Dave Rowan

David Rowan
born David Drohan

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 11", Weight 175 lb.

• Debut May 27, 1911
• Final Game June 22, 1911
• Born December 6, 1881 in Elora, ON CAN
• Died July 30, 1955 in Toronto, ON CAN

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Biographical Information

Dave Rowan put up a very impressive batting line for the St. Louis Browns in 1911 - .385/.420/.431 in 18 games. The team as a whole hit .239.

Rowan was born in Elora in Ontario, Canada. His minor league career ran from at least 1902 to 1914. Although stats are not complete, he was apparently mostly a first baseman in the minors, as he was in the majors, except that in 1905 he also pitched 17 games, going 6-8.

Dave was a long-time minor league veteran, aged 29, when he made his major league debut. He had spent 1909-1910 with the Peoria Distillers. In his very first major league game he got three hits, and then followed that up with another three hits in his second game. Both were against the Detroit Tigers, a team which eventually finished second in the American League. Rowan finished strong, too, going 4-for-4 in his third-to-last game, and 3-for-4 in his second-to-last game, both against the Chicago White Sox.

In spite of his strong performance, his stint with the Browns ended:

"First baseman Dave Rowan has been ordered back to Peoria by the National Commission, after playing for several weeks with the St. Louis Americans. Peoria demanded a price for him and St. Louis has not settled." - Sporting News, July 8, 1911

It is not clear if Rowan ever played a game in 1911 for Peoria, but he did play 40 for the Toronto Maple Leafs, hitting .302 on a team of mostly ex-major leaguers. He outhit the 39-year-old Willie Keeler.

Dave also managed in the minors in 1910-1912.