Charles Louis Zimmer (November 23, 1860 in Marietta, Ohio – August 22, 1949 in Cleveland, Ohio) was a catcher in Major League Baseball for 19 seasons from 1884 to 1903, playing for the Detroit Wolverines (1884), New York Metropolitans (1886) Cleveland Blues/Spiders (1887–1899), Louisville Colonels (1899), Pittsburgh Pirates (1900–1902), and Philadelphia Phillies (1903). He was also the player/manager for the Phillies in 1903. Zimmer played in 128...
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Charles Louis Zimmer (November 23, 1860 in Marietta, Ohio – August 22, 1949 in Cleveland, Ohio) was a catcher in Major League Baseball for 19 seasons from 1884 to 1903, playing for the Detroit Wolverines (1884), New York Metropolitans (1886) Cleveland Blues/Spiders (1887–1899), Louisville Colonels (1899), Pittsburgh Pirates (1900–1902), and Philadelphia Phillies (1903). He was also the player/manager for the Phillies in 1903. Zimmer played in 1280 major league games, including 1239 as a catcher. He had a career batting average of .269 with a .339 on base percentage, 1227 hits, 617 runs scored, 222 doubles, 76 triples, 26 home runs, 625 RBIs, 151 stolen bases, and 390 bases on balls. His career fielding percentage as a catcher was .952 (16 points higher than the average catcher of his era) with 4883 putouts, 1580 assists and 135 double plays.
Zimmer is credited with being the first catcher (in 1887) to play directly behind the plate on every play. Prior to 1887, catchers typically...
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