Chick Lathers

Charles Ten Eyck "Chick" Lathers (October 22, 1888 – July 26, 1971) was an American baseball player. With a .383 batting average, he was the third baseman and the leading hitter on the 1909 Michigan Wolverines baseball team that finished with a record of 18–3–1. He later played two years of Major League Baseball as an infielder for the Detroit Tigers. After retiring from baseball in 1913, Lathers worked for the Ford Motor Company for several years, served in the U.S. Army during World War I, and operated a dairy farm in northern Michigan from 1925 to 1962. He was also active in local government in northern Michigan.

Biography

Early years Lathers was born in Dearborn, Michigan.

University of Michigan After graduating from high school, Lathers enrolled at the University of Michigan where he played as a third baseman for the Michigan Wolverines baseball team. He was described by The Washington Post as the "baseball star of the University of Michigan" and "one of the best throwers ever seen on a Michigan ball field." The 1910 baseball season at Michigan was the first under new coach Branch Rickey. Because of the expulsion of Lathers, Rickey, who was later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, was deprived of the services of the team's best batsman.

Professional baseball Detroit Tigers coach Hughie Jennings (pictured) signed Lathers upon his expulsion from the University of Michigan. As soon as Lathers was expelled from Michigan, Detroit Tigers manager Hughie Jennings announced that Detroit had "first claim" on his services. Jenning said that he intended to take Lathers south for spring training and described Lathers as "an unusually promising player" whose "only fault" is base running, a skill at which Jennings was an expert teacher. However, with Jim Delahanty, Donie Bush, and George Moriarty holding down the starting jobs at second base, shortstop and third base, Lathers did not find his way into Detroit's starting lineup. As a result, Lathers spent most of the 1910 season, as one newspaper put it, "on the Tiger bench learning the rudiments by observing." Lathers played in 41 games for the 1910 Tigers, playing games at second base, shortstop and third base. He compiled a .230 batting average and .300 on-base percentage in 93 plate appearances during the 1910 season.

In February 1911, Lathers returned to the Tigers for spring training. Press accounts suggested that, if the injured legs of Delahanty and Bush had healed, there was "no chance" of Lathers taking their starting spots. However, one newspaper opined that Lathers "is a much better batter than O'Leary and if he could learn some of the fine points of the game while South, would have the call" at second base. In the end, Jennings moved Delahanty to first base in 1911, and Lathers saw even less playing time than he had in his rookie season. He played in only 29 games and compiled a batting average of .222 and an on-base percentage of .314 in 53 plate appearances. He was then shipped to the minor leagues by the Tigers to play with the Providence Grays in the International League. At the time, Schmidt was hitting .364 and Drake .330. Lathers spent much of the 1912 season on the "sick list," causing his batting average to slump, but by late July, his batting average had started to climb and stood at .304. In return for Lathers, the Tigers were to have received Charley O'Leary—the same player whose starting job Lathers had sought in 1911. Lathers was expected to play in the outfield for Indianapolis.

Lathers served in U.S. Army as an ordnance officer during World War I. Lathers continued to operate his dairy farm until 1962. Lathers was also a longtime member of the Cheboygan County Road Commission. In 1953, he was elected chairman of the commission. He also served for a time as the head of the Michigan Association of Road Commissioners.

Later years In 1962, Lathers sold his dairy farm. In his later years, he spent his winters in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Lathers died in 1971 at age 82 at Little Traverse Hospital in Petoskey, Michigan. He is buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Petoskey.