:Hartford Dark Blues all-time roster
{{short description|List of baseball players}}
File:Hartford Dark Blues 1876.jpg]]
The Hartford Dark Blues were a Major League Baseball club in the 1870s, based in Hartford, Connecticut, for three seasons and in Brooklyn, New York, for one.{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/H/FR_HAR.htm|title=Hartford Dark Blues (1874–1877)|work=retrosheet.org|publisher=Retrosheet, Inc|access-date=December 1, 2009|archive-date=June 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628030009/http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/H/FR_HAR.htm|url-status=live}} Hartford was a member of the National Association (NA), {{baseball year|1874}}–{{baseball year|1875}} and a founding member of the National League (NL) in {{baseball year|1876}}, when it played home games at the Hartford Ball Club Grounds.{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/H/PK_HRT01.htm|title=Hartford Ball Club Grounds in Hartford, CT|work=retrosheet.org|publisher=Retrosheet, Inc|access-date=December 1, 2009|archive-date=July 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709143308/http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/H/PK_HRT01.htm|url-status=live}} During {{baseball year|1877}} the team played home games at the Union Grounds in Brooklyn and was sometimes called the Brooklyn Hartfords.Melville, p. 100{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/N/PK_NYC01.htm|title=Union Grounds in Brooklyn, NY|work=retrosheet.org|publisher=Retrosheet, Inc|access-date=December 1, 2009|archive-date=July 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709120531/http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/N/PK_NYC01.htm|url-status=live}}
The team's owner, Morgan Bulkeley, who later became the first president of the NL in 1876, established the franchise in 1874; he gave the on-field captain duties to Lip Pike, who was also the starting center fielder.{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1874/THR101874.htm|title=The 1874 Hartford Dark Blues|work=retrosheet.org|publisher=Retrosheet, Inc|access-date=December 2, 2009|archive-date=August 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210806231829/https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1874/THR101874.htm|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1874/UPHR101874.htm|title=The 1874 Hartford Dark Blues Regular Season Roster|work=retrosheet.org|publisher=Retrosheet, Inc|access-date=December 2, 2009}} Among the other players signed by Hartford were pitcher Cherokee Fisher, who had led the NA in earned run average the two previous seasons, second baseman Bob Addy, and Scott Hastings.{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/F/Pfishc102.htm|title=Cherokee Fisher|work=retrosheet.org|publisher=Retrosheet, Inc|access-date=December 2, 2009|archive-date=January 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125162453/http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/F/Pfishc102.htm|url-status=live}}
After placing seventh among the league's eight teams, the team's roster was purged and captain duties were handed over to third baseman Bob Ferguson, who stayed in the role for the remaining three seasons of the franchise's existence.{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1874/Y_1874.htm|title=The 1874 Season|work=retrosheet.org|publisher=Retrosheet, Inc|access-date=December 2, 2009|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924090343/http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1874/Y_1874.htm|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/F/Pfergb101.htm|title=Bob Ferguson|work=retrosheet.org|publisher=Retrosheet, Inc|access-date=December 2, 2009|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924145153/http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/F/Pfergb101.htm|url-status=live}} The change in personnel, which included the pitching additions of future Hall of Famer Candy Cummings and Tommy Bond, improved the team's results.{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1875/UPHR101875.htm|title=The 1875 Hartford Dark Blues Regular Season Roster|work=retrosheet.org|publisher=Retrosheet, Inc|access-date=December 2, 2009}} With the team's pitching rotation stable, and the hitting of Tom Carey, Tom York, Dick Higham, and Jack Burdock, the franchise enjoyed second-place finishes in 1875 and 1876.{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1876/UPHAR01876.htm|title=The 1876 Hartford Dark Blues Regular Season Roster|work=retrosheet.org|publisher=Retrosheet, Inc|access-date=December 2, 2009}}
Following the departure of their pitching stars, Cummings and Bond, the team had to rely on Terry Larkin in 1877, who shouldered most of the pitching duties. The Dark Blues finished in third place, despite the hitting of John Cassidy, who batted .378.{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1877/UPHAR01877.htm|title=The 1877 Hartford Dark Blues Regular Season Roster|work=retrosheet.org|publisher=Retrosheet, Inc|access-date=December 2, 2009}} When Bulkeley moved his team to Brooklyn in 1877, he expected that he would make a better profit than he had in Hartford. The larger population of Brooklyn did not, however, respond in kind, and the Hartfords' fan base did not increase. He became disenchanted with his involvement in baseball, and with his interest in running the day-to-day operations of the team. Because of this and the lack of fan support, the team disbanded after the 1877 season.
