View source for Kid Elberfeld

{{Short description|American baseball player (1875–1944)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Kid Elberfeld
|image=Kid_Elberfeld_Baseball_Card.jpg
|position=[[Shortstop]]
|birth_date={{Birth date|1875|4|13}}
|birth_place=[[Pomeroy, Ohio]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1944|1|13|1875|4|13}}
|death_place=[[Chattanooga, Tennessee]], U.S.
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=May 30
|debutyear=1898
|debutteam=Philadelphia Phillies
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=September 24
|finalyear=1914
|finalteam=Brooklyn Robins
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.271
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2value=10
|stat3label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=535
|teams=
'''As player'''
* [[Philadelphia Phillies]] ({{mlby|1898}})
* [[Cincinnati Reds]] ({{mlby|1899}})
* [[Detroit Tigers]] ({{mlby|1901}}–{{mlby|1903}})
* [[New York Highlanders]] ({{mlby|1903}}–{{mlby|1909}})
* [[Washington Senators (1901–60)|Washington Senators]] ({{mlby|1910}}–{{mlby|1911}})
* [[Brooklyn Robins]] ({{mlby|1914}})
'''As manager'''
* [[New York Highlanders]] ({{mlby|1908}})
}}
'''Norman Arthur''' "'''Kid'''" '''Elberfeld''' (April 13, 1875 – January 13, 1944) was an American professional [[baseball]] [[shortstop]]. He played in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) for the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] (1898), [[Cincinnati Reds]] (1899), [[Detroit Tigers]] (1901–1903), [[New York Highlanders]] (1903–1909), [[Washington Senators (1901–60)|Washington Senators]] (1910–1911), and [[Brooklyn Robins]] (1914). Elberfled also managed the New York Highlanders for the last half of the 1908 season.

Elberfeld was given the nickname "'''the Tabasco Kid'''"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kid Elberfeld Stats, Height, Weight, Research & History |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=elberki01 |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=Baseball Almanac}}</ref> because of his fiery temper. He was known for his ferocious verbal, and sometimes physical, assaults on umpires. On one occasion, while in the minors, Elberfeld threw a lump of mud into the umpire's open mouth.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Legends of the Game: Norman Elberfeld |url=http://www.deadball.com/elberfld.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061029073750/http://www.deadball.com/elberfld.htm |archive-date=October 29, 2006 |access-date=June 29, 2007 }}</ref> Later in his career, Elberfeld assaulted umpire [[Silk O'Loughlin]] and had to be forcibly removed by police; Elberfeld was suspended for just 8 games.<ref name="baseballbiography.com">{{Cite web |date=2022-07-29 |title=Kid Elberfeld |url=https://baseballbiography.com/kid-elberfeld-1875/ |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=Baseball Biography}}</ref> He was ejected from a major league game 22 times as a player and 4 times as a manager.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kid Elberfeld |url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/E/Pelbek101.htm |website=[[Retrosheet]]}}</ref>

==Early career==
Elberfeld broke into organized baseball in 1892 in [[Washington County, Tennessee|Clarkson, Tennessee]].<ref name="thedeadballera.com">{{Cite web |title=Kid Elberfeld's Obit |url=http://www.thedeadballera.com/Obits/Elberfeld.Kid.Obit.html |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=TheDeadballEra.com}}</ref> He was so highly regarded as a prospect that a scout for the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] recommended signing him over another shortstop prospect, future [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Hall of Famer]] [[Honus Wagner]].<ref name="beckett.com" /> Elberfeld played only 14 games for the Phillies in 1898 before being sent to the [[Detroit Tigers]], then a minor league team in the [[Western League of Professional Baseball Clubs|Western Conference]]. A year later, Elberfeld was purchased from Detroit by the [[Cincinnati Reds]].<ref name=sabr>{{cite web|first=Terry|last=Simpkins|url=http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/f51f274d |title=Kid Elberfeld |publisher=[[Society for American Baseball Research]] |access-date=August 20, 2012}}</ref> Elberfeld lasted only 41 games in Cincinnati.

==Detroit Tigers: 1899–1903==
During the 1899 season, the Reds sent Elberfeld back to Detroit, then still part of the [[Western League (U.S. baseball)|Western League]]. In an August 1 home game against [[Grand Rapids (baseball)|Grand Rapids]] (now the [[Cleveland Guardians]]), Elberfeld physically assaulted the umpire, for which he was fined $100 and suspended for the remainder of the season.<ref>{{cite news |date=August 2, 1899 |title=Elberfeld is fined |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1111668375/?match=1&clipping_id=171809327 |access-date=May 6, 2025 |work=Grand Rapids Press |page=1}}</ref>  

Elberfeld remained with Detroit when they joined the newly formed [[American League]] in 1901. He was the Tigers' starting shortstop during their first two seasons as a major league team. In the team's debut, on April 25, 1901, the Tigers committed seven errors, including three by Elberfeld. Later in the season, Elberfeld had 12 assists in a game on September 2, 1901.<ref name="baseballbiography.com"/> Elberfeld went on to bat .308 (with 76 runs batted in and a .397 on-base percentage) in the Tigers' inaugural season, becoming the Tigers' first team batting leader and first .300 hitter.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1901 Detroit Tigers Statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/DET/1901.shtml |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

In 1902, Elberfeld's batting average dropped to .260, but he started the 1903 season on a hitting tear. In June 1903, with Elberfeld hitting .341, he was traded by the Tigers to the [[New York Highlanders]] for [[Herman Long (baseball)|Herman Long]] and [[Ernie Courtney]]. Despite his hot hitting, Elberfeld had fallen out of favor in Detroit after being suspended for abusing an umpire. Tiger manager [[Ed Barrow]] accused Elberfeld of throwing games to get himself traded.<ref name="baseballbiography.com"/>

==New York Highlanders: 1903–1909==
Elberfeld was with the Highlanders from 1903 to 1909. During that time, he hit above .300 only once, batting .306 in 1906. Nevertheless, he was considered an integral part of the Highlanders teams, contributing in many small ways. For example, on May 20, 1907, Elberfeld stole home twice in the same game, the first American League player to accomplish that feat.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}<!-- SABR states Joe Jackson was the first to do this, in 1912 https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/august-11-1912-shoeless-joe-jackson-becomes-the-first-american-leaguer-to-steal-home-twice-in-one-game/
The B-R boxscore for this dates doesn't show any SB for Elberfeld (old box scores may be inaccurate/incomplete) https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLA/SLA190705200.shtml -->

Elberfield became the second [[List of New York Yankees captains|Yankees captain]] after [[Clark Griffith]]. He held the captaincy from 1906 through 1908.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tasch |first1=Justin |title=The 16 Yankees captains through the years: Clark Griffith to Aaron Judge |url=https://nypost.com/article/all-the-new-york-yankees-captains-through-the-years/ |access-date=January 10, 2023 |work=The New York Post |date=December 21, 2022}}</ref> In late June 1908, Griffith resigned as manager, and Elberfeld replaced him. The Highlanders finished the 1908 season, Elberfeld's only season as a major league manager, in last place, with a 27–71 won-loss record (a .276 winning percentage) under Elberfeld.<ref name=sabr/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kid Elberfeld Managerial Record |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/elberki01.shtml |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Washington Senators and Brooklyn Robins: 1910–1914==
[[File:Norman "Kid" Elberfeld, a player for the Brooklyn Dodgers, full-length portrait, swinging his bat LCCN2004666458 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Elberfeld with Brooklyn.]]
In December 1909, Elberfeld was sold to the [[Washington Senators (1901–60)|Washington Senators]] for $5,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|5000|1909}}}} in today's dollar). He played two seasons for the Senators before being released. He signed with [[Montgomery Rebels|Montgomery]] in the [[Southern Association|Southern League]], where he befriended a young [[Casey Stengel]]. According to Stengel biographer [[Maury Allen]] in his 1979 book, "You Could Look It Up: The Life of Casey Stengel", Elberfeld was generous with his time and his wisdom. The grizzled veteran and the 22-year-old youngster sat together on trains, roomed together in hotels, dined together in restaurants, shared thoughts on the bench and talked for hours about baseball. On September 15, 1912, Stengel was called up to Brooklyn. Elberfeld threw a farewell party for Stengel, ordering him to buy a new suit ("You gotta dress like a big leaguer before they believe you are one", Elberfeld said) for $22 and a new suitcase for $17.50. After a night of drinking, Elberfeld walked with Stengel to the train station and advised Stengel: "Keep your ears open and your mouth shut up there." Stengel went on to be known as much for his mouth as for his baseball talent.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Allen |first=Maury |author-link=Maury Allen |url=https://archive.org/details/youcouldlookitup00alle/mode/2up?q=elberfeld |title=You could look it up : the life of Casey Stengel |date=1979 |publisher=Times Books |isbn=978-0-8129-0830-5 |location=New York |pages=52}}</ref>

Elberfeld returned briefly to the major leagues in 1914 with the [[Brooklyn Robins]], batting .226 in 30 games.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Kid Elberfeld Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/e/elberki01.shtml |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Player profile==
Aside from his temper, Elberfeld became known as one of the best shortstops in the early years of the 20th century. He was known as a tough competitor who challenged baserunners to slash him out of their way. On May 1, 1908, Elberfeld was severely spiked in the foot by [[Bob Ganley]]‚ essentially ending his season. During [[Ty Cobb]]'s rookie season, Cobb slid headfirst into second base, only to have Elberfeld dig his knee into the back of Cobb's neck, grinding his face in the dirt. According to a Cobb biographer, the incident marked the last time that Cobb slid headfirst into a base.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kossuth |first=James |title=How Cobb Played the Game: Part 1: His Rookie Experiences |url=http://wso.williams.edu/~jkossuth/cobb/rookie.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120630221358/http://wso.williams.edu/~jkossuth/cobb/rookie.htm |archive-date=30 June 2012 |website=WSO.Williams.edu}}</ref> Shortly before his death, Elberfeld was quoted as saying "Ty found out my feet were harder than his head. Then he started coming in spikes first. I had to protect myself."<ref name="beckett.com">[http://www.beckett.com/news/reportcard/archive.asp?a=7792&s=62 BGS The Report Card – December 8, 2006<!-- bot-generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928063522/http://www.beckett.com/news/reportcard/archive.asp?a=7792&s=62|date=September 28, 2007}} at www.beckett.com</ref> 
Elberfeld's legs were badly scarred from years of high-flying spikes, and it was reported that he poured raw whiskey into spike wounds to cauterize them.<ref name="baseballbiography.com" />

