Charles Wesley Bennett (November 21, 1854 – February 24, 1927) was an American professional baseball player from 1875 or 1876 through the 1893 season. He played 15 years in Major League Baseball, principally as a catcher, with the Milwaukee Grays (49 games, 1878), Worcester Ruby Legs (51 games, 1880), Detroit Wolverines (625 games, 1881–1888), and Boston Beaneaters (337 games, 1889–1893). He played on four pennant-winning teams, one in Detroit and three in Boston, and is one of only two players (the other being Ned Hanlon) to play with the Detroit Wolverines during all eight seasons of the club's existence.
Bennett compiled a .256 batting average and a .340 on-base percentage during his major league career with 549 runs scored, 203 doubles, 67 triples, 55 home runs and 533 runs batted in (RBIs). His greatest value, however, was as one of the greatest defensive players of his era. Between 1880 and 1891, he ranked among the National League leaders 10 times in Defensive Wins Above Replacement (Defensive WAR) at all positions and led the league's catchers seven times in fielding percentage and three times in double plays and putouts.
Bennett's baseball career ended in January 1894 when he lost both legs in a train accident in Kansas. In 1896, Detroit's new baseball stadium was named Bennett Park in his honor. The Detroit Tigers played their home games at Bennett Park from 1896 through the 1911 season. Bennett has also been credited with inventing the first chest protector, an improvised cork-lined vest that he wore under his uniform.
Early years Bennett was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania, in 1854. His father, Silas Bennett (1815–1887), was a native of Connecticut. His mother, Catherine (Nichols) Bennett, was a native of Pennsylvania. Charlie was the eighth of their 11 children.1870 U.S. Census entry for Silas and Catherine Bennett residing in New Castle, Penn. Son Charles, age 14, born in Pennsylvania. Source Citation: Year: 1870; Census Place: New Castle Ward 1, Lawrence, Pennsylvania; Roll: M593_1360; Page: 102B; Image: 208; Family History Library Film: 552859. Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line].Charles Wesley Bennett profile on Ancestry.com. Birth 21 Nov 1854 in New Castle, Lawrence, Pennsylvania, USA. Death 24 Feb 1927 in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, USA. Parents Silas Bennett (1815–1887) and Katherine Nichols (1815–1882).
Professional baseball player
Neshannock Bennett began his career in organized baseball as the catcher for the Neshannock team in the Pennsylvania League. Sources are in conflict as to how long Bennett played for Neshannock, one account indicating he was on the Neshannocks' "pay roll for two seasons", and others stating that he played for the Neshannocks in 1874, 1875 and 1876. Bennett was described while playing for the Neshannocks as a hard hitter who "nearly broke the directors of the club because of the number of balls knocked into the Shenango river." While playing for Neshannock, Bennett was the catcher for Cal Hawk, one of the pitching stars of the early 1870s.
Detroit Aetnas At the end of the 1876 season, at age 22, Bennett signed with the Detroit Aetnas. The Aetnas were originally an amateur baseball team, but the club signed several professional players at the end of the 1876 season to aid in a rivalry with the Cass Club of Detroit. The professional players signed by the Aetnas included three members of the Neshannock team—Bennett, George Creamer and Ned Williamson. Bennett's first appearance for the Aetnas was on September 21, 1876, against the Boston Red Stockings at the Woodward Avenue grounds in Detroit. Bennett played third base in the game and, in the first inning, hit a "hot one" that glanced off the pitcher and continued into center field for a triple that drove in a run. The Aetnas' professional players, including Bennett, remained until the end of the season and were "stranded" in Detroit "without a dollar", until a "benefit was given and enough money realized to pay their way home."
Milwaukee Grays Some sources state that Bennett signed with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1877 and played in one game for that team. He ultimately signed a contract to play in 1877 for the Milwaukee club at a salary of $150 per month. During Bennett's first season with Milwaukee, the team was part of the League Alliance, which has been classified as a minor league. The following year, the Milwaukee club was admitted to the National League and became the Milwaukee Grays. Bennett made his major league debut on May 1, 1878, and appeared in 49 games, 35 as a catcher and 20 in the outfield. He compiled a .245 batting average for the Grays with 16 runs scored and 12 RBIs. His battery-mate, Sam Weaver lost 31 games that season.
Worcester Ruby Legs
In 1879, after the Milwaukee club disbanded, Bennett joined the Worcester Ruby Legs, a team organized and managed by Frank Bancroft. The team played in the National Association, which has been rated as having been a minor league in 1879. Bennett began at Worcester as a backup catcher to Doc Bushong, but eventually replaced Bushong. Bennett hit .328 in 42 games during the 1879 season.
During the winter of 1879–1880, Bancroft took his team, including Bennett, on a baseball tour of Cuba and the Southern United States. Bennett stayed in New Orleans and played for local baseball teams there until the 1880 season began.
In 1880, Worcester was admitted to the National League, replacing the Syracuse Stars, and attaining major league status. That season, Bennett appeared in 51 games, 45 of them as the team's catcher. Bennett caught for Lee Richmond, baseball's first left-handed pitching star. Richmond compiled a 32–32 record in 1880, and also pitched the first perfect game in major league history, with Bennett catching. Bennett had a .228 batting average with 20 runs scored and 18 RBIs during the 1880 season. Defensively, he ranked second among the National League's catchers with a .913 fielding percentage and fifth in putouts and range factor.
Detroit Wolverines At the end of the 1880 season, Bancroft, who had been Bennett's manager in Worcester, signed as the manager of a new Detroit baseball club that was admitted to play in the National League starting in 1881. Bancroft brought several Worcester players with him, including Bennett, George Wood, and Lon Knight. Bennett played eight seasons with the Detroit Wolverines. He was one of only two players, the other being Ned Hanlon, to play for the Wolverines during every season that the franchise existed.
In his first season with Detroit, Bennett established himself as one of the best players in the National League. With a .301 batting average and a .478 slugging percentage, Bennett's overall wins above replacement (WAR) rating of 4.2 was the second highest among all of the league's position players, trailing only Cap Anson (5.8 WAR). He also finished among the league leaders with seven home runs (2nd), 64 RBIs (2nd), .478 slugging percentage (4th), and 32 extra base hits (4th). Bennett also excelled defensively in 1881, leading the league's catchers in putouts (418) and range factor (7.19), compiling the second highest defensive WAR rating in the league, and setting a major league record for catchers with a .962 fielding percentage (.962). With his strong performance on both offense and defense, Bennett helped lead the Wolverines to a respectable 41–43 record in the first season of the franchise's existence. According to baseball historian Peter Morris, Bennett took the first recorded "curtain call" in baseball during the 1881 season. After hitting a home run in May 1881, Bennett was "loudly applauded, and the crowd would not desist until he bowed in acknowledgment." Bennett was not forgotten by the fans of Worcester, his former team. Prior to the first pitch of his return as a Detroit player, the umpire presented him a gold watch and chain, a gift from the Worcester fans.
In 1882, Bennett had another strong season, batting .301 and compiling a 4.1 WAR rating that ranked sixth in the league among position players. He also ranked among the league leaders with a .450 slugging percentage (6th), 10 triples (10th), and five home runs (4th). Defensively, he led the league's catchers with 446 putouts and a 7.94 range factor. Bennett was the Wolverines' dominant offensive player, and helped the team to its first winning record at 42–41.
In 1883, Bennett hit for a career high .305 batting average, and his 4.9 WAR rating was the third highest among the National League's position players, trailing only Dan Brouthers and Jack Farrell. Bennett's defensive performance as dominant as his offense, with a 1.8 Defensive WAR rating that was the highest among catchers and the third highest among all players in the league. He also led the league's catchers with 11 double plays turned and a .944 fielding percentage. As good as Bennett was in 1883, the Wolverines team was not good, dropping to seventh place with a 40–58 record.
In 1884, matters got worse for the Wolverines, as they finished in last place with a 28–84 record. Bennett's batting average fell to .264, but his on-base percentage remained high at .334, and his WAR rating remained strong at 4.1. Bennett later recalled the toll of multiple losing seasons in Detroit: "During the next four years [1882–1885] I wished many times I was out of Detroit, or, rather, out of that team. It was awful. I thought sometimes we were lucky to finish last. Once we lost twenty-five straight games. Every week I caught a new pitcher."
In June 1885, the Wolverines added another slugger in Sam Thompson, and the team improved incrementally to sixth place with a 41–67 record. Bennett compiled a 4.5 WAR rating for the season, the second highest of his career and fifth highest among the league's position players. He was also among the league leaders with 42 extra base hits (4th), 47 bases on balls (5th), a .456 slugging percentage (6th), 24 doubles (6th), a .356 on-base percentage (7th), and 64 RBIs (10th). Defensively, he led the league's catchers with a 7.00 range factor and ranked second in double plays (10), fielding percentage (.919) and putouts (347).
In 1886, the Wolverines added several star players and improved substantially, finishing in second place with an 85–38 record. Bennett put in another solid year for the Wolverines with a .371 on-base percentage and a 3.9 WAR rating. He also compiled perhaps his best defensive season with a 2.0 Defensive WAR rating that was the highest among all players in the National League. He also led the league's catchers in fielding percentage (.955), double plays (13), and putouts (425), and ranked second in range factor (7.38).
The 1887 season was the pinnacle in the history of the Detroit Wolverines. The team won the National League pennant with a 79–45 record and then defeated the St. Louis Browns in the 1887 World Series. Bennett's WAR rating of 1.7 was the lowest during his time in Detroit, but still a respectable showing. Even though he was limited by injury to 46 games during the regular season, Bennett still finished with the sixth highest Defensive WAR rating among all players in the league and compiled a .363 on-base percentage. In his only World Series, Bennett had nine RBIs, 11 hits, and a triple, stole five bases, and scored six runs.
During the 1887 season, an excursion of fans from Bennett's hometown in Pennsylvania traveled to watch Bennett play in Detroit who enjoyed watching him receive a wheel barrow loaded with 500 silver dollars when the Wolverines returned to Detroit to celebrate their 1887 world championship victory. Bennett then wheeled the barrow around the field "to the delight of 5000 people."