Martin J. Powell (March 25, 1856 – February 5, 1888) was an American 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 from 1878 to 1884. He played four seasons of

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), ...

as a

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 ...

for the

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 ...

from 1881 to 1883 and the

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 ...

in 1884. In his rookie season in the major leagues, Powell compiled a .338

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 ...

that was second in 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 ...

behind only

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 ...

. In 279 games over five major league seasons, he compiled a .283 batting average with 213 runs scored, 43 doubles, 11

triples TripleS (stylized as tripleS; Help:IPA/English, /ˈtɹɪpəl:ɛs/; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by MODHAUS. They aim to be the world's first decentralized K-pop idol group. The members will rotate between the group, sub-unit, and solo ac ...

, three

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s, and 115

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 ...

. Powell retired after the 1884 season due to impaired health and died of

consumption Consumption may refer to: *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically * Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curren ...

(an arcane term for

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

) in 1888 at age 31.

Early years

Powell was born in

Fitchburg, Massachusetts Fitchburg is a city in northern Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The third-largest city in the county, its population was 41,946 at the 2020 census. Fitchburg is home to Fitchburg State University as well as 17 public and private e ...

, in 1856. He began playing baseball as a boy, and played amateur baseball with the Grattan Club. In his amateur career, he played as both a catcher and a first baseman.

Professional baseball career

Minor leagues

In 1878, Powell began his professional baseball career as a first baseman and "change catcher" for the

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...

, team in the International Association. He compiled a .309

and .858

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 ...

. The following year, he played first base for the

Holyoke, Massachusetts Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located north of Springfield ...

, team of the National Association and compiled a .368 batting average. His batting average was the second-highest in the league. Holyoke finished the year ranked second among the eight teams competing for the International Cup. In 1880, Powell played first base for the

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, team in the National Association. The team finished in first place in their league, and Powell had a .292 batting average and 74 total bases in 48 games. The National Association disbanded after the 1880 season, and Powell began the 1881 season with the Washington baseball club which that year joined the

Eastern Championship Association The Eastern Championship Association was an independent minor baseball league that played in the 1881 season, as an early minor league. The league franchises were based in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. Teams were permitted to play n ...

Major leagues

In the middle of June 1881, Powell was recruited by

Frank Bancroft Francis Carter Bancroft (May 9, 1846 – March 30, 1921) was an American manager in Major League Baseball for the Worcester Ruby Legs, Detroit Wolverines, Cleveland Blues, Providence Grays, Indianapolis Hoosiers, and Cincinnati Reds of the Natio ...

to join the

of the

. He replaced first baseman Lew Brown who had been released by the team for alcohol and disciplinary reasons. Upon joining the Wolverines, Powell was described as being six feet tall, "rather spare in build, although weighing 175 pounds, brown hair and eyes and gentlemanly in appearance." In his rookie season at Detroit, Powell compiled a .338 batting average and .380

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...

, both of which led the Detroit team and ranked second in the National League behind

. He stayed with the Detroit club for three full seasons, batting .240 in 1882 and .273 in 1883. He also led the National League in 1883 in both

double play In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Leag ...

s (62) and errors at first base (54). In 1884, Powell jumped to the newly formed Union Association, playing for the

. He compiled a .319 batting average in 43 games for the Outlaw Reds. In 279 games over five major league seasons, Powell compiled a .283 batting average with 213 runs scored, 43 doubles, 11

, three

s, and 115

Later years

After the 1884 season, Powell retired from baseball due to impaired health and went into business with his brother. He died of

(an outdated term usually referring to tuberculosis) at his home in

, in February 1888. He was 31 years old at the time of his death. Following his death, a writer in the ''Sporting Life'' noted: "Martin Powell was a model man, a kind friend, a devoted Catholic, loved and respected by all." He was buried at St. Bernard's Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Martin Major League Baseball first basemen Detroit Wolverines players Cincinnati Outlaw Reds players Lowell (minor league baseball) players Holyoke (minor league baseball) players Nationals of Washington players Baseball players from Fitchburg, Massachusetts 19th-century baseball players 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis 1856 births 1888 deaths Tuberculosis deaths in Massachusetts