Dude Esterbrook

Thomas John Esterbrook

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 167 lb.

• Debut May 1, 1880
• Final Game July 22, 1891
• Born June 9, 1857 in Staten Island, NY USA
• Died April 30, 1901 in Middletown, NY USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Dude Esterbrook, born in New York, NY, spent most of his major league career playing for teams in the state of New York. His best year was 1884 when he was among league leaders in many categories as he helped lead the New York Metropolitans to the American Association pennant. He hit .314 in 112 games that season, with 110 runs scored as the team's regular third baseman. Following the season, he and star pitcher Mickey Welch were moved to the New York Giants of the National League, as the same ownership group owned both teams and wanted to favor the more profitable NL squad. The Metropolitans sank in the standings in 1885 as a result of losing their two best players.

In 1889, he also managed the Louisville Colonels for 10 games to start the season. He guided the London Tecumsehs for part of that year as well.

He died in 1901 when he jumped from a train after his brother tried to get him sent to a mental asylum. His obituary described him as having been very eccentric for a number of years, as he had began to engage in strange behavior such as wearing a sombrero to formal meetings, carrying a parrot on his shoulder, becoming obsessed with God, despite not being religious for most of his life, and walking extreme distances for long amounts of time because he believed it would make him live to age 150. His last game was in New Orleans in 1894. After getting annoyed with the fans in New Orleans, multiple papers reported that Esterbrook had decided to walk from New Orleans all the way to Baltimore.

Notable Achievements

• AA Singles Leader (1884)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (1884)

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1889	Louisville Colonels	American Association	2-8	--	Louisville Colonels		Replaced by Jimmy Wolf on April 30
	London Tecumsehs	International League		--	none		Replaced Phil Powers Replaced by Wally Fessenden

Related Sites

• New York Times Obituary of Dude Esterbrook