Frank Selman
Encyclopedia
Charles Francis Sellman or Selman (1852 – May 6, 1907) was an American
professional baseball
player. He played catcher
and other positions for five different teams during the five seasons of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players
, 1871 to 1875. He also played under the name of "Frank C. Williams."
In 1869, the 16- and 17-year-old Sellman participated in the first professional pennant race for the Maryland club of Baltimore. He was the regular shortstop
, played in 19 of 27 games on record, and scored 42 runs, a little below the team average rate. He was a Baltimore native like most of his teammates. He returned to that club for one game in 1873, its only season in the professional Association.
The Kekionga club
of Fort Wayne, Indiana
hired several Baltimore natives in order to compete in the first professional league, the 1871 NA. Sellman was one. It would be his only league season as a regular player. As a frequent or infrequent substitute during the leagues remaining four seasons, he played for two teams based in Baltimore and two based in Washington, D.C.
It seems plausible that his ability to play the catcher
position was crucial to his career, but he proved to be a capable batter in 1874, his last season with significant playing time. In twelve of 47 games, six as catcher, he scored 9 runs on 16 hits. Only one regular player scored or hit safely at higher rates. (On the other hand, Sellman's occasional action may have been against weaker than average opposition.)
Sellman played one game early in the 1875 season, at age 22 or 23, and never appeared in the National League
that succeeded the NA next year.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player. He played catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
and other positions for five different teams during the five seasons of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players
National Association of Professional Base Ball Players
The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players , or simply the National Association , was founded in 1871 and continued through the 1875 season...
, 1871 to 1875. He also played under the name of "Frank C. Williams."
In 1869, the 16- and 17-year-old Sellman participated in the first professional pennant race for the Maryland club of Baltimore. He was the regular shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
, played in 19 of 27 games on record, and scored 42 runs, a little below the team average rate. He was a Baltimore native like most of his teammates. He returned to that club for one game in 1873, its only season in the professional Association.
The Kekionga club
Fort Wayne Kekiongas
The Fort Wayne Kekiongas were a professional baseball team, notable for winning the first professional league game on May 4, 1871. Kekionga - pronounced KEY-key-awn-guh - is the name of Chief Little Turtle's Miami Indian settlement where the St. Joseph River and the St. Mary's River join to form...
of Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
hired several Baltimore natives in order to compete in the first professional league, the 1871 NA. Sellman was one. It would be his only league season as a regular player. As a frequent or infrequent substitute during the leagues remaining four seasons, he played for two teams based in Baltimore and two based in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
It seems plausible that his ability to play the catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
position was crucial to his career, but he proved to be a capable batter in 1874, his last season with significant playing time. In twelve of 47 games, six as catcher, he scored 9 runs on 16 hits. Only one regular player scored or hit safely at higher rates. (On the other hand, Sellman's occasional action may have been against weaker than average opposition.)
Sellman played one game early in the 1875 season, at age 22 or 23, and never appeared in the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
that succeeded the NA next year.