit Wolverines

In March 1887, after the Cowboys folded, Briody was again returned to league control where he was claimed by the

. The Wolverines had narrowly missed winning the 1886 National League pennant and were loaded with talent, including future Hall of Famers

Dan Brouthers Dennis Joseph "Dan" Brouthers (; May 8, 1858 – August 2, 1932) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball whose career spanned the period from to , with a brief return in . Nicknamed "Big Dan" for his size, he was and weighed , wh ...

Sam Thompson Samuel Luther "Big Sam" Thompson (March 5, 1860 – November 7, 1922) was an American professional baseball player from 1884 to 1898 and with a brief comeback in 1906. At , the Indiana native was one of the larger players of his day and was known ...

, and Ned Hanlon. Briody played in 33 games as the team's catcher, serving as the back-up to

Charlie Ganzel Charles William Ganzel (June 18, 1862 – April 7, 1914) was an American professional baseball player from 1884 to 1897. He played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball, principally as a catcher, for four major league clubs. His most extensive pl ...

and

Charlie Bennett Charles Wesley Bennett (November 21, 1854 – February 24, 1927) was an American professional baseball player from 1875 or 1876 through the 1893 season. He played 15 years in Major League Baseball, principally as a catcher, with the Milwaukee Gr ...

. Briody was suspended mid-season for drunkenness. The Wolverines won the National League pennant in 1887 and went on to defeat 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 ...

in the

1887 World Series The 1887 World Series was won by the Detroit Wolverines of the National League, over the St. Louis Browns of the American Association, 10 games to 5. It was played between October 10 and 26, and played in numerous neutral cities, as well as in De ...

. Briody compiled a .227 batting average for Detroit.

Return to Kansas City

In 1888, Briody played his final season in the major leagues with the

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 ...

. He appeared in only 13 games for the Cowboys in 1888, compiling an .896 fielding percentage and a .208 batting average.

Career statistics

In his eight-year major league career, Briody appeared in 323 games and compiled a .228 batting average with 52 doubles, seven triples, three home runs and 115 RBIs. Defensively, he was the catcher in 311 games and compiled a .910 fielding percentage with 1,560 putouts, 506 assists, 204 errors and 31 double plays.

Later years

After his playing career was over, Briody returned to Lansinburgh, New York, where he was the Committeeman for the Seventeenth Ward for many years. He also conducted a trucking business, doing work for various companies. He died in 1903 at age 44 of dilation of the heart.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Briody, Fatty 1858 births 1903 deaths Major League Baseball catchers Baseball players from New York (state) 19th-century baseball players Troy Trojans players Cleveland Blues (NL) players Cincinnati Outlaw Reds players St. Louis Maroons players Kansas City Cowboys (NL) players Detroit Wolverines players Kansas City Cowboys players Troy Haymakers (minor league) players Washington Nationals (minor league) players New Bedford (minor league baseball) players Albany (minor league baseball) players New York Metropolitans (minor league) players People from Lansingburgh, New York