Highlighted Year: Fred “Topsy” Hartsel, 1902

Outfielder, Philadelphia Athletics

Age: 28 (June 26)

1^st season with Athletics

Bats – Left, Throws – Left

Height: 5’5”    Weight: 155 

Prior to 1902:

An Ohio native, Tully Frederick Hartsel played football and baseball in school but turned down a chance to play football collegiately to instead play semipro baseball. Short and stocky, he was originally a middle infielder, but he was shifted to the outfield, due to his being left-handed, when he joined the Burlington Colts of the Class B Western Association in 1897. He appeared in 20 games and batted .282. He started the 1898 season with the Montgomery Senators of the Southern League but moved to Salem of the Ohio State League after the Southern League folded. That circuit also went out of business and Hartsel moved on again to Grand Rapids of the Inter-State League. There he hit .332 with 20 doubles, 11 triples, 107 runs scored, and 34 stolen bases in 101 games. He finished the year with the Louisville Colonels of the National League where he hit .324 with a .422 on-base percentage. He started the 1899 season with Louisville but was sold to Indianapolis of the Western League in June where he received the ironic and enduring nickname “Topsy” because of his fair-skinned, white-haired appearance, since the character Topsy in the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was black and a sportswriter remarked that Hartsel was “as light as Topsy is black”, which was considered very amusing at the time. The nickname stuck but Hartsel typically went by Fred in his everyday life. Hartsel remained with Indianapolis in 1900, on the eve of the Western League going major as the American League. He batted .301 with 86 runs scored, 11 doubles, 13 triples, 5 home runs, and 31 stolen bases. A dispute broke out between the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Orphans (now Cubs) over which one had purchased Hartsel’s contract from Indianapolis. Hartsel played 19 games with the Reds and hit .328, but the Orphans succeeded in obtaining him for 1901, where he proceeded to have a breakout season as a major league player as he batted .335 with 25 doubles, 16 triples, 7 home runs, 54 RBIs, 41 stolen bases, and a .414 OBP. Hartsel jumped to the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League in 1902. Installed in the leadoff spot, he excelled thanks to his speed and excellent batting eye.

1902 Season Summary

Appeared in 137 games

LF – 137

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 643 [1]

At Bats – 545 [7]

Runs – 109 [1, tied with Dave Fultz]

Hits – 154 [17, tied with Jimmy Barrett]

Doubles – 20

Triples – 12 [6, tied with Bill Bradley, Socks Seybold & Elmer Flick]

Home Runs – 5 [17, tied with Jesse Burkett]

RBI – 58

Bases on Balls – 87 [1]

Int. BB – N/A

Strikeouts – 26

Stolen Bases – 47 [1]

Caught Stealing – N/A

Average - .283

OBP - .383 [13]

Slugging Pct. - .391

Total Bases – 213 [14, tied with Charlie Hemphill]

GDP – N/A

Hit by Pitches – 2

Sac Hits – 3

Sac Flies – N/A

League-leading plate appearances were +7 ahead of runner-up Jesse Burkett

League-leading bases on balls drawn were +11 ahead of runner-up Sammy Strang

League-leading stolen bases were +1 ahead of runner-up Sam Mertes

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 9, 3B – 3, HR- 3, RBI- 23, SB - 12, AVG - .239., OBP - .348

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Most hits, game – 3 on fourteen occasions

Longest hitting streak – 16 games

Most HR, game – 1 on five occasions

HR at home – 3

HR on road – 2

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 4 vs. Cleveland 7/21

Pinch-hitting – No appearances

Fielding

Chances – 268

Put Outs – 238

Assists – 18

Errors – 12

DP – 2

Pct. – .955

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The Athletics went 83-53 to win the AL pennant by 5 games over the St. Louis Browns while leading the league in runs scored (775), hits (1392), and fewest batting strikeouts (288). The A’s, initially hindered by the ongoing litigation with the NL’s Phillies over players who jumped to the AL club, entered July with only a 27-26 record, but within striking range of first place. The arrival of star LHP Rube Waddell and second baseman Danny Murphy in July fueled a surge that had them in first place to stay on August 15. A 20-5 stretch in September nailed down the first pennant in the young franchise’s history.

