Eli Cates

Eli Eldo Cates

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9½", Weight 175 lb.
• High School Greens Fork High School
• Debut April 20, 1908
• Final Game September 29, 1908
• Born January 26, 1877 in Greens Fork, IN USA
• Died May 29, 1964 in Anderson, IN USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"This is the second time this year that Washington and Pittsburgh were after the same pitcher... Eli Cates, the California twirler, was the first one..." - Sporting Life, September 21, 1907, commenting on the competition between teams to sign Eli Cates and Carson Hodge

"Eli Cates continues to be general utility man for Vancouver. The former pitcher can play any position well." - Sporting Life, June 1, [[1912]

Eli Cates pitched 19 games while also paying some second base for the Washington Senators at 31 in 1908. He finished 4-8 with a 2.53 ERA while batting .186. Through 2019, he is the only major leaguer named Cates, although there have been numerous minor leaguers with that last name. There have been a number of major leaguers with the first name Eli, with the most prominent perhaps being Eli Grba.

In the minors, Eli won 20-plus games with Oakland from 1906-1907. He was with the Toledo Mud Hens in 1898-1900 and the Minneapolis Millers in 1901. One researcher found he had a lifetime minor league record of 156-163, although there is one year with no stats for him. minorleagueresearcher.blogspot.com/2006_03_01_archive.html

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Playoffs	Notes
1904	Leavenworth Orioles	Missouri Valley League		--	--	replaced by Elmer Smith

Related Sites

• Eli Cates at the SABR Bio Project