Art Croft
{{Short description|American baseball player (1855–1884)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Art Croft
|position=First baseman/Left fielder
|image=
|bats=Unknown
|throws=Unknown
|birth_date={{Birth date|1855|1|23}}
|birth_place=St. Louis, Missouri
|death_date={{death date and age|1884|3|16|1855|1|23}}
|death_place=St. Louis, Missouri
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate= May 5
|debutyear= 1875
|debutteam= St. Louis Red Stockings
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate= September 13
|finalyear= 1878
|finalteam= Indianapolis Blues
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=Games played
|stat1value=133
|stat2label=Runs scored
|stat2value=50
|stat3label=Batting average
|stat3value=.195
|teams=
- St. Louis Red Stockings ({{Baseball year|1875}})
- St. Louis Brown Stockings ({{Baseball year|1877}})
- Indianapolis Blues ({{Baseball year|1878}})
}}
Arthur F. Croft (January 23, 1855 – March 16, 1884) was an American Major League Baseball player. He played for three teams during three-year professional and Major League career.
Career
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Croft began his professional career in {{Baseball year|1875}} when he joined the St. Louis Red Stockings of the National Association. He played in 19 games that season, all of which he played in the outfield, and batted .200 in 75 at bats.{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/C/Pcrofa101.htm|title=Art Croft's career statistics|publisher=retrosheet.org|accessdate=2008-10-04}}
His next season, in {{Baseball year|1877}}, when he joined the St. Louis Brown Stockings of the National League, and played in 54 of the team's 60 games.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/1877.shtml|title=1877 St. Louis Brown Stockings team|publisher=baseball-reference.com|accessdate=2008-10-04}} He split his playing time between first base and left field, and hit a career high .232, while scoring 23 runs, and had 27 RBIs.
The following season, {{Baseball year|1878}}, Croft joined the Indianapolis Blues, also of the National League, his last season in the Major Leagues. He played in all 60 of the team's games as the starting first baseman.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/IND/1878.shtml|title=1878 Indianapolis Blues team|publisher=baseball-reference.com|accessdate=2008-10-04}} He batted .158 in 222 at bats, and scored 22 runs.
Croft finished his three-year career with a .195 batting average in 139 games, scored 50 runs, 45 RBIs, and hit 14 doubles. He died in St. Louis on March 16, 1884{{cite news |title=Death of a base-ball player |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1884/03/17/archives/death-of-a-baseball-player.html |access-date=29 October 2021 |work=The New York Times |issue=XXXIII {{!}} 10150 |date=17 March 1884 |page=1 |url-access=subscription}} at the age of 29 of Typhoid Pneumonia,{{cite web|url=http://www.thedeadballera.com/tooyoung.html|title=Too Young To Die|publisher=thedeadballera.com|accessdate=2008-10-04| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080923192700/http://www.thedeadballera.com/tooyoung.html| archivedate= 23 September 2008 | url-status= live}} and is interred at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Baseballstats |mlb= |espn= |br=c/croftar01 |fangraphs=1002783 |cube=|brm=croft-001art}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Croft, Art}}
Category:19th-century baseball players
Category:19th-century American sportsmen
Category:Baseball players from St. Louis
Category:Major League Baseball first basemen
Category:Major League Baseball left fielders
Category:St. Louis Red Stockings players
Category:St. Louis Brown Stockings players
Category:Indianapolis Blues players