KANSAS CITY CONNECTION TO AMERICAN CIRCUITS
I have already mentioned there very briefly was a team based in Kansas City during the 1880s so there is a little bit of a background for big league baseball in the city. A longtime Negro League team and also a few different minor league clubs also flourished in Kansas City but surprisingly I have discovered there have been very few American Circuits baseball players come from the area. Just 5 in fact with 3 coming from the east side of the Missouri river and two others who were born in Kansas City, Kansas.
Dan Charles would be the better known of the two retired Kansas City natives. The lefthander actually led the NBL in appearances in both 1934 and 1935. He appeared in 560 games during a career with Baltimore that stretched from 1926 thru 1942 but he worked out of the bullpen for all but 36 of those appearances, compiling a 59-65 record with a 4.53 career era. Charles made his only all-star appearances at age 41 in the final season of his career.
Erastus Beckman was an outfielder from Kansas City who spent parts of 4 seasons in the NBL. A centerfielder, Beckman only played in 96 games during that time and hit under his weight at .173. He was with Pittsburgh from 1904-06 and then resurfaced for 18 games with Buffalo in 1911.
The other three are still active and perhaps one or more will find their way into a Bulls uniform in the future.
Fred Phelps, like Beckman and Charles, hails from the Missouri side, and is now a 34 year old relief pitcher for the Philadelphia Quakers. He joined the Quakers in 1942 and has a 56-60 career record in 587 appearances but only 9 starts. He is a two-time all-star and was a member of the Quakers World Series winning 1946 club, tossing 3 and a third innings of scoreless relief in that series. He also pitched in the 1948 and 1951 World Series.
Both Leo Beckwith and Sal Chambers come from the Kansas side of the border. The 26 year old Beckwith is still trying to find his way in the league with the New York Knickerbockers, who selected him in the 4th round of the 1949 draft. He made his Knick debut in 1952 and the shortstop has appeared in 41 career games batting an impressive .395. He is on the Knickerbockers roster this season but has been rarely used, going 2-for-9 on the year.
Chambers is a much travelled 28 year old lefthander who was originally drafted by St Louis after playing his college ball locally at UMKC. He pitched briefly in parts of two seasons for the Explorers before being released following spring training 1950. Toronto signed him and he pitched his first (and only to-date) shutout for the Hurons in 1950 when he went 4-5. Chambers split 1951 between Toronto and Philadelphia, going 5-4 with a 6.46 era before moving on to the Montreal organization. He is presently in the minors (reserve roster) but did pitch for the Habitants last season, going 1-4 with a 5.47 era. Career numbers for the now 27 year old are 12-18 with a 5.09 era.
Ideally, I would like to have at least one of the local products on the field when the Bulls debut next April.