Fred Siefke

Frederick Edwin Siefke

• Bats Unknown, Throws Unknown
• Height 5' 11", Weight 168 lb.

• Debut May 2, 1890
• Final Game June 1, 1890
• Born March 27, 1870 in New York, NY USA
• Died April 18, 1893 in New York, NY USA

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Biographical Information

Fred Siefke played one season in the majors, with the Brooklyn Gladiators of the American Association in 1890. Of German ancestry, he was born in New York, NY a couple of years after his father came over from Germany. His family was affluent.

Siefke played 16 games at third base for the Brooklyn team. He was one of the ten youngest players in the league. Brooklyn used six players that year at third base, with nobody getting more than 38 games.

Prior to joining Brooklyn, Siefke attended spring training in 1890 with the New York Giants, as he accepted the offer of manager Jim Mutrie for young players to accompany the rebuilding team, so long as they would pay their own expenses. He appeared in 19 pre-season games, and though he showed up well and there was talk of him remaining with the team, he did not appear in any regular season games with the club.

"The Harlem boy, Fred Siefke, who went south with Mutrie's New York team, has shown up so well at third base that Mutrie has signed him for two years." - Sporting Life, March 26, 1890, though it is not clear that he actually signed with the club or how he ended up playing with Brooklyn soon afterward

He played with the Albany Senators in the New York State League later in 1890, and with Lynn, MA in the New England League in 1891.

Siefke died of Bright's Disease three years later, shortly after he had turned 23. His obituary in Sporting Life called him Edward:

"Edward Siefke, the well-known ball player of this city (New York), died . . . of pneumonia. Siefke was one of the most brilliant players on the diamond. In his short but busy career he played with the New York National League Club, the Brooklyn Association Club, the Albanys, of the Eastern League, and the Lynn Club, of the New England League. He was beloved by all who knew him in this and every other city he ever visited." - from Fred Siefke's obituary in Sporting Life, April 22, 1893