Walter Henry McCredie (November 9, 1876 – July 29, 1934) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

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 cat ...

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 ...

. McCredie played for the

Brooklyn Superbas The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the club moved to Los Angeles, Californi ...

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 ...

and managed in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

for 18 seasons, mostly for the Portland Beavers of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

(PCL). McCredie began his professional baseball career in 1897. He earned a

law degree A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers. But while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not confer a license themselves. A legal license is gra ...

in 1900, intending to transition into a career as a lawyer, but chose to continue in baseball instead. He played for the Superbas for part of the 1903 season and joined Portland in 1904. He became their

player-manager A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...

in 1905. McCredie managed Portland for 17 seasons and also managed the Salt Lake City Bees of the PCL for one season. He was posthumously inducted into the

PCL Hall of Fame PCL may refer to: Aviation * FAP Captain David Abenzur Rengifo International Airport, near Pucallpa, Peru (IATA code: PCL) *Pilot-controlled lighting, a system by which aircraft pilots can control the lighting of runways and taxiways via radio con ...

Early life and education

McCredie was born in Manchester, Iowa, on November 9, 1876. Raised in Manchester, he played

sandlot baseball Sandlot ball or sandlot baseball is a competitive and athletic sports game that follows the basic rules and procedures of baseball. It is often less organized and structured, as the name alludes to a makeshift field or an empty lot. History and ...

as a youth and for his high school's baseball team. McCredie earned his

from

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. Hi ...

in 1900. Expecting to pursue a career in law, he instead played baseball.

Baseball career

Early career

McCredie made his

debut with the

Des Moines Prohibitionists Des is a masculine given name, mostly a short form (hypocorism) of Desmond. People named Des include: People * Des Buckingham, English football manager * Des Corcoran, (1928–2004), Australian politician * Des Dillon (disambiguation), severa ...

of the

Western Association The Western Association was the name of five different leagues formed in American minor league baseball during the 19th and 20th centuries. The oldest league, originally established as the Northwestern League in 1883, was refounded as the Western ...

in 1896. He returned there in 1897. In the 1898 season, he played for Quincy in the Western Association. McCredie played for the

Youngstown Little Giants Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, whi ...

of the Interstate League in 1899, but broke his leg

sliding Sliding may refer to: *Sliding (dance), also floating or gliding, a group of footwork-oriented dance techniques *Slide (baseball), an attempt by a baseball runner to avoid getting tagged out *Sliding (motion) See also *Slide (disambiguation) *Sli ...

into a base, which ended his season. McCredie began the 1900 season with the

New Castle Quakers The New Castle Quakers were a minor league baseball team based in New Castle, Pennsylvania. The Quakers played as members of the 1895 Iron and Oil League before becoming members of the Class D level Interstate League from 1896 to 1900, winning th ...

of the Interstate League and also played for the

Sioux City Cornhuskers The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota: /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations peoples in North America. The modern Sioux consist of two major divisions based on language divisions: the Dakota and ...

of the Western Association. He played for 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 Western League for the 1901 season and played for the

Oakland Clamdiggers Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

of the

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...

in 1902. McCredie led the California League with a .319 batting average. After the 1902 season, the

of the

signed McCredie. He played in 56 games for Brooklyn in 1903, with a .324 batting average, until the Superbas traded McCredie,

Hughie Jennings Hugh Ambrose Jennings (April 2, 1869 – February 1, 1928) was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager from 1891 to 1925. Jennings was a leader, both as a batter and as a shortstop, with the Baltimore Orioles teams that won Nat ...

Hughie Hearne Hugh Joseph Hearne (April 18, 1873 – September 22, 1932) was an American catcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Brooklyn Superbas from 1901 to 1903. Hearne stood at and weighed 182 lbs.

, and Bill Pounds to the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

for Jack Hayden on July 3. McCredie finished the 1903 season with Baltimore.

Portland Beavers

McCredie played for the Portland Beavers of the

(PCL) in 1904. After the 1904 season, McCredie and his uncle,

William Wallace McCredie William Wallace "W. W." McCredie (April 27, 1862 – May 10, 1935) was a U.S. Representative from Washington. Early years Born in Montrose, Pennsylvania, McCredie moved to Iowa with his parents, who settled on a farm near Manchester in Delaware ...

(known as "Judge McCredie"), bought Beavers for $9,000 ($ in current dollar terms). He named Walter the team's

and gave Walter full authority for team personnel, while he ran the business. McCredie continued to play for Portland until the 1912 season and managed Portland for 17 seasons. Portland won PCL championships under McCredie in the 1906, 1910, 1911, 1913, and 1914 seasons. As manager, McCredie was credited with the development of

Dave Bancroft David James Bancroft (April 20, 1891 – October 9, 1972) was an American professional baseball shortstop and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants, Boston Braves and the Brooklyn Robi ...

Roger Peckinpaugh Roger Thorpe Peckinpaugh (February 5, 1891 – November 17, 1977) was an American professional baseball player shortstop and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1910 through 1927, during which he played for the Cleveland Naps ...

Charlie Hollocher Charles Jacob Hollocher (June 11, 1896 – August 14, 1940) was a professional baseball player who was a shortstop in Major League Baseball. Biography Born in St. Louis, Hollocher was a shortstop for the Chicago Cubs from 1918 to 1924. His cous ...

Lu Blue Luzerne Atwell "Lu" Blue (March 5, 1897 – July 28, 1958) was an American professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Browns, Chicago White Sox, and Brooklyn Dodgers between 192 ...

