Henri Joseph Rondeau (May 5, 1887 – May 28, 1943) was an American

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player. He played professional baseball as an

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 ...

and a

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

for 17 years from 1909 to 1925, including parts of three seasons in

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 ...

for 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 club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

in 1913 and the Washington Senators from 1915 to 1916. He also played in all or parts of 12 seasons with the

Minneapolis Millers The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in ...

in the American Association.

Early years

Rondeau was born in

Danielson, Connecticut Danielson is a borough in the town of Killingly in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,155 at the 2020 census. History Danielson was originally named "Danielsonville" for Gen. James Danielson, the builder of th ...

, in 1887. He played baseball as a boy in Danielson and began playing organized baseball as a

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 ...

for the Perseverance team out of

Woonsocket, Rhode Island Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsoc ...

, in the Mill League.

Professional baseball

Minor leagues

In 1909, while playing for the Perseverance team, Rondeau was discovered by

Jesse Burkett Jesse Cail Burkett (December 4, 1868 – May 27, 1953), nicknamed "Crab", was an American professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1890 to 1905 for the New York Giants, Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Per ...

and signed to play with his Worcester Busters team in the

New England League The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played intermittently in five of the six New England states (Vermont excepted) between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League B ...

. He played for Worcester, principally as a

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 ...

but also as an

, in 1909 and 1910. Late in the 1910 season, after injuries to the Worcester

s, Burkett moved Rondeau to that position. In 1911, he was sold to the

Providence Grays The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from until . The Grays played at the Messer Street Grounds in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National ...

in the Eastern League. After the 1911 season, he was traded to the

Jersey City Skeeters The Jersey City Skeeters were a minor league baseball team which operated in Jersey City, New Jersey. The club started in the 1860s and by 1870 joined the National Association of Base Ball Players. By 1885, Jersey City had joined the Eastern Le ...

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 (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

. He compiled a .311 batting average in 90 games for the Skeeters.

Detroit Tigers

On September 16, 1912, Rondeau was drafted by the Washington Senators in the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

, but the Senators then sold him to the

two days later for $4,000. After watching him earn the backup catcher position during spring training, E. A. Batchelor of the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...

'' described Rondeau as a "scrappy" player who regularly engaged in heated dialogue with umpires over ball and strike calls – a fighting spirit that Batchelor concluded would make Rondeau valuable to the Tigers. Rondeau appeared in 36 games for the 1913 Detroit Tigers, including 12 games as the team's starting catcher and four games as the starting

. He compiled a .186 batting average with the Tigers. In August 1913, he suffered

sun stroke Heat stroke or heatstroke, also known as sun-stroke, is a severe heat illness that results in a body temperature greater than , along with red skin, headache, dizziness, and confusion. Sweating is generally present in exertional heatstroke, ...

and was hospitalized for several days.

Minneapolis

After his release from the hospital, he was traded by the Tigers to the

of the American Association. He hit .378 for Minneapolis in 19 games at the end of the 1913 season and continued to play well for Minneapolis in 1914, appearing in 150 games with a .308 batting average and .412 on-base percentage. He was converted from a catcher to an outfielder in July 1914 by Minneapolis manager

Joe Cantillon Joseph D. Cantillon (August 19, 1861 – January 31, 1930), nicknamed "Pongo Joe", was an American manager and umpire in Major League Baseball during the first decade of the 20th century. He also was a longtime manager in minor league baseball. ...

Washington Senators

In August 1914, the Millers traded Rondeau to Washington Senators.

Clark Griffith Clark Calvin Griffith (November 20, 1869 – October 27, 1955, ), nicknamed "the Old Fox", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher, manager and team owner. He began his MLB playing career with the St. Louis Browns (1891), Boston Re ...

of the Senators parted with four major league players in exchange for Rondeau, making him the most expensive recruit for the 1915 Senators. Rondeau appeared in only 14 games with the Senators in 1915, 11 as the team's starting left fielder and the others as a pinch-hitter, as his batting average plummeted to a career low .175 against big league pitching. On May 10, 1915, after a poor performance in his tryout with the Senators, Rondeau was sold by the Senators to the Minneapolis Millers. Clark Griffith stated at the time that he had given Rondeau a fair trial. He compiled a .333 batting average in 129 games for the Millers. After another strong season with Minneapolis, Rondeau returned to the Senators in 1916. He appeared in 50 games, 33 as a left fielder and 17 as a right fielder, and compiled a .222 batting average and .311 on-base percentage. He appeared in his last major league game on July 1, 1916. On July 5, 1916, Rondeau was returned to the Millers. In three major league seasons, Rondeau had a .206 batting average and .311 on-base percentage in 99 games and 272 at bats. He played 59 of his major league games as an

and 16 games as a catcher. As of the end of the 2015 season, Rondeau is the only major league baseball player in history named "Henri".

Minneapolis

Rondeau returned in July 1916 for a third run with Minneapolis in between stints with the Washington Senators. This time, Rondeau remained with the Millers as a starting outfielder for nine more years, running through the 1924 season. He compiled a career high .382 batting average in 16 games during the 1916 season. In all, he batted over .300 seven times for the Millers: .382 in 1916, .378 in 1913, .333 in 1915 and 1920, .312 in 1923, .308 in 1914, and .302 in 1924. Rondeau was one of 42 players from 1902 to 1952 to play in 10 or more seasons as a member of the American Association. Minnesota manager

in 1921 referred to Rondeau as "an institution" with the team.

Little Rock and Hartford

After leaving the Millers, Rondeau played one more minor league season in 1925, splitting the season between the

Little Rock Travelers The Little Rock Travelers were an American minor league baseball team located in Little Rock, Arkansas, and members (1902–1910, 1915–1958, 1960–1961) of the Southern Association, which as a Class A, A1 or Double-A circuit was typically tw ...

and the Hartford Senators. On September 1, 1925, while playing for Hartford, he collapsed during the eighth inning of a game and was carried to the clubhouse by his fellow players. A doctor stated that Rondeau had suffered a heart attack.

Later years

Rondeau died in 1943 after a long illness at age 56 at his home in

. He was buried at Precious Blood Cemetery in Woonsocket.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rondeau, Henri 1887 births 1943 deaths Major League Baseball outfielders Detroit Tigers players Washington Senators (1901–1960) players 20th-century American sportsmen Baseball players from Windham County, Connecticut Worcester Busters players Providence Grays (minor league) players Jersey City Skeeters players Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players Hartford Senators players Little Rock Travelers players People from Killingly, Connecticut