Gustavus Heinrich Schmelz (September 26, 1850 – October 14, 1925) was an American

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

for the Columbus Buckeyes (1884),

Cincinnati Red Stockings The Cincinnati Red Stockings of were baseball's first all-professional team, with ten salaried players. The Cincinnati Base Ball Club formed in 1866 and fielded competitive teams in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) 1867� ...

(1887–89), and Columbus Solons (1890–91) of the American Association. He was also the manager for the St. Louis Maroons (1886),

Cleveland Spiders The Cleveland Spiders were an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The team competed at the major league level from 1887 to 1899, first for two seasons as a member of the now-defunct American Association (AA), followed ...

(1890), and Washington Senators (1894–97) of the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

. According to baseball historian Peter Morris, Schmelz was the first to capitalize on bunting, earning him the nickname "the Father of the Bunt". In 1891, ''Sporting Life'' referred to a player's habit of bunting as the "Schmelz system". He was regarded as a player's manager, but his camaraderie with his players did not translate to pennants, as he never finished higher than second place. His lifetime managerial record was 624–703 (.470). Schmelz died in his birthplace of Columbus, Ohio at age 75 and is buried at Green Lawn Cemetery.

References

External links

Baseball-Reference.com
– career managing record 1850 births 1925 deaths Columbus Buckeyes managers St. Louis Maroons managers Cincinnati Red Stockings managers Cleveland Spiders managers Columbus Solons managers Washington Senators (NL) managers Washington Senators (1891–1899) managers Minor league baseball managers Baseball coaches from Ohio Sportspeople from Columbus, Ohio Burials at Green Lawn Cemetery (Columbus, Ohio) {{US-baseball-manager-stub