Ed McKean

Edwin John McKean (June 6, 1864 – August 16, 1919) was an American professional baseball shortstop. He played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily for the National League's Cleveland Spiders.

Ed McKean
Shortstop
Born: (1864-06-06)June 6, 1864
Grafton, Ohio
Died: August 16, 1919(1919-08-16) (aged 55)
Cleveland, Ohio
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 16, 1887, for the Cleveland Blues
Last MLB appearance
July 27, 1899, for the St. Louis Perfectos
MLB statistics
Batting average.302
Home runs67
Runs batted in1,124
Teams

Born in Grafton, Ohio, McKean began his career in 1884 with the Youngstown, Ohio club in the minor league Iron & Oil Association. After two more seasons in the minors, he was signed by the Cleveland Blues of the American Association, and became the club's starting shortstop in their first year as a major league team. He remained in that position for the franchise (which was renamed the Spiders in 1889) for nearly its entire existence.

Prior to the 1899 season, the Spiders transferred most of their best players to the St. Louis Perfectos, including McKean. This was legal at the time, as both teams were owned by the same ownership group led by the Robison brothers. However, he did not perform up to expectations and was let go in July. The following season, the Spiders folded, and such shenanigans were outlawed.

After not playing professionally for two years, McKean returned to play in the minor leagues in 1902 as player-manager of the Rochester Bronchos. After several more years in the minors, he retired following the 1908 season. All told, McKean racked up a grand total of 2,084 hits and 1,124 RBI during his major league career. He also recorded 4 seasons with over 110 RBI and owned a superb lifetime batting average of .302. For his time, he also hit a lot of home runs; 67 in 13 seasons was considered great at that time. He died at age 55 in Cleveland, Ohio.

See also

References
  • Blevins, Rich. Ed McKean, Slugging Shortstop of the Cleveland Spiders. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2014.
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