Hugh Duffy (1945)


Date of Birth: 11/26/1866
Date of Death: 10/19/1954
Birthplace: Cranston, Rhode Island

Hugh Duffy started playing semi-pro baseball for recreation but in 1886, he turned professional, playing in the minor leagues with the New England League. After two seasons in the minors, Duffy signed with the Chicago White Stockings of the National League (modern day Cubs). In 1888, his first season in the major leagues, Duffy batted .282 with 84 hits in 71 games.

In 1890, Duffy moved to the Chicago Pirates of the newly formed Players' League. He led the league in hits that season. When the league folded after just one season, Duffy moved to the Boston Reds of the American Association in 1891.

Boston Beaneaters/Braves

In 1892, Duffy found himself again in a team that folded so he signed with the Boston Beaneaters/Braves and played with them through 1900.

During his years with the Beaneaters, Duffy led the National League in home runs twice (1894, 1897) and hits, doubles, RBIs, and OPS in 1894. He won the National League Triple Crown and batting title in 1894. That season, he batted .440 with 237 hits, 51 doubles, 16 triples, 18 home runs, 145 RBIs, 48 stolen bases, and an OPS of 1.196 in 125 games.

In 1896, Duffy batted .300 in 131 games. He had 158 hits, 16 doubles, 39 stolen bases, and 19 strikeouts to 52 walks. The next year, he again led the NL in home runs with 11. He finished the 1897 season with 187 hits, 25 doubles, 10 triples, 41 stolen bases, and a batting average of .340.

Duffy played in a career high 152 games in 1898. That year, he had 169 hits, 13 doubles, 29 stolen bases, and a .298 batting average. His batting average dropped to .279 in 1899. He finished the season with 164 hits, 29 doubles, and 26 stolen bases in 147 games. He played in just 55 games in 1900, and he batted .304 with 55 hits.

Final Years as a Player

In 1901, Duffy joined the Milwaukee Brewers (modern day Baltimore Orioles) as player-manager. The following season, he left the major leagues to be a player-manager of a team in the Western League. Duffy returned to the major leagues in 1904 as player-manager for the Philadelphia Phillies, a position he held through the 1906 season. In those last three seasons, Duffy played in a total of just 34 games.

Awards and MLB Records

  • NL Triple Crown
  • Led the NL in hits (2 times)
  • Led the NL in home runs (2 times)

Career Statistics

Duffy played in over 100 games in each of 11 seasons (1889-1899). His statistics during that time include:

  • 11 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 237 in 1894
  • 3 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 51 in 1894
  • 4 seasons with 10 or more triples, with a high of 16 in 1890 and 1894
  • 8 seasons with 100 or more RBIs, with a high of 145 in 1894
  • 8 seasons with over 40 stolen bases, with highs of 78 in 1890 and 85 in 1891
  • 8 seasons with a batting average of .300 or better, with a high of .440 in 1894

Career batting statistics for Duffy include:

  • 1,737 games played
  • 2,282 hits
  • 325 doubles
  • 119 triples
  • 1,302 RBIs
  • 574 stolen bases
  • .324 batting average
  • .384 on-base percentage
  • .833 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Duffy as an outfielder include:

  • 1,682 games played
  • 241 assists
  • 3,396 putouts
  • 220 errors
  • .943 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a major league player, Duffy had a career as a coach and manager in both the minor and major leagues. From 1910 through 1911, he was manager of the Chicago White Sox. Six years later, he joined Harvard University as a coach.

In 1920, after leaving his coaching position at Harvard, Duffy managed in the minor leagues for a year. He then had another stint as a major league manager, this time with the Boston Red Sox. After two years (1921-1922) in that position, Duffy took a year off and then returned to the Red Sox for a very long career (1924-1953) as a scout.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Hugh Duffy
ESPN - Hugh Duffy
Baseball Reference - Hugh Duffy

Back to Top