{{short description|American baseball player (1915-1985)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography |name=Jake Early |image=Jake Early.jpg |position=Catcher |birth_date={{birth date|1915|5|19}} |birth_place=Kings Mountain, North Carolina, U.S. |death_date={{Death date and age|1985|5|31|1915|5|19}} |death_place=Melbourne, Florida, U.S. |bats=Left |throws=Right |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=May 4 |debutyear=1939 |debutteam=Washington Senators |finalleague = MLB |finaldate=September 30 |finalyear=1949 |finalteam=Washington Senators |statleague = MLB |stat1label=Batting average |stat1value=.241 |stat2label=Home runs |stat2value=32 |stat3label=Runs batted in |stat3value=264 |teams= * Washington Senators ({{mlby|1939}}–{{mlby|1943}}, {{mlby|1946}}) * St. Louis Browns ({{mlby|1947}}) * Washington Senators ({{mlby|1948}}–{{mlby|1949}}) |highlights= * All-Star (1943) }} '''Jacob Willard Early''' (May 19, 1915 – May 31, 1985) was an American professional baseball player.<ref name="Jake Early">{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/e/earlyja01.shtml |title=Jake Early |work=Baseball Reference |access-date=26 June 2011 }}</ref> He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Washington Senators and the St. Louis Browns.<ref name="Jake Early"/> Early was a left-hand-hitting batter and was known for his skill at catching the knuckleball.<ref name="Early dies">{{cite news |title=Early dies |agency=Associated Press |work=The Times-News |page=15 |date=31 May 1985 |access-date=27 June 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=x7sbAAAAIBAJ&pg=3461,5508828&dq=jake+early&hl=en}}</ref>
==Baseball career== Born in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, Early began his professional baseball career in {{Baseball year|1936}} at the age of 21 with the Jacksonville Tars of the South Atlantic League.<ref name="Jake Early minor league statistics">{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=early-001jac |title=Jake Early minor league statistics |work=Baseball Reference |access-date=26 June 2011 }}</ref> By {{Baseball year|1938}}, he had moved up to the Charlotte Hornetts of the Piedmont League where he posted a .316 batting average in 97 games.<ref name="Jake Early minor league statistics"/> Early made his major league debut with the Washington Senators on May 4, 1939 at the age of 24.<ref name="Jake Early"/> He served as a reserve catcher, backing up future Baseball Hall of Fame member, Rick Ferrell. Former catcher and Senators coach Benny Bengough helped Early develop his catching skills.<ref name="Jake Early: He Was Known as The Chattering Catcher">{{cite magazine |author=Tingley |first=Ken |date=November 1985 |title=Jake Early: He Was Known as The Chattering Catcher |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_baseball-digest_1985-11_44_11 |url-access=limited |access-date=2025-03-11 |work=Baseball Digest |pages=86-89 |volume=44 |issue=11}}</ref>
The Senators traded Ferrell to the St. Louis Browns in May 1941, leaving Early to share catching duties with Al Evans. Early out-hit Evans and ended the season having caught the majority of the team's games with a career-high batting average of .284 along with 54 runs batted in and a team-high 10 home runs.<ref name="Jake Early"/> His hitting performance earned him the starting catcher's job in 1942.<ref>{{cite news |title=Training Camp Briefs |work=Reading Eagle |page=10 |date=4 April 1942 |access-date=27 June 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YoNhAAAAIBAJ&pg=4905,2485437&dq=jake+early&hl=en}}</ref> Although his batting average dropped to .204, he led American League catchers in assists and in baserunners caught stealing, and finished second in putouts.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1942-fielding-leaders.shtml |title=1942 American League Fielding Leaders |work=Baseball Reference.com |access-date=27 June 2011 }}</ref> Early developed a reputation as a talkative player on the field, using several methods to distract the hitter.<ref name="Jake Early: He Was Known as The Chattering Catcher"/> These methods of distraction included his imitation of a radio announcer's play-by-play commentary, an auctioneer's sales pitch and even singing.<ref name="Jake Early: He Was Known as The Chattering Catcher"/>
By 1943, Early was being recognized as one of the best defensive catchers in baseball.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jake Early, Washington Catcher, Blames Yanks For His Improvement |agency=Associated Press |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |page=8 |date=30 July 1943 |access-date=26 June 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TLJeAAAAIBAJ&pg=4135,1789594&dq=jake+early&hl=en}}</ref> He had the arduous task of catching for a Senators' starting pitching staff that included four knuckleball pitchers. Dutch Leonard, Johnny Niggeling, Roger Wolff and Mickey Haefner all threw the notoriously difficult to catch knuckleball.<ref>{{cite news |title=Griffith to Keep Knuckle Ballers |agency=Associated Press |work=The Calgary Herald |page=14 |date=31 December 1943 |access-date=26 June 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MidkAAAAIBAJ&pg=6120,2944683&dq=jake+early&hl=en}}</ref> Further recognition came when he was selected to be the starting catcher for the American League in the 1943 All-Star Game.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ALS/ALS194307130.shtml |title=1943 All-Star Game |work=Baseball Reference.com |access-date=25 June 2011 }}</ref> The difficulty in catching the knuckleball was evident as Early led the league in passed balls allowed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1943-fielding-leaders.shtml |title=1943 American League Fielding Leaders |work=Baseball Reference.com |access-date=27 June 2011 }}</ref>
