Jake Beckley (1971)


Date of Birth: 8/4/1867
Date of Death: 6/25/1918
Birthplace: Hannibal, Missouri

Jake Beckley played semi-pro baseball as a teenager. He started his professional baseball career in the Western Association in 1886, at the age of 18. In June, 1888, his contract was sold to the Pittsburgh Alleghenys/Pirates.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Beckley played in 71 games with the Pirates in 1888. He batted .343 with 97 hits, 15 doubles, and 20 stolen bases.

In 1889, his first full season in the major leagues, Beckley batted .301 in 123 games. He had 157 hits, 24 doubles, and 10 triples.

Pittsburgh Burghers (Players League)

In 1890, Beckley moved to the Pittsburgh Burghers of the Players League. That season he led the league in triples with 22. He had a strong season, batting .324 in 121 games. He had 167 hits, 18 stolen bases, and career highs in doubles (38) and triples.

Return to Pittsburgh Pirates

When the Players League folded after the 1890 season, Beckley returned to the Pirates. In his first year back in Pittsburgh, he batted .292 in 133 games. He finished the 1891 season with 162 hits, 20 doubles, and 19 triples.

Beckley batted only .236 in 1892. However, he had career highs in games played (151), home runs (10), and stolen bases (30). He had a good year defensively, leading all NL players in putouts with 1,523 and leading all NL first basemen in assists with 132.

Beckley had a .303 batting average in 131 games in 1893. He had 164 hits, 32 doubles, and 19 triples. He again led NL first basemen in assists with 95.

In 1894, he had a strong season with a career high batting average of .343. That season he also had 183 hits, 36 doubles, and 18 triples in 131 games. He had a good defensive season, leading the NL in putouts with 1,230, and leading NL first basemen in assists with 85.

Beckley had another good season in 1895, when he batted .328 in 129 games. He had 174 hits, 31 doubles, and 19 triples. He again led the NL in putouts with 1,349.

New York Giants

In July, 1896, after 59 games, the Pirates traded Beckley to the New York Giants. He played in 46 games with the Giants, and he finished the season with 110 hits and a .276 batting average.

Cincinnati Reds

The Giants released Beckley on May 22, 1897. Five days later, he signed with the Cincinnati Reds. He finished the season with 143 hits, 19 doubles, and a .330 batting average in 17 games with the Giants and 97 games with the Reds.

Beckley played in only 118 games in 1898, and he batted .294 with 135 hits. The next year, he batted .333 in 134 games. He had 171 hits and 27 doubles in 1899.

Beckley had a career high 190 hits in 1900. He had 26 doubles, 23 stolen bases, and a .341 batting average in 141 games. He once more led the NL in putouts with 1,389.

In 1901, Beckley played in 140 games, and he batted .307. He had 178 hits and 36 doubles. Defensively, he led NL first basemen in double plays turned with 79. He repeated that feat in 1902, turning 84 double plays. That year, he once again led the NL in putouts with 1,269. Offensively, he batted .330 with 175 hits and 23 doubles.

Beckley played in 120 games in 1903, and he batted .327. He had 150 hits, 29 doubles, and 23 stolen bases.

St. Louis Cardinals

In February, 1904, Beckley's contract was sold to the St. Louis Cardinals. He had a good first season with them, batting .325 in 142 games. He had 179 hits and 22 doubles. Defensively, for the final time in his career, he led the NL in putouts with 1,526.

Beckley's batting average dropped to .286 in 1905. He had 147 hits and 20 doubles in 134 games. The following year, he played in just 87 games and he batted .247 with 79 hits. He finished his major league career in 1907, playing in only 32 games.

MLB Records

  • Led NL in putouts (6 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Beckley in 20 seasons (1888-1907) in the major leagues include:

  • 12 seasons with 150 or more hits, with a high of 190 in 1900
  • 5 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 38 in 1890
  • 14 seasons with 10 or more triples, with a high of 22 in 1890
  • 4 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 120 in 1890 and 1894
  • 9 seasons with 20 or more stolen bases, with a high of 30 in 1892
  • 15 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .343 in 1888 and 1894

Career batting statistics for Beckley include:

  • 2,386 games played
  • 2,930 hits
  • 473 doubles
  • 243 triples
  • 315 stolen bases
  • 270 strikeouts to 616 walks
  • .308 batting average
  • .361 on-base percentage
  • .796 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Beckley at first base include:

  • 2,380 games played
  • 481 errors
  • 1,316 assists
  • 1,327 double plays
  • 23,731 putouts
  • .981 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

After ending his major league playing career, Beckley played and managed in the American, Western, and Central Associations from 1908 through 1911. From 1913 on, he took various jobs in baseball, including umpiring in the Federal League and coaching at colleges.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Jake Beckley
ESPN - Jake Beckley
Baseball Reference - Jake Beckley

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