Charles Taylor Hickman (May 4, 1876 – April 19, 1934) 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 ...

player and

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

coach. He played all or part of 12 seasons 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) 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 ...

for seven different franchises, including over 200 games each with the Cleveland Bronchos / Naps, Washington Senators, and

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

. After his professional carer, he coached the

West Virginia Mountaineers baseball The West Virginia Mountaineers baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball program of West Virginia University, located in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. The program has been a member of the NCAA Division I Big 12 Conference s ...

team for four seasons.

Playing career

Hickman was born in

Taylorstown, Pennsylvania Taylorstown, Pennsylvania is a census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census si ...

, and played one season of

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...

in 1897. He began his professional career in the

Interstate League The Interstate League was the name of five different American minor baseball leagues that played intermittently from 1896 through 1952. Early leagues Earlier versions of the Interstate League, with years active: *1896–1901: an unclassifie ...

, a

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in N ...

, in 1896–1897.

Boston Beaneaters

Hickman's first major-league experience came with the

Boston Beaneaters Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most p ...

in 1897, when he appeared in two games as a pitcher. He made 19 additional appearances with Boston in both 1898 and 1899, mainly as a pitcher along with games as a first baseman and outfielder. In 40 total games with the Beaneaters, Hickman compiled a .339

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 ...

along with a 7–2

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

as a pitcher.

New York Giants

Hickman next played for the

, who purchased his contract in March 1900, appearing in 127 games in 1900 and 112 games in 1901. As a pitcher he went 3–5 in nine starts during 1901, after not pitching the prior season. He batted .297 in 239 total games with the Giants. Defensively, he was the team's primary third basemen in 1900, while in 1901 he made appearances at all positions except for catcher.

Boston Americans

Hickman began the 1902 season with the Boston Americans, in the second season of play for 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 28 games, he batted .296 while making 27 appearances as a left fielder and one as a

pinch runner In baseball, a pinch runner is a player substituted for the specific purpose of replacing another player on base. The pinch runner may be faster or otherwise more skilled at base-running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been subs ...

. On June 3, his contract was sold by Boston.

Cleveland Bronchos / Naps

Hickman spent the remainder of the 1902 season with the Cleveland Bronchos, serving as the team's primary first baseman (98 games). He batted .378 through the end of the season with Cleveland, for an overall batting average of .361 for the 1902 season. He led the American League in hits (193) and

total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run. For example, three singles is three total bases, whil ...

(288) for the season. He returned to the team, renamed as the

Cleveland Naps The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressiv ...

, for 1903 (batting .295 in 131 games) and part of 1904 (batting .288 in 86 games) until he was traded on August 7, 1904.

Detroit Tigers

Hickman joined the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

in exchange for first baseman Charlie Carr, playing 42 games through the end of the 1904 season. Defensively, he played exclusively at first base (39 games) along with three pinch hitting appearances. He batted .243 in those games for Detroit, giving him an overall average of .274 for the 1904 season. He returned to Detroit in 1905, playing 47 games in right field and 12 games at first base—while batting only .221—until the team sold his contract on July 6. In 101 total games with Detroit split across two seasons, he had a .230 average.

Washington Senators

Hickman played for the Washington Senators for 88 games in 1905, 120 games in 1906, and 64 games in 1907. He played primarily as a second basemen in his first season with the team, then was a right fielder in 1906, and split time between first base and right field in his final season with the team. He made his final major-league pitching appearance with the Senators, pitching five innings in a single relief appearance in 1907. He compiled an overall .292 batting average with the team until his contract was sold on August 1, 1907.

Chicago White Sox

Hickman finished the 1907 season with 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 ...

, batting .261 in 21 games, primarily as a pinch hitter. After the season, the team sold his contract.

Cleveland Naps (second stint)

Hickman completed his major-league career with 66 games for Cleveland, until he was traded into the minor leagues on August 3, 1908. He batted .234 with the 1908 Naps. In two stints and 384 total career games with Cleveland, he had a .309 average. While his final major-league appearance came in July 1908, Hickman played professionally as late as 1911 in the minor-league American Association. A newspaper article in July of that season noted that he had weight issues through his career—"His girth and dimensions have increased with each passing season."

