Former Cincinnati Reds outfielder Hugh Nicol was one of the top speedsters in the game back in the 1880s, when stolen bases became a statistic.
It was easy to overlook Hugh Nicol during his playing days. At just 5’4″ tall, and weighing 145 pounds, the outfielder was one of the smaller players in major league history. However, with the Cincinnati Reds, Nicol was able to make his mark on the major league history books.
Born on New Year’s Day in 1858, Nicol soon became known for his prowess on the diamond in his teenage years. He was also a stellar gymnast and wrestler, two occupations that he would turn to in the baseball offseason. Nicol began his professional career in 1879, playing for the Rockford White Stockings, where he was a second baseman and outfielder.
It did not take long for Nicol to reach the majors. Only two years later, he was a part of the Chicago White Stockings, as the Cubs were known as then. He only appeared in 26 games that first season, hitting at a subpar .202/.232/.222 batting line, with two doubles his only extra base hits in 112 plate appearances. Following another mediocre season in 1882, Nicol was sold to the St. Louis Browns of the American Association for a grand total of $50.
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For his first two seasons in St. Louis, Nicol looked like a bargain. Although the joke was that he had been kept on the roster because he was the only player smaller than owner Chris von der Ahe. Nonetheless, he became a fan favorite, known for his incredible defensive acumen and brilliant speed both in the field and on the basepaths. He held his own at the plate in those first two seasons as well, producing a .273/.309/.326 batting line. While that may not seem overly impressive, those two seasons were above average for the time, giving Nicol a combined 102 OPS+. They would account for two of the three years that he had an OPS+ of 90 or better, as he was usually in the lineup for his defense and speed.
Nicol’s offense fell back to his usual levels after 1884. Although he led the AA in games played in 1885, he was again subpar at the plate, producing a .206/.274/.243 batting line, with 21 extra base hits in 741 plate appearances. he was quite adept at getting on base, as he was excellent at drawing walks, but he had little power. After another disappointing season in 1886, a year in which he was sidelined with malaria, von der Ahe was no longer enamored with his tiny sparkplug. The Cincinnati Reds ended up acquiring Nicol, sending $400 and catcher Jack Boyle to St. Louis.
It was that first season with the Reds that gave Nicol his place in baseball history. He did not hit much once again, producing only a .215/.341/.267 batting line, but he was able to make an impact upon the basepaths. The stolen base was a new statistic, a concept that had begun being kept track of just the previous year. In 1887, Nicol established himself as one of the best in the game at stealing bases, accounting for 138 steals that year.
Nicol had two more excellent seasons in terms of stealing bases, wiping 103 bags in 1888, and another 80 in 1889. He finished out his major league career with 20 more steals in 1890, giving him a total of 383 steals in the five years that the statistic was kept track of. His record 138 steals also fell in 1890, as future Hall of Famer Tommy McCarthy swiped 140 bags that year.
His playing career was not done, however. nicol played another 15 years in the minors, beginning in 1890 after the Reds had let him go on August 2. Aside from taking 1893 off to manage a cigar store, Nicol remained a fixture on the diamond, playing and managing in the minors. He returned to the majors briefly as the St. Louis Browns manager in 1897, as von der Ahe went through four different skippers in his quest to keep his team out of the basement. Alas, Nicol was no more successful than the others, going 8-32 before being replaced by Bill Hallman.
After his playing career came to an end, Nicol remained active in sports. In 1906, he became the first athletic director at Purdue University, and also managed the college baseball team for over a decade. After stepping down, he remained in Lafayette, Indiana, where he lived out the rest of his days. Nicol passed away on June 27, 1921, due to complications from diabetes.
For a time, Hugh Nicol was one of the more daring baserunners in the game, a fan favorite whose small stature, but big presence on the diamond, gave hope to younger fans that they could one day play in the majors as well. An incredible speedster, his prowess at stealing bases with the Cincinnati Reds ensured that he will be remembered.