Ross C. "Brick" Eldred (July 26, 1892 – December 22, 1976) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

. He played for the

Salt Lake City Bees The Salt Lake City Bees was a primary moniker of the minor league baseball teams, based in Salt Lake City, Utah between 1911 and 1970 under various names. After minor league baseball first began in Salt Lake City in 1900, the Bees were long-time ...

, the Sacramento Senators, and the

Seattle Indians Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of ...

of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Bas ...

(PCL) from 1916 to 1930. He is a member of the

PCL Hall of Fame PCL may refer to: Aviation * FAP Captain David Abenzur Rengifo International Airport, near Pucallpa, Peru (IATA code: PCL) *Pilot-controlled lighting, a system by which aircraft pilots can control the lighting of runways and taxiways via radio con ...

Early life and career

Eldred was born in

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, on July 26, 1892. He graduated from

Sacramento High School Sacramento Charter High School ("Sac High") is an independent public charter high school in the Oak Park neighborhood of Sacramento, California. Originally founded in 1856, Sacramento High is the second oldest public high school in California. In ...

in 1910. When he was fully grown, Eldred stood tall and weighed approximately , earning him the nickname "Brick".

Professional career

Early career

After playing semi-professional baseball, Eldred signed with the

of the

(PCL) after the 1915 season. He made the team for the 1916 season as a

utility player In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water polo. The ...

. With Salt Lake City unable to get Eldred playing time, they traded him to the

Seattle Giants The Seattle Giants were a minor league baseball team that played in various leagues from 1910 to 1920. Based in Seattle, Washington, United States and owned by Dan Dugdale, they played in the Northwestern League from 1910 to 1917, the Pacific Coast ...

of the

Northwestern League The Northwestern League was a sports league that operated in the Central United States during the early years of professional baseball for five seasons: 1879, 1883–1884, and 1886–1887. After the 1887 season, the league was replaced by the ...

in June. Eldred had a .332

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average i ...

for Seattle in 1932. The Giants sold Eldred to the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

. In 1917, Eldred reported to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

with the White Sox and competed to become the starting

right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In t ...

against

Nemo Leibold Harry Loran "Nemo" Leibold (February 17, 1892 – February 4, 1977) was an outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1913 to 1925. He played for the Cleveland Naps, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, and Washington Senators. He stood at and ...

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has als ...

Jack Fournier John Frank Fournier (September 28, 1889 – September 5, 1973) was an American professional baseball first baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Brookly ...

, and

Shano Collins John Francis "Shano" Collins (December 4, 1885 – September 10, 1955) was an American right fielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox. Early life Collins was born on December 4, 1885 in ...

. The White Sox

optioned In the film industry, an option is a contractual agreement pertaining to film rights between a potential film producer (such as a movie studio, a production company, or an individual) and the author of source material, such as a book, play, or s ...

Eldred to the

Newark Bears The Newark Bears were an American minor league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball. ...

of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ( ...

. However, Danny Shay, the manager of the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...

of the American Association, claimed that he had bought Eldred from Seattle, and appealed to the

National Baseball Commission The National Baseball Commission was the governing body of Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball from 1903 to 1920. It consisted of a chairman, the presidents of the National League (NL) and American League (AL), and a secretary. The ...

. The Commission awarded Eldred to Newark. He batted .269 with Newark during the 1917 season, and the White Sox recalled him in August. He did not play for the White Sox, and Eldred got into a salary dispute with the team after they declined to pay him for the final month of the season. Eldred petitioned

Garry Herrmann August "Garry" Herrmann (May 3, 1859 – April 25, 1931) was an American political operative for Cincinnati political boss George B. Cox, an executive of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team, and president of National Baseball Commission. In 1946, ...

, the head of the National Commission, to gain his release from the White Sox organization.

