Joe Stabell

On page 1,444 of the fourth edition of The Baseball Encyclopedia published in 1979, Joe Staples nestles in obscurity between journeyman outfielder Leroy Stanton and Hall of Famer Willie Stargell.1

The scant entry is the reflection of a rather unremarkable career. He appeared in seven games with the 1885 Buffalo Bisons, recorded just one hit in 22 at-bats, and finished with a microscopic career batting average of .045. For decades, baseball historians knew little about Joe Staples. And as of 2020, it now appears that what little we did know was mostly inaccurate.

The most notable correction to Joe Staples’ career record is not in his stats, but his name. “Joe Staples” was born Joseph F. Stabell on August 4, 1864, in Buffalo, New York.2 His father, Frank Stabell – surname also spelled Staebell and Staebel – immigrated to America from France. At 18 young Franz Staebel departed the port of Havre, France, on the passenger ship Palestine for New York, arriving on October 5, 1846.3

The Stabell homeland of Alsace, France, is in a historical region in the northeastern area of the country located on the Rhine River, bordering Germany and Switzerland. It has alternated between German and French control over the centuries and reflects a blend of those cultures.4 Given that both of Joe’s parents, Frank and Martha, were born in France and spoke French, it is quite possible that this “one-hit wonder” spoke with a French accent. While just conjecture, this might be a plausible explanation as to why English speakers could have incorrectly heard the pronunciation of his surname as “Stay-pulz.”5

The Stabell family included six children, three girls and three boys – Martha, Eliz, Jacob, Abbie, Joseph, and George.6 Two of Joseph’s siblings died young. In 1877 sister Martha died at 16, and in 1880 the oldest brother, Jacob, died at 22.7 By the time he was 16, Joseph was no longer a student and was now working in a liquor store. His younger brother George, 14, attended “School 18” in Buffalo’s public-school system.8 Over the course of the next four years, Joe remained in the spirits industry and eventually took a job in a distillery with his father as a distiller, Frank’s profession for the last decade.9

On October 20, 1884, the Buffalo Commercial reported, “The Buffalos and Clippers, of Hamilton, Ont., played an exhibition game at Hamilton, Saturday [Oct 18], the former winning by a score of 9 to 7. The Buffalo battery consisted of Galvin and Staples, the latter an amateur of this city.”10 This game recap represents the first documentation of Joe Staples playing baseball – catching future Hall of Fame pitcher James Francis “Pud” Galvin, nonetheless.

The first amateur baseball league of Buffalo was organized the summer of 1879 when young Joe was 15.11 The popularity of the local game grew over the years and by 1884 the Amateur Base-Ball League of Buffalo consisted of five teams, the Perrys, the Travelers, the Alerts, the Comets, and the Stars.12 The name of the team Joe Staples played for between 1880 and 1884 (age 16 to 20) has yet to surface, but we do know that, based on his brief appearance with the Buffalo Bisons in late 1884, he did indeed compete with one of those five ballclubs. 

Someone in attendance at that Buffalo-Hamilton exhibition game may have seen a glimmer of potential in the young player, because four months later Staples signed his first professional contract. On February 19, 1885, President Nicholas E. Young announced the list of men signed by the eight teams of the National League of Professional Base Ball Players: Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Providence, New York, Philadelphia, and St. Louis.13

The newcomers to Henry V. Lucas’s St. Louis Maroons for the 1885 season included William O’Donnell, George F. Baker, Joseph Quinn, Fleury P. Sullivan, Frank W. Bandle, William H. Colgan, Frederick Lewis, and Joseph Staples. Notable players signing with other clubs that same season include Buck Ewing and Mickey Welch in New York, Pud Galvin and Dan Brouthers in Buffalo, and Mike “King” Kelly and Cap Anson in Chicago.14

The St. Louis Maroons played the previous season in the Union Association, and after that league collapsed, Lucas made the switch to the National League. Sabermetrics guru Bill James argues that the Union Association was incorrectly classified as a major league, a claim supported by the Maroons’ poor showing in the National League.15 They finished in last place with a 36-72 record. None of that ineptitude could be blamed on Staples, for he was released by Lucas just before Opening Day.16 Staples was listed as a catcher at the time of his departure, and weeks before, Sporting Life had described him as the “heaviest man on the team.”17 Staples was released on April 29. Was it because of his deconditioned physique or because the club already carried five catchers on the roster? No reason was given in the press.

