Fred Pfeffer

Nathaniel Frederick Pfeffer
(Fritz or Dandelion)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10½", Weight 184 lb.

• Debut May 1, 1882
• Final Game June 14, 1897
• Born March 17, 1860 in Louisville, KY USA
• Died April 10, 1932 in Chicago, IL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Second baseman Fred Pfeffer, who had great defensive range and a decent bat, was picked by Cap Anson as the second baseman on Anson's all-time team. Of course, Pfeffer had been a long-time teammate of Anson with the Chicago White Stockings, so Anson may have been a bit biased.

Fred was born about the same time as Pete Browning, and the two played local ball in Louisville as youngsters. Both broke into the majors in May of 1882, although Fred spent his whole time in the National League while Pete was primarily in the American Association.

Pfeffer had his best offensive year in 1884, when he was second in the league with 25 homers and also second in the league with 101 RBI. Defensively, his range was far above the league average in 1884. Statistics are not available for how many bases he stole in 1884, but in 1888 he stole 64, good for fourth in the league.

Pfeffer broke in as a shortstop with the 1882 Troy Trojans, a team which featured Roger Connor at first base and Buck Ewing at third base, with Tim Keefe and Mickey Welch as the key pitchers.

Pfeffer closed out his major league career in 1897 with the Chicago Colts, which was also Cap Anson's last season and last team. He later managed the 1902 Decatur Commodores. He umpired a couple of National League games in 1897.

Notable Achievements

• NL Saves Leader (1885)
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1884)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (1884)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (1884)
• 50 Stolen Bases Seasons: 2 (1887 & 1888)

Records Held

• Hits, inning, 3, 9/6/1883, 7th inning (tied)
• Errors, second baseman, career, 857

Related Sites

This manager's article is missing a managerial chart. To make this person's article more complete, one should be added.