Herman Bader

Herman Bader

• Born March 18, 1862 in Missouri USA
• Died March 13, 1931 in St. Louis, MO USA

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Biographical Information

Herman Bader was a record-setting base stealer in the minor leagues of the 19th century, whose seven-year professional career included three consecutive seasons with over 100 stolen bases, from 1889 to 1891. The son of German immigrants, Bader began working as a blacksmith's apprentice in St. Louis, MO and playing with local amateur teams. In 1885, while primarily playing as a member of the Enterprise club, he was described as a "crack fielder and base runner" and was to have a trial with the St. Louis Maroons of the National League on October 1st. That day's game was rained out and Bader did not get another chance to play with the Maroons.

Bader's first professional stint came in 1886 with the Lincoln Tree Planters in the Western League. He was a member of the club from May until the league disbanded in July. He stayed in Nebraska for the remainder of the 1886 season, playing with the independent Hastings club. He returned to the Western League in 1887, playing in over 100 games with the Omaha Omahogs, batting .300 and scoring 100 runs. There he was part of a faction with fellow St. Louis natives Frank Genins and Charlie Krehmeyer. He returned to St. Louis in the offseason, where it was rumored that he would be signed by Chris Von der Ahe to play with the St. Louis Browns in 1888. Instead, Bader returned to the Western League once again, joining the Denver Mountaineers in March 1888. He stayed with Denver until they dropped out of the league in June, then joined the Sioux City Cornhuskers in the Western Association, where he hit poorly and was released after 14 games. He played that July and August in Salt Lake City, UT.

In 1889, Bader joined the Dallas Tigers in the Texas League, where he broke out to steal 146 bases in 95 games. After Dallas disbanded in August, he joined the Evansville Hoosiers in the Central Inter-State League in September, where he added 5 steals in 17 games. 1890 began with Bader playing with the Washington Senators (AA) in the Atlantic Association. This team also failed to finish out the season, disbanding in August, though Bader managed to record 77 steals in 82 games by that point. He soon afterward joined the Albany Senators in the New York State League, where he recorded more than 40 stolen bases before the year finished. He returned to Albany in 1891, when it played in the Eastern Association, and was credited with 106 steals in 121 games. During this three-year peak, Bader's batting average was never above .237 with any of his five teams, and he did not have many extra base hits, but he drew a large number of walks and often scored more runs than he had hits.

After again wintering in St. Louis, Bader returned to Albany to begin 1892 to play in the Eastern League. However, it was a disappointing start to the season for Bader, which was blamed on some "superfluous flesh accumulated during the winter", and he was released by Albany in June. Before the month was out, he had trials with three other clubs in the Eastern League, with Buffalo for three games, Rochester for two games, and Syracuse for two games. By July 11, 1892, Bader was back in St. Louis playing for a club called the Amateurs.

In the spring of 1893, Bader played in some exhibition games against the St. Louis Browns, but his professional playing career was done, though he remained active playing in the amateur scene around St. Louis. There he lived with his wife, Clara, and his son, Art Bader, who also became a strong player and would reach the major leagues for two games in 1904. Bader also became active in Republican politics in St. Louis, where he worked in the city's street department and marshal's office, and for a time ran Bader's Cafe, a popular meeting place for both ballplayers and politicians. He served on the Republican City Committee for sixteen years and was a circuit court clerk for twelve years, retiring in 1930, one year before his death.

Related Sites

• Find-A-Grave Memorial for Herman Bader