We’re Contacted by Descendant of Dead Ball Era Slugger, “Socks” Seybold!

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We’re Contacted by Descendant of Dead Ball Era Slugger, “Socks” Seybold!

As we’ve mentioned many times, we always love it when we’re contacted by descendants of former major leaguers. It doesn’t matter to us if the player was a star or a backup. Anyone who makes it to the Big Show is special to us.

This time we go all the way back to the early 1900’s to shine the spotlight on one of the slugging stars of the Dead Ball Era, Ralph “Socks” Seybold. We were recently contacted by Tom Renwick, whose wife is Sock’s great-great niece. Her mother’s maiden name is Seybold. In doing genealogy searches for his wife’s family, Tom stumbled upon Socks in the family line.

Socks Seybold played nine season in the majors (1899-1908) for the Reds (1899) and the A’s (1901-1908). Over his career Socks hit .294, with 51 home runs, 556 RBIs, 66 stolen bases, a .353 on-base percentage, and a career OPS+ of 131 (100 being the major league average). His best season was 1902, when he hit .316 and set career-highs in home runs (16), and RBIs (97). The home run total led the league and stood as the American League record until Babe Ruth broke it in 1919 with 29. He continued with solid seasons from 1903 to 1907; and in 1905, he played in his only World Series with the A’s, going 2-16.

In the featured photo above, we see the 1902 pennant-winning Philadelphia Athletics, with Socks Seybold in the top row, fifth from left. (Complete player ID’s available upon request). 

The Washingtonville, Ohio native was an unusually big man for the era, standing 5’11” on thin, spindly legs, and weighing over 200 pounds. Despite his large size, he possessed deceptive speed. At the time of his signing, the Sporting News said of him: “Big Ralph Seybold is a prize. He’s a splendid fielder, a great batter, and the fastest man for his size in the league.”

Tom Renwick shared with me a couple funny anecdotes involving Socks. He was known to possess a voracious appetite; and true to form, after being bought by Connie Mack in 1901, on arrival at the Hanover Hotel, and before looking up Connie Mack, “he made for the dining room to order a big steak dinner as though it was the first base bag.” (1)

Tom also related how Sock’s rotund physique had once got him into trouble. While playing center field, a ball was hit straight at him and carried over his head: “As he chased down the ball it had rolled into a small dog box structure used to keep the American flag. It rolled inside the box and Socks climbed in to retrieve it…but got stuck in the box! I can imagine the fans were going crazy at the sight!”

Socks played a role in bringing the great “Shoeless” Joe Jackson to the majors. Toward the end of an injury-plagued season in 1908, Mack sent Socks to Greenville, South Carolina to collect the recently-purchased young outfielder Joe Jackson who was having trouble adjusting to the big city and kept returning to his hometown. According to Seybold’s SABR biography:

“Socks found Jackson and convinced him to return to Philadelphia. On the train Seybold spent the evening with him and made sure he was in his berth. When Socks went to check on his companion in the morning he was gone. Jackson had gotten off the train in the middle of the night and headed back to Greenville. Socks went back for him again.” (2)

Seybold played his last game on October 7, 1908. He then played and coached in several minor league teams for a few years, including the Toledo Mud Hens. In his later years, he was employed as a steward of a social club in Jeannette, Pennsylvania. Seybold was married but had no children and became a widower in 1917. In 1921 Seybold was driving a car when it overturned at a sharp curve east of Jeanette and was killed instantly.

In preparation for a Seybold family reunion this summer, Tom says he was hoping to find some memorabilia of the family celebrity to “auction off.” “I even went as far as to bid on one of his baseball cards, but I chickened out at $900 on the bid!”

No one can blame you for that, Tom…but have fun at the Seybold family reunion anyway! And thanks for the info on the great Dead Ball Era star, Socks Seybold!

Gary Livacari

Photo Credits: All from Google search

Information: Excerpts edited from the Wikipedia page; and from information provided by Tom Renwick

(1) and (2): Quotes paraphrased from Socks Seybold SABR biography by Vincent Altieri