Elmer Flick facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Elmer Flick |
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Flick in 1899
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| Right fielder | |||
| Born: January 11, 1876 Bedford, Ohio, U.S. |
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| Died: January 9, 1971 (aged 94) Bedford, Ohio, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| May 2, 1898, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| July 4, 1910, for the Cleveland Naps | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .313 | ||
| Home runs | 48 | ||
| Runs batted in | 756 | ||
| Stolen bases | 330 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 1963 | ||
| Election Method | Veterans Committee | ||
Elmer Harrison Flick (born January 11, 1876 – died January 9, 1971) was a famous American professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1898 to 1910. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Athletics, and Cleveland Bronchos/Naps.
In his career, Flick played 1,483 games. He had a strong batting average of .313. He also hit 164 triples, got 1,752 hits, and stole 330 stolen bases. He also had 756 runs batted in (RBIs). Flick was chosen for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1963.
Flick started his baseball journey in semi-professional and minor league baseball. He was noticed by George Stallings, the manager of the Phillies. Flick became a starting player in 1898 after another player got hurt. He played very well. Later, he moved to the Athletics in 1902. He then joined the Cleveland Naps, where he played for the rest of his MLB career. His career ended early because of a stomach problem.
Flick was known for his great hitting and his speed. He led the National League in RBIs in 1900. He also led the American League in stolen bases in 1904 and 1906. In 1905, he was the American League batting champion.
Contents
Early Life and Baseball Start
Elmer Flick was born on January 11, 1876, in Bedford, Ohio. He was one of five children. His father was a farmer and mechanic. Elmer went to Bedford High School. There, he played catcher on the school's baseball team. He also played American football, wrestled, and boxed.
Flick started playing semi-professional baseball by accident. When he was 15, he went to support his local team. Only eight players showed up for a road trip. So, Flick was asked to join them. He didn't have a uniform or shoes. But he hit very well in both games of the doubleheader. He then joined the Bedford team regularly. He kept playing semi-pro baseball through his teenage years.
Professional Baseball Career
Minor League Years
In 1896, the manager of the Youngstown Puddlers signed Flick. The team already had a catcher. So, Flick played in the outfield, which was new to him. He struggled a bit with fielding at first. But he was a great hitter. Flick even made his own baseball bat using his father's lathe. He used it to hit for an amazing .438 batting average.
The next year, Flick played for the Dayton Old Soldiers. He was their main left fielder. His defense got much better. He also batted .386. He led the league with 20 triples.
Major League Debut
George Stallings, the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, noticed Flick. He signed Flick to play for the Phillies in 1898. Flick was supposed to be a reserve player. But the starting outfielder got hurt early in the season. This meant Flick had to play.
In his first game, Flick got two hits. The injured player came back briefly. But he got hurt again and retired. This allowed Flick to play regularly. He proved he was a strong player. He batted .302 with eight home runs and 81 runs batted in (RBIs). In 1899, he batted .342. He also scored 98 runs and had 98 RBIs. However, he hurt his knee that August. He reinjured it by coming back to play too soon.
Before the 1900 season, some Phillies stars were thinking of leaving. Flick also thought about not returning. But he signed a new contract before the season started.
In 1900, Flick led the National League with 110 RBIs. He was also second in the league with a .367 batting average. He had 11 home runs and a .545 slugging percentage. The race for the batting title was very close. Honus Wagner, who won the title, later said it was a tough battle with Flick.
After the 1901 season, Flick joined the new American League (AL). He played for the Philadelphia Athletics. But a court order stopped him from playing in Pennsylvania. So, Flick and teammate Napoleon Lajoie joined the Cleveland Naps. The court order couldn't be used in Ohio. Flick stayed with Cleveland for the rest of his career. The league issues were fixed in 1903.
On July 6, 1902, Flick hit three triples in one game. This is a rare feat in baseball. In 1904, Flick tied for the league lead with 38 stolen bases. In 1905, Flick was the AL batting champion. He had a .308 average. He also led the league with a .462 slugging percentage and 18 triples.
In 1906, Flick played in 157 games, the most in the league. He led the league in plate appearances, at-bats, runs scored, and triples. He also tied for the lead with 39 stolen bases. The Naps thought about trading Flick to the Detroit Tigers for Ty Cobb. But the Naps refused to trade Flick. They wanted to keep him.
However, playing baseball was hard on Flick's body. By 1908, he started having stomach problems. He missed most of the 1908 season. He also missed the start of the 1909 season. He played only 66 games in 1909. He played 24 games in 1910 before his stomach problems returned.
The Naps then got Shoeless Joe Jackson to replace Flick. In July 1910, the Naps tried to sell Flick to a minor league team. But Flick refused to go.
Later Career and Retirement
In 1911, Flick wanted to keep playing. He couldn't find a major league team. So, he went back to the minor leagues. He played for the Toledo Mud Hens in 1911 and 1912. He batted .326 in 1911. But he didn't hit for much power. The Mud Hens let him go at the end of 1912. He then retired from professional baseball. He briefly played for a local amateur team in 1914.
Flick never played in a World Series. As of 2003, only a few Hall of Famers who played after 1903 never made it to the World Series. Flick was one of them.
Later Life and Honors
After retiring, Flick returned to Bedford. He hunted, raised horses, built buildings, and sold real estate. He also worked as a scout for the Cleveland team. In his later years, Flick still signed autographs for fans. He was proud of living a long life. He often wrote his age and the date on his autographs.
Flick was married to Rosa Ella Gates. They had five daughters. Elmer Flick passed away on January 9, 1971, just two days before his 95th birthday. He died in his hometown of Bedford.
When Ty Cobb died in 1961, stories about him mentioned the trade that almost happened with Flick. This made people interested in Flick again. Flick was chosen for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1963. He was voted in by the Veterans Committee. When he got the call, Flick didn't believe it at first. He didn't even know he was being considered. His family had to convince him it was real. He was the oldest living person to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. At his induction, the 87-year-old Flick said it was the biggest day of his life.
Some writers have wondered if Flick should have been in the Hall of Fame. They point out that his career was shorter than some other great players. But he was still a very talented player.
Flick was also honored in other ways. He was put into the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame in 1977. He also joined the Ohio Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987. A statue of Flick was made and placed in Bedford. It was paid for by donations. The statue was dedicated in September 2013.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball career triples leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual stolen base leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
