Jim Toy (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jim Toy |
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| First baseman/Catcher | |||
| Born: February 20, 1858 Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania |
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| Died: March 13, 1919 (aged 61) Cresson, Pennsylvania |
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| debut | |||
| April 20, 1887, for the Cleveland Blues | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| July 30, 1890, for the Brooklyn Gladiators | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .211 | ||
| Runs scored | 67 | ||
| RBIs | 63 | ||
| Teams | |||
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James Madison Toy (born February 20, 1858 – died March 13, 1919) was an early Major League Baseball player. He had a short career of two years. He played for the Cleveland Blues and the Brooklyn Gladiators. Both of these teams were part of the American Association league.
Jim Toy's Baseball Journey
Jim Toy was born in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. He started playing professional baseball in a league called the International League. He played for the team in Utica, New York. Jim was very good at playing many different positions on the field. He also had a strong throwing arm. In 1886, he helped his Utica team win the International League championship!
Playing in the Major Leagues
Because he played so well, Jim got to join a Major League Baseball team. He joined the Cleveland Blues for the 1887 season. He played in 109 games that year. His batting average was .222. Jim mostly played as a first baseman. But he also showed he could play other positions, like catcher and all three outfield spots.
After that, Toy played minor league baseball in Brooklyn, New York in 1889 and 1890. During this time, he mainly played as a catcher. He later joined the Brooklyn Gladiators in 1890. He played 44 games with them and had a batting average of .181. He also got seven RBIs. His baseball career ended because of a serious injury he got during a game. This injury affected him for the rest of his life.
Was He the First Native American Player?
Some people have wondered if Jim Toy was the first Native American player in Major League Baseball. A writer named Ed Rice says that Louis Sockalexis was the first American Indian player.
In 1963, another baseball writer, Lee Allen, said that Jim Toy's father might have been Lakota. However, Allen did not have strong proof for this idea. Ed Rice looked into this claim and found Jim Toy's death certificate. This document listed his race as "white."
Today, historians look at whether a player connected with their Native American culture. They don't just focus on if someone was "full-blooded." Louis Sockalexis fits this view because he was proud of his heritage. Jim Toy, however, did not seem to connect with Native American culture in the same way.
Jim Toy passed away at age 61 in Cresson, Pennsylvania. He is buried at Beaver Cemetery in Beaver, Pennsylvania.
