James F. Stanley (December 1, 1887 – February 11, 1947) was an American

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 ...

for the

Chicago Federals (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

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 ...

team in 1914. He was born Stanislaus Francis Ciolek, was raised in Chicago, and worked in the steel mills. A ballplayer in the Chicago semi-pro leagues, often for the Inland Steel Mill team, James Stanley (the name he played under) briefly played for the

Danville Speakers Danville or Dansville may refer to: ;Canada *Danville, Quebec ;United States *Danville, Alabama *Danville, Arkansas *Danville, California *Danville, Georgia *Danville, Illinois *Danville, Indiana *Danville, Iowa * Danville, Kansas *Danville, Kentu ...

of the Three-I League in 1910, hired by Danville's manager Jack McCarthy, an old Chicago baseball player. Stanley was released in May, having played fewer than 10 games. In 1911 he played 3rd base for the

Seward Statesmen The Seward Statesmen were a minor league baseball team based in Seward, Nebraska. From 1910 to 1913, the Statesmen teams played exclusively as members of the Class D (baseball), Class D level Nebraska State League, hosting home games at Fairgrounds ...

of the Nebraska State League, batting .244 in 60 games. In 1912 he returned to Chicago, playing 3rd, right field and shortstop for the Chicago Green Sox of the

United States Baseball League The United States Baseball League was a short-lived hopeful third major-league that was established in New York City in 1912 and lasted only one partial season. History In March 1912, organizers of the proposed league – described by members of ...

, batting .252 in 33 games. In 1913 he played the infield for the Chicago Keeleys of the minor league

Federal League The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that played its first season as a minor league in 1913 and operated as a "third major league", in competition with the e ...

, batting .256 through the end of August. An injury (a broken bone in his ankle) curtailed his season. In 1914 the

Chicago Federals (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

of the major league Federal League signed him to be a utility infielder. The 5-6, 148 pound Stanley, nicknamed "Honus" after Hall of Famer Honus Wagner, batted .194 in limited duty. After his major league stint, he played for the

Youngstown Steelmen The Youngstown Steelmen was a minor league baseball franchise that competed in three different leagues between 1910 and 1915. The club, based in Youngstown, Ohio, participated at various times in the Ohio–Pennsylvania League, the Tri-State League ...

in 1915. In 1916 his old manager,

Joe Tinker Joseph Bert Tinker (July 27, 1880 – July 27, 1948) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played from 1902 through 1916 for the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Chicago Whales of the ...

, signed him to play 3rd base for the

Peoria Distillers The Peoria Distillers were a minor league baseball team that existed on-and-off from 1894 to 1917. They played in the Western Association from 1894 to 1896; the Central League (baseball), Central League in 1900, 1904 and 1917; the Western League (1 ...

, though it appears he never played for them. That year he moved to

Michigan City, Indiana Michigan City is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan statistical area, which is included in the Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City Combined sta ...

to work as a crane operator there, and played for his company team. In 1918 he was back in South Chicago (a neighborhood near the old Chicago steel mills) playing semi-pro ball. By 1925 was working for the Michigan City fire department. He is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery,

Calumet City, Illinois Calumet City ( ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 36,033 at the 2020 census, a decline of 2.7% from 37,042 in 2010. The ZIP code is 60409. Etymology The word ''Calumet'' is the Miꞌkmaq ...

."Mr. Stanley, I Presume?," SABR Biographical Research Committee, September/October 2015 Report, citing the research finds of Bruce Allardice. Accessible at www.sabr.org.

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1887 births 1947 deaths Baseball players from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Major League Baseball shortstops Chicago Whales players Chicago Green Sox players Seward Statesmen players Chicago Keeleys players Youngstown Steelmen players {{US-baseball-shortstop-stub