Career totals

Hickman played in 1,081 major-league games across 12 seasons and had a .295 average with 59 home runs and 614

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

(RBIs). Despite acquiring the nickname "Piano Legs", he amassed 91

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a "treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * In ...

s and had 72 stolen bases. As a pitcher, he compiled a 10–8 record in 30 games (22 starts) with a 4.28

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the numb ...

(ERA) while striking out 37 batters in 185

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning ...

. Hickman was not a strong defender, committing 357

error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistic ...

s during his major-league career while posting a .946

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

. His 87 errors during the 1900 season (86 in 120 games at third base, and one in seven games as an outfielder) are the third-worst in major-league history since 1900, exceeded only by

John Gochnaur John Peter Gochnaur (September 12, 1875 – September 27, 1929) was an American professional baseball player. He played three seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1901 to 1903, for the Brooklyn Superbas and Cleveland Broncos/Naps. He a ...

(98 in 1903) and Bill Keister (97 in 1901). Gochnaur set the record as a shortstop for the 1903 Naps, when Hickman was the team's primary first baseman. Hickman also committed five errors in a single game on September 29, 1905, as a second baseman with the Washington Senators. Hickman served as an

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...

for one major-league game, occurring on April 29, 1907. With no regular umpires present, Hickman (with the Washington Senators) umpired at home and

Chief Bender Charles Albert "Chief" Bender (May 5, 1884There is uncertainty about Bender's birth-date. He was voted the SABR "Centennial Celebrity" of 1983, as the best baseball player or figure born in 1883. However, the SABR ''Baseball Research Journal'' f ...

(of the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oakl ...

) umpired at first base.

Coaching career

Hickman coached the

team for four seasons, in 1913 and 1915–1917. His career record was 58–23–1.

Yearly record

Later life

Hickman worked as a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement * Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

for the Cleveland baseball franchise for over a decade. He then became involved in politics, and was elected mayor of

Morgantown, West Virginia Morgantown is a city in and the county seat of Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Monongahela River. The largest city in North-Central West Virginia, Morgantown is best known as the home of West Virginia Universit ...

(the home of West Virginia University) three times. He also served as a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a ''magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

and

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

. Hickman had married in 1913, and had three children. He was a fan of movies, highlighted by a 1915 newspaper article during the

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

era;

Marguerite Clark Helen Marguerite Clark (February 22, 1883 – September 25, 1940) was an American stage and silent film actress. As a movie actress, at one time, Clark was second only to Mary Pickford in popularity. All but five of her films are consider ...

was his favorite actress. Hickman returned to Cleveland for an

old-timers' game Old-Timers' Day (or Old-Timers' Game) refers to a tradition in Major League Baseball where a team devotes the early afternoon preceding a weekend game to honor retired players who played for the organization during their careers. The retired play ...

played on July 29, 1921, along with other former Cleveland players such as

Neal Ball Cornelius "Neal" Ball (April 22, 1881 – October 15, 1957) was an American baseball shortstop who played seven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the New York Highlanders, Cleveland Naps, and Boston Red Sox from 1907 to 1913. ...

Nap Lajoie Napoléon "Nap" Lajoie (; September 5, 1874 – February 7, 1959), also known as Larry Lajoie and nicknamed "The Frenchman", was an American professional baseball second baseman and player-manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for t ...

Cy Young Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. Born in Gilmore, Ohio, he worked on his family's farm as a youth before starting his professional baseball career. Young entered th ...

, and Chief Zimmer. Hickman died in Morgantown in 1934, apparently from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which m ...

. His widow, Pearl ''née '' Taylor, died in 1965. In 2017, Hickman was inducted to the Sports Hall of Fame at West Virginia University, which noted that he "remains the most prominent player with WVU ties to have played in the major leagues."

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hickman, Charlie 1876 births 1934 deaths Sportspeople from Morgantown, West Virginia People from Washington County, Pennsylvania Baseball players from Pennsylvania 19th-century baseball players Boston Americans players Boston Beaneaters players Chicago White Sox players Cleveland Bronchos players Cleveland Naps players Detroit Tigers players New York Giants (NL) players Washington Senators (1901–1960) players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players New Castle Quakers players New Castle Salamanders players Providence Clamdiggers (baseball) players Providence Grays (minor league) players Rochester Patriots players Toledo Mud Hens players West Virginia Mountaineers baseball coaches West Virginia Mountaineers baseball players Mayors of Morgantown, West Virginia