Aftermath of 1902:

Limited to 98 games in 1903 due to injuries, Hartsel remained productive, hitting .311 with 19 doubles, 14 triples, 5 home runs, 26 RBIs, 13 stolen bases, a .391 OBP, and a .477 slugging percentage. Fully recovered in 1904, Hartsel’s average dropped to .253 although his OBP was a healthy .347 thanks to his drawing 75 walks. The A’s returned to the top of the AL in 1905 and the diminutive Hartsel led the league in walks drawn (121) and OBP (.409) while hitting .275 with 22 doubles, 8 triples, and 37 stolen bases. In the World Series loss to the New York Giants in five games, he accounted for four hits against dominant New York pitching. Still adept at drawing walks, he continued to lead the AL in 1906, ‘07 and ’08, with 88, 106, and 93 respectively. While he hit only .255 in 1906, his OBP was a healthy .363. Correspondingly in 1907, Hartsel batted .280 with a league-leading .405 OBP. In 1908 his batting average was .243 but with a .371 OBP. As he reached his mid-30s in 1909 he was no longer able to play as regularly but he remained useful with a .381 OBP in 83 games. As a part-time player who helped with coaching and preparing scouting reports, he remained a significant part of the pennant-winning A’s teams in 1910 and 1911. His major league playing career ended following the latter season as he was purchased by the Toledo Mud Hens of the American Association where he finished his career. For his major league career, Hartsel batted .276 with 1336 hits that included 182 doubles, 92 triples, and 31 home runs. He scored 826 runs and compiled 341 RBIs, 247 stolen bases, a .384 OBP, and a .370 slugging percentage while drawing 837 walks, a category in which he led the AL four times. With the Athletics he batted .266 with 1087 hits, 686 runs scored, 154 doubles, 74 triples, 21 home runs, 266 RBIs, 196 stolen bases, 733 walks drawn, and a .379 OBP. He appeared in six World Series games and hit .227 with five hits and four stolen bases. Hartsel later became active in promoting amateur baseball in Toledo and died at age 70 in 1944. 

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

Highlighted Year: Dave Fultz, 1902

Outfielder, Philadelphia Athletics

 Age:  27 (May 29)

2^nd season with Athletics

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 5’11” Weight: 170 

Prior to 1902:

A native of Staunton, Virginia, Fultz was a member of a prominent family and received his high school education at Staunton Military Academy where he participated in football and baseball as well as track. He moved on to Brown University in 1894 and was an All-American in football and baseball in 1896 and ’97. As a halfback on the football team, Fultz set long-standing school records by scoring 31 touchdowns and 186 points. A second baseman on the baseball team, he captained the squad that won the 1896 national championship. Fultz played professional baseball and football after graduating from Brown while pursuing a law degree at Columbia University. He signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1898 and batted .182 over 19 games before leaving to become the football coach at the University of Missouri. Returning to the Phillies in 1899, he appeared in only two games and was released in July. Unwilling to play on Sundays became a sticking point in joining another team but he signed with the NL’s Baltimore Orioles and primarily playing at third base and in the outfield over the course of 57 games, Fultz hit .295 with 18 RBIs, 17 stolen bases, and a .342 on-base percentage. In 1900 he joined Milwaukee of the American League, which was not yet a major league. Primarily appearing at second base and shortstop, Fultz batted .298 with 16 doubles, 13 triples, and 4 home runs. In 1901 he followed Connie Mack, who had been general manager in Milwaukee, to the Philadelphia Athletics, a new AL club in what was now a major league. Moved to center field due to the acquisition of star second baseman Nap Lajoie, Fultz hit .292 with 17 doubles, 9 triples, 52 RBIs, 36 stolen bases, and a .334 OBP. With great speed, Fultz was an excellent base stealer and bunter. A patient hitter he also drew many walks. Defensively he covered center field very well. In addition to not playing on Sundays, he didn’t smoke, drink, or swear, and was esteemed by Mack for his good character.

