Dave Rowe

David Elwood Rowe

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 180 lb.

• Debut May 30, 1877
• Final Game June 17, 1888
• Born October 9, 1854 in Cold Spring, PA USA
• Died December 9, 1930 in Glendale, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Dave Rowe, brother of Jack Rowe, came up first to the majors but didn't play as long. He moved around a lot, partly because teams or leagues folded. In addition to playing, he also managed a couple of years at the major league level.

Dave came up briefly in 1877 for two games with the Chicago White Stockings who featured several famous players including Al Spalding (the player-manager) and Cap Anson.

He returned to the majors in 1882, hitting above average with the Cleveland Blues of the National League. The next year, he moved to the American Association, shining for the 1882 Baltimore Orioles for whom he had the top slugging percentage and tied for the top batting average on the team. In 1884 he played in the Union Association for the 1884 St. Louis Maroons who were by far the best team in the league; Dave was far above the league averages in batting and slugging, but the Maroons were a good team and Dave was not far above their team averages.

The UA lasted only one year and Dave played the following year with the 1885 St. Louis Maroons, this time a National League entry, although he appeared in only 16 games. The following year he was with the National League 1886 Kansas City Cowboys and when they did not field a National League team after that, he finished his career out with the American Association 1888 Kansas City Cowboys. He was a player-manager in both 1886 and 1888.

Rowe played most positions on the field, including 305 in the outfield and 32 at shortstop, but his pitching appearances are notable because they were mostly horrendous. In 1882 he appeared in one game, pitching nine innings, and giving up 35 runs. The opponents, the 1882 White Stockings, set a record for runs scored. Dave came back in 1883 for one game where he gave up 11 runs in four innings. However, in 1884 he improved quite a bit, pitching one game, nine innings, and giving up only two earned runs (three runs total).

Both Dave and Jack had poor winning percentages as managers - Dave had a .257 winning percentage while Jack (in fewer games) had a .273 winning percentage. In 1889-90 Dave managed at Denver.

Dave played or managed for several seasons in the Western Association, and by 1894 he was president of the "Western Base Ball Association", as stated by Sporting Life on Dec. 1, 1894. He was quoted as saying that every club in the league made money that year, and the minimum salary was $900.

Although he was born before brother Jack, he outlived him by 19 1/2 years.

Notable Achievements

• UA At Bats Leader (1884)

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