, Billy Southworth, and Babe Pinelli. Portland entered into an informal working arrangement with the Cleveland Naps of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

in 1909, which provided Portland with young prospects to develop into major league players. Also, Judge McCredie established the

Portland Colts The Portland Colts were a minor league baseball team based in Portland, Oregon for five seasons (1909, 1911–14) in the Class B Northwestern League. The Colts served as an unofficial farm team for the Portland Beavers and the Cleveland Indians. ...

, a Class B

Northwestern League The Northwestern League was a sports league that operated in the Central United States during the early years of professional baseball for five seasons: 1879, 1883–1884, and 1886–1887. After the 1887 season, the league was replaced by the We ...

that operated as a Beavers farm team. In 1915, McCredie was offered the managerial position with Cleveland, but he declined the job to stay with Portland. Walt McCredie, Portland Beavers

While serving as manager, McCredie consistently tested baseball's

unwritten rule Unwritten rules (synonyms: Unspoken rules) are behavioral constraints imposed in organizations or societies that are not typically voiced or written down. They usually exist in unspoken and unwritten format because they form a part of the logical ...

of barring African Americans and certain minorities from organized professional baseball. McCredie often arranged for

Negro league baseball The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

teams to play against the Beavers in

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

. After the 1914 season, McCredie signed Lang Akana, who was born in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

and of Chinese descent. According to ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

'' several Pacific Coast League players said they would boycott games if Akana played for the Beavers. McCredie released Akana after a few weeks, but told ''The Oregonian'' that "I don't think the color of skin ought to be a barrier in baseball ... Here in the Pacific Coast League we have a Mexican and a Hawaiian and yet the laws of baseball bar Negroes from organized diamonds ... The crack Negro ballplayer should not be thus discriminated against. He is welcome in nearly every other branch of athletics." After losing money on the Portland Colts, Judge McCredie sold the team during the 1914 season, and its new owner moved the team out of Portland. The informal relationship between the Beavers and Cleveland ended after the 1915 season. Due to the mobilization of the United States home front during World War I, the PCL played a shortened schedule for the 1918 season and dropped Portland from the league for the year. McCredie managed the Salt Lake City Bees of the PCL for the 1918 season. Though McCredie indicated that he would return to manage the Bees for the 1919 season in December 1918, Portland returned to the PCL in 1919, and McCredie returned to Portland. The Beavers finished in second-to-last place in the 1919 season, and finished in last place in the 1920 and 1921 seasons.

Later career

In July 1921, Judge McCredie announced that he would consider offers to sell the Beavers. After the 1921 season, McCredie stepped down as manager and the McCredies sold the team to William Klepper for $150,000 ($ in current dollar terms). McCredie was named manager of the Seattle Indians of the PCL for the 1922 season. He was fired in June 1922 and replaced by

Bert Adams John Bertram Adams (June 21, 1891 – June 24, 1940) was a professional baseball player in the early 20th century. Primarily a catcher, Adams played from to , with the Cleveland Naps and Philadelphia Phillies. Adams died in 1940 at age 49 and ...

. Later in 1922, he became a scout for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

of the

. As a scout, he discovered

Carl Hubbell Carl Owen Hubbell (June 22, 1903 – November 21, 1988), nicknamed "the Meal Ticket" and "King Carl", was an American Major League Baseball player. He was a pitcher for the New York Giants of the National League from 1928 to 1943, and remained o ...

, but Detroit cut him after a few seasons in the minor leagues. After the 1925 season, McCredie was hired to manage the Vernon Tigers, a PCL team affiliated with Detroit. The team was sold and relocated, becoming the Mission Bells, and the new ownership retained McCredie to manage in Mission in 1926. McCredie resigned from Mission in May 1926 due to poor health, but he continued to scout for the Tigers. He coached the Hollywood Stars of the PCL during

in 1927. McCredie retired from his job with Detroit in 1931 and returned to Portland. McCredie came out of retirement to manage the Beavers for the 1934 season. He was limited by his poor health and was fired at the end of April, with George Burns taking his place as manager.

Personal life

McCredie married Etta Reitz, a native of Portland, on February 8, 1912. McCredie's health declined in 1934. Vean Gregg,

Irv Higginbotham Irving Clinton Higginbotham (April 26, 1882 – June 13, 1959) was an American professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1906 to 1909. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs. Higginbotham was born on April 26, 1 ...

Gus Fisher August Harris Fisher (October 21, 1885 – April 8, 1972) was a Major League Baseball catcher who played in and with the Cleveland Naps and the New York Highlanders. He batted left and threw right-handed. Fisher had a .254 career batting av ...

Carl Mays Carl William Mays (November 12, 1891 – April 4, 1971) was an American baseball pitcher who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1929. During his career, he won over 200 games, 27 in 1921 alone, and was a member of four Wor ...

, and other players set up a benefit game for McCredie. McCredie died on July 29, 1934, one day before the benefit game. Proceeds for the game went to his widow. In 1943, McCredie was named to be one of the inaugural members of the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCredie, Walter 1876 births 1934 deaths Baseball players from Iowa Major League Baseball outfielders Brooklyn Superbas players Baseball players from Portland, Oregon Des Moines Prohibitionists players Quincy (minor league baseball) players Youngstown Little Giants players New Castle Quakers players Sioux City Cornhuskers players Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players Oakland Clamdiggers players Baltimore Orioles (IL) players Portland Browns players Portland Giants players Portland Beavers managers Portland Beavers players People from Manchester, Iowa Drake University Law School alumni