Jacob Doyle

Jacob Dixon Doyle

• Bats Unknown, Throws Unknown

• Debut April 20, 1872
• Final Game June 3, 1872
• Born November 26, 1855 in Leesburg, VA USA
• Died August 15, 1941 in Lake Bluff, IL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Jacob Doyle was the regular shortstop for the Washington Nationals of the National Association in 1872. He was apparently only 16 at the time. That team went 0-11. He is listed as starting 9 of the team's games, but on June 3rd against the Philadelphia Athletics, boxscores at the time listed someone named "Spencer" at the position. The problem was that no one had ever been able to identify that particular player. When SABR researcher Justin McKinney looked further into that game in trying to identify Spencer, he discovered that Doyle had in fact travelled with the team to Philadelphia, PA, and that every member of the travelling party had taken part in the game, save for John Glenn, who acted as the official scorer. It seems almost certain that the name Spencer was a mistake made by reporters at the time that was never corrected.

After his baseball career, Doyle was a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy. He was recalled to service during World War I as paymaster at the Great Lakes Naval Training station.

Further Reading

• "Spencer Identified", in Bill Carle, ed.: Biographical Research Committee Report, SABR, March/April 2026, p. 1.
• Chuck Hildebrandt: "Sweet! 16-Year-Old Players in Major League History", Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Vol. 48, Nr. 1, Spring 2019, pp. 5-17.