Dick Padden

Richard Joseph Padden (September 17, 1870 – October 31, 1922), nicknamed "Brains", was an American professional baseball player, born in Wheeling, West Virginia, who played mainly as a second baseman in Major League Baseball for nine seasons from to .

After playing a season and a half in the minor leagues, the right-handed infielder began his major league career for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played three seasons in Pittsburgh, from 1896 to , before playing one season for the Washington Senators in . He returned to the minor leagues for the 1900 season, where he was the player-manager for the Chicago White Sox, then a minor league team. When the Chicago club entered the American League, a major league, the following season, he moved on to play one season for the St. Louis Cardinals, before becoming Captain of the St. Louis Browns from and 1905. In total, Padden played in 874 games, and collected 814 hits in 3545 at bats, for a lifetime batting average of .258. He finished in the league's top-ten finishers in being hit by pitches six times, including a league-leading 18 in 1904.

Padden's post-career activities included duties as a talent scout for the St. Louis Browns and the Washington Senators, as well a lengthy career in the flint glass industry in Ohio. After retiring, he attempted to gain the Democratic Party nomination for the 1912 mayoral race in his hometown of Martin's Ferry, Ohio. He died there, in 1922, at the age of 52 of apoplexy.

Career

Pittsburgh Padden began his professional career with the Roanoke Magicians, a minor league club in the Virginia State League in 1895, where he played with and managed the team to a 52–74 win–loss record. During the 1896 season, the Pittsburgh Pirates manager, Connie Mack, was seeking a replacement for Harry Truby, his second baseman, who was not performing well, when Padden caught his attention. Padden was playing for the Toronto Canadiens in the Eastern League, and had a reputation of being a smart and quick player with good instincts, as well as a "careful, timely batsman". Based on his need to upgrade his second base position, and Padden's good reputation, Mack traded Truby for him. When Padden did not bat well to start the season, Mack and Pittsburgh's president and part owner, William Kerr, began to feud over the decision, with Kerr questioning Mack over whether they should have traded Truby.

In , with the Pirates, he led all National League second basemen with 134 games played, and 369 putouts. Besides games played, he established career highs in several batting categories that season, including; 517 at bats, 84 runs scored, 146 hits, 10 triples, and tied his career high in home runs with two. He made 128 appearances in , again as their starting second baseman. His statistical output dropped from his previous season; his batting average lowered to .257, and scored 61 runs in 463 at bats.

Washington On December 14, 1898, after the season was completed, Padden was traded, along with Jack O'Brien and Jimmy Slagle, to the Washington Senators in exchange for Heinie Reitz. He had a batting average of .277, established his career high in stolen bases (27), and was ejected from the game by the umpire three times, which led the league. However, before the season began, he joined the Chicago White Sox, also a minor league team, as their player-manager instead. While playing a doubleheader on September 16, against Connie Mack and his Milwaukee team, Padden suggested to Mack that the second game be shortened to five innings due to the fact that the first game lasted just over three hours, and they might not finish the second game before darkness.

St. Louis The White Sox stayed with the American League as they became a major league in , but Padden moved on to play for the St. Louis Cardinals of the National League. He had a batting average of .256 that season, and again led the league in ejections, with five; however, he stole 26 bases, he had 62 RBIs, his highest single season total. Padden was Captain of the Browns during his time on the team. In both 1902 and , he was the Browns' starting second baseman, and were the only two of his four seasons with the club in which he played in more than 29 games. He led the league in hit by a pitches with 18 in , the only time in which he led the league in this category, although he did finish in the league's top-ten five times previously. On May 19, 1905, after 16 games, Padden was released by the Browns, and his major league career came to an end. He had hoped that his ankle would heal, so that he could be ready for the next season, but he never appeared as a player after the injury. He also became a talent scout for the Senators and worked in the flint glass industry in Ohio. Alfred Henry Spink described him as "one of the real foxy fellows of the baseball world. He could field beautifully and was never better than when being hard driven." He died in Martins Ferry of apoplexy on October 31, 1922 at the age of 52, and is interred at St. Marys Cemetery.