This team is of interest to me mostly because I’ve never seen the photo I’ve posted published anywhere else—it is, I believe, the earliest photo of Hall of Famer Fred Clarke in a baseball uniform.
1893 St. Joseph Saints. Hall of Famer Fred Clarke is in the far right of the middle row.
Saint Joseph was part of the Western Association which disbanded in June of ’93 with the Saints in 2nd place at 11-8.
Clarke had the distinction of having the first two teams he played with be part of leagues which folded —he was with Hastings in the Nebraska State League in 1892. Clarke ended up with Montgomery in the Southern Association for the remainder of ’93, that league’s season was also cut short because of a Yellow Fever outbreak in New Orleans.
In addition to Clarke, future major leaguers “Ducky” Holmes and Art Twineham were also with St. Joseph in 1893.
The team was owned by a local jeweler named Al Wendover, it was his only foray into professional baseball ownership.
Missing from the photo is pitcher Frank “Bones” Parvin a native Missourian who appeared in six games with the Saints. Parvin was 6’ 3” and, depending on the news account, weighed between 150 and 180 pounds. Parvin had an 87-81 record during an eight year minor league career with 13 different teams in the Midwest and South. His real claim to fame however was that he was a cousin outlaws Frank and Jesse James.
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Tags: Art Twineham, Ducky Holmes, Fred Clarke, Nebraska State League, Southern Association, St. Joseph Saints, Western Association
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