Adrian Constantine Anson or Cap Anson spent almost his entire playing as well as managerial career with the Chicago Cubs or the then White Stockings/ Colts. He was one of baseball’s first great hitters, and the first to score more than 3000 career hits.
In 1876 he was signed by the Chicago White Stockings to improve their performance, which paid off almost immediately as Anson got his best season in 1881 when he led the league in batting (.399), OBP (.442), OPS (.952), hits (137), total bases (175), and RBIs (82).
| Position | First Base |
| Born | 17 Apr 1852 |
| Death | 14 Apr 1922 (69 years) |
| Nationality |
United States
|
| Nickname | Cap |
Anson was a downright racist and refused to play in exhibition games if any dark-skinned players were listen in the opposing teams. The attitude, unfortunately, was not considered illegal or even unusual for that matter during the time.
Post his retirement Anson managed the New York Giants for some time and also undertook few enterprises in Chicago. He also ran a semi-professional baseball team called “Anson’s Colts”. Anson finally died on April 14, 1922.
Richard Cary Jr. acted as a ghostwriter on Anson’s memoirs called A Ball Player’s Career: Being the Personal Reminiscences of Adrian C. Anson. It was published in 1900 and is considered the first baseball autobiography.
Career Highlights
He was the first player to hit 3 successive home runs, 5 homers in 2 games, and 4 doubles in a game. He also became one among few others to have scored 6 runs in a game.
Anson was inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.
