Player #9: Andrew B. "Barney" Gilligan. Catcher with the Washington Nationals in 1886-1887. 386 hits and 3 home runs in 10 MLB seasons. He debuted with the Cleveland Blues in 1879-1880. His best season was 1884 with the Providence Grays as he posted a .325 OBP with 47 runs scored in 329 plate appearances. He was Hoss Radbourn's catcher as Radbourn won 54 games and the Grays won the 1884 pennant. He finished his MLB career with the Detroit Wolverines in 1888.
In the 1880's catching was brutal, dangerous work using the primitive equipment of the day. It was also customary for "batteries" to stay together. Most teams had two pitcher/catcher duos and rarely mixed them up barring injury. So, when Hoss Radbourn took over starting every Providence Grays game in the second half of the 1884 pennant-winning season, it meant Gilligan caught every game as well. It is well understood that Radbourn's was a feat of fantastic endurance; less appreciated, is Gilligan's ability to catch Radbourn game after game. Despite the physical demands of all the catching, 1884 was also Gilligan's finest offensive season.
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