Bid McPhee (2000)


Date of Birth: 11/1/1859
Date of Death: 1/3/1943
Birthplace: Massena, New York

Bid McPhee started his professional baseball career in the Northwestern League in 1979. He signed with the Cincinnati Red Stockings in 1882.

Cincinnati Red Stockings/Reds

McPhee played in 78 games with the Red Stockings in 1882, and he batted .228 with 71 hits. A good fielding second baseman, he led the American Association in putouts with 274. The following season, he played in 96 games, and he batted .245 with 90 hits. In 1883, he led all American Association second basemen in assists with 277, putouts with 314, and double plays turned with 48.

In 1884, McPhee batted .278 with 125 hits and 64 RBIs in a league leading 112 games. He again led American Association second basemen in double plays turned with 74 and in putouts with 415.

McPhee continued to play well defensively, leading league second basemen in double plays in 1885 (57), 1886 (90), 1887 (76), 1888 (65), 1889 (85), 1890 (62), 1892 (86), and 1893 (101). He led in putouts in 1886 (529), 1890 (404), 1892 (451), 1893 (396), and 1894 (392), and in assists in 1886 (464), 1887 (434), 1890 (431), and 1891 (492).

In addition to being a very good defensive player, McPhee was also an excellent base stealer. In 1887, he stole a career high 95 bases. He stole 40 bases in 1886, 54 bases in 1888, and 63 bases in 1889.

In 1886, McPhee batted .268 with 150 hits, 23 doubles, and 12 triples in 140 games. The following season, he batted .289 with 156 hits, 20 doubles, and a league leading 19 triples in 129 games. He played in only 111 games in 1888, and he batted just .240. He improved in 1889, batting .269 in 135 games. He finished that season with 145 hits and 25 doubles.

The Cincinnati team became part of the National League in 1890, and they changed their name to the Cincinnati Reds. That year, McPhee had a career high in triples with 22. He finished the season with 135 hits, 16 doubles, 55 stolen bases, and a .256 batting average in 132 games. He walked 82 times and struck out just 26 times. His numbers were similar in 1891, when he again batted .256 with 144 hits, 14 doubles, 16 triples, and 33 stolen bases in 138 games.

McPhee played in a career high 144 games in 1892. He had a strong season that year, batting .274 with a career high 157 hits, 19 doubles, 12 triples, and 44 stolen bases. He walked 84 times and struck out 48 times.

McPhee continued to play well offensively in 1893 and 1894. He batted .281 with 138 hits in 127 games in 1893. He walked a career high 94 times while striking out just 20 times. The following season, he batted .304 in 126 games. He finished the 1894 season with 144 hits, 21 doubles, and 33 stolen bases. He walked 90 times and struck out only 23 times.

McPhee's playing time diminished in 1895, when he played in just 115 games. He batted .299 with 129 hits, 24 doubles, and 30 stolen bases. The next year, he played in 117 games and he batted a career high of .305. He had 132 hits, 18 doubles, and 48 stolen bases in 1896. He played in just 81 games in 1897, and he batted .301 with 85 hits.

In 1898, McPhee's batting average dropped to .249, but he had a career high 26 doubles that season. He had 121 hits and 21 stolen bases in 133 games. He batted .279 with 104 hits in 111 games in 1899, his last season as a major league player.

Career Statistics

Batting statistics for McPhee in 18 seasons (1882-1899) in the major leagues include:

  • 3 seasons with 150 or more hits, with highs of 156 in 1887 and 157 in 1892
  • 9 seasons with 10 or more triples, with a high of 22 in 1890
  • 12 seasons with over 20 stolen bases, with a high of 95 in 1887
  • 3 seasons with a batting average over .300, with highs of .304 in 1894 and .305 in 1896

Career batting statistics for McPhee include:

  • 2,135 games played
  • 2,250 hits
  • 303 doubles
  • 188 triples
  • 568 stolen bases
  • .271 batting average
  • .355 on-base percentage
  • .727 OPS

Career fielding statistics for McPhee at second base include:

  • 2,129 games played
  • 792 errors
  • 6,919 assists
  • 6,552 putouts
  • 1,188 double plays
  • .944 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a player, McPhee managed the Cincinnati Reds in 1901 and 1902. His record as a manager was 79 wins to 124 losses.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Bid McPhee
ESPN - Bid McPhee
Baseball Reference - Bid McPhee

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