Jake Stenzel

Jacob Charles Stenzel (June 24, 1867 – January 6, 1919) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a center fielder in Major League Baseball from 1890 to 1899 for the Chicago Colts, Pittsburgh Pirates, Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Browns / Perfectos, and Cincinnati Reds. Stenzel was tall and weighed .

Early career Stenzel was born in Cincinnati to German immigrants in 1867 as Jacob Charles Stelzle; he changed his name when he moved to Wheeling, West Virginia to begin his baseball career. In 1890, Stenzel hit .311 for the Texas League's Galveston Sand Crabs and also made his major league debut with the Chicago Colts. He went back to the minors after the season. In 1892, while playing for the Portland Webfeet, he led the Pacific Northwest League in batting average, at .339. He joined the National League's Pittsburgh Pirates towards the end of the season and went hitless in nine at bats.

Later life Stenzel had a wife and two children. After his baseball days were over, he ran a bar in Cincinnati until he sold it during World War I. He then went to work as a night watchman in a factory.

Stenzel died on January 6, 1919 of influenza during the influenza pandemic of 1918-1920 and was buried in St. Mary Cemetery, which is in Cincinnati.