Minor leagues Hanlon began his professional baseball career in 1876 at age 17 or 18 with the
Providence, Rhode Island club.
Cleveland Hanlon made his major league debut on May 1, 1880, as a member of the
Cleveland Blues of the
National League. He appeared in 73 games for the Blues, 69 as an outfielder and four as a shortstop, and compiled a .246 batting average with 32
RBIs. On June 12, 1880, he made the final out of the first
perfect game in major league history, a 1–0 victory by
Lee Richmond of the
Worcester Ruby Legs.
Detroit Hanlon joined the newly formed
Detroit Wolverines in 1881. He is one of only two players, along with
Charlie Bennett, who played for the Wolverines during all eight years of the team's existence. In his eight seasons with the Wolverines, Hanlon compiled a .261 batting average, which was boosted to a .318
on-base percentage by 271
bases on balls and six times
hit by pitch. He hit over .300 only once in his career, compiling a .302 batting average (.372 on-base percentage) in 1885. Hanlon had excellent range in center field, leading the league in outfield
putouts in 1882 and 1884 and ranking among the league leaders every year from 1882 to 1887. He also led the league in
double plays turned from the outfield in 1882 (eight) and 1883 (six) and ranked among the leading outfielders in
range factor five times from 1882 to 1887. Perhaps as a result of his extensive range, Hanlon was also regularly among the leaders in outfield errors and led the league with 35 errors in 1880, 38 in 1885 and 31 in 1891. Decades later,
The Sporting News opined that Hanlon was "one of the greatest ground coverers the game ever had." The
1887 Wolverines won the pennant with a 79–45 record. In 1888, the Wolverines finished in fifth place with a 68–63 record. The team folded in October 1888, and Hanlon was sold to the
Pittsburgh Alleghenys.
Spalding trip During the winter of 1888–89, Hanlon traveled to Hawaii, Australia, Ceylon, Arabia, Egypt, Europe, and the British Isles as part of
Albert Spalding's "Around the World Baseball Tour". Baseball games were held between the
Chicago White Stockings and a picked team called the "All-Americans"; Hanlon played center field for the "All-Americans". As a player, Hanlon compiled a .239 batting average (.326 on-base percentage), scored 81 runs, and stole 53 bases during the 1889 season. He served as player-manager for the
Pittsburgh Burghers during the 1890 season. In Hanlon's first full season as a manager, his team compiled a 60–68 record and finished in sixth place in the Players' League. Hanlon put in a solid performance as a player in 1890, posting a .278 batting average and a career-high .389 on-base percentage fueled by a career-high 80 bases on balls. He also led the Players' League with 291 outfield
putouts, posted a 2.59
range factor (3rd highest among the league's outfielders), and ranked fourth in the league with 65
stolen bases. Hanlon returned to the Alleghenys as player-manager in 1891.
Connie Mack was the catcher on the 1891 team; he and Hanlon became fast friends and remained close until Hanlon's death in 1937. Mack would credit Hanlon with teaching him baseball strategy and how to manage. The 1891 season was Hanlon's last as a full-time player. At age 34, he compiled a .266 batting average and .341 on-base percentage, scored 87 runs, and stole 54 bases.
Baltimore Rough start Hanlon began the 1892 season with Pittsburgh, but he strained a tendon in his right leg in practice before the first game and did not appear in any games. He took over as manager after
George Van Haltren and
John Waltz led the team to a 3–16 record in the first 19 games.
Assembling the talent ,
Joe Kelley,
John McGraw, and
Hughie Jennings, circa 1894 While Hanlon was not able to immediately turn the Orioles into a winning club, he quickly evaluated the talent available and looked for new talent elsewhere. By 1894, only three players from the 1892 opening lineup (
John McGraw,
Wilbert Robinson and pitcher
Sadie McMahon) remained on the roster. • Catcher Wilbert Robinson was with the Orioles when Hanlon arrived, but had compiled a .216 batting average in six prior seasons. With Hanlon's guidance, Robinson hit .334 in 1893, .353 in 1894, and .347 in 1896. Robinson was later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. • In September 1892, Hanlon showed nerve in trading
George Van Haltren to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for
Joe Kelley and cash. Van Haltren was the Orioles' best hitter, a veteran who had hit compiled a .324 batting average from 1889 to 1891. Kelley was a rookie outfielder who hit .239 for the 1892 Pirates. Kelley promptly became one of the best players in the game, batting .393 in 1894, .365 in 1895 and .364 in 1896. Kelley was later inducted into the Hall of Fame. • Prior to the 1893 season, Hanlon purchased infielder
Heinie Reitz from the San Francisco Metropolitans (California League) for $300. Reitz had compiled a .243 batting average for San Francisco in 1892, but blossomed with Hanlon's Orioles. He led the National League's second basemen in fielding percentage three times, led the National League in
