| Fatty Briody | |
|---|---|
| Catcher | |
| Born: August 13, 1858 Lansingburgh, New York |
|
| Died: June 22, 1903 (aged 44) Chicago, Illinois |
|
| Batted: Unknown | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| June 16, 1880 for the Troy Trojans | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 24, 1888 for the Kansas City Cowboys (AA) | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .228 |
| Hits | 271 |
| RBIs | 115 |
| Teams | |
Charles F. "Fatty" Briody (August 13, 1858 – June 22, 1903), nicknamed "Alderman," was a Major League Baseball catcher who played eight seasons in the early days of baseball.[1] Briody was born in Lansingburgh, New York, 4 miles outside of Troy, New York, where the Troy Haymakers began playing in 1871 in the first professional baseball league. One biography of Briody indicates that he watched Haymakers games as a boy.[2]
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Briody made his major league debut with the Troy Trojans of the National League at age 21 in 1880. Briody played only one game with the Trojans, going 0-for-4 batting and committing 3 errors as catcher.[1]
Briody made it back to the major leagues in 1882 as the catcher for the Cleveland Blues. He played the 1882, 1883, and part of the 1884 season with Cleveland. Briody had a career batting average of only .228, but he proved to be a solid defensive catcher, with 437 putouts, 112 assists, and 6 double plays in 1884. In the middle of the 1884 season, Briody jumped leagues, joining the Cincinnati Outlaw Reds of the Union Association. He played in 22 games with the Outlaw Reds, batting .337 in 89 at bats.[1]
In 1885, Briody joined the St. Louis Maroons of the National League. On switching from the Union Association to the National League, Briody's batting average dropped .337 to .195. The Maroons granted him to the league after the season and he was subsequently obtained by the Kansas City Cowboys of the National League for the 1886 season. Briody played in 56 games for the Cowboys, batting .237.[1]
Before the 1887 season, Briody was again granted to the league, this time when the Cowboys folded. He was then obtained by Detroit Wolverines, a team loaded with talent, including Hall of Famers Dan Brouthers, Sam Thompson, and Ned Hanlon. Briody played in 37 games, serving as the back-up catcher to Charlie Ganzel.[1] The Wolverines won the National League pennant that year, and went on to defeat the St. Louis Browns in the 1887 World Series.[3] In 1888, Briody played his final season in the major leagues with the Kansas City Cowboys of the American Association.[1]
After his plaing career was over, Briody settled in Chicago, where he became a Committeeman for the Seventeenth Ward. He also conducted a trucking business, doing work for various companies. He died in 1903 at age 44 of dilation of the heart, and was returned to Troy, New York and interred in St. John's Cemetery.[2]