Scott Hastings

Winfield Scott Hastings (August 10, 1847 – August 14, 1907) was an American baseball player and manager in the late 19th century. Primarily a catcher and outfielder, Hastings also appeared as a first baseman, second baseman, and shortstop over the course of his career.

Early life and amateur career Hastings was born in Hillsboro, Ohio, the son of a wagon maker. He was named after U.S. Army General Winfield Scott. Hastings enlisted in the 145th Illinois Infantry Regiment in 1864 at 18 years old. He was a member of the Rockford Forest Citys in , when he led amateur players in runs, hits, and scoring average, Hastings is listed in the 1870 census working as a hotel clerk in Rockford. In terms of personal statistics, he had 30 hits, including six doubles and four triples, in 118 at bats for an "unspectacular" .254 batting average, along with 27 runs scored, 20 RBI, and 11 stolen bases.

Cleveland Forest Citys (1872) After the Rockford Forest Citys disbanded at the end of 1871, Hastings joined the Cleveland Forest Citys in , again as player-manager. However, he lost the job of manager to Deacon White after the team played poorly, especially defensively, In one October victory over the Brooklyn Atlantics, he tallied six hits and scored seven runs.

Hartford Dark Blues (1874) The Hartford Dark Blues signed Hastings in advance of the season, in part due to his familiarity with pitcher Cherokee Fisher.

Chicago White Stockings (1875) Hastings changed teams again for , joining the Chicago White Stockings after a tryout during which he demonstrated he could catch the fastball of Jim Devlin. He played an important role in a 1-0 extra inning victory over his former club Hartford on June 19, first making a running catch in right field with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth inning, then hitting a leadoff single in the bottom of the 11th which led to the game-winning run. Although Hastings was subsequently put out on a fielder's choice groundout by Devlin,

Hastings was the regular catcher for Chicago, but his average fell to .254, and although he stole 13 bases, he led the league with 11 times caught stealing.

Cincinnati Reds (1877) On July 3, 1877, Hastings was signed by the Cincinnati Reds, who had briefly disbanded and lost some of their players to other teams. Hastings batted only .141 for the season, his last in the majors.