William Frank Isbell (August 21, 1875 – July 15, 1941) was an American

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

second baseman In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...

, and

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 catch ...

in the 1910s.

Career

Born in

Delevan, New York Delevan is a Village (New York), village in Cattaraugus County, New York, Cattaraugus County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 1,064 at the 2020 census. The village is within the town of Yorkshire (town), New York, Yor ...

, Isbell was

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

d Bald Eagle due to his receding hairline, something he was quite sensitive about. Isbell was a good enough hitter to earn a starting spot on some very good White Sox teams, including the pennant-winning 1901 team, managed by Clark Griffith, the second-place 1905 team led by Fielder Jones, and finally the 1906 World Series champion White Sox team that included

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

George Davis and pitchers Doc White and

Ed Walsh Edward Augustine Walsh (May 14, 1881 – May 26, 1959) was an American pitcher and manager (baseball), manager in Major League Baseball, nicknamed "Big Ed". From 1906 to 1912, he had several seasons where he was one of the best pitchers in baseb ...

. It was known as one of the worst-hitting teams to ever win the World Series, with only Davis and Isbell hitting above .260 (Davis hit .277, Isbell .279). He played for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

in 1898, briefly, with 37

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 159

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, ...

s (.233

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 is ...

), and pitched as well as playing the outfield. Thirteen of his seventeen games pitched came with the Cubs. After not being seen in baseball for the next year, Isbell showed up again in 1900 playing for 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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

as a full-time first baseman. The

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

was not recognized in the Majors until 1901. Isbell played with the Sox until 1909. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Isbell set many offensive World Series records that year, including doubles and

extra base hit In baseball, an extra-base hit (EB, EBH or XBH), also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire ano ...

s in a game. , Isbell remains the only player to hit four doubles in a single postseason game. However, he was better known for his outstanding speed, including his 1901 season when he had 52

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out ...

s and led the Majors. He averaged 37 steals a year and ended with 253 for his career. In 1,119 games, Isbell finished with a .250 batting average with 13

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s and 455

RBIs A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) 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 th ...

. He had 1,056 career hits in 4,219

s. As a pitcher, he went 4–7 with a 3.59

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

. Isbell also became notable for being manager and owner of many teams in the Western League. He died in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Isbell, Frank 1875 births 1941 deaths American League stolen base champions Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball second basemen 19th-century baseball players 19th-century American sportsmen Chicago Orphans players Chicago White Sox players Baseball players from Cattaraugus County, New York Minor league baseball managers Wichita Jobbers players Pueblo Indians players Des Moines Boosters players Baseball coaches from New York (state)

Career

See also

Further reading

References

External links