Dan Brouthers

Dan Brouthers
First baseman
Born: (1858-05-08)May 8, 1858
Sylvan Lake, New York, U.S.
Died: August 2, 1932(1932-08-02) (aged 74)
East Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
June 23, 1879, for the Troy Trojans
Last MLB appearance
October 4, 1904, for the New York Giants
MLB statistics
Batting average.342
Hits2,296
Home runs106
Runs batted in1,296
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction1945
Election methodOld-Timers Committee

Dennis Joseph "Dan" Brouthers (/ˈbrθərz/;[1] May 8, 1858 – August 2, 1932) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball whose career spanned the period from 1879 to 1896, with a brief return in 1904. Nicknamed "Big Dan" for his size, he was 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and weighed 207 pounds (94 kg), which was large by 19th-century standards.[2]

Recognized as the first great slugger in baseball history,[3] and among the greatest sluggers of his era, he briefly held the career home run record from 1887 to 1889,[4] with his final total of 106 tying for the fourth most of the 19th century. His career slugging percentage of .520 remained the Major League record until Babe Ruth overtook him in the 1920s. At the time of his initial retirement, he also ranked second in career triples (205), and third in runs batted in (1,296) and hits.[5]

A dominant hitter during the prime of his career, he led (or was in the top of) the league in most offensive categories, including batting average, runs scored, runs batted in (RBI), on-base percentage and hits. He won five batting titles – the most of any player in the 19th century – and his career .342 batting average ranks 12th all-time. Brouthers is one of only 29 players in baseball history who have appeared in Major League games in four decades.

He was also an active players' union member, and was elected vice president of the Brotherhood of Professional Base Ball Players. In 1945, Brouthers was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

  1. ^ James, Bill (2003). The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. Simon and Schuster. p. 438. ISBN 0-7432-2722-0.
  2. ^ "The Ballplayers: Dan Brouthers". baseballbiography.com. Retrieved June 15, 2008.
  3. ^ "The National Baseball Hall of Fame: Dan Brouthers". baseballhalloffame.org. Archived from the original on January 12, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
  4. ^ "Progressive Leaders & Records for Home Runs". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
  5. ^ Brouthers is credited with differing totals in career hits; at the time, he was credited with 2,349 hits, a figure still recognized by Major League Baseball, but this total includes 71 walks in 1887, when walks were counted as hits. There are slight variations in other seasons as well, but most sources today credit Brouthers with 2,296 hits.