Henry Nicholas Cullop (October 16, 1900 – December 8, 1978) was an American

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

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), ...

during the 1920s and 1930s. Cullop was better known, however, as a feared batsman in minor league baseball and as a longtime

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 ...

at the minor league level. He is the all-time minor league RBI king. Cullop was nicknamed "Tomato Face" because his face turned bright red whenever he got angry. He is not related to

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

Nick Cullop.

Biography

Born in

Weldon Spring, Missouri Weldon Spring is a city in St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,443 at the 2010 census. History Weldon Spring was platted in 1864. The community took its name from a spring of the same name near the original town sit ...

, as Heinrich Nicholas Kolop, Cullop batted and threw right-handed, stood tall and weighed . He began his professional career as a

, second baseman and

for the

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

Greys of the Class D

South Dakota League The South Dakota League was a Class D level minor league baseball league that played from 1920 to 1923. The South Dakota League changed its name to the shortened Dakota League for the 1921 and 1922 seasons. The South Dakota League consisted of ...

in , hitting .341 in 66 games. Although he was primarily an outfielder, Cullop continued to pitch sporadically through , compiling a 49–50 record in 140 minor league games. However, Cullop made his name as a batter. In , he swatted 40

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 compiled 155

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 ba ...

with the Omaha Buffaloes of the Class A Western League; the following season, , he led the

Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cla ...

with 30 home runs as a member of the

Atlanta Crackers The Atlanta Crackers were Minor League Baseball teams based in Atlanta, Georgia, between 1901 and 1965. The Crackers were Atlanta's home team until the Atlanta Braves moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1966. History Atlanta played its first ...

. His prodigious hitting led to major league trials with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

, Washington Senators,

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

, Brooklyn Robins and Cincinnati Reds (–

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 ...

; –

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

). In 173 games over all or parts of those seasons, Cullop batted only .249 with 122 hits, 29 doubles, 12 triples, 11 home runs and 67 RBI. But at the minor league level, he was a terror. Cullop's best season was in 1930 with the

Minneapolis Millers The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in ...

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 batted .359 and led the Association in runs scored (150), homers (54) and RBI (152). He played through , and overall he batted .312, made 2,670 hits, slugged 420 homers and drove in 1,857 RBI in 2,484 minor league games. He began a 17-year minor league managing career with the

Asheville Tourists The Asheville Tourists are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville teams have played under the Tourists moniker in differe ...

of the Class B

Piedmont League The Piedmont League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1920 through 1955. The league operated principally in the Piedmont plateau region in the eastern United States. Teams The following teams were members of the Piedmont ...

in . He won two regular-season pennants and three playoff championships in leagues ranging from Class C to Triple-A before he retired from managing in . Cullop died at age 78 in

Westerville, Ohio Westerville is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, Franklin and Delaware County, Ohio, Delaware counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. A northeastern suburb of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, the population was 39,190 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...

References

*Johnson, Lloyd, ed., ''The Minor League Register.'' Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1994. *Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball'', 1997 edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. *Reichler, Joseph, ed., ''The Baseball Encyclopedia.'' New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1979.

External links

*Interview with Nick Cullop conducted by

Eugene Murdock Eugene Converse Murdock (April 30, 1921 – July 23, 1992) was an historian and author best known for his research into baseball. Early life and education Eugene C. Murdock was born in Lakewood, Ohio, on April 30, 1921, and attended school the ...

on August 31, 1974, in Columbus, Ohio
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cullop, Nick 1900 births 1978 deaths Asheville Tourists managers Asheville Tourists players Atlanta Crackers players Baltimore Orioles (IL) managers Baseball players from Missouri Brooklyn Robins players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cincinnati Reds players Cleveland Indians players Columbus Red Birds players Des Moines Boosters players Houston Buffaloes players Madison Greys players Major League Baseball outfielders Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) managers Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players Minor league baseball managers New York Yankees players Omaha Buffaloes players People from St. Charles County, Missouri Pocatello Cardinals players Rochester Red Wings players Sacramento Solons players St. Joseph Saints players St. Paul Saints (AA) players Washington Senators (1901–1960) players