Marty Swandell

John Martin Swandell
born Martin Schwendel

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 10½", Weight 146 lb.

• Debut May 7, 1872
• Born 1841 in Baden
• Died October 25, 1906 in Brooklyn, NY USA

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Biographical Information

Marty Swandell was born in the Germanic state of Baden before German unification, but came to the U.S. in time to be one of the early professional players. He played in a high-profile game in 1869 when the famous 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings beat Swandell and the 1869 New York Mutuals in a 4-2 game that "was the talk of the whole fraternity at the time," according to Henry Chadwick, the father of baseball, in an 1888 article. Swandell hit fifth in the lineup in that game and played third base.

He was on the New York Mutuals in 1869 and 1870 before the National Association was formed, and then in 1872 and 1873 played for the Brooklyn Eckfords and the 1873 Elizabeth Resolutes. He was the oldest player on the Eckfords and the second-oldest on the Resolutes.

Although he appeared in only 16 games in the National Association, he played four different positions. This was similar to his time with the Mutuals, where he played second base, third base, and outfield. He was also frequently called upon to work as an umpire, with 28 games in the National Association between 1871 and 1874. He was married to the sister of Eckfords teammate Tom Malone.

According to William Ryczek's book Baseball's First Inning, Swandell later became a prosperous baker. The book indicates he was on the amateur Eckfords in 1862 when they won the championship.

Related Sites

• Marty Swandell on Retrosheet.org