Canadian-Born Major Leaguers

This article was published in Dominionball: Baseball Above the 49th (2005), the SABR 35 convention journal.

There have now been approximately 200 major leaguers born in Canada. The necessity of using the word “approximately” would seem to imply a lack of research on the subject. In fact, it is precisely because there has been so much recent research on this topic that the tally of Canadians continues to fluctuate.

Of course there are new Canadians who reach the major leagues each year. Simon Pond, Shawn Hill, Jesse Crain, and Jeff Francis debuted in 2004, while Jason Bay, Justin Morneau, Chris Mears, Rich Harden, and Pierre-Luc Laforest made it to the Big Show in 2003. Nine new players in two seasons is an impressive number, surpassing the number of Canadians who debuted in four previous decades (the 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, and 1980s).

However, this comparative flood of 21st-century ballplayers is not what makes it difficult to arrive at an accurate count of the total number of Canadian born major leaguers. The problem, paradoxically, is not with the most recent players but with the earliest ones. It is an issue rooted in the 19th century, when the compilation of vital records was still in its infancy and many births were recorded only in a family Bible. People were rarely asked to provide birth information and if, as frequently happened, they provided contradictory information, it can be difficult or impossible to sort the matter out. This is compounded by the reality that Canada was frequently a stopping-off point-often a very brief one-for European emigrants on their way to the United States.

As a result, the Biographical Committee of SABR regularly moves at least a few players in or out of the column of Canadian-born players, which makes it necessary to put a disclaimer on any count. (Most SABR members consult en cyclopedias for players’ demographic information, and frequently assume that those sources do their own research. However, none of them do, instead relying upon the research of the Biographical Committee of SABR.)

Here are some recent examples of players whose status has been changed: Albert]. “Abbie” (or “Abe”) Johnson was an infielder for Louisville in 1896 and 1897. (He is not to be confused with an 1893 one-game Chicago pitcher who is listed as Abe Johnson-this player was actually a local amateur whose first name is unknown.) Abbie Johnson grew up in London and spent almost his entire life in Canada. A profile in the London Free Press indicated that he was born in Chicago but grew up in London, so his birthplace was changed. Then a descendant located a census listing that suggested that he was indeed born in London, so he is now again recognized as a Canadian by birth.

Jeremiah Moore played for three teams in 1884 and 1885. He was the son of Irish immigrants William and Margueretta Moore, who spent time in Canada before settling in Michigan. Census records indicate that Jerry was one of their children who was born in Canada, and researcher Eves Raja was able to confirm Windsor as his place of birth.

Edward “The Only” Nolan, a very well-known pitcher of the 1870s, is listed as being born in Paterson, New Jersey, because that is what is stated on his death certificate. However, censuses consistently list him and all his siblings as having been born in Canada. It appears that his parents, like so many Irish emigrants, stopped in Canada before settling in the United States.

Pat Murphy, an outfielder for Washington in 1891, was long listed as Lawrence Patrick Murphy, with no date or place of birth or death. The Biographical Committee identified him as actually being Patrick Lawrence Murphy from Indianapolis and determined that he died there in 1911. Further research determined that, as with Moore and Nolan, Murphy’s Irish-born parents had most of their children while in Canada. Interestingly, two of Murphy’s Canadian-born siblings became famous groundskeepers. Tom Murphy was the grounds keeper of the celebrated Baltimore Orioles of the 1890s, and became notorious for such tricks as put ting clay in front of home plate so that the Orioles could use the Baltimore chop. John Murphy was the long-time groundskeeper at the Polo Grounds during the heyday of John McGraw’s Giants.

James Pirie was a shortstop from London, Ontario, who played for a top independent team in Port Huron, Michigan, in 1883. When the Port Hurons beat Philadelphia’s National League en try, this made quite an impression and Pirie was used by the National League team at season’s end. Unfortunately, “Pirie of the Port Hurons” some how became “Pierre of the Grand Havens” and it took years to correct the mistake.

Like Pirie, Bill Mountjoy and Jon Morrison were also natives of London who played for the Port Hurons in 1883. Somehow both became in correctly listed as being born in Port Huron.

Mike Brannock debuted in 1871, and was long listed as the first Canadian major leaguer, on the basis that he once played for Guelph. He was raised in Chicago by Irish immigrants, but his actual place of birth remained unknown. Recently researchers Bruce Allardice and Dave Lambert determined that he was born in Massachusetts.

If Brannock wasn’t the first Canadian-born major leaguer, then in all likelihood it was James Leon Wood, who also debuted in 1871. Wood is listed as being born in Brooklyn, but the censuses almost always listed his birthplace as Canada.

Census data demonstrate that Fred Osborne, a pitcher and outfielder in 1890, was born in Canada, although his family moved to Hampden, Iowa, when he was an infant and Fred grew up there.

Bill Hogg, a moderately successful pitcher for the New York Highlanders between 1905 and 1908, is a particularly curious case. His parents, William and Ada, were Canadians who moved frequently because the elder William was a railroad employee. Their first son was born in Canada in 1879 and his birth record gave his name as William, leading to the natural assumption that this was the major league ballplayer. However, at some point, the family began to refer to this son as Andy and their second son was born in Port Huron, Michigan, in 1881 and again named William. Perplexed re searchers eventually determined that this one was the major league pitcher.

George “Reddy” McMillan, who had a cup of coffee in the majors in 1890, was another long-time mystery. When he was finally identified and deter mined to have spent most of his life in Cleveland, researchers discovered that he had actually been born in Ontario.

Larry McLean and Billy Magee were early 20th-century major leaguers who claimed to have been born in New England. Vital records, how ever, clearly establish that both were born in the Canadian Maritime provinces and emigrated to New England at young ages. This raises the possibility that some Canadian-born players thought it might hurt their career to admit to a foreign birth place and deliberately lied. If this is the case, there could be numerous additional Canadian-born players yet to be discovered. George Wood, for in stance, is listed in the encyclopedias as being born in Massachusetts, but the 1870 and 1880 censuses list Prince Edward Island as his birthplace.

As a result, the number of Canadian major leaguers continues to fluctuate, even by the narrow definition of considering only place of birth. If one tries to take account of the underlying question of what makes someone a Canadian, it becomes still harder to pin down a precise figure. It might be agreed that Abbie Johnson, whatever his birth place, was a “real Canadian” and that a player like Osborne or McMillan shouldn’t count, but there is no clear place to draw the line. Does one include a player who moved to the States at age 5? 10? 15? And should one count American-born players like Eddie Kolb and Tom Letcher who eventually settled in Canada and acquired Canadian citizenship?

There is no way to resolve these questions and thus the number of Canadian major leaguers will continue to change. Moreover, even though diligent SABR members are determining the birthplaces of many previously unidentified players, new research just as often undermines confidence in an earlier listing. Consequently, it will always be necessary to attach the word “approximately” to any count of Canadian major leaguers.