All-Time Indians: Jake Virtue

Jake Virtue began his professional baseball career in 1886 at the age of 21 with the Lancaster Ironsides of the Pennsylvania State Association and he continued to play within that league, the Ohio State League, the International Association, the Tri-State League and the International League through 1890. In his five minor league seasons, Virtue hit for extra bases 108 times, stole 72 bases and batted .312, placing him on the RADAR of the Major Leagues. Virtue’s final two seasons were with the former MLB Detroit Wolverines, now reduced to minor league status. After 49 games in Detroit, Virtue was signed by the Cleveland Spiders in just their second season in the National League.

The Spiders were reeling in 1890 thanks to a franchise split as half the team jumped to the short lived Players League and the Cleveland Infants. After a single season, most of those unhappy players returned to the Spiders, but after playing 62 games and batting .305, Virtue had cemented his place on the Spiders. He replaced Peek-A-Boo Veach, who was released following the 1890 season and as the starter, played in 139 games at first base, batting .261 with 72 RBI and 75 walks. Despite finishing above .500, the 1891 Spiders had a solid offense including center fielder George Davis, who lead the team with 35 doubles and 89 RBI and Cupid Childs, who knocked in 83 as the second baseman.

The following season, the Spiders pitching caught up to the hitting as a youngster named Cy Young won 36 games with a 1.93 ERA and Nig Cuppy won 28 with a 2.51. Childs and George returned, with Davis playing third this time, but this time Virtue lead the offense with 20 triples, 98 runs scored and 89 RBI. With both parts of the team working at their peak, the Spiders won 93 games and played in the 1892 Championship Game against the Boston Beaneaters. While Young pitched well in three games, only Childs played well offensively and Cleveland lost five games and tied another. Virtue went just 3/24 in the series, although he did steal a base and score a run.

The Spiders would finish above .500 in each of Virtue’s two final seasons in Cleveland, but wouldn’t finish above third again. Individually, he would not repeat his 1892 either, batting .265 in 97 games, playing some time in center field, short stop and third base in addition to his regular time at first. Virtue knocked in another 60 runs, impressive for the time, although over shadowed by Ed McKean‘s team record 133 runs batted in.

Jake Virtue’s prime ended as quickly as it started, getting into just 29 games in 1894, playing center field, right field and second base more often than his normal position of first base with the player/manager Patsy Tebeau taking over the starting first base job. Virtue batted .258 with another 10 RBI, ending his baseball career when he was cut after July 20th.

Despite playing just five MLB seasons, Virtue ranks among the top ten Spiders in runs scored, RBI, triples, walks and OPS, while ranking fifth in on base percent. In all those counting stats, every player with more than Virtue played in more games with the each of the seven players with more RBI playing in at least 240 more games. In addition, unlike many of the Spiders greats, Virtue owns the distinction of only playing in Cleveland, something most other Spiders didn’t get the chance to do thanks to the destruction of the franchise in 1899.

Virtue was one of the longer lived players of the time, lasting until 1943, when he died in Camden, New Jersey at the age of 77.