Sacramento and Seattle

The Sacramento Senators of the PCL purchased Eldred from the White Sox for $750 ($ in current dollar terms) before the 1918 season. He batted .264 for Sacramento in 1918 and batted .311 in 1919. In May 1920, Bill Rodgers, the manager of the Senators, fined Eldred $25 ($ in current dollar terms) for using disrespectful language towards him and another $25 for not hustling on the field. Eldred refused to play in the next game and Rodgers suspended him indefinitely. Rodgers also accused Eldred of being out of shape. A few days later, the Senators sold Eldred to the

of the PCL for $3,500 ($ in current dollar terms). The Indians also raised Eldred's salary and paid the $50 fine. Eldred recorded over 200

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album s ...

in five seasons between 1920 and 1925. He had 231 hits in 1920 and batted .339, the third-best average in the PCL. His average dropped to .319 in 1921, and the team cut his salary by $75 per month ($ in current dollar terms). Eldred batted .354 in 1922, the third-best in the league, with 260 hits. He batted .353 with 262 hits during the 1923 season. In 1924, Eldred batted .351 with 240 hits and led the league with 71 doubles. He had 242 hits for the 1925 season.

Later career

The Indians acquired

Fuzzy Hufft Irvin Victor "Fuzzy" Hufft (August 2, 1901 – October 28, 1973) was an American professional baseball outfielder. He played in the Pacific Coast League for the Seattle Indians, Mission Reds, and Oakland Oaks from 1926 to 1932. He is a member ...

in 1926, which led to a reduction in Eldred's playing time. Eldred had been the

cleanup hitter In baseball, a cleanup hitter is the fourth hitter in the batting order. The cleanup hitter is traditionally the team's most powerful hitter. His job is to "clean up the bases", i.e., drive in base runners. Theory The thinking behind the us ...

for Seattle, but they moved him out of the role in 1926, replacing him with

Monk Sherlock John Clinton "Monk" Sherlock (October 26, 1904 – November 26, 1985) was a professional baseball player. He played one season in Major League Baseball for the 1930 Philadelphia Phillies, primarily as a first baseman. He was also the older broth ...

. He batted .340 in 1926 and .325 in 1927. Eldred returned to Seattle for the 1928 season as a bench player. At the end of April, Seattle sold him to the

Wichita Falls Spudders The Wichita Falls Spudders were a minor league baseball team that formed in 1920 and played its last game in 1957. They were based in Wichita Falls, Texas. The first Spudders team ran from 1920–1932 and played in the Texas League as an affiliat ...

of the Class A

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

for $5,000 ($ in current dollar terms) after he had cleared waivers in the PCL. He batted .356 in 91 games for Wichita Falls in 1928. Eldred became a bench player for Wichita Falls in 1929. He was sold to the

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

American Association in July following the acquisition of

Larry Bettencourt Lawrence Joseph Bettencourt (September 22, 1905 – September 15, 1978) was an American football and baseball player. He played professionally in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and third baseman for the St. Louis Browns and in the N ...

. Milwaukee released Eldred before the 1930 season. In May 1930, the Senators released Wally Hood and signed Eldred. In 79 games, Eldred batted .369. The Senators released Eldred before the 1931 season. In his career, Eldred played in 1,709 PCL games, finishing with a .332 batting average, 2,034 hits, 516 doubles, and 219 stolen bases.

Personal life

Eldred and his wife, Myrtle, married in 1914. They had a son, Richard. After he retired from baseball, he worked for the

California Almond Growers Exchange Almonds maturing on a tree California Almond Growers Exchange (CAGE) is a historical building in Sacramento, California, built in 1915. The first successful almond farmer owned cooperative was the California Almond Growers Exchange founded in 1 ...

. Eldred died in Sacramento on December 22, 1976. He was inducted into the

in 2003.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eldred, Brick 1892 births 1976 deaths Seattle Giants players Salt Lake City Bees players Newark Bears players Sacramento Senators players Seattle Rainiers players Seattle Indians players Wichita Falls Spudders players Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players Baseball players from Sacramento, California Minor league baseball players Baseball outfielders