Charles A. Bastian (March 2, 1858 – November 10, 1943) 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 ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

. He played in

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) ...

(MLB) for the Wilmington Quicksteps,

Kansas City Cowboys Several sports team in Kansas City, Missouri have used the name Cowboys: *Kansas City Cowboys (Union Association), a baseball team in the Union Association in 1884 *Kansas City Cowboys (National League), a baseball team in the National League in 18 ...

, Philadelphia Quakers, Chicago White Stockings, Chicago Pirates,

Cincinnati Kelly's Killers Kelly's Killers were a Major League baseball team that played in Cincinnati, Ohio during the 1891 baseball season. The team played in the American Association, which was a major league from 1882 to 1891. The team nickname By contemporary new ...

, and

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citize ...

. Debuting with the Wilmington Quicksteps in 1884, Bastian played just 17 games before moving on to Union Association rival

, where he tallied another eleven. After the demise of the UA, Bastian signed with the Philadelphia Quakers of the National League. He became the club's everyday

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

, playing 103 games but hitting only .167 with 4 home runs and 29 RBI. He also led the league in strikeouts with 82. Despite this, in 1886, Bastian became the regular second baseman for the Quakers. His production increased a bit as he hit .217 with 2 home runs and 38 RBI, and he placed in the league's top ten in triples. However, as his offense was still subpar, Bastian lost his starting job for 1887, remaining with the team as a utility infielder that season and the next. The Chicago White Stockings (predecessors of the Cubs) were Bastian's next stop, as they purchased him from Philadelphia. With the Cubs, Bastian's performance bottomed out. He batted a career-low .135 and played in just 46 games. Bastian jumped to the fledgling

Players' League The Players' National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, popularly known as the Players' League (PL), was a short-lived but star-studded professional American baseball league of the 19th century. The PL was formed by the Brotherhood of Prof ...

in 1890, signing with the Chicago Pirates, where he was once again an everyday shortstop. However, his lack of offensive production continued to plague him, as Bastian failed to hit .200 for a third consecutive season. Bastian played a game each for the

and his old Philadelphia Quakers, now the

, in 1891 before hanging up his glove after his final appearance on August 22. In a 504-game career, Bastian hit just .189 with eleven home runs and 144 RBI. Bastian died on January 18, 1932, in

Pennsauken, New Jersey Pennsauken Township is a township in Camden County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population was 37,074, reflecting an increase of 1,189 (+3.3%) from the 35,885 coun ...

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bastian, Charlie 1860 births 1932 deaths Baseball players from Philadelphia Chicago White Stockings players Wilmington Quicksteps players Chicago Pirates players Kansas City Cowboys (UA) players Cincinnati Kelly's Killers players Philadelphia Quakers players Major League Baseball infielders 19th-century baseball players Trenton (minor league baseball) players Wilmington Quicksteps (minor league) players Philadelphia Athletics (minor league) players Binghamton Bingos players Macon Hornets players Philadelphia Colts players Dallas Steers players Dallas Navigators players Paterson Silk Weavers players Millville (minor league baseball) players