Fancy O'Neil
From BR Bullpen
Michael O'Neil (Fancy)
- Bats Unknown, Throws Unknown
- Debut October 23, 1874
- Final Game October 23, 1874
[edit] Biographical Information
Fancy O'Neil, who played one game in the outfield for the 1874 Hartford Dark Blues of the National Association, is one of a number of players from baseball's early days for which only a last name was known for a long time. In his case, the name was the improperly spelled O'Neal. Recent research by the SABR biographical committee has uncovered an article from the Hartford Courant identifying this mystery player as Michael O'Neil, who went by the nickname of Fancy. This only dispels a little bit of the mystery surrounding the man, as his relatively common name will make it challenging for researchers to uncover additional biographical information.