In December 1943, Early was called into military service and was inducted into the United States Army.<ref>{{cite news |title=Knucklers or Bullets in Prospect for Early |work=Toledo Blade |date=31 December 1943 |access-date=26 June 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XdxOAAAAIBAJ&pg=4847,4302770&dq=jake+early&hl=en}}</ref> He was assigned to an artillery unit attached to the 87th Infantry Division and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jake Early |url=http://baseballinwartime.blogspot.com/2009/12/battlefield-heroes-jake-early.html |access-date=27 June 2011 |website=Baseball in Wartime |archive-date=March 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318040629/http://baseballinwartime.blogspot.com/2009/12/battlefield-heroes-jake-early.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> He lost two years of his baseball career while he served in the Army.<ref name="Jake Early"/>
After being discharged from military service, Early returned to play for the Senators in 1946 but, his two years absence from the game showed as he only managed to post a .201 average while sharing catching duties with Evans.<ref name="Jake Early"/> In December, the Senators traded Early to the St. Louis Browns for Frank Mancuso.<ref>{{cite news |title=Brooklyn Sends Galan to Reds for Ed Heusser |work=The Milwaukee Journal |page=8 |date=4 December 1946 |access-date=27 June 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Mi0aAAAAIBAJ&pg=4537,2447557&dq=jake+early&hl=en }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In 1947, he platooned alongside catcher Les Moss, hitting for a .224 average along with a career-high on-base percentage of .381 in 87 games.<ref name="Jake Early"/> Early was traded back to the Senators in March 1948 where, he once again shared catching duties with Evans.<ref name="Jake Early"/> He led the league in baserunners caught stealing and in caught stealing percentage, throwing out an impressive 63.8% of baserunners who attempted to steal a base, the eighth highest single-season percentage in baseball history.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1948-fielding-leaders.shtml |title=1948 American League Fielding Leaders |work=Baseball Reference.com |access-date=27 June 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/caught_stealing_perc_season.shtml |title=Single-Season Leaders & Records for Caught Stealing Percentage |work=Baseball Reference.com |access-date=27 June 2011 }}</ref> In 1949, he split his playing time between the minor league Chattanooga Lookouts and the Washington Senators.<ref name="Jake Early"/><ref name="Jake Early minor league statistics"/> After being released by the Senators in February {{Baseball year|1950}}, he played five more seasons in minor league baseball, including four seasons with the Minneapolis Millers before retiring in {{Baseball year|1954}} at the age of 39.<ref name="Jake Early minor league statistics"/>
==Career statistics== In a nine-year major league career, Early played in 747 games, accumulating 532 hits in 2,208 at bats for a .241 career batting average along with 32 home runs, 264 runs batted in and an on-base percentage of .330.<ref name="Jake Early"/> He ended his career with a .976 fielding percentage.<ref name="Jake Early"/> Early led American League catchers twice in baserunners caught stealing, once in caught stealing percentage and once in assists.<ref name="Jake Early"/> His 48.79% career caught stealing percentage ranks 27th all-time among major league catchers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/caught_stealing_perc_career.shtml |title=Career Leaders & Records for Caught Stealing Percentage |work=Baseball Reference |access-date=23 September 2016 }}</ref>
==Later life== Early went on to become a player-manager in the minor leagues, leading the Rock Hill Chiefs in {{Baseball year|1954}} and then managed the Statesville Owls in {{Baseball year|1960}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=early-001jac#standard_managing::none |title=Jake Early minor league managing record |work=Baseball Reference.com |access-date=27 June 2011 }}</ref> He retired from baseball in {{Baseball year|1963}} and returned to Kings Mountain where he worked as a police officer and recreation director.<ref name="Early dies"/> He retired to Florida in 1970 and died in Melbourne on May 31, {{Baseball year|1985}}, at the age of 70.<ref name="Early dies"/>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Baseballstats |br=e/earlyja01 |brm=early-001jac}} * {{Find a Grave}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Early, Jake}} Category:1915 births Category:1985 deaths Category:American League All-Stars Category:Baseball players from North Carolina Category:Charlotte Hornets (baseball) players Category:Chattanooga Lookouts players Category:Jacksonville Tars players Category:Major League Baseball catchers Category:Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players Category:Minor league baseball managers Category:People from Kings Mountain, North Carolina Category:Rock Hill Chiefs players Category:St. Louis Browns players Category:20th-century American sportsmen Category:United States Army personnel of World War II Category:Washington Senators (1901–1960) players