Defensive Wins Above Replacement in 1897, placed fourth in that category in 1894, and led the National League with 31 triples and hit .303 in 1894. • In June 1893, Hanlon acquired shortstop
Hughie Jennings in exchange for
Tim O'Rourke in a trade with the Louisville Colonels. O'Rourke had been a consistent .300 hitter before the trade, but never hit above .282 after the trade. Jennings had compiled a .242 average with Louisville in three seasons before the trade. At Baltimore, Jennings led the league in
fielding percentage every year from 1894 to 1897, and he hit .335 in 1894, .386 in 1895, and .401 in 1896. Jennings was later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. • In August 1893, Hanlon purchased outfielder
Steve Brodie from the
St. Louis Browns for a price reported to be between $800 and $2500. Brodie became a key player in the Orioles' pennant-winning clubs, batting .366 in 1894 and .348 in 1895. • In January 1894, Hanlon negotiated a remarkably one-sided trade with the Brooklyn Grooms, acquiring
Dan Brouthers and
Willie Keeler in exchange for
Billy Shindle and
George Treadway. Brouthers was an established slugger who had been teammates with Hanlon in Detroit. Brouthers hit .347 and drove in 127 runs for the 1894 Orioles. Keeler had played only 41 games before joining the Orioles, but under Hanlon's guidance, Keeler hit .371 in 1894, .377 in 1895, .386 in 1896, and won batting titles in 1897 and 1898 with averages of .424 and .385. Shindle hit .274 in five seasons with Brooklyn, while Treadway hit .301 for two seasons in Brooklyn and was then out of the major leagues. Brouthers and Keeler were both inducted into the Hall of Fame. • In June 1894, Hanlon made a final key move, purchasing
Kid Gleason from the St. Louis Browns for $2,400. Gleason hit .231 in six major league seasons before joining the Orioles. He proved to be a solid fielder at second base and hit .349 for the Orioles in 1894 and .309 in 1895. For his efforts in building Baltimore's championship teams, Hanlon developed a reputation for having a keen eye for talent.
The Sporting News later wrote that he had "an almost uncanny ability to judge players, a faculty of imparting to them his remarkable store of knowledge, a genius for inspiring his men to rise to the heights and a personality that enabled him to gain and hold the confidence of all with whom he came into contact." In May 1895, Hanlon sold Brouthers to the Louisville Cardinals. Brouthers played only 71 games in the major leagues after the trade. Hanlon replaced Brouthers at first base with
Scoops Carey in 1895 and
"Dirty Jack" Doyle in 1896 and 1897. Doyle hit .339 in 1896 and .354 in 1897 for the Orioles. The 1895 Orioles won their second pennant with a record of 87–43 (.669). In 1896, the team was without Brouthers and Robinson, but won its third consecutive pennant with a 90–39 (.693) record. The Orioles had further strong performance in 1897 and 1898, compiling records of 90–40 and 96–53, but finished in second place both seasons behind the
Boston Beaneaters.
"Inside baseball" During his years in Baltimore, Hanlon became known as "Foxy Ned" and was credited with inventing a new strategy that came to be known as
"inside" baseball. The strategy focused on teamwork, speed and execution, and encompassed the
hit and run play, the
squeeze play, the
sacrifice bunt, the
double steal, and the
Baltimore chop.
The Sporting News wrote that Hanlon's "introduction and perfection of 'inside baseball'" had "initiated and brought to their highest point of efficiency the hit and run, bunt, sacrifice, chop hit, and base running, always doing the unexpected." Having been a particularly weak batter against left-handed pitchers, Hanlon learned from his own weakness and was one of the first managers to employ the
platoon system, switching players in the lineup depending on whether the opposing pitcher was left- or right-handed.
Brooklyn In October 1898, rumors spread that Hanlon may move to the
Brooklyn Bridegrooms and take many of the Orioles' players with him. By December 1898, discussions were underway for a consolidation of the Brooklyn and Baltimore clubs in Brooklyn. Negotiations continued through the winter, and ultimately a deal was struck which resulted in Hanlon and Baltimore owner
Harry Von der Horst receiving stock in the Brooklyn club and with von der Horst as the controlling shareholder of both clubs. Under the deal, Hanlon became the manager of Brooklyn and took Keeler, Kelley and Jennings with him to Brooklyn. The Brooklyn team, formerly known as the Bridegrooms, was dubbed the "Superbas" in the press, simply because the new manager shared the same name as a popular vaudeville acrobatic troupe known as Hanlon's Superbas. Hanlon led his 1899 Superbas to a 101–47 record and a National League pennant. Outfielders Keeler and Kelley led the offense with averages of .379 and .325. On the mound, pitchers
Jack Dunn,
Jim Hughes and
Brickyard Kennedy combined for a 73–28 record. The 1900 Superbas again won the pennant with an 82–54 record as Keeler and Kelley again led the offense with averages of .362 and .319.
