Here's one that slipped by ye olde blog this week but has just been passed on by the Bisons: New Hall of Fame electee James "Deacon" White played six seasons for the Herd in the 1800s!
(Here is a case where we all really miss Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Famer Joe Overfield, the longtime Bisons historian who passed away in 2000. My phone would have been ringing a few minutes after Monday's announcement).
According to the Herd, White (1847-1939) batted .293 while playing 595 games in parts of six seasons with the team. From 1881-1885, he played with Buffalo as part of the National League and then again in 1890 when the Bisons were members of the players-run "Players League."
His full stats are here, courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com. White played for eight teams from 1871-1890 and his time in Buffalo was actually his longest stint.
White was chosen by the Pre-Integration Committee (the old Veterans Committee) along with former Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert and ex-umpire Hank O'Day. They will be inducted July 28 in Cooperstown along with winners of the BBWAA election to be announced Jan. 9.
White makes 20 former Bisons in Cooperstown. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see the list, which includes modern-era names like Ferguson Jenkins, Jim Bunning and Johnny Bench.
---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington
(White photo from Baseballhall.org)
