Deacon White Hall of Fame MLB

Deacon White was one of the leading players of baseball’s early professional era and an outstanding catcher during the 1870s barehanded period. He began his major league career with the Cleveland Forest Citys in 1871 and later played for Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Buffalo, Detroit and Pittsburgh.

White was the first batter to come to the plate in the National Association, baseball’s first professional league. He led the National League in RBI during its first two seasons and in 1877 led the league in batting average, hits, triples, total bases and slugging percentage. White later became a third baseman and helped the Detroit Wolverines win the 1887 World Series. Over 20 major league seasons, he recorded 2,067 hits, 1,140 runs and 988 RBI with a .312 batting average.

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013 by the Pre-Integration Era Committee.

White's Awards and Honors

• National League batting champion (1877)
• 2× National League RBI leader (1876–1877)
• 5× championship team member from 1873–1877
• 1887 World Series champion with Detroit Wolverines
• Recorded the first hit in National Association history

MLB Records

• First hit in major-league history
• First extra-base hit in major-league history
• First National League RBI champion
• Most games caught during the 1870s
• Oldest player ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame