Al Shaw (shawal01)

Alfred Louis Shaw
(Shoddy)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 170 lb.

• Debut June 10, 1901
• Final Game September 13, 1909
• Born May 22, 1873 in Burslem, England
• Died March 25, 1958 in Uhrichsville, OH USA

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Biographical Information

Al Shaw played four years with four different major league teams from 1901-1909. He was primarily a catcher.

Shaw was born in England and made his major league debut at age 28 in the first year that the American League was a major league. He hit .269 (the team average was .279) and was backup catcher to Fritz Buelow on the 1901 Detroit Tigers. His fielding percentage was 30 points lower than Buelow's, however.

Six years later, he was again in the majors with the 1907 Boston Americans, this time as backup catcher to Lou Criger. Shaw appeared in 73 games at catcher, almost as many as Criger's 75. Shaw hit .192 while Criger hit .181. Criger, who had been with Boston since 1901, would continue to be the regular catcher for the team in 1908, hitting .190.

Shaw, however, was traded to the Chicago White Sox and played backup catcher to Billy Sullivan in 1908. Shaw, at age 33, had only 49 at-bats and hit only .082. Sullivan hit .191 in 430 at-bats. The team won 88 games.

Shaw's last major league season was with the 1909 Boston Doves at age 34. The Doves lost 108 games. Shaw hit .098 in 41 at-bats. Three other catchers on the team appeared in more games than he did at catcher, although he had the highest fielding percentage.

His major league career overlapped with the other Al Shaw, who came up in 1907.

Related Sites

• Al Shaw at the SABR Bio Project
• Find-A-Grave Memorial for Al Shaw