On June 21st, 1917, “Scrappy” Moore, played his first Major League game for the St. Louis Browns vs. the Detroit Tigers.

William Allen “Scrappy” Moore was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1892. He pinch hit and played 3B in a total of 4 major leagues games in his career, all in 1917. He also played for the Atlanta team of the Southern Association from 1918 to 1919, and with the Little Rock Travelers in 1920.

Here are his career Major League stats:

• 14 innings
• 8 At-Bats
• 1 Hit
• 1 Walk
• .125 BA

Like most players from his time who played so few games in the Major Leagues, it is difficult to find much information about Scrappy Moore.

One thing I did find is that Scrappy went to both Vanderbilt University and to Georgia Institute of Technology. Somehow the nickname Scrappy doesn’t fit for me for an early 20th century “college boy.” I would expect a nickname like: “Doc,” “Professor,” or “Specs” if he wore glasses.

Scrappy Moore died in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1964 at the age of 71. I have to assume that when his playing days were done with the Little Rock Travelers in 1920, he just stuck around Little Rock for 51 years, got married and had a career of some kind (maybe in engineering or something?).

Looking at Baseball Reference I find one other “Scrappy.” Malcolm Elmore “Scrappy” Brown who played for the Baltimore Black Sox of the Negro League for 4 years (1926-29).

Scrappy Brown (.251BA, 100H) was clearly a better hitter than Scrappy Moore. And since Brown played the more demanding positions of Shortstop and Second basemen he was also clearly better defensively than Moore. But since baseball was segregated in those days, we will never know for sure. But still I think it is a safe bet to assume that Scrappy Brown was the better baseball player than Scrappy Moore.

“Scrappy” Moore is listed in Baseball Reference as having played at 5’8″ and 153 pounds. “Scrappy” Brown is listed at 5’11 and 195 pounds. “Scrappy” seems to me like the kind of nickname that should belong to a little guy. To the kind of guy who is punching above his weight. I can see Moore then being seen as a “scrappy little guy.” But by early 20th century standards, Brown seems too big to ever be called “scrappy.”

“Scrappy” Moore was one of the lucky players who made the Major Leagues in his hometown. We can assume then that when he played in his first game on this day in 1917, he must have had a number of family and friends there. Neighborhood guys in the stands telling anyone who would listen that when they were both 12 he had struck Scrappy out, or had started ahead of him.

I hope June 21st was a nice sunny day and that his friends and family enjoyed themselves. And that they got to see every moment of the few games that he got to play with St. Louis.