John Edward "Nap" Shea (May 23, 1874 – July 8, 1968), nicknamed "Napoleon", was a catcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

in 1902. He stood at 5' 5", weighed 155 lbs., and batted and threw right-handed."Nap Shea Statistics and History"
''baseball-reference.com''. Retrieved 2010-12-18.

Career

Shea was born in

Ware, Massachusetts Ware is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,066 as of 2020. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The census-designated place of Ware, comprising the main settleme ...

. He started his professional baseball career in 1894 and played for the New England League's Brockton Shoemakers for four seasons. In 1896, he batted a career-high .344 and slugged .452."Nap Shea Minor League Statistics & History"
''baseball-reference.com''. Retrieved 2010-12-18. Shea then played in the New York State League from 1899 to 1902. He hit .323 in 1901. Early in the following season, he was sidelined by appendicitis but then recovered and hit .300 for the

Ilion Typewriters The Ilion Typewriters were a minor league baseball team based in Ilion, New York. From 1901 to 1904, the Ilion Typewriters played as members of the New York State League (1885–1917), New York State League. In 1905, Ilion played a partial season a ...

. Shea was acquired by the Philadelphia Phillies and played three games for them in September. In 10

plate appearance In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner ...

s, he went 1 for 8 with a walk and a

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, provided ...

. The next season, he caught for the Eastern League's Newark Sailors and stayed on that team for a few years. He batted under .200 during most of his time at Newark, but the '' Sporting Life'' wrote that he was "one of the best backstops" in the league. Shea was sold to the Syracuse Stars in March 1908,"Syracuse Buys Nap Shea"
''The Montreal Gazette'', March 20, 1908, p. 5. and he played one season there before retiring from professional baseball. He died in 1968 in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shea, Nap 1874 births 1968 deaths Major League Baseball catchers Philadelphia Phillies players Brockton Shoemakers players Springfield Ponies players Springfield Maroons players Rome Romans players Ilion Typewriters players Newark Sailors players Syracuse Stars (minor league baseball) players Baseball players from Massachusetts