Deacon McGuire Stats & Facts

Deacon McGuire

Positions: Catcher and First Baseman
Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right
6-1, 185lb (185cm, 83kg)
Born: November 18, 1863 in Youngstown, OH
Died: October 31, 1936 (Aged 72-348d) in Duck Lake, MI
Buried: Riverside Cemetery, Albion, MI
Debut: June 21, 1884 (Age 20-216d, 874th in MLB history)
Last Game: May 18, 1912 (Age 48-182d)
vs. PHA 2 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Full Name: James Thomas McGuire

View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject

 

Notable Events and Chronology for Deacon McGuire Career

Jim “Deacon” McGuire, a rifle-armed catcher whose career spanned 26 years and 11 teams, retired in 1912 as MLB’s all-time leader in games caught (1,612), putouts (6,856), double plays (143), assists (1,860), and runners caught stealing (1,459)—a record that still stands today. As a testament to his indestructible right arm and the ubiquitous basepath bellicosity of the era, McGuire also holds the record for the most stolen bases allowed (2,532). To put this into perspective, consider that McGuire threw out 990 more runners than Johhny Bench, recorded 1,062 more assists than Yogi Berra, and—despite leading him by 15 points in caught-stealing percentage—allowed 1,132 more stolen bases than Mike Piazza. McGuire, who caught his final game at age 48, is tied with Tommy John for the second-longest MLB career (among position players, only Matt Stairs has played for more clubs).

An Ohio native, the 6-foot-1 inch, 185-pound catcher began his big-league career with the 1884 Toledo Blue Stockings (American Association). McGuire was at first a classic “good-field, no-hit” backstop (composite .191 average during the 1884-86 seasons), but in time developed into a fine batsman. He posted his first of six .300 seasons with the 1887 Philadelphia Quakers (.307). Don’t let the Deacon’s mild manner fool you: He was tough as hickory but had a heart of gold—regarded as among the more trustworthy and admirable ballplayers of his day.

In 1892, the 28-year-old joined the Senators (NL), with whom he thrived for nine years. Over one four year stretch (1894-97), McGuire hit .327 while averaging 75 RBI in only 110 One of his best years came in 1895 when he hit .336 with 30 doubles,10 home runs (5th in the NL), 97 RBI, and 17 steals; he also set a then MLB record by catching 133 games. The Sporting News called McGuire’s durability mark “the record of records,” adding that “many a year will roll by before being [challenged].” He topped that by slashing .343/.386/.474 in 1897.
McGuire remained a productive player through his age 37 season, though the years behind the dish had taken their toll on his knees. He did, however, post very respectable stats with the 1906 Highlanders, his age 42 season: He hit .299 while gunning down 31 would-be pillow pilferers in only 51 games. Deacon, now a manager-coach, made his last big-league appearance as a player at age 48. It was a fitting farewell: McGuire collected two hits, scored a run, and collected three outfield assists, the last a bullet cut down a runner at trying to score!

Deacon gave an interview with The Washington Herald in January 1913, in which he discussed why so many promising pitchers were changing positions: “Good hitters do not stay pitchers,” explained McGuire. “When a young fellow starts in the bush league as a pitcher and they find out he can hit, they quickly shift him to a job where he can work regularly. They make outfielders of most of them. . . . Some of the best batters in the big leagues started . . . as pitchers. [Roger] Bresnahan, [Cy] Seymour, and [Harry] Wolter started . . . as pitchers, but their batting was so strong! Johnny Kling and Harry Hooper are other[s] . . . who picked out regular jobs after they found they could sting the ball.”

“Jim Mcguire, after 32 years in baseball, has quit to go into business in Albion, Mich.,” reported The West Virginian on January 8, 1916. “McGuire was one of the best catchers and probably caught more games than any other man that ever wore a windpad. . . . He was called ‘pinch’ on account of his timely hitting. After his playing days, he managed the Boston and Cleveland Clubs.”
On October 1, 1936: Jim “Deacon” McGuire—who’d long battled a variety of ailments—passed away; he was 72. United Press International (UPI) ran an obituary, which included the following line: “[H]ailed by sports fans as one of the ‘grand old men’ of baseball . . . a true gentleman.”

✍️ Bobby King II
◾Sources: https://www.baseball-reference.com + https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov + https://newspaperarchive.com + https://www.baseball-almanac.com + https://baseballhistorydaily.com + https://sabr.org

@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90YWdzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiTGVhcm4gTW9yZSBhYm91dCB0aGUgdGVhbXMsIHBsYXllcnMsIGJhbGwgcGFya3MgYW5kIGV2ZW50cyB0aGF0IGhhcHBlbmVkIG9uIHRoaXMgZGF0ZSBpbiBoaXN0b3J5IGp1c3QgY2xpY2sgdGhlIHRhZ3MhICAiLCJhZnRlciI6IiIsImxpbmtfdG9fdGVybV9wYWdlIjoib24iLCJzZXBhcmF0b3IiOiIgfCAiLCJjYXRlZ29yeV90eXBlIjoicG9zdF90YWcifX0=@