Highlighted Year: Harry Bay, 1903

Outfielder, Cleveland Naps

Age:  25

2^nd season with Broncos/Naps (first complete)

Bats – Left, Throws – Left

Height: 5’8”    Weight: 138 

Prior to 1903:

An Illinois native, Bay grew up playing sandlot baseball in Peoria prior to demonstrating all-around athletic ability at Peoria High School. Following high school he joined a baseball team that barnstormed through the Midwest. In 1898 he signed with the Peoria Blackbirds of the Western Association where, in 20 games, he batted a mere .167 but stole 13 bases in demonstrating his great speed. After playing in the Western Association and New York State League, he spent 1900 with Detroit in the not-yet-major American League. His hitting remained unimpressive but he broke through in 1901 in 61 games with Indianapolis of the Western Association where he batted .304 with 24 stolen bases and performed ably in the outfield. By midseason he joined the Cincinnati Reds where he played in right and center field and in 41 games hit .210 with a .275 on-base percentage. Released by the Reds early during the 1902 season, he signed with Cleveland, which had injury problems in the outfield. He earned the starting job in center field and hit .290 with 10 doubles, 5 triples, 22 stolen bases, and a .343 OBP. Nicknamed “Deerfoot” for his speed, he put together a 26-game hitting streak and led all AL center fielders with a .973 fielding percentage. Bay entered 1903 as Cleveland’s regular leadoff hitter and center fielder.

1903 Season Summary

Appeared in 140 games

CF – 114, LF – 26

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 637 [2]

At Bats – 579 [2]

Runs – 94 [5]

Hits – 169 [4]

Doubles – 15

Triples – 12 [10, tied with four others]

Home Runs – 1

RBI – 35

Bases on Balls – 29

Int. BB – N/A

Strikeouts – 44

Stolen Bases – 45 [1]

Caught Stealing – N/A

Average - .292 [17, tied with Jimmy Callahan & Lave Cross]

OBP - .329 [19, tied with Jimmy Collins]

Slugging Pct. - .364

Total Bases – 211 [13]

GDP – N/A

Hit by Pitches – 3

Sac Hits – 25 [4, tied with Ollie Pickering & Sam Crawford]

Sac Flies – N/A

League-leading stolen bases were +5 ahead of runner-up Ollie Pickering

Midseason snapshot: 3B – 5, HR - 1, RBI – 19, SB – 16, AVG - .287, OBP – .316

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 4 AB) at St. Louis Browns 5/4, (in 4 AB) at Bos. Americans 9/18

Longest hitting streak – 17 games

Most HR, game – 1 (in 5 AB) at Washington 6/8

HR at home – 0

HR on road – 1

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 3 vs. Bos. Americans 8/17, at Washington 9/25

Pinch-hitting – N/A

Fielding

Chances – 322

Put Outs – 293

Assists – 13

Errors – 16

DP – 3

Pct. - .950 

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The Naps (renamed for star second baseman Nap Lajoie) went 77-63 to finish third in the AL, 15 games behind the pennant-winning Boston Americans while leading the league in doubles (231), and batting strikeouts (588). The Naps (or Napoleons) entered June at 17-15 in the tightly bunched AL and continued to play well through the summer although they couldn’t keep pace with Boston and finished a distant third.

Aftermath of 1903:

Clocked at 3.5 seconds from home to first base, Bay earned recognition as the fastest player in the American League. In 1904 his batting production dropped to .241 with 12 doubles, 9 triples, 3 home runs, 36 RBIs, and 69 runs scored, although he again led the league with 38 stolen bases despite being hindered by a leg injury. In one July game against the Boston Americans (now Red Sox), he set a record with 12 putouts in a twelve-inning game. Off the field he earned recognition for his cornet playing. Bay rebounded in 1905 to bat .301 with 18 doubles, 10 triples, 22 RBIs, 90 runs scored, 36 stolen bases (which tied him for fifth in the AL), and a .349 OBP. He also suffered a knee injury that hindered him for the rest of his career. Limited to 68 games in 1906, Bay dropped to 17 stolen bases while hitting .275 with a .337 OBP. 1907 saw a further drop in his playing time and production and his major league playing career came to an end early in the 1908 season. For his major league career, “Deerfoot” batted .273 with 722 hits that included 65 doubles, 42 triples, and 5 home runs. He scored 413 runs and compiled 141 RBIs, 169 stolen bases, and a .328 OBP. With Cleveland he batted .277 with 64 doubles, 40 triples, 4 home runs, 137 RBIs, 165 stolen bases, and a .330 OBP. Bay played minor league baseball for Nashville of the Southern Association from 1908 through 1911 and then went on to be a player/manager with five minor league clubs through 1917. Returning home to Peoria he was secretary and switchboard operator for the city’s fire department. He also continued with his musical interest. Bay died in 1952 at age 74.

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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc. players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.