Gustavus Heinrich Schmelz (September 26, 1850 – October 14, 1925) was an American
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 ...
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
Columbus Buckeyes (1884),
Cincinnati Red Stockings
The Cincinnati Red Stockings of were baseball's first all-professional team, with ten salaried players. The Cincinnati Base Ball Club formed in 1866 and fielded competitive teams in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) 1867†...
(1887–89), and
Columbus Solons
The Columbus Solons were a professional baseball team in the American Association from 1889 to 1891. In three seasons, they won 200 games and lost 209 for a winning percentage of .489. Their home games were played at Recreation Park in Columbus, ...
(1890–91) 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 was also the manager for the
St. Louis Maroons (1886),
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 ...
(1890), and
Washington Senators (1894–97) 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 ...
.
According to baseball historian
Peter Morris, Schmelz was the first to capitalize on
bunting, earning him the nickname "the Father of the Bunt".
In 1891,
''Sporting Life'' referred to a player's habit of bunting as the "Schmelz system".
He was regarded as a player's manager, but his camaraderie with his players did not translate to pennants, as he never finished higher than second place. His lifetime managerial record was 624–703 (.470).
Schmelz died in his birthplace of
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
at age 75 and is buried at
Green Lawn Cemetery.
References
External links
Baseball-Reference.com– career managing record
1850 births
1925 deaths
Columbus Buckeyes managers
St. Louis Maroons managers
Cincinnati Red Stockings managers
Cleveland Spiders managers
Columbus Solons managers
Washington Senators (NL) managers
Washington Senators (1891–1899) managers
Minor league baseball managers
Baseball coaches from Ohio
Sportspeople from Columbus, Ohio
Burials at Green Lawn Cemetery (Columbus, Ohio)
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