1880 Troy Trojans

1880 Troy Trojans / Franchise: Troy Trojans / BR Team Page

Record: 41-42, Finished 4th in National League (1880 NL)

Managed by Bob Ferguson

Ballpark: Haymakers' Grounds and Riverside Park (Albany)

History, Comments, Contributions

The 1880 Troy Trojans were not a particularly strong team, finishing 41-42, but are remembered for the array of youngsters who would end up in the Hall of Fame.

The top hitter among the regulars was 22-year-old rookie Roger Connor, who played third base as a regular for the only season in his career. He finished third in the league in batting average, second in slugging, and third in RBI.

Buck Ewing was also a rookie, at age 20, getting into 13 games and serving as the number two catcher on the team. Dan Brouthers at age 22 was in his second season, after hitting pretty well in 1879, but appeared in only 3 games in 1880.

Among the pitchers, 20-year-old Mickey Welch was also a rookie, and was decent as both a pitcher and a hitter. As a pitcher he went 34-30, while as a hitter he hit .287, thirty-six points above the team average. Tim Keefe was the backup pitcher, a rookie at age 23 with an ERA of 0.86.

The player-manager was "Death to Flying Things" Bob Ferguson, who unlike the others did not end up in the Hall of Fame. However, he was a baseball pioneer, having started as a player in 1865. At age 35, he played second base for the 1880 Trojans. He would play through 1884 and manage through 1887.

Other notable non-Hall of Famers on the team included first baseman Ed Cogswell, who hit .301, and Bill Harbidge, who had a great nine-game cup of coffee, hitting .370.