1902 Season Summary

Appeared in 129 games

CF – 114, 2B – 16

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 605 [7]

At Bats – 506 [19]

Runs – 109 [1, tied with Topsy Hartsel]

Hits – 153 [19]

Doubles – 20

Triples – 5

Home Runs – 1

RBI – 49

Bases on Balls – 62 [6, tied with Ed Delahanty]

Int. BB – N/A

Strikeouts – 33 [18, tied with Elmer Flick & Charlie Hemphill]

Stolen Bases – 44 [3]

Caught Stealing – N/A

Average - .302

OBP - .381 [14]

Slugging Pct. - .368

Total Bases – 186

GDP – N/A

Hit by Pitches – 2

Sac Hits – 35 [1]

Sac Flies – N/A

League-leading sac hits were +11 ahead of runner-up Danny Green

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 9, HR – 1, RBI – 20, AVG - .300, OBP - .366

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 4 AB) vs. Baltimore 5/7, (in 6 AB) vs. Cleveland 5/24 – 11 innings

Longest hitting streak – 12 games

HR at home – 1

HR on road – 0

Most home runs, game – 1 (in 4 AB) vs. St. Louis Browns 6/2

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 3 vs. St. Louis Browns 6/2, vs. St. Louis Browns 8/22, vs. Washington 9/17

Pinch-hitting – N/A

Fielding (OF)

Chances – 259

Put Outs – 231

Assists – 18

Errors – 10

DP – 1

Pct. – .961

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The Athletics went 83-53 to win the AL pennant by 5 games over the St. Louis Browns while leading the league in runs scored (775), hits (1392),, and fewest batting strikeouts (288). The A’s, initially hindered by the ongoing litigation with the NL’s Phillies over players who jumped to the AL club, entered July with only a 27-26 record, but within striking range of first place. The arrival of star LHP Rube Waddell and second baseman Danny Murphy in July fueled a surge that had them in first place to stay on August 15. A 20-5 stretch in September nailed down the first pennant in the young franchise’s history.

Aftermath of 1902:

Fultz sought to jump back to the National League in 1903, but following negotiations with Brooklyn and the New York Giants, he ended up being assigned to the AL’s New York Highlanders (now Yankees). In 1903, persistent leg soreness from his years of playing football limited him to 79 games and a .224 average with 13 extra-base hits and a .295 OBP. His defense suffered, too, but he returned to the Highlanders in 1904 and batted .274 with 17 doubles, 4 triples, 2 home runs, 32 RBIs, 17 stolen bases, and a .324 OBP. Following his receiving a law degree and passing the New York bar, Fultz stated that 1905 would be his last season as a player. In his final season, dealing with persistent knee pain, he hit .232 with 13 doubles, 3 triples, 42 RBIs, 44 stolen bases, and a .308 OBP. Defensively, he finished fourth among AL center fielders with 253 putouts. For his major league career Fultz batted .271 with 648 hits that included 84 doubles, 26 triples, and 3 home runs. He scored 369 runs and compiled 223 RBIs, 189 stolen bases, and a .332 OBP. With the Athletics he batted .297 with 204 runs scored, 317 hits, 37 doubles, 14 triples, one home run, 101 RBIs, 80 stolen bases, and a .357 OBP. Efforts to lure him back to the playing field failed. Following his playing career, he remained active with his law practice in New York and was a collegiate baseball coach. He became active in the movement to create a players’ union (which ultimately failed to take hold at that time). Fultz also served as president of the rival Federal League in 1914-15, cementing his reputation among major league owners as a radical outcast. Following service in the Aviation Corps near the end of World War I, Fultz became president of the International League, one of the top minor league circuits. Ousted late in 1920, he continued with his legal practice until retiring in 1947.He died in 1959 at age 84.

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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.