John Francis Morrill (February 19, 1855 – April 2, 1932), nicknamed "Honest John", was an American

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 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 ...

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), ...

who played from 1876 to 1890 for the Boston Red Caps/Beaneaters,

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

, and Boston Reds. Over the years he played all positions. Although he pitched a couple of games each season, he was primarily an infielder, and had a career

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 .260.

Early life

Morrill's parents were Irish emigrants to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, where Morrill was born. He played for amateur teams including the Boston Stars and the Lowell Lowells prior to being signed by the Boston Red Legs in 1876.

Career

Morrill stood 5'11" and weighed 155 pounds as he began his major league career, and he had been known as a second baseman and catcher. Once he arrived in the major leagues, Morrill only played 23 games at catcher, all of them in his first season with Boston. An obituary stated that he was one of the last catchers to appear at the position without a glove. In an incredible season in

1883 Events January–March * January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States. * January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people. * Ja ...

, he batted .316, played six different positions, and led the

Boston Beaneaters Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most po ...

to 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 ...

pennant after taking over as manager from

Jack Burdock John Joseph Burdock (April 1852 – November 27, 1931), nicknamed "Black Jack", was an American second baseman in Major League Baseball who played for several teams over a 20-year playing career. Burdock was known as a skilled fielder, and he ...

in midseason. Popular baseball manager

King Kelly Michael Joseph "King" Kelly (December 31, 1857 – November 8, 1894), also commonly known as "$10,000 Kelly", was an American outfielder, catcher, and manager in various professional American baseball leagues including the National League, Inter ...

described Morrill as a careful manager who saved Boston a great deal of money through his decisions. Kelly cited Morrill's understanding of the rules when he said that Morrill was a better manager than anyone besides

Cap Anson Adrian Constantine Anson (April 17, 1852 – April 14, 1922), nicknamed "Cap" (for "Captain") and "Pop", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman. Including his time in the National Association (NA), he played a record 27 c ...

. Kelly dismissed the popular notion that he did not get along with Morrill.

Later life

Morrill raised five children. After his retirement as a player, Morrill worked for a Boston sporting goods company, where he was manager and treasurer. He died at the age of 77 in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton, A ...

, and he was interred at the

Holyhood Cemetery Holyhood Cemetery is a cemetery located in Brookline, Massachusetts. Description Laid out in 1857, the cemetery was designed to reflect the rural cemetery movement begun at Cambridge's Mount Auburn Cemetery. It was the first such cemetery in B ...

. The cause of death was

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrill, John 1855 births 1932 deaths Sportspeople from Brookline, Massachusetts Major League Baseball first basemen 19th-century baseball players Boston Red Caps players Boston Beaneaters players Washington Nationals (1886–1889) players Washington Nationals (1886–1889) managers Boston Reds (PL) players Baseball players from Massachusetts Boston Red Caps managers Boston Beaneaters managers Salem (minor league baseball) players Major League Baseball player-managers Burials at Holyhood Cemetery (Brookline)

Early life

Career

Later life

See also

References

External links