Maurice John Archdeacon (December 14, 1898 – September 5, 1954) nicknamed "Flash", was a

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 ...

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the ...

who played 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 ...

from 1923 to 1925. He stood 5'8" and weighed 153 lb. Archdeacon had two nicknames, "Flash" and "Comet". While a player for Rochester 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 ...

in 1921, he set a speed record by circling the bases in 13.4 seconds during a pre-game exhibition (the record was broken by

Evar Swanson Ernest Evar Swanson (October 15, 1902 – July 17, 1973) was an American professional baseball and football player. He played outfielder in the Major Leagues from to . He would play for the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox. In the National ...

in 1932). He was purchased for $50,000 by the White Sox from Rochester on September 13, 1923, after having stolen 225 bases in his last five

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 Nort ...

seasons. He made his

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

four days later against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a ballpark located in Boston, Massachusetts, less than one mile from Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home field of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantia ...

. Archdeacon went on to hit .402 in 22 games for Chicago that year by getting 35

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 87

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 upon completion of his turn at bat, b ...

. He drove in four runs and scored 23. Archdeacon played in 95 games for the last-place White Sox in 1924, batting .319 with 25 RBI, 59 runs scored, and 11

stolen bases 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 a ...

. In 1925 he played in only 10 big league games, the last being on May 29. He was 1-for-9 with two runs scored. His career totals include 127

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Associat ...

, 128 hits, zero

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run ...

, 29 RBI, 84 runs, and a lifetime

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 ...

of .333. He drew 48 walks and was

hit by pitch In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is an event in which a batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provide ...

es four times, giving him an

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batting (baseball), batter reaches base (baseball), base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA ...

of .413. He stole 13 bases and was caught 10 times. Archdeacon was a longtime scout for the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

until they moved to Baltimore and became the Orioles in October, 1953. He died in his hometown of

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, at the age of 55.

References

External links

Retrosheet
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Archdeacon, Maurice 1898 births 1954 deaths Atlanta Crackers players Baltimore Orioles (International League) players 20th-century American sportsmen Baseball players from St. Louis Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Charleston Gulls players Charleston Palmettos players Chicago White Sox players Dubuque Tigers players Major League Baseball center fielders New York Yankees scouts Pittsfield Hillies players Rochester Colts players Rochester Tribe players St. Louis Browns scouts Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players