Joe McGinnity, later inducted into the Hall of Fame, was acquired from the Orioles in March 1900 and led the pitching staff with a 28–8 record. Prior to the 1900 season, the Superbas also acquired
Jimmy Sheckard from the Orioles. Sheckard hit .354 with 19 triples for Hanlon's team in 1901. The Superbas finished the 1901 season in third place with a 79–57 (.581) record. In 1902, Keeler hit .333, but no other player on the Brooklyn team hit above .280. The Superbas again finished the season in third place with a 75–63 record. By 1903, Keeler was gone, and Brooklyn dropped to fifth place with a 70–66 record. In 1904 and 1905, Hanlon was left with teams that lacked a single .300 hitter. The 1904 team dropped to sixth place with a 56–97 record, and the 1905 team finished in last place with a 48–104 record.
Cincinnati In December 1905, Hanlon signed a contract to manage the
Cincinnati Reds during the 1906 season for $8,000 salary. Hanlon was reunited with Joe Kelley in Cincinnati, but Kelley was past his prime and compiled a .228 batting average in 1906. Second baseman
Miller Huggins was Hanlon's best batsman in 1906 with a .292 average. The Reds finished the 1906 season in sixth place with a 64–87 record. The following season, the Red again finished in sixth place, again lacked a .300 hitter, and compiled a 66–87 record. After the 1907 season, Hanlon retired from managing.
Baltimore Orioles (minor league) The National League Baltimore Orioles franchise folded after the 1899 season, leaving Baltimore without a professional baseball club. An
American League version of the Orioles arrived in 1901, but that team moved to New York after the 1902 season and became the
New York Yankees. Hoping to keep professional baseball alive in Baltimore, Hanlon in January 1903 purchased the
Montreal Royals of the
Eastern League for $5,000 and moved the club to Baltimore as the newest incarnation of the
Baltimore Orioles. Hanlon also purchased the ballpark used by the American League Orioles for $3,000, although it had been built only two years earlier at a cost of $21,000.
Baltimore Terrapins In November 1913, Hanlon became the principal shareholder in the
Baltimore Terrapins of the
Federal League, a third major league that existed from 1914 to 1915. Hanlon took no role in managing the Terrapins, and the team finished in third place with an 84–70 record in 1914, but dropped to last place in 1915 with a 47–107 record. The
Federal League collapsed after the 1915 season, and most of the Federal League owners were bought out by owners of the American and National Leagues, or were compensated in other ways (for example, the owner of the St. Louis Federal League team was permitted to buy the St. Louis Browns). Hanlon and his co-owners in the Terrapins were not provided with any compensation, and the Terrapins thereupon sued the National and American Leagues for conspiring to monopolize baseball by buying the Federal League's other constituent clubs, thereby destroying the Federal League. At trial, the defendants were found jointly liable, and damages of $80,000 assessed, which was tripled to $240,000 ($ in modern dollars), under the provisions of the Clayton Antitrust Act. The judgment was reversed on appeal, ultimately resulting in a United States Supreme Court decision,
Federal Baseball Club v. National League, written by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., holding that baseball was not interstate commerce and was therefore not subject to regulation, including antitrust regulation, by the federal government. The case, decided in 1922, is the basis upon which baseball, unlike any other professional sport, still claims an exemption from federal antitrust laws.
Baseball Hall of Fame At the time of Hanlon's death in April 1937, the
Baseball Hall of Fame had not inducted any managers. However,
The Sporting News observed at the time that, when the Hall was ready to begin inducting the game's leading managers, Hanlon's place would be assured based on his accomplishments that had "left an indelible print on the annals of the game." Hanlon was not without nay-sayers who questioned his contributions to the championship teams in Baltimore and Brooklyn. Some opined that the credit for the five pennants rested entirely with his Hall of Fame players—John McGraw, Joe Kelley, Hughie Jennings and Willie Keeler. In fact, Hanlon had a 304–441 () record in the portion of his career when he did not have Willie Keeler on his teams. One prominent critic was
Sam Crawford who was interviewed in the 1960s—long after Hanlon and most of his colleagues had been deceased – for Lawrence Ritter's book,
The Glory of Their Times. Although Crawford never played for Hanlon, and did not become a major league starter until 1900, Crawford made the following claim:Ned Hanlon used to manage that Baltimore club, but those old veterans didn't pay any attention to him. Heck, they all knew baseball inside out... [T]hose old Baltimore Orioles didn't pay any more attention to Ned Hanlon, their manager, than they did to the batboy... He was a bench manager in civilian clothes. When things would get a little tough in a game, Hanlon would sit there on the bench and wring his hands and start telling some of the old-timers what to do. They'd look at him and say, 'For Christ's sake, just keep quiet and leave us alone. We'll win this ball game if you only shut up.' In 1995, John Steadman of
The Baltimore Sun published an article urging Hanlon's induction. Steadman pointed to Hanlon's strategic innovations as being worthy of the Hall, and suggested that Hanlon's omission may have been the result of having committed an "unpardonable sin" in suing Major League Baseball for violation of the antitrust laws. In 1996, Hanlon was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame by vote of the
Veterans Committee. ==Family and later years==