Nap Shea

John Edward "Nap" Shea (May 23, 1874 – July 8, 1968), nicknamed "Napoleon", was a catcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1902. He stood at 5' 5", weighed 155 lbs., and batted and threw right-handed.[1]

Nap Shea
Catcher
Born: (1874-05-23)May 23, 1874
Ware, Massachusetts
Died: July 8, 1968(1968-07-08) (aged 94)
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 11, 1902, for the Philadelphia Phillies
Last MLB appearance
September 15, 1902, for the Philadelphia Phillies
MLB statistics
Games played3
At bats8
Hits1
Teams

Career

Shea was born in Ware, Massachusetts.[1] He started his professional baseball career in 1894 and played for the New England League's Brockton Shoemakers for four seasons. In 1896, he batted a career-high .344 and slugged .452.[2] Shea then played in the New York State League from 1899 to 1902. He hit .323 in 1901. Early in the following season, he was sidelined by appendicitis[3] but then recovered and hit .300 for the Ilion Typewriters.[2]

Shea was acquired by the Philadelphia Phillies and played three games for them in September. In 10 plate appearances, he went 1 for 8 with a walk and a hit by pitch.[1] The next season, he caught for the Eastern League's Newark Sailors and stayed on that team for a few years.[2] He batted under .200 during most of his time at Newark, but the Sporting Life wrote that he was "one of the best backstops" in the league.[4]

Shea was sold to the Syracuse Stars in March 1908,[5] and he played one season there before retiring from professional baseball.[2] He died in 1968 in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.[1]

References
  1. "Nap Shea Statistics and History". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  2. "Nap Shea Minor League Statistics & History". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  3. "State League Gossip". Amsterdam Evening Recorder, May 17, 1902, p. 5.
  4. "Nap Shea a 'Copper King'". Sporting Life, May 18, 1907.
  5. "Syracuse Buys Nap Shea". The Montreal Gazette, March 20, 1908, p. 5.
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