Keys
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| class="wikitable"
|+ Abbreviations |
| Name
|Name of the player by official records |
| Position
|Position that player played in the field |
| Seasons played
|The seasons played for this franchise by the player |
| style="background-color: #ffffbb"|{{dagger}}
|Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame |
| style="background-color: #bbeeff"|§
|Player was a player-manager |
{{Col-break}}
| class="wikitable"
|+Position |
| C
!1B |
|---|
| 2B
!3B |
| SS
!IF |
| LF
!CF |
| RF
!OF |
| SP
!RP |
{{Col-break}}
{{Col-end}}
List of players
File:Tommy bond baseball.jpg Tommy Bond]]
File:Jack Burdock baseball card.jpg Jack Burdock]]
File:Johncassidy.png John Cassidy]]
File:Bobferguson10.jpg and third baseman Bob Ferguson]]
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" border="1" |
| scope="col" | Player
! scope="col" | Position ! scope="col" | Seasons ! scope="col"; class="unsortable" | Notes ! scope="col"; class="unsortable" | Ref |
|---|
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Bob|Addy}}
| 2B | 1874 | Addy played in 50 games for one season in Hartford, and batted .239 in 213 at bats. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Art|Allison}}
| RF | 1875 | Allison finished the season with Hartford after having played with Washington Nationals. He was the brother of teammate Doug Allison. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Doug|Allison}}
| C | Allison was the team's catcher for their final three seasons. He was the brother of teammate Art Allison. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Tom|Barlow|Tom Barlow (baseball)}}
| SS | 1874 | Barlow, who had previously been the catcher for the Brooklyn Atlantics, was the team's shortstop for one season. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Billy|Barnie}}
| RF | 1874 | Barnie's only season with the Dark Blues was the only season in which he played more than 19 games. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|John|Bass|John Bass (baseball)}}
| LF | 1877 | Bass' last season at the major league level, he played in one game for the Brooklyn Hartfords. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Tommy|Bond|Tommy Bond (baseball)}}
| SP | Bond won 19 and 31 games respectively in his two-season tenure with the Dark Blues. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Bill|Boyd|Bill Boyd (baseball)}}
| 3B | 1874 | Boyd played 26 games at third base for the Dark Blues. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Steve|Brady|Steve Brady (baseball)}}
| 1874 | Brady split his playing time between third base and the outfield, batting .314 in 27 games. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Josh|Bunce}}
| LF | 1877 | Bunce's entire major league career consisted of a single game. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Jack|Burdock}}
| 2B | Burdock was the franchise's second baseman for their final three seasons. He led all NA second baseman with a .895 fielding percentage in 1875. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Tom|Carey|Tom Carey (shortstop)}}
| SS | Carey was a steady veteran player during his three seasons with the Dark Blues, leading all shortstops in games played each season; his total of 86 led the NA in 1875. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|John|Cassidy|John Cassidy (baseball)}}
| RF | Cassidy played in 12 games for the 1876 team, but followed it with a full season in 1877 and batted .378. |
| scope="row" style="background-color:#ffffbb"| {{sortname|Candy|Cummings}}{{dagger}}
| SP | Cummings is credited as the inventor of the curveball. He played two seasons in Hartford, and won 35 games for the 1875 team. | align="center"|{{cite web|url=https://baseballbiography.com/candy-cummings-1848|title=The Ballplayers: Candy Cummings|work=baseballbiography.com|publisher=The Idea Logical Company, Inc|access-date=December 2, 2009|archive-date=January 28, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128123815/https://baseballbiography.com/candy-cummings-1848/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/C/Pcummc101.htm|title=Candy Cummings|access-date=December 2, 2009|work=retrosheet.org|publisher=Retrosheet, Inc|archive-date=June 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625124533/http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/C/Pcummc101.htm|url-status=live}} |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Jack|Farrell|Jack Farrell (outfielder)}}
| CF | 1874 |
| scope="row" style="background-color:#bbeeff"|{{sortname|Bob|Ferguson|Bob Ferguson (infielder)}}§
| 3B | Ferguson played third base and was player-manager for the franchise's final three seasons. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Cherokee|Fisher}}
| 1874 | In his only season with Hartford, Fisher had a win–loss record of 13–23. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Bill|Harbridge}}
| Harbridge was a utility player for his first three seasons in majors, which were the last three for the Hartford franchise. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Scott|Hastings|Scott Hastings (baseball)}}
| 1874 | Hastings was a utility player during his only season in Hartford, and had a .324 batting average. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Dick|Higham}}
| 1876 | In his only season in Hartford, Higham had a .327 batting average, and led the NL with 21 doubles. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Jim|Holdsworth}}
| CF | 1877 | Holdsworth's only season in Hartford was his last full season of his major league career. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Charley|Jones}}
| CF | 1875 | Jones played in one game for Hartford, which was his first season of his major league career. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Terry|Larkin}}
| SP | 1875 | Larkin pitched one season with the Dark Blues, and had a win–loss record of 29–25. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|John|Maloney|John Maloney (baseball)}}
| CF | 1877 | Maloney's one game played with the Dark Blues was the last game of his major league career. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Jack|Manning|Jack Manning (baseball)}}
| 3B | 1874 | Manning's time with Hartford consisted of one game. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Everett|Mills}}
| 1B | Mills was the Dark Blues' first baseman for the first three seasons of the franchise's history. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Fancy|O'Neil}}
| RF | 1874 | O'Neil's major league career consisted of a single game. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Israel|Pike}}
| RF | 1877 | Pike played in one game, and was the brother of Lip Pike, who had played for the Dark Blues in 1874. |
| scope="row" style="background-color:#bbeeff"|{{sortname|Lip|Pike}}§
| 1874 | Pike was a player-manager in 1874 team, and was the brother of Israel Pike, who played for the Dark Blues in 1877. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Paddy|Quinn|Paddy Quinn (baseball)}}
| 1875 | Quinn's time in Hartford consisted of five games. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Jack|Remsen}}
| CF | Remsen was the Dark Blues' center fielder for two full seasons. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Orator|Shaffer}}
| LF | 1874 | Shaffer's only season in Hartford was the first of his 13-season major league career. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Joe|Start}}
| 1B | 1877 | Start was the Dark Blues' first baseman for their season in Brooklyn. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Bill|Stearns}}
| 1874 | In Stearns' one season for Hartford, he had a 3–14 win–loss record. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Live Oak|Taylor}}
| LF | 1877 | Taylor appeared in two games for the Brooklyn team. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Jim|Tipper}}
| LF | 1874 | Tipper played one full season as the Dark Blues' left fielder. |
| scope="row" |{{sortname|Tom|York|Tom York (baseball)|Tom York}}
| LF | York played for the franchise during their final three seasons, and led the NL in games played with 86 in 1875. |
References
;General
- Melville, Tom. 2001. Early baseball and the rise of the National League. McFarland. {{ISBN|0-7864-0962-2}}.
;Specific
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- [https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/HAR/bat.shtml Baseball Reference] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150607195117/http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/HAR/bat.shtml |date=2015-06-07 }}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartford Dark Blues All-Time Roster}}