Kitty Bransfield
From BR Bullpen
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 207 lb.
- Debut August 22, 1898
- Final Game September 14, 1911
- Born January 7, 1875 in Worcester, MA USA
- Died May 1, 1947 in Worcester, MA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Kitty Bransfield played twelve years in the majors. Coming up to the majors originally as a catcher in 1898, he switched to first base in the minors in 1900 and became good enough that he never played any other position in the majors when he returned.
Bransfield was born and died in Worcester, MA, and began his semi-pro and professional career there.
Coming to the 1901 Pirates, he anchored their pennant-winning 1901 team, getting more at-bats than any other player on the team. He was a year younger than Honus Wagner. He led the team in triples and was second on the team in doubles. Pittsburgh did even better in 1902, winning 103 games and again winning the pennant, and Bransfield hit over .300. In 1903 Pittsburgh won the pennant yet again, but Bransfield dropped to .265, and after 1904 when Bransfield hit .229 and the team finished fourth in the league, Bransfield was traded to Philadelphia where he would spend almost all of the rest of his major league career.
For the most part, his batting recovered with the Phillies, and Bransfield hit a peak of .304 with them in 1908, good for fourth in the league. The following year his .292 was sixth in the league during the dead-ball era.
He finished out his major league career during the last part of the 1911 season going 4-for-10 for the 1911 Cubs.
In 1912 he became player-manager of the Montreal team and stayed with them through part of 1914. After that he was a minor league umpire, interrupted by one year when he was a major league umpire in 1917. He also managed in the minors at Waterbury in 1924, and scouted for the Cubs.
After his baseball days he worked in Worcester.
One main source: SABR biography of Kitty Bransfield.
