Jack Chapman
From BR Bullpen
John Curtis Chapman (Death To Flying Things)
- Bats Unknown, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 170 lb.
- Debut May 5, 1874
- Born May 8, 1843 in Brooklyn, NY USA
- Died June 10, 1916 in Brooklyn, NY USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Jack Chapman, who was a star in the 1860's, later played three years in the major leagues and managed eleven years. He was the first player to be called "Death to Flying Things", a moniker more often associated with his 1874 teammate Bob Ferguson. He was also the manager when pitcher Jim Devlin and others were kicked out of the league for consorting with gamblers and/or throwing games.
In the 1860's, Chapman played for the amateur Atlantics and also the Quaker City club.
Chapman was already 31 years old when he started in the National Association with the 1874 Brooklyn Atlantics. He hit .264 on a team that hit .230, and he had one of the highest slugging percentages on the team, due mainly to his 10 doubles, by far the highest on the team.
The following year he was with the 1875 St. Louis Brown Stockings, hitting .226 on a team that hit .239. Except for 39-year-old Dickey Pearce, he was the oldest player on the team, which also featured the debut of 18-year-old Pud Galvin.
Chapman was 33 years old in 1876, when the National League started. He played 17 games with the 1876 Louisville Grays, but was primarily the manager of the team. He managed in 1876-78, then was not in the majors until 1882, managing from 1882-85. He came back to manage Louisville in the American Association from 1889-91 and Louisville in the National League in 1892. Although his teams were mostly not contenders, his Louisville team in 1877 finished second and his team in 1890 finished first.
His 1877 Louisville team might have finished first if not for the scandal. Chapman was blameless. It was club president Charles Chase who took the initiative to investigate and handle the problem. See 1877, the Specter of Gambling.
- On August 3, 1890, his team was playing in Syracuse, where the chief of police warned the teams that Sunday baseball was illegal. The Syracuse team (the 1890 Syracuse Stars) came to the ballpark, but the Louisville team and the umpire did not. A local umpire was found to call the game a forfeit in favor of the Syracuse team. Chapman commented that he did not intend to forfeit the game, but was just afraid of being detained in Syracuse.