Further showing his toughness, Elberfeld led the American League in times hit by pitches in 1903 and 1911, and was among the league leaders in the category nine times. In 1911, he was hit by pitches 25 times, setting an American League record that was not broken until 1986 when [[Don Baylor]] was hit 35 times. In his career, Elberfeld was hit 165 times, 19th on the all-time list, {{As of|2024|lc=y}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Single-Season Leaders & Records for Hit By Pitch |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/HBP_season.shtml |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1986-08-14 |title=Baseball almanac |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1113292805/?match=2&clipping_id=171809961 |access-date=2025-05-06 |work=[[The Star-Ledger]] |pages=90}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Career Leaders & Records for Hit By Pitch |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/HBP_career.shtml |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

Despite 458 errors at shortstop, Elberfeld had great range in his early years. In 1901, he made 332 putouts and had a [[range factor]] rating of 6.14 – 80 basis points higher than the league average for shortstops. He recorded a career-best 459 assists at shortstop the following season with the Tigers.<ref name=":0" /> Elberfeld collected 11 assists in a game on September 2, 1901.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Washington Senators vs Detroit Tigers Box Score: September 2, 1901 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/DET/DET190109022.shtml |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> As injuries and age slowed him down, Elberfeld's range became more limited later in his career.

==Minor league manager and retirement==
Elberfeld remained active in major and minor league baseball for 30 years. From 1915 to 1917, Elberfeld managed the [[Chattanooga Lookouts]], then went on to the [[Little Rock Travelers]], where he managed for several years, winning a pennant in 1920.<ref name="thedeadballera.com"/> While managing the Travelers, Elberfed met a 14-year-old [[Travis Jackson]]. Elberfeld observed Jackson in an impromptu workout and later signed Jackson to his first professional contract.<ref>{{cite web|first=Greg |last=Erion|url=http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/cf84ae81 |title=Travis Jackson |publisher=Society for American Baseball Research |access-date=April 15, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Travis Jackson Began Tossing a Ball at Age of Three, Playing with Dad&nbsp;– and Kept on Until he Became Star|publisher=[[The Sporting News]]|date=June 6, 1930}}</ref>
[[File:Ruth Elberfeld LCCN2014717541.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Diver Ruth Elberfeld in 1924]]
Early in his baseball career, Elberfeld bought an apple orchard on [[Signal Mountain, Tennessee|Signal Mountain]], near Chattanooga. Elberfeld built his home and raised a family of five daughters and a son on Signal Mountain. His daughters formed a basketball team that played as "The Elberfeld Girls" and appeared on many Southern programs for several years.<ref name="sabr" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Andrew |date=June 25, 2020 |title=Baseball Legend Kid Elberfeld and His Famous Athlete Daughters — The Elberfeld Girls |url=https://medium.com/sportsraid/baseball-legend-kid-elberfeld-and-his-famous-athlete-daughters-the-elberfeld-girls-9d9b4c749852 |publisher=SportsRaid}}</ref> Elberfeld lived at his Signal Mountain home until his death in 1944.

==Managerial record==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="5"|Regular season !! colspan="4"|Postseason
|-
!Games!!Won!!Lost!!Win %!!Finish!! Won !! Lost !! Win % !! Result
|-
|-
![[1908 New York Highlanders season|NYH]]|| {{mlby|1908}}
||98||{{WinLossPct|27|71}}|| 8th in AL || – || – || – || –
|-
! colspan="2"|Total ||98||{{WinLossPct|27|71}}|| || {{WinLossPct|0|0}} || 
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Baseball}}
*  [[List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball player-managers]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Baseballstats|br=e/elberki01|brm=elberf001nor}}

{{Yankeesmanager}}
{{New York Yankees team captains}}
{{Little Rock Eagles football coach navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elberfeld, Kid}}
[[Category:1875 births]]
[[Category:1944 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century baseball players]]
[[Category:19th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Ohio]]
[[Category:Brooklyn Robins players]]
[[Category:Chattanooga Lookouts managers]]
[[Category:Chattanooga Lookouts players]]
[[Category:Cincinnati Reds players]]
[[Category:Detroit Tigers players]]
[[Category:Fulton Eagles players]]
[[Category:Little Rock Eagles football coaches]]
[[Category:Little Rock Travelers players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball player-managers]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball shortstops]]
[[Category:Montgomery Rebels players]]
[[Category:New York Giants (baseball) scouts]]
[[Category:New York Highlanders players]]
[[Category:New York Highlanders managers]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Phillies players]]
[[Category:People from Pomeroy, Ohio]]
[[Category:Washington Senators (1901–1960) players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]