Doc Casey
From BR Bullpen
James Patrick Casey
- Bats Both, Throws Right
- Height 5' 6", Weight 157 lb.
- School University of Maryland
- Debut September 14, 1898
- Final Game October 5, 1907
- Born March 15, 1870 in Lawrence, MA USA
- Died December 31, 1936 in Detroit, MI USA
[edit] Biographical Information
James "Doc" Casey was a regular from the time he hit the majors, in September, 1898, through his last season in 1907. He played third base for 10 major league seasons, getting nearly 5,000 plate appearances in that time.
Casey was born in Lawrence, MA and was playing pro ball in the New England League by 1892. He also attended college during 1893-94, and spent much of 1895-98 playing ball for Toronto.
He was the first major leaguer out of the University of Maryland.
His major league debut was on September 14, 1898, and during the remainder of the 1898 season he got into 28 games. Jud Smith had been the most-utilized third baseman for the 1898 Washington Senators that year, but clearly Casey was the regular at the end of the season.
In spite of that, manager Arthur Irwin traded him before April 1899 was out. Casey, in his first full major league season at age 29, became the regular third baseman for Ned Hanlon's 1898 Brooklyn Bridegrooms who went 101-47 to win the pennant. Casey was a year younger than teammate Hughie Jennings and two years older than teammates Joe Kelley and Willie Keeler.
In 1900 Doc played only one game for the Superbas, jumping instead to the new American League Detroit team (the League was a minor league just this one year). He stayed with the team and the league in 1901-02 as the new American League became a major league.
Casey then jumped back to the National League, playing for the Chicago Cubs from 1903-05 in their days immediately prior to their greatest years (they won the pennant four times in the 1906-10 period). As it was, Casey's Chicago teams finished at least third each season.
At this point, Casey was getting pretty old, having been 35 in 1905. The Chicago Cubs traded him in a blockbuster trade in December 1905 along with some other regulars in order to get Jimmy Sheckard, who was to prove valuable to the Cubs in their succeeding years. Harry Steinfeldt took over third base for the 1906 Cubs, having been acquired by the Cubs even before Casey was traded.
Doc found himself back with Brooklyn, and finished out his major league career playing as a regular third basemen in 1906-07.
In 1908-09 Casey went back to Canada, this time to become player-manager for Montreal. In 1911 he was player-manager for Fort Wayne.
Casey had prepared for his post-baseball days by studying pharmacy and after baseball ran a drug store.
