Eligible: 1886
Contributions: A consistently good player, York was a solid hitter, outfielder, and baserunner from the birth of professional baseball (1871) through his retirement in 1885. He was never the best player in baseball, but he carried his success across 15 years and three pro leagues. He retired 7th all-time in runs, RBI, and wRC; 2nd in triples and 4th in doubles.
York turned pro with the rest of baseball in 1871 with the founding of the NAPBBP, the National Association, signing with the Troy Haymakers. At just 20 years of age he wowed observers with spectacular speed in the outfield and on the bases, collecting 7 triples, good for 5th in the league.
York was what was known as a 'revolver' - a player who jumped teams regularly for the highest bidder, and joined the Baltimore Canaries for 1872-73, then the Philadelphia Whites for 1874. He continued to impress with his outfield defense, and only Dave Eggler rates higher in defensive runs from '72-'74.
What seems clear to me is that York has been mislabeled as a 'power hitter'. He is pretty consistently mentioned as a powerful bat, and I can see how historians would label him as such - his .384 SLG was 9th best all-time as of his retirement in 1885 (min. 3000 PA). When you read early reports of his career, however, it's clear that his bat never garnered much respect - but his legs did. York was fast. Reports raved about his speed in the outfield and on the bases, and one can only conclude that he wasn't a particularly heavy hitter, but that he stretched hits into doubles and triples at an extraordinary rate. York hit just 14 home runs in his career, and drove in only 502 runs, but ripped 89 triples. He collected a bunch of bases and earned a solid slugging percentage not with the power in bat but the speed in his legs. It would seem to me that his reputation as a power hitter was applied by baseball historians looking at his extra-base hit totals, and not by his contemporaries.
York changed teams once again in 1875, going to the Hartford Blues for the final season of National Association play. He would stay there for '76 and '77, when Hartford jumped to William Hulbert's National League. Over the three years he started to come into his own in his mid-20s, and emerged as one of the preeminent outfielders of the time. Among outfielders over the three years York ranked 5th in slugging (.384), wRC+ (115) and defensive runs (20).
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| York, Middle row, far right, with the 1876 Hartford Blues |
The prime of York's career started when he joined the Providence Grays, where he shared a star-studded outfield with Dick Higham and one of the league's premiere sluggers, Paul Hines. York, 27, managed to be the best player of the lot, hitting .309 and leading the league with 10 triples and 125 total bases, good for a 155 OPS+.
York would spend five years in Providence before switching teams again, this time to Cleveland. This period, however, 1878-1883 represents the prime of York's career. Over the six years York hit .280 (7th in baseball), slugged .398 (8th), and put up a 126 wRC+ (5th).
Always seen as a leader, York helped Hartford to the 1879 NL Pennant. He'd had success as player/manager of the 1878 club, and was re-instated as player/manager in 1881 after Jack Farrell started the powerful club off to a disappointing 24-27 start. With York at the helm, the '81 Greys went 23-10 and finished 2nd to the loaded Chicago club. 1878 and 1881 represented his only two opportunities at managing, but he made the most of them and posted a winning percentage of .602. His success as manager, and the trust he garnered in order to be given two clubs to lead, is echoed in the baseball media's opinion of York : one newspaper referred to him in 1880 as affable, reliable, hard-working, and courteous.
By the time that 1883 season in Cleveland came around, York was a very different player than the one that showed up in Troy over a decade previous. Never a patient hitter in his youth, York led the league in walks. He was still good for his share of extra-base hits, but a lot of the triples from the 70s were now doubles. He couldn't steal bases very well, and his fielding had gone from outstanding to awful. Now 32, York's legs were shot. Always a hard-nosed player, York had basically never missed a game, and since the inception of organized professional baseball, no player had played in more games than Tom York (858). By age 30 he had a good case of chronic rheumatism as well. One has to to think he was simply worn down.
In 1884 York was sold to the Baltimore Orioles of the upstart American Association. Now battling a debilitating rheumatism he announced plans to retire, but the Orioles promised him $5000 and a cut of concession revenues, and York was induced to spend the next two years in Baltimore, though by this time he had little left. He still drew lots of walks and was good for extra base hits, but he hit just .232 across the two years and was a definitive liability in left field and on the bases. Neither team accomplished much and the league disbanded a few years later.
York was unable to find a contract for the 1886 season.
Like many retired legends of early baseball, York turned to umpiring in retirement, umpiring regularly for the AA and NL in 1886, before giving that up when the meagre paycheck did not justify the amount of abuse umpires had to suffer. The Baltimore Sun regretted his resignation and reported that the AA had lost a good umpire.
York spent much of the next two years at home, but returned to baseball in 1888 to manage the Albany Governors of the International Association. Over the next decade he would be attached to various minor league teams and leagues as a manager or executive, but his relationship with the major leagues was over. Sometime around 1900 he was hired by John McGraw, as many retired ballplayers were, to work at Polo Grounds. York was employed as an usher and security guard for the press box. The New York Telegraphs describes :
York has the pleasant post of trying to keep the actors, tonsorial artists and plumbers out of the press stand. It is old tom who examines your pink paste board and decides whether you are eligible for a seat in the press cage.
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| York as Polo Grounds usher in 1922 |
In 1925, to celebrate 50 years of play, the NL hosted a gala in the offseason to honour the stars of NL history, but the show was stolen, allegedly, by six living men who had played in baseball's very first 'regular' season, 1871. Among them was Tom York, now 74. Interestingly, York alleged that the baseball players were more popular in his day - walking home in uniform with legions of kids following - than the stars of that time, with one exception : Babe Ruth. Ruth, York admitted, was also a better hitter than anybody he ever played with, which is the only example I can think of of an old ballplayer believing a current player was better than the ones in 'his day.'
In 1936, as the NL was preparing to celebrate 60 years since its inaugural season, they decided to invite the few living players from that season to the All-Star Game festivities. York was among the invitees, but passed away on February 17, 1936.
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| York, far left, at the 1925 National League gala |
York left behind a legacy as a man involved in every level of baseball since before the game turned professional, until it reached the heights of popularity as America's Pastime. He retired as one of the greats of the game, but also a man dedicated to the sport - as an official, a coach, an on-field leader and a standout player.
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