In late May of 1885, Staples signed with the Jersey City Skeeters in the Eastern League as a catcher and center fielder.18 His time in Jersey City was also brief. A few weeks later he moved on to the Rochester Flour Cities of the New York State League, for whom he played catcher and batted primarily in the number 7 and 8 spots of the lineup.19 Staples struggled at the plate in Rochester, securing just one hit in 11 plate appearances. His first documented hit occurred on July 11 against pitcher George Chapman of the Albany Senators in a 7-4 loss.20 

With Rochester located roughly 75 miles east of Buffalo, it was convenient for Joe to return home on offdays. On August 3, 1885, Staples, then 22, is documented playing shortstop with a local ballclub, the Plymouths in a weekend contest.21

Perhaps the recent local play caught the attention of officials with Buffalo of the National League, or maybe it was his prior pickup with the team in 1884. Whatever the case, Staples was suited up, playing right field, and batting ninth in the lineup with the major-league Buffalo Bisons on September 18, 1885. According to the box score in the Buffalo Times, he went 2-for-5 at the plate in a 14-12 victory over Rochester, his old ballclub.22 The two hits off pitcher-outfielder Tom Mansell would not count toward his major-league statistics because Rochester was a member of the NYSL, and not the National League.

It is not known if Staples was right- or left-handed. According to the historical record, he was said to be 5-feet-10. No weight is given in that same source, but according to reports from his time in St. Louis as “the heaviest man on the team,” we can deduce that he weighed more than 194 pounds, the weight of teammate Frederick Lewis, the heaviest recorded for players with St. Louis in 1885.23

A week later, Staples faced his first major-league-caliber pitcher in New York’s future Hall of Fame pitcher Tim Keefe. Staples was hitless in three at-bats in the 4-1 loss at the Polo Grounds.24 On September 20 Buffalo manager Jack Chapman experimented by moving Staples to second against the Philadelphia Quakers. Facing Charlie Ferguson, the ace of the club, Staples went 0-for-3 in the 12-2 loss.25

After the failed infield experiment, Chapman moved Staples back to his more familiar spot in the outfield. On September 21 Staples and his Bisons teammates faced Keefe again. The curveball specialist pitched a shutout, winning 10-0, and allowing five scattered hits. One of those five hits belonged to Staples.26     

Buffalo finished out its major-league schedule with five games against New York and a season finale against Boston. The Bisons lost all four games against New York – twice against Keefe, and the others against Mickey Welch and Larry Corcoran.27 In the final contest, against the Boston Beaneaters, about 100 fans showed up to watch Buffalo lose, 13-2.28 Staples went 0-for-4 at the plate against Charlie Buffinton, a righty who finished the season with a 22-27 record.29 

It is worth pointing out that Staples’ one major-league hit came while he played under Buffalo manager Jack Chapman, a man who played a noteworthy role in the history of baseball’s color line. Chapman continued to manage the Bisons the following three seasons and, with Frank Grant at second base, his 1886 club was one of several integrated teams in the International League.

When the color line was drawn in 1887, Chapman was vocal in his disappointment with the decision, and his support for Frank Grant. “Grant, (George) Stovey, (William) Renfroe and (Robert) Higgins are the leading colored players now in the International League. … It is really a pity that the league should draw the color line, for it is a treat to see Grant play second base,” said Chapman.30 The Bisons manager said he valued Grant at $5,000, which at this time rivaled the highest paid players in the majors, Fred Dunlap of the Detroit Wolverines and Charles “Old Hoss” Radbourne of the Boston Beaneaters, who both earned $4,500 (the equivalent of $125,000 in 2020).31

By 1886, Staples was out of major-league baseball, but at just 22 he continued his playing career in local leagues. On May 3 the Buffalo Times reported that “Big Joe Staples, with St. Louis and Buffalo last season[,]” was now playing with a local team called the Exiles. Holding down the hot corner, he went 3-for-6 against the Perry club in a high-scoring contest that ended 14-12 in favor of the Exiles.32 When Staples wasn’t competing as a player on the field, he kept the peace as an umpire in the same league.33 Off the field, he and brother George buried their father Frank, a decorated Union veteran, who died in June 1886 at 58.34 Their mother, Martha, died four years later at 61.35

In mid-August of 1887, the Buffalo Times reported that the grocers and butchers of Buffalo held their first annual picnic at Germania Park, a festive event that included a baseball game and track and field events. The Stabell brothers are documented competing in the track and field events for the Butchers. George placed second in the 100-yard dash, while Joe and George were among the top three athletes in the hop, step, and jump; running long jump; and standing long jump. Although no ballplayers were mentioned by name, most likely the brothers also competed in the baseball game that was played earlier in the day when the Diamond Kings baseball club defeated the Stars 13-12.36

In 1888 Joe and George teamed up again on the diamond as members of the Niagaras of Buffalo’s West Side Baseball League. Other clubs in the league included the North Buffaloes, Queen Citys, and West Ends.37 George batted leadoff and played third base, while Joseph hit in the two spot and caught.38

By the 1890 season, the brothers had changed clubs again. On July 21 the West Ends of the Buffalo Baseball League announced the signing of Joe and George, emphasizing that they were much-needed additions to a team that was losing players to a popular crosstown rival, the Casinos.39 Lady luck was not with the West Enders again. By the end of the month, the brothers joined the exodus and left the West Ends for manager Jac Horn’s Casinos.40

Weeks later the Casinos defeated the Elks, 13-4. Roughly 500 fans were on hand for the contest in which the “Staples” brothers guarded the middle infield – George starting at shortstop and Joe at second base. The box score reveals the surprising athletic ability of the girthy Joe – he turned an unassisted 4-3 double play, and recorded three putouts and four assists. Offensively, he and George both hit doubles.41

“Big Joe” continued his playing career with the East Buffalo club during the 1891 season. Seven years after being documented as the batterymate of Pud Galvin with the Bisons in late 1884, the press still identified him as “Staples.” In a contest at Buffalo’s Champion League Grounds on June 15, Joe started at first base and batted ninth in the lineup. He performed well that day despite the team’s 15-4 loss to the Casinos. Staples participated in three double plays on defense and was 3-for-4 against William Schellerman, one of the best professional pitchers in Buffalo.42

About 900 were in attendance to see the Casinos’ pickup pitcher Schellerman strike out 15 East Buffalo batters. At the time of this game with the amateur Casinos, Schellerman was at the peak of his professional career. Between 1890 and 1893, he played with the Buffalo/Montreal Bisons and the Grand Rapids Shamrocks of the International Association, and the Providence Clamdiggers of the Eastern Association.43

In 1892 the Stabell brothers shifted their focus away from athletics to politics.44 In anticipation of former President Grover Cleveland making a second run for the White House after losing to William Henry Harrison in 1888, George Stabell became president of the Cleveland and Stevenson Democratic Club for Buffalo’s 23rd Ward.45

As the President of the Democratic Club for their neighborhood ward, George also advocated for his brother Joseph, who was running for city council alderman. The Buffalo Courier called the former professional baseball player an “an excellent candidate,” and shared the following brief biographical sketch with potential voters: 

“Joseph F. Stabell, Democratic candidate for Alderman in the 23rd Ward, was born in that ward (the old 11th) August 4, 1864, and has lived there all his life. He received his education in the public schools. Mr. Stabell is General Manager of the Ferrolothic Paving Company, and prominent member of the Foresters, Court Frontier No. 7688. He has always been a Democrat, and one of the hardest and most loyal workers in the party. Mr. Stabell never sought office before but is making a great run.”46

While Grover Cleveland managed to win a second bid for the presidency, Stabell was not as fortunate. He lost to Republican candidate William K. Williams, who secured the victory with 704 votes. Stabell’s final vote count was not reported in the press.47

Stabell dusted himself off after his political defeat and returned to the construction industry, and baseball. In September 1893, he played in a charity baseball game played at Buffalo’s Olympic Park between the members of the Real Estate Exchange and the Builders Exchange. Proceeds from the game benefited the nonprofit Fresh Air Fund, founded to help disadvantaged city children enjoy a free summer in the country.48 According to the Buffalo Courier, many of the players participating in the game were “old-time ball tossers,” including Stabell, first baseman for the Builders.49

In 1894 Joseph Stabell partnered with Thomas Brown to form Brown & Stabell, a contracting firm initially promoted for cellar and sewer building services. The firm quickly expanded its offerings and by July was bidding on city contracts for the collection and removal of garbage.50 By the end of 1895, Stabell was viewed as a leading excavation expert in Buffalo and was asked occasionally to testify in court on related legal matters.51

With his ballplaying days clearly behind him, Stabell, now 33, settled down and married Eva Marie Krumholz in January 1896.52 Forever the sportsman, though, he found his competitive outlet in bowling as a member of the Genesees team in Buffalo’s West Side Bowling League.53

Stabell maintained a high profile in Buffalo, as his name was still in the papers in 1897 as a potential Democratic Party nominee for 23rd Ward alderman.54 His prominence in the community may have helped him and his expanded company – Brown, Stabell, & Griffiths – win the contract to construct the canal system at the Pan-American Exposition grounds. Stabell and his business partners hired 1,000 men to remove 2,500 cubic yards of dirt a day in preparation for the 1901 World’s Fair hosted by Buffalo.55 Stabell’s pride in his work and the global spotlight placed on his hometown is reflected by his enthusiastic decision to rename his bowling team the Pan-Ams.56

The Pan-American Exposition was held in Buffalo from May 1 through November 2, 1901. Today it is remembered as the site of President William McKinley’s assassination on September 6, 1901. The day before being shot by an assassin’s gun, McKinley addressed an audience of 50,000 Expo attendees, which included business leaders of the Buffalo community. At the time of this writing, there are no known photos of Joseph Stabell; however, because of his position as a respected business leader in the Buffalo community, it is possible that he is a face in the crowd in the photo of McKinley delivering his final public speech.57

Compared with his paltry major-league career, Joe Stabell was a big-league champion when it came to the construction industry. His success as a respected business owner allowed him and his wife to travel the world and to build a “handsome residence” in Buffalo’s Central Park area. The house was noted for its lofty value of $25,000 in 1916 (the equivalent of $623,000 in 2020).58 In 1921, at age 57, he remained active in local politics, serving on the Democratic County Committee for Buffalo’s 19th Ward.59

Stabell’s positive impact on the community could be found in the hundreds of state and local construction projects worked on by his company, the last of which he operated with his brother George as the Stabell Brothers. He also gave back to his community, supporting a variety of charities including the St. Vincent Orphan Asylum.60

Despite his apparent success as a community and business leader, he did face notable challenges, such as:

• In 1914, the stables that housed his team of 100 horses used for construction hauling during jobs burned down, causing $3,000 worth of damage (the equivalent of $78,000 in 2020).61
• In 1918, during World War I and a time of rationing, he was charged with hoarding sugar and other commodities. The inspector who visited Stabell’s house “found in the attic 161 pounds of sugar, 30 boxes containing 2,500 cakes of soap, and in the cellar a half-box of grapefruit, a third of a box of lemons and a half a box of oranges”62 (Given Stabell’s early career in the spirits industry, it is quite possible that these were ingredients – minus the soap – for a homemade distillery in anticipation of the proposed Wartime Prohibition Act, which passed in November 1918.63)
• In 1922 Stabell’s outstanding business debts caused his creditors to request involuntary bankruptcy in federal courts.64

Joe Stabell died on July 10, 1923, a few weeks shy of his 59th birthday. He was 58, the same age as his father when he died. His passing that morning occurred early enough for it to make the evening edition of the Buffalo Commercial. “Contractor Dies,” the headline read. There was no mention of his early career as a baseball player. The article summarized his better-known profession: “Mr. Stabell had been in the contracting business with offices in Niagara street for the past forty years. … He was survived by his wife Martha and three daughters, Mrs. Arthur I. Yeager, Mrs. Robert J. Felhousen and Victoria E. Stabell.”65 Not mentioned in the obituary was the fact that his business partner, former baseball teammate, and brother, George Stabell, also resided at the family home on 1127 Niagara Street.66

Services were held at Holy Angels Roman Catholic Church.

Despite not locating Joe Stabell’s photograph, we now have a better picture of his life and baseball career to make his entry on Baseball-Reference.com – now the de facto replacement of The Baseball Encyclopedia – more complete.67

And best of all, “Big Joe” is now a candidate — and the only one for now until other candidates might be discovered — for a new and interesting baseball trivia question: Which “one-hit wonder” recorded his only major-league hit off of a Hall of Fame pitcher?
The answer: Joe Staples, 1885 Buffalo, off New York pitcher Tim Keefe (elected to Cooperstown in 1964).

Notes

1 The author first learned about “Joe Staples” at age 10 (1979) and for decades wondered if he was a distant relative. The research for this SABR biography answered that question – no relation.

2 “Excellent Candidate,” Buffalo Courier, November 5, 1892: 5.

3 Franz Staebel in the New York, Passenger and Immigration Lists, 1820-1850, Ancestry.com.

4 Alsace, France, Encyclopedia Britannica, https://britannica.com/place/Alsace.

5 Another possibility for Joe Stabell playing ball under the name Joe Staples is that, at the time, baseball was not considered a reputable profession. Thus, maybe Staples was his identity on the field to keep it separate from his professional/business identity.

6 Frank Staebell in the 1870 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com.

7 Deaths, Buffalo Courier, November 8, 1880: 2.

8 Frank Stabell in the 1880 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com. See also “Regents Examination,” Buffalo Commercial, June 23, 1882: 3.

9 Joseph Stabell, 1884 Buffalo City Directory, 841.

10 “Miscellany,” Buffalo Commercial, October 20, 1884: 3.

11 “Base-Ball,” Buffalo Commercial, June 23, 1879: 3.

12 “Sporting,” Buffalo Commercial, March 20, 1884: 3.

13 “The League Players Under Contract,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, March 1, 1885: 9.

14  “The League Players Under Contract.”

15 Bill James, The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract (New York: Villard, 1985).

16 “Fitch and Staples Released,” Sporting Life, April 29, 1885: 7.

17 “Staples the New Catcher,” Sporting Life, April 15, 1885: 7.           

18 “Lancaster vs. Jersey City,” Sporting Life, May 27, 1885: 5.

19 “Forging to the Front,” Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, New York), June 9, 1885: 6.

20 “The Wind Blew Right,” Democrat and Chronicle, July 11, 1885: 7.

21 “Sporting News,” Buffalo Times, August 3, 1885: 1.

22 “Anything to Beat Rochester,” Buffalo Times, September 19, 1885: 1.          

23 Frederick Lewis entry, Baseball-Reference.com, https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lewisfr01.shtml.

24 “New York, 4; Buffalo, 1,” Boston Globe, September 27, 1885: 6.

25 “Baseball Notes,” Buffalo Sunday Morning News, September 20, 1885: 4.

26 “The New Yorks Whitewash the Buffalos,” Boston Globe, September 22, 1885: 5.      

27 “Popular Autumn Sports,” Buffalo Morning Express and Illustrated Buffalo Express, September 26, 1885: 2.

28 “Boston Defeats Buffalo,” Buffalo Times, September 30, 1885: 1.

29 Charlie Buffinton entry, Baseball-Reference.com, https://baseball-reference.com/players/b/buffich01.shtml.

30 “Around the Bases,” Democrat and Chronicle, July 26, 1887: 7.

31 “MLB’s Annual Salary Leaders Since 1874,” by Michael Haupert, Society for American Baseball Research, https://sabr.org/research/article/mlbs-annual-salary-leaders-since-1874/.

32 “The Sports on Sunday,” Buffalo Times, May 3, 1886: 1.

33 “Great Day for Sport,” Buffalo Times, May 31, 1886: 5.

34 “Died,” Buffalo Evening News, June 10, 1886: 1.

35 New York, Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999 for Martha Stabell, Ancestry.com.

36 “Their Day Off,” Buffalo Times, August 18, 1887: 1.

37 “West Side League,” International Gazette (Black Rock, New York), May 4, 1888: 4.

38 “West Ends vs. Niagaras,” International Gazette, May 19, 1888: 5.

39 “Sporting Notes,” Buffalo Times, July 21, 1890: 1.

40 “Amateur Baseball,” Buffalo Courier, July 31, 1890: 8.

41 “Elks Extinguished,” Buffalo Courier, August 4, 1890: 8.

42 “The Casinos’ Easy Victory,” Buffalo Morning Express and Illustrated Buffalo Express, June 15, 1891: 6.

43 William Schellerman entry, Baseball-Reference.com, baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=schell002wil.

44 It is worth noting that at this stage of Stabell’s career, the press did not refer to him as Joe Staples when off the diamond, suggesting that “Staples” might have been Joe’s “Americanized baseball identity” much like “Connie Mack” for Cornelius McGillicuddy, or “Willie Keeler” for William Henry O’Kelleher Jr. 

45 “Ward Clubs,” Buffalo Courier, July 13, 1892: 5.

46 “An Excellent Candidate,” Buffalo Courier, November 5, 1892: 5.

47 “Official Figures,” Buffalo Enquirer, November 18, 1892: 5.

48 “The Fresh Air Fund, Learn About Us,” freshair.org/learn-about-us/.

49 “Real Estates and Builders,” Buffalo Courier, September 30, 1893: 8.

50 “Some Interesting Figures,” Buffalo Courier, July 24, 1894: 7.

51 “Excavating Expert,” Buffalo Courier, October 30, 1895: 6.

52 “Engagements,” Buffalo Courier, January 12, 1896: 12.

53 “Fillmores vs. Genesees,” Buffalo Courier, April 15, 1896: 11.

54 “Other Candidates,” Buffalo Courier, April 14, 1897: 6.

55 “Are Excavating,” Buffalo Courier, December 27, 1899: 8.

56 “Queen Cities Win Out,” Buffalo Courier, Nov 2, 1901, 9.

57 The unsuccessful search for a photo of Joe Stabell has included all known baseball archives, newspaper archives, historical societies associated with Buffalo and the Pan-Am Expo, and outreach to known relatives identified through Ancestry.com.

58 “Mr. Stabell Will Build New Home in Central Park,” Buffalo Evening News, August 27, 1910: 46.

59 “Member of County Committee, Democratic, Nineteenth Ward,” Buffalo Courier, September 21, 1921: 12.

60 “St. Vincent’s Orphan Asylum,” Buffalo Courier, December 12, 1900: 5.

61 “One Hundred Horses Saved from Stable Fire,” Buffalo Commercial, March 11, 1914: 6.

62 “Baker Hoarded Sugar/Must Quit Business,” Buffalo Evening News, June 21, 1918: 13.

63 Michael A. Lerner, “Going Dry: The Coming of Prohibition,” National Endowment for the Humanities, HUMANITIES, September/October 2011, https://neh.gov/humanities/2011/septemberoctober/feature/going-dry.

64 “New York State News Briefs,” Evening Leader (Corning, New York), March 2, 1922: 3.

65 “Contractor Dies,” Buffalo Commercial, July 10, 1923: 3.

66 US City Directories, 1822-1995 for George J. Stabell.

67 Joe Stabell entry, Baseball-Reference.com, https://baseball-reference.com/players/s/stapljo01.shtml (as of 11/15/2020).