John Joseph O'Connell (May 16, 1872 – May 14, 1908) was a baseball player for

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) ...

. His career was short, and he only played for two seasons. During his two-season, he accumulated relatively poor statistics in very little playing time. He played in only 16 games and had nine

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 51

at bats 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 during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

for a

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 ...

of .176. At the age of 19, he made his professional debut on August 22, 1891 for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

near the end of their 1891 season in the last year of the American Association. For the Orioles, he played second base,

right field 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 ...

, and

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 ...

for a total of eight games. The following year, O'Connell was not a member of the Orioles when they transferred to the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

in 1892. He then disappeared for about 10 years but reappeared as a member of 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 ...

for their 1902 season, where he played second base and twice at first base. He joined the team late into the season and only played eight games. The Tigers struggled in their second season in 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 ...

and were constantly changing their roster, which was largely filled with young, inexperienced, and inexpensive rookies. The Tigers finished the season with a record 52–82–2 (.385) at 30½ games out of first place— one of the team's worst seasons in history. O'Connell, like many other players from the 1902 Detroit Tigers, did not return to play the next year. He died two days short of his 36th birthday in

Derry, New Hampshire Derry is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 34,317 at the 2020 census. Although it is a town and not a city, Derry is the most populous community in Rockingham County and the fourth most populous in the ...

on May 14, 1908.

References

External links

Baseball Almanac statisticsJohn O’Connell profile
at

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twice ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnell, John 1872 births 1908 deaths 19th-century baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from Massachusetts Major League Baseball second basemen Baltimore Orioles (AA) players Detroit Tigers players Sportspeople from Rockingham County, New Hampshire Sportspeople from Lawrence, Massachusetts People from Derry, New Hampshire Lynn (minor league baseball) players Mobile Blackbirds players Chattanooga Chatts players New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players Dover (minor league baseball) players Worcester (minor league baseball) players Bangor Millionaires players Lewiston (minor league baseball) players Quincy Bluebirds players Cedar Rapids Bunnies players Quincy Little Giants players Ottumwa Giants players Topeka Giants players Utica Pentups players Albany Senators players Scranton Miners players Omaha Omahogs players Colorado Springs Millionaires players Des Moines Hawkeyes players Cedar Rapids Rabbits players Evansville River Rats players Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players Fort Wayne Railroaders players Boise Fruit Pickers players Seattle Siwashes players Vancouver Veterans players