Otto Schomberg

Otto H. Schomberg
born Otto H. Shambrick

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 11" Weight 175 lb.

• Debut July 7, 1886
• Final Game July 14, 1888
• Born November 14, 1864 in Milwaukee, WI USA
• Died May 3, 1927 in Ottawa, KS USA

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Biographical Information

Otto Schomberg played in the majors from 1886 to 1888. He was an excellent hitter in 1886 and 1887, but slumped in 1888.

Schomberg was born in Milwaukee, WI in 1864. As a young man he worked as a laborer and machinist, and played for the amateur Arctics and Maple Leafs in his hometown.

He played in the minors before becoming the regular first baseman with the 1886 Pittsburgh Alleghenys, a team which went 80-57 for the season. While Otto had some ability to hit for average and for power, it was his tendency to draw walks which most helped his offensive performance - his OBP of .417 was far higher than any other regular on the team.

During the off-season Pittsburgh traded him to St. Louis who sold him to the 1887 Indianapolis Hoosiers of the 1887 National League. Otto played as well in the 1887 National League as he had in the 1886 American Association. His OBP was again by far the highest of the team regulars, and this time his slugging percentage was second-highest on the team, behind Jerry Denny. Otto was quite possibly the best hitter on a lousy team (it went 37-89).

Otto stayed with the team during the first half of 1888, but his hitting wasn't as impressive. With a .214 batting average and not much power, his last game was July 14.

Schomberg was not considered much of a fielder during his major league career, and he once asked to be moved to the outfield. However, some observers claimed that any first baseman would have struggled with the strong throws of Jerry Denny and Jack Glasscock. Denny once said that Schomberg was a great hitter but couldn't throw. In spite of that, in 1888 there were thoughts of making him a pitcher.

Otto suffered an injury and also malaria in 1888 and was released in mid-season. He spent the rest of the season playing for the amateur Browns in Milwaukee.

Over the next few years Otto played occasionally on pro and amateur teams, and sometimes umpired. He prospered in the lumber business and in 1893 served briefly as the president of the Milwaukee club of the Western League, a team in which he had 10% ownership. Because his lumber business did well, he was able to invest in other ventures as well, including a hotel, an office building and a bank. He was a delegate to the Republican congressional convention in 1896.

One source: biography of Otto Schomberg.

Related Sites

• Otto Schomberg at the SABR Bio Project
• The book "Baseball in Indianapolis" has a photo of him on p. 17.