Howard Wakefield

Howard John Wakefield

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.

• Debut September 18, 1905
• Final Game August 15, 1907
• Born April 2, 1884 in Bucyrus, OH USA
• Died April 16, 1941 in Chicago, IL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Howard Wakefield played three years in the majors. A catcher, his best year with the bat was 1906, when he hit .280 (in a year when the league hit .249).

He was the father of Dick Wakefield. Another son, Bob Wakefield, played minor league ball.

The book Baseball's Biggest Blunder: The Bonus Rule of 1953-57 discusses the bonus that his son Dick received and in passing states that Howard was the top pinch-hitter of 1906.

Howard played at least eight seasons in the minors, usually hitting over .300 and often playing first base. He also managed at least four times in the minors.

As a 21-year-old youngster, Wakefield played for Des Moines under player-manager Herman Long, who had been one of the great 19th Century stars.

He was featured on p. 1 of the Sporting Life issue of Sept. 21, 1907, with his likeness. The feature said he had "exceeding promise". He played in the Cleveland City League for several years before coming to the minors. He was said to have been a big factor in Des Moines winning the championship in 1905.

Sporting Life of Feb. 1, 1913 stated that he played (apparently in 1912) in the United States League and signed to play in 1913 with Kansas City.