John Francis Morrill nicknamed "Honest John," was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 first baseman

First baseman

First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...

 and manager

Manager (baseball)

In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...

 in Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 who played from 1876-1890. Over the years he played all positions. Although he pitched

Pitcher

In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

 a couple of games each season, he was primarily an infielder, and had a career batting average

Batting average

Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

 of .260. In an incredible season in 1883

1883 in baseball

-Champions:*National League: Boston Beaneaters*American Association: Philadelphia Athletics*Inter-State League: Brooklyn Atlantics*Northwestern League: Toledo Blue StockingsInter-league playoff: Philadelphia declined to play Boston...

, he batted .316, played six different positions, and led the Boston Beaneaters

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....

 to 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...

 pennant after taking over as manager from Jack Burdock

Jack Burdock

John Joseph Burdock , nicknamed "Black Jack," was an American second baseman in Major League Baseball. He made his professional debut in 1872 with the Brooklyn Atlantics at age 20, and he would later join the New York Mutuals, the Hartford Dark Blues, and the Boston Red Caps...

 in midseason.

Morrill's parents were Irish emigrants to Boston. He was born in Boston, and raised five children. He died at the age of 77 in Brookline, Massachusetts

Brookline, Massachusetts

Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...

, and interred at the Holyhood Cemetery

Holyhood Cemetery

Holyhood Cemetery is a cemetery located in Brookline, Massachusetts, United States. Laid out in 1857, the cemetery was designed to reflect the mid-19th century influence of romantic landscape cemetery planning begun at Cambridge's Mount Auburn Cemetery. It was the first such cemetery in Brookline...

.

External links

• Baseball-Reference.com - career playing statistics and managing record
• Obituary