Jack Glasscock, Shortstop - 1988 Allen & Ginter World Champions Baseball Card N28

Jack Glasscock was a standout defensive shortstop and an a solid hitter during baseball’s dead ball era when the infield was laden with pebbles, stones and even bits of glass. He played 17 seasons but had the misfortune of never playing on a championship club, hence although he was a better player than most remains mostly unknown. Nicknamed ‘Pebbly Jack’

The following from Microsoft Baseball:

“A drawback to greater recognition was his low-key personality. Jack Glasscock was a team leader, but not a particularly fiery one. He was not averse to a drink or two after a game, but he was never a carouser. He would argue vehemently with an umpire, but so did everyone else. When batting, he had a routine that included pounding his bat on the plate, but it was nothing worth imitating on the vaudeville circuit. He was neither illiterate nor particularly quotable. He showed up; he fielded; he hit; and after the season he went back to his wife and four children in Wheeling, West Virginia, and practiced carpentry.”

“His one verifiable idiosyncrasy was his penchant for landscaping his position—it brought hoots from rival benches and gave him a promising nickname. Critics said he found pebbles to throw away where none existed. Perhaps so, but “Pebbly Jack,” playing without a glove until 1890, led the league’s shortstops in putouts twice, in double plays four times, and in fielding percentage and assists six times each. Meanwhile, less fastidious shortstops earned no nicknames and were charged with countless bad-hop errors.”

“Glasscock’s career fielding percentage of .910 may not impress modern fans, but it easily tops the career marks of his peers, among them Tom Burns (.886), Sam Wise (.859), Bill Gleason (.860), Ned Williamson (.866), Art Irwin (.881), Jack Rowe (.882), and Hall of Famer John Montgomery Ward (.885).”

Notes from baseballhistorian.com archives - in 1886 Jack Glasscock hit .325 and in 1889 he led the NL with 205 hits and batted a career-high .352. He doubled as the Indianapolis manager of the National League for part of the 1889 season.

Playing in New York with the Giants in 1890, Jack Glasscock again led the league in hits and also in batting average with .336. In a September 27 game he went six-for-six.