Roger Connor (1976)


Date of Birth: 7/1/1857
Date of Death: 1/4/1931
Birthplace: Waterbury, Connecticut

Roger Connor started his professional baseball career as a third baseman in the Eastern League in 1876. Two years later, he joined the International Association, and in 1879, he played in the National Association.

Troy Trojans (NL)

Connor signed with the Troy Trojans of the National League in 1880 and he played with them until the team folded in 1882. In his first season with them, he batted .332 with 113 hits in 83 games.

In 1881, Connor batted .292 with 107 hits in 85 games. Defensively, he led all NL first basemen in double plays with 51. The following year, he led the NL in triples with 18. He finished the 1882 season with 115 hits, 22 doubles, and a .330 batting average in 81 games.

New York Gothams/Giants

Connor signed with the New York Gothams/Giants in 1883. He played in 98 games in 1883 and he had 146 hits, 28 doubles, 15 triples, and a .357 batting average. The next year, he batted .317 with 151 hits and 28 doubles in 116 games.

Connor led the NL in hits, batting average, and on-base percentage in 1885. He had 169 hits, 23 doubles, 15 triples, a career high batting average of .371, and an on-base percentage of .435. Defensively, he played well, leading all NL first basemen in assists with 42 and in double plays with 66.

In 1886, Connor again led the NL in triples with 20. He finished the season with a career high 172 hits, 29 doubles, and a .355 batting average in 118 games. The next year, he had career highs in home runs with 17 and in stolen bases with 43. He finished the 1887 season with 134 hits, 26 doubles, 22 triples, and a .285 batting average in 127 games. He led the NL in putouts that year with 1,325.

Connor led the NL in walks in 1888 with 73 (to 44 strikeouts). He had 140 hits, 15 doubles, 17 triples, 14 home runs, 27 stolen bases, and a .291 batting average in 134 games.

Connor's batting average went up to .317 in 1889. He finished the season with 157 hits, 32 doubles, 17 triples, 13 home runs, and 21 stolen bases in 131 games. He walked 93 times while striking out 46 times.

Players League

Connor moved to the Players League in 1890. That year, he led the league in OPS with .998 and putouts with 1,335. He had 169 hits, 24 doubles, 15 triples, 14 home runs, and a .349 batting average in 123 games.

Return to the New York Giants

Connor returned to the Giants in 1891. He played in 129 games and he batted .290 with 139 hits, 29 doubles, 13 triples, and 27 stolen bases. He walked 83 times and he struck out 39 times.

Philadelphia Phillies

Connor went to the Philadelphia Phillies for the 1892 season. That year, he had career highs in games played (155), doubles (37), and walks (116 to 39 strikeouts). He led the NL in doubles. He finished the season with 166 hits, 11 triples, 12 home runs, 22 stolen bases, and a .294 batting average.

Second Return to the Giants

Connor returned again to the Giants in 1893. He played in 135 games and he had 156 hits, 25 doubles, 24 stolen bases, and a .305 batting average. He walked 91 times and struck out just 26 times. He again led the NL in putouts with 1,423.

St. Louis Browns (Baltimore Orioles)

Connor was traded to the St. Louis Browns during the 1894 season. He finished the season with 146 hits, 35 doubles, a career high 25 triples, and a .316 batting average in 22 games with the Giants and 99 games with the Browns. The next year, he had a .329 batting average in 103 games.

In 1896, Connor was made player-manager of the Browns but he remained manager for only one season. He batted .284 in 126 games that year. He wasn't successful as a manager, leading the team to just 8 wins and 37 losses.

Connor played in just 22 games in 1897, his last season in the major leagues.

Until Babe Ruth passed him in 1921, Connor held the major league baseball record for the most career home runs. He was also the first major league player to hit a grand slam home run.

MLB Records

  • Led the NL in triples (2 times)
  • Led the NL in putouts (2 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Connor in 13 seasons (1884-1896) in the major leagues include:

  • 7 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 172 in 1886
  • 3 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 37 in 1892
  • 9 seasons with over 10 triples, with a high of 25 in 1894
  • 4 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 130 in 1889
  • 7 seasons with over 20 stolen bases, with a high of 43 in 1887
  • 8 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .371 in 1885

Career batting statistics for Connor include:

  • 1,997 games played
  • 2,467 hits
  • 441 doubles
  • 233 triples
  • 138 home runs
  • 1,322 RBIs
  • 244 stolen bases
  • 449 strikeouts to 1,002 walks
  • .317 batting average
  • .397 on-base percentage
  • .883 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Connor at first base include:

  • 1,759 games played
  • 857 assists
  • 955 double plays
  • 17,612 putouts
  • 419 errors
  • .978 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

After leaving major league baseball, Connor managed in the minor leagues.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Roger Connor
ESPN - Roger Connor
Baseball Reference